The BioScience Century

Peter Hannam knows a thing or two about technology.  He has been a driving force in the Canadian agricultural sector, taking soybean production to new heights through his company, First Line Seeds, and providing a leading edge resource and communication facility for agricultural organizations at the Ontario AgriCentre.   

Peter addressed our cohort in the media centre, which was developed to improve communications with mainstream media outlets across the country, and allow for more immediate responses to hot topics in agriculture. 

Echoing his convocation address at the University of Guelph in June of this year, Peter expressed his belief that technology will see us through the next several years as we face the challenge of producing greater quantities of food more efficiently and with greater regard for the environment.  These are not just ag issues, as health and the environment affect everyone.  He feels that we have evolved to a new stage, the “BioScience Century”, as we focus on living organisms to offer solutions to food and fuel needs, and environmentally friendlier materials for producing clothing and building supplies.

The challenges we face as communicators are making stronger connections and bridging gaps along the chain, from producers to consumers, thus ensuring a better understanding of agriculture and its level of importance in all our lives.  People like Peter Hannam work hard to ensure that new trends and developments continue to occur and that information is readily available, which makes our jobs just a little easier.

Pioneering a Movement

We jump on a bandwagon after it begins to move but, often, we don’t know or appreciate those who set the wheels in motion.

 Last night at the Woolwich Arms in Guelph, Ontario, our cohort was fortunate to meet one of the pioneers of the local food movement.  Mr. Bob Desautels, owner of Arrow Neighbourhood Pubs, has been sourcing local foods and beverages for almost 20 years, long before “Buy local” was a catchphrase.

Bob’s passion for providing local products from a region’s producers is founded on 5 key principles: high quality, food safety, food miles, support of the local economy, and patriotism.

Quality is top of the list, which is easy to explain.  It also goes hand in hand with the food miles issue.  When a product travels a short distance, the impact on the environment is lessened and freshness is maintained.  Think about produce that travels thousands of miles, from California to Ontario, and you quickly realize why it sometimes looks wilted, sitting on your plate.  Now imagine eating a salad made with lettuce picked that day on a farm less than 100 kilometers away.  You can see and taste the difference.

Customers seem to support the philosophy of buying locally which is also great for the economy of the region, and it is okay to wave the Canadian flag once in a while as a show of pride.  We’re sometimes shy about doing so, but recognition for our talents in growing and producing high quality, great tasting products can go a long way to supporting our agricultural producers. 

A Class of Our Own

Here we are on day one of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock, Ontario with our fearless photography instructor, Kyle Rodriguez.We learned a great deal from Kyle and were able to apply the techniques during our coverage of the show as rookie photojournalists.

Welcome to AgWords

Thank you for visiting this site. 

I’m very happy to be participating in the Agricultural Communications Diploma Program at the University of Guelph, and I look forward to tracking our progress here.

Thanks to Chuck Zimmerman of ZimmComm, founder of AgWired, for teaching us about the wonderful world of blogs, and thanks to Owen Roberts for creating the opportunity for us to be better communicators.