Joel Porter outlines where he’ll focus his efforts
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
Just before the calendar turned to 2017, Farm and Food Care Ontario welcomed Joel Porter as its new vice-president of development and member relations.
Farms.com reached out to Porter to give producers an idea of where he’ll be focusing his efforts as he settles into his new position.
Joel Porter
Farms.com (Farms): As you enter your new position, what are some of the most pressing issues at the moment?
Joel Porter (JP): There are so many issues on the table – fear of GMOs, fear of antibiotics and pesticides, concerns about animal health (and) soil erosion. But the one over-arching major societal trend that is so very well-known is the ever-increasing distance between producers and consumers. Further, people increasingly lack confidence in even their own ability to find accurate, fair, complete and trustworthy information in general.
Farms: You come to Farm and Food Care Ontario with a wealth of experience, including Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada some charitable certifications. How will those skills translate to your new position, especially when talking about the issues previously mentioned?
JP: I will be doing two things in tandem: Listening carefully to the needs and concerns of all of our farming and industry members, while bringing the concerns of consumers back to the farming community for analysis and informative response. It’s my goal to ensure that the people who produce, and the people who consume, will each see each other as people with common values first, have an open dialogue, foster trust and learn from each other reciprocally.
Farms: If we look forward to the end of 2017, what do you hope to accomplish in the coming year?
JP: My primary goal for 2017 will be to inspire a far greater number of members to join our movement. Membership and project support with Farm and Food Care is the expression of those deeply-held values that support collaboration and common investment in something that’s still growing.