1 The Real Dirt on Farming
Helping you make informed choices with straight answers on...
FOOD SAFETY
& SECURITY
ENVIRONMENTAL
SUSTAINABILITY
ANIMAL
WELFARE
ROBOTICS &
INNOVATION
YOUR GUIDE TO FOOD & FARMING IN CANADA
6th Edition
FREE
Take Me!
2 The Real Dirt on Farming
58
THE FUTURE OF FOOD AND FARMING
- Changing consumer trends
- Robotics, automation, and smart systems
- Electrifying farm equipment
- Producing your own fuel and fertilizer
- Growing meat in a bioreactor
- Curious to learn more?
- Facing our future, sustainably
Table of contents
Chapter 7 :
45
FARM ANIMALS
Livestock and poultry in Canada
- Turkeys and chickens
- Hens and eggs
- Dairy, veal, and beef cattle
- Pigs
- Bison, elk, rabbits, and more
- Sheep, goats, and animal guardians
- What about fur?
- Honey
- Insects are farm animals too!
- Fish farming
- Horses
Raising farm animals humanely
- Why is some Canadian livestock raised indoors?
- Biosecurity
- Monitoring livestock barns remotely
- Genetics and animal breeding
- The rules for raising farm animals humanely
- Finding better ways to raise livestock
- Dehorning, trimming, and docking
- Animals on the move
- Fires, accidents, and first response
- Animal welfare and animal rights — what’s the difference?
- Farm trespassing
Chapter 6 :
38
CROPS AND PLANTS
- Grains and oilseeds
- Pulses and plant-based proteins
- Mushrooms all year long
- Fruits and vegetables
- Growing crops indoors
- Medicinal crops and growing for sacred ceremonies
- Canadian crops for the Canadian climate
- Heirloom varieties and heritage breeds
- Wines, beers, and craft beverages
- Maple syrup — the ultimate Canadian crop
Chapter 5 :
12
FOOD COST, AVAILABILITY, AND
EATING LOCAL
The economics of food
- What is food security?
- The drivers of food inflation
- The cost of producing food
- The cost of buying food
- Food insecurity and growing food in Canada’s North
- The vital role of food banks
- Why some food products are more expensive than others
Food choices, labelling, and eating local
- The luxury of food choices
- Organic food in Canada
- Healthy eating
- Deciphering food labels
- Local food, imports, and food miles
CANADIAN FARMS AND FARMERS –
WHO IS GROWING OUR FOOD?
- At a glance
- Farming across Canada
- Who is growing our food?
- The essential work of farming
- Worker shortage and Canada’s international farm workforce
- Farming and other careers in agriculture
- Mental health on the farm
- Indigenous agriculture
- The bottom line: feeding Canadians sustainably
20
SUSTAINABLE FARMING, CLIMATE
CHANGE, AND INNOVATION
- Making sustainable farming practices even better
- Sustainable farming starts with soil
- Measuring how much carbon is in the soil
- Growing crops without working the land = win-win
- Regenerative agriculture
- Keeping soil healthy by rotating crops
- Livestock are part of healthy soil
- Manure, phosphorus, and water
- Let’s talk about emissions
- Canada’s endangered grasslands
- Going the extra mile for wildlife
- Common Question: What about pollinator health?
- Farming and water use
- Food waste
- What about plastics and packaging?
- Farming sustainably with a technology tool box
32
PRODUCING SAFE HEALTHY FOOD
- Food safety rules for farms
- Keeping farm animals healthy
- “One Health” — when animal and human health meet
- Antibiotics and resistance
- What are drug residues?
- Raw facts about raw milk
- Foodborne illnesses
- Hormones, livestock, and meat
- What about pesticides?
- Faster plant breeding for more sustainable food production
- GMOs, plant breeding, and genetic engineering
Chapter 1 :
Chapter 2 :
Chapter 3 :
Chapter 4 :
Farm photos in this book are all taken of
Canadian farms and farmers. Many of the
images were winning entries in Farm & Food
Care’s 2023 Farm Photo Contest. Photo
credits are listed where available.
Sources, where noted, are available in the
online version of this publication at:
www.RealDirtonFarming.ca
Front cover: Samantha Kennedy,
JoAnne Maurier
Back Cover: Hailey Rast, Lauren Miller,
BC Ag Council
Kelly De Bruyn
Dear reader,
Food is life. It’s a common tie that binds all of us together
regardless of age, where we come from or where we live across
this country. From coast to coast to coast, Canadians feel
strongly about their food and where it comes from, and we’ve
heard from people right across Canada that it’s something they
want to know more about.
From food safety and the environment to the treatment of farm
animals, Canadians are keen to learn more about how food gets
from the farm to their plate.
At the same time, people care about the cost of food, climate
change, sustainability, and health care. These are topics farmers
care about too, and here we look at the big issues facing our
society, and how they are connected to food and farming.
In this publication, we answer your questions about our food,
where it comes from, and what we’re doing to produce food
that is sustainable, healthy and safe.
To do so, we rely on the knowledge and support of a wide
range of professionals who are experts in animal welfare, plant
health and safe food production. Together, we work to not only
produce the best food possible but to constantly look for ways
to do things even better.
We’re proud of Canada’s food and farming story and we
appreciate your interest in learning more about it.
Sincerely,
Canada’s Farmers and Food Producers
The Real Dirt on Farming 3
CANADIAN FARMS AND FARMERS –
WHO IS GROWING OUR FOOD?
Food and farming are a big deal in Canada.
To put it simply, farms give us food, fuel, fibre,
flowers, and jobs.
Canadians depend on farmers to produce the food we eat, and the agriculture and
agri-food industry provide jobs for more than 2.1 million people1. One in nine
Canadian jobs is directly linked to the sector, which contributed $134.9 billion2 to
our national economy in 2021. This makes agriculture an important part of Canada’s
economic engine.
What farming looks like and what it means, though, depends on where in Canada
you live. Farmers from coast to coast to coast raise various species of livestock and
poultry, and grow many different crops – all depending on the climate and the soils
in their regions.
A small piece of very fertile land in a region with a mild climate can profitably grow
unique specialty vegetables, for example. However, a large 5,000 acre farm in a more
northerly region with lower quality soil may be better suited for grazing animals.
That diversity means that Canadian farms come in all types and sizes, from small
orchards and vineyards to large grain farms and cattle ranches, but all produce food,
fuel, fibre, flowers, and more. Most farmers today are specialists in a specific type of
farming, such as greenhouse vegetables, mushrooms, dairy, or egg production.
CHAPTER 1
Farms from Canada feed the world: We are the fifth largest exporter
of agri-food in the world11, including:
of the world’s maple
products (maple syrup
and maple sugar)12
75%
of the world’s oats
(world’s largest exporter)13
38%
of the world’s mustard
(world’s largest exporter)14
29%
of the world’s pulses
(world’s largest exporter
of lentils and peas)15
28%
of the world’s canola
(world’s largest exporter
and producer)16
27%
of the world’s flaxseed
(world’s second largest
exporter)17
15%
4 The Real Dirt on Farming
Lori Gasper
Lori Gasper
Farms are disappearing at a slower rate than before:
In the most recent census, the number of farms in Canada
declined by only 1.9 per cent to 189,8747, as compared to
193,492 farms in 20168. That’s the smallest drop in 25 years.9
Farms are diverse10: Ontario has the most farms, but
Saskatchewan’s are the biggest, and British Columbia has
the largest number of small farms (those producing less than
$10,000 in gross annual income each). Canadian farms raise
everything from cattle, poultry, and water buffalo, to grains,
pulses, fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs, flowers, and more.
How big is an acre?
150 cars parked in a square,
16 tennis courts5, or
1,032 king size beds6
At a glance:
Farms are family: 97 per cent of Canada’s
farms are family owned and run3.
Farms are bigger than in the past:
The average farm size has doubled in the last
50 years, as technology makes it easier for
farmers to manage bigger farms4. In 2021,
the average Canadian farm was 809 acres.
Every minute aspect
of agriculture is
important.
The Real Dirt on Farming 5
British Columbia
produces
approximately
95 per cent of
Canada’s sweet
cherries.
Nova Scotia
has the most mink
in Canada.20
Alberta is Canada’s
beef leader, home
to 44 per cent of
the country’s beef
cattle26.
Saskatchewan is known
as Canada’s breadbasket,
growing more cereal
grains, oilseeds, and
pulses than any other
province—such as
canola, spring wheat,
oats and lentils.25
Manitoba has the
largest number of
young farmers in
Canada, being those
under age 3524.
Horses and other
equines are the leading
farm type in the Yukon
and Northwest
Territories.27
Vegetable and melon
farms make up the
biggest share of farms in
Newfoundland
and Labrador18.
Quebec has more
pigs and more
dairy cows than
any other province
in Canada22.
Ontario has the
greatest number of
farms in Canada, and
is the biggest producer
of soybeans, grain
corn and greenhouse
products23.
Prince Edward
Island is Canada’s
potato leader, growing
over 100 varieties that
are eaten by people
around the world.19
New Brunswick
is known for maple
syrup and lowbush
blueberries21.
Farming across Canada
The sheer diversity of Canadian agriculture is part of what makes Canada a global leader in food production. This is a big country – the second
largest in the world – and the kinds of farms we have vary from coast to coast depending on our geography and climate. Here’s a snapshot of
what farming looks like across the country:
Creating a sustainable, equitable food
system
Farms need to be economically and environmentally
sustainable in order to survive. Emily Robb, a University
of Manitoba agro-ecology student and research assistant
with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), is helping
farmers to ensure that their businesses will be viable in
the long term.
“My grandparents were first and second-generation
Canadians with a mixed cattle and grain farm near
Brandon. That was my daycare. Their farm wasn’t too far
from where my family lived. I dabbled in different things
like art and engineering, but didn’t really realize it until
maybe grade seven or eight what my interests truly were,”
says Robb, adding that her interest in agriculture really
grew through participating in science fairs with 4-H.
“There are many definitions of agro-ecology. For me,
it’s about ethically distributing knowledge for farmers
and ensuring [that] agriculture is economically and
environmentally sound, and creating an environmentally,
economically, and equitable sustainable food system.”
Currently mid-way through her four-year degree program,
Robb spends her summers helping AAFC researchers
and farmers to identify, remedy, and prevent disease in
crops. She also helps in the lab, analyzing crop and other
material collected in the field. The job brings her to all
parts of Manitoba, where she collects samples, scouts for
problems in many different crops, and gathers data for a
range of research projects.
“Something I look forward to is [that] every day is a new
challenge. I’m collaborating and communicating with
different producers. It’s always a different field, situation,
and enterprise, so I have to keep on my toes,” she says.
“Every minute aspect of agriculture is important. It’s
not just farmers that make up agriculture. It’s the food
scientists, plant breeders, literally everything in between.
I feel a lot of people don’t know how diverse and varied
agriculture really is, and how many jobs are related to
agriculture in some way, shape, or form. We all work
together in an interdependent network. That’s what makes
the wheels turn.”
Emily Robb
Agro-ecology student,
University of Manitoba
Who is growing our food?
Fewer than two per cent of Canadians farm, and those who do are getting older. In fact, the
average age of Canadian farmers reached 56 in 202128. However, farms are also getting bigger,
and technology makes it much easier to produce the same amount – or more – of food than in
the past. You can read more about the technology used in farming today in chapter 7.
Young farmers in Canada are defined as those under the age of 35. Many young farmers
supplement their farming activities with off-farm revenue, working in management, business,
finance, trades, health, education, or natural resources and agriculture-related jobs. How much
outside income they contribute to the farm business varies significantly by farm type, the size
and profitability of the farm, the seasonality of production, and what types of opportunities they
have in their region to work away from the farm.
6 The Real Dirt on Farming
Women who farm29
In 2021, the number of female farmers in
Canada increased for the first time in 30 years.
According to the latest Census of Agriculture
data, almost 80,000 — or about 30 per cent —
of Canada’s farmers are women. This compares
to 28.7 per cent in 201630, and 25 per cent in
199631, and is entirely because more women
are deciding to farm on their own, instead
of together with family or business partners,
with women in Alberta and Saskatchewan who raise cattle or grow grains and
oilseeds leading the way.32. However, almost half of Canada’s female farmers
also work outside the farm to supplement their income, with 57.7 per cent of
them spending 30 hours or more at an off-farm job.
Where are Canada’s female farmers?
BC, Alberta, and Ontario have the highest numbers of female farmers33, but it’s
in the North where women make up the highest proportion of farmers (43.3
per cent)34. Sheep and goat farms are most likely to be run by female farmers35.
Various women in agriculture, including female farmers, have been inducted into
the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame for their outstanding contributions to
their sectors.
Taking farming to the United Nations
The challenges facing food production are as multiple and diverse as
farmers themselves, as well as the fuel, food, fibre and ornamental
goods which they grow. Mary Robinson works with her family in
their Prince Edward Island farm and multiple agricultural businesses,
while also representing North America’s farmers as Vice President of
the World Farmers’ Organization (WFO).
With members from across the globe, the mission of the WFO is to
represent the farmers’ voice on the world stage. It is a body that
lends insights to policy makers on a wide array of issues, such as
sustainability, nutrition, and the different challenges of farming in
different parts of the world. The overall objective is to create the
conditions for the adoption of policies and programs that could
improve the economic environment and livelihood of farmers and
rural communities, and thereby strengthen the contributions of
agriculture in tackling common challenges.
Robinson found herself as a board member for the WFO after
representing the agriculture community through other organizations,
including as the first female President of the Canadian Federation of
Agriculture.
“Ultimately I want to support the agriculture sector while still
working in my family’s agricultural businesses,” says Robinson.
“One of the most important things I’ve seen through the WFO is how
farmers in developing countries are managing challenges. Some of
the biggest gains for those farmers, including some areas where
they are [doing] subsistence farming, can be recognized by helping
people embrace technology. It doesn’t have to be fancy either – it
could be as simple as improved seed handling, or improved fertilizer
usage to help increase yields and quality. Things like that can make
tangible and impactful improvements to people’s quality of life.”
Robinson reiterates that WFO has a global “farmers’ driven
approach”, adding that she appreciates the privilege of being the
WFO board member responsible for the relationships with the
United Nations and UN Agencies in New York.
Canadian farms are defined by families
In Canada, farming is all about family. Many farms are handed down from
generation to generation in a process called transition. Farm owners often work
together with their children and grandchildren in their families’ farming businesses
– and there are farms in Canada that have now been home to nine generations or
more of the same family.
Can a farm be a family farm and a corporation at the same time? Yes! As with many
Canadian businesses, some farm families have opted to incorporate their farms.
This entity is a business or ownership structure, but it has nothing to do with
how big or small a farm is, or how well animals or crops are cared for. According
to the 2021 Census of Agriculture, 22.8 per cent of Canadian farms are family
corporations (only 2.4 per cent of
incorporated farms are non-family
corporations)36.
Mary Robinson
23%
Canadian Federation of Agriculture
Family
Farms
Lori Gasper
Lauren Miller
The Real Dirt on Farming 7
Labour is a big part of the economics of producing food,
and just as with other businesses, farmers often need
to hire extra people outside of their families to help get
everything done. Technology and equipment are helping
to make some work easier, but people are still the most
important part of producing food on the farm.
Farm jobs aren’t like most other jobs. Cows have to be
milked every day; pigs, poultry and other farm animals
need to be fed; and crops have to be harvested. Fruits and
vegetables in particular have to be harvested when they are
ripe, or else they’ll lose their taste and quality, or at worst,
just rot in the field or on the vine.
That challenge means that farmers and farm employees
don’t work a traditional eight-hour work day. Like other
essential workers in our society, they’ll work evenings,
nights, and weekends, in all kinds of weather conditions to
make sure that their animals and crops are taken care of.
Worker shortage and Canada’s
international farm workforce
As with many industries across the country, there is a severe shortage of workers on
Canadian farms. Even though farmers try hard to fill their open farm jobs with local or
Canadian workers, there simply aren’t enough available workers to do so. That’s why
Canadian farmers also turn to seasonal and temporary foreign farm workers to help
grow our food.
Although there are international farm workers on many types of Canadian farms, it
is fruit and vegetable growers in particular who rely on these workers to help them
plant, manage, and harvest their crops. Because many fruits and vegetables bruise
or damage easily, they need to be planted, picked, and cared for by hand. Automated
equipment is starting to become available for jobs like picking strawberries,
harvesting mushrooms, and weeding or scouting for pests and diseases, but it’s still
quite expensive and not yet widely available.
Bringing agriculture careers to
Newfoundland and Labrador
schools
The majority of Canadians live in urban places, sepa-
rate from farms, and are thus unaware as to how their
food is produced. That’s why Chelsea Foley, a member
of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of
Agriculture, and the province’s Agriculture in the
Classroom Coordinator, thinks it’s vital to get informa-
tion about Canadian farming into school curricula.
Foley coordinates Agriculture in the Classroom in
Canada’s most easterly province; it is a country-wide
program connecting youth to agriculture through
hands-on and engaging education programs.
“I always knew I wanted to work with youth. I studied
child development and psychology in school, which led
me in the direction of community studies,” says Foley.
“I’ve since developed a passion for agriculture, and
find joy in sharing the food stories of the people that
provide the food on our plates. Canada’s agriculture
sector has inspired me to be mindful of where my food
comes from, and I know Agriculture in the Classroom
programs have inspired students and teachers too.”
Agriculture in the Classroom has programs from early
Kindergarten levels to Grade 12. While programming
for young children sees them learning about – and
actually growing – different crops, older cohorts are
shown the breadth and diversity of careers which the
agriculture sector offers.
“Our Little Green Thumbs program for grade three to
six students has them growing stuff like cucumbers,
tomatoes, and other crops indoors. Our Little Green
Sprouts program for grades Kindergarten to two
focuses on microgreens, sunflowers, buckwheat –
things which grow a little faster,” says Foley, adding
that the idea is to provide a learning experience and
a reinforcing feeling of accomplishment. Foley also
has the unique opportunity to work with her mother,
Maureen, on the program, which is now the largest
in Canada.
Finding opportunities within the curriculum for older
students can be more of a challenge. However,
Foley says that Agriculture in the Classroom has had
success pairing agriculture subjects within nutrition,
science, and even social studies subjects.
“A lot of it tries to get people to think about agricul-
ture, and learn about diverse and exciting opportuni-
ties in it. Soil scientists, plant scientists, veterinarians
– we’re building awareness and building the next
generation of informed consumers.”
Chelsea Foley
The essential work of farming
supplied
Working in Canada to
support her family
Peta Gay Bennett has been coming to Canada
from Jamaica for about five years now through the
Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program. She first
started in Nova Scotia in 2019 before moving to
Ontario.
She grades and packs asparagus. She said that she
came to Canada to make a better life for herself
and her family. “I have two kids. They’re back
home with their grandma, their father and aunties.
My daughter is five and my son is two. It’s hard to
leave them when they’re this young still.“
Daily, she communicates with her family by video
calls. When asked what she’d like Canadians to
know about her and her coworkers, Bennett said,
“Canadians should know that we’re hard working
people. We’re definitely hard working. Once we put
our mind to something, we definitely can do it.”
8 The Real Dirt on Farming
Peta Gay Bennett
Seasonal Agricultural Worker
International farm workers (often called
migrant workers) who come to Canada legally
can work here through two government-
regulated programs: the Seasonal Agricultural
Worker Program (SAWP), or the agricultural
stream of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker
(TFW) program. In 2022, over 70,000 workers
came to Canada through these programs to
work on Canadian farms 37.
The SAWP began in Canada in 1966 when
264 Jamaican workers arrived in Ontario
to help with apple harvest. Today, the
government-approved program is open to
workers from Mexico, Jamaica, Trinidad &
Tobago, Barbados, and the Eastern Caribbean
islands; those who come to Canada work for a
defined period of time before going home for
the winter.
Workers who come to Canada under the TFW
program’s agricultural stream will stay year-
round for up to two years, before either going
home or applying to renew their work permits
to stay in Canada longer. They come from
many different countries, including Thailand,
Vietnam, the Philippines, and Guatemala.
Regardless of which program brings them
here, however, these workers have the same
rights and privileges as Canadian workers do,
and their employers have the same obligations
and responsibilities to those workers as they
do for their Canadian employees. This duty
includes minimum wage; workplace insurance
coverage and safety protection; and access to
healthcare, Employment Insurance, and the
Canada Pension Plan.
It is common for many workers to return to
the same farm year after year, where their
experience and skills make them valued
members of the farming business. With the
money they earn in Canada, workers support
their families and communities back home.
There are many examples of workers who’ve
been able to establish farms and businesses
in their home countries, create local jobs, and
pay for their children’s education because of
their jobs in Canada.
You can meet some of them at
www.MoreThanaMigrantWorker.ca where
they tell their stories in their own words.
Outside the strongly regulated SAWP and
TFW programs, there is also a third segment
of migrant workers who are undocumented,
and thus don’t have legal work permits. Their
precarious status leaves them vulnerable
to mistreatment, regardless of the sector
in which they work. Governments at the
federal and provincial level have made it a
priority to prevent the exploitation of these
undocumented people, a priority which has
the full support of the farming sector.
Canada’s international farm workforce
70,000
WORKERS
www.MoreThanaMigrantWorker.ca
Mental health on the farm
Farming is rewarding, but also can be incredibly challenging. The stresses of weather,
market uncertainty, evolving public perceptions, disease and pest threats, activist threats,
and more, can take their toll on farmers’ mental health.
Farmers and their families often work long hours by themselves, and farms by their very
nature are mostly located in rural and sometimes isolated areas. That aspect makes it
even easier to feel alone and without support.
Research into the mental health of Canadian farmers has shown that:
Luckily, awareness of the problem is increasing, thanks to groups like the Do More Ag
Foundation, a national charity focused on mental health in agriculture across Canada.
And the newly launched Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing42 is leading research,
and developing programs and education to address farmer wellbeing nationwide.
The Real Dirt on Farming 9
Supporting farmer mental health
Farming can be a unique and rewarding occupation –
but it can also be very stressful. Indeed, mental health
data show anxiety, depression and other psychological
afflictions being more common among farmers than in
many other professions and demographics.
Resources to help farmers manage mental health have not
always been available or effective, though. Epidemiology
researcher Dr. Briana Hagen has been working to change
that through the Canadian Centre for Agriculture Well-
Being (www.ccaw.ca).
“I have found people in agriculture are very determined
and resilient, and I had a skill set which could really help in
a place where there were not a lot of resources,” she says.
“Whether for practical reasons, such as distance to
counsellors or time availability, farmers have historically
been unable to access help when they need it. When they
seek help, too, the solutions provided to them often do
not take into account how farm businesses operate. If a
counsellor says ‘I want you to take two weeks away from
your dairy cows,’ that’s just not possible.”
Hagen’s organization develops mental health services
tailored specifically around the culture and operational
realities of Canada’s farm community. To date, they have
had a lot of success sharing mental health literacy training
courses and educational resources, as well as expanding
awareness of the importance of mental health.
“We’re starting to see people take charge in their
communities. Mental health literacy is also hitting
the curriculum in agriculture colleges, which is a huge
success,” she says.
“Farming is a stressful occupation, and it’s uniquely linked
with a person’s life. It’s a business where there’s not a lot
of distinction between what you do and who you are. We
need to create and deliver mental health services which
are made for the people who are going to feed us.”
Briana Hagen
Getting a start in farming
It can be difficult for people to get into agriculture if there isn’t a farm business
in the family to take over. The cost of land, equipment, and livestock is high, so
new farmers must be creative if they want to live their farming dream. Many look
to specialty products, local opportunities, direct-to-consumer sales, or niche
markets they can supply, to differentiate themselves in the marketplace.
Most new farmers start out by renting or buying small pieces of land, and getting
help from friends, neighbours, or family, while also working away from the farm.
Some of them build unique partnerships with established farmers who don’t have
children who might want to take over the farm business, for example.
Special programs have also been established by government and businesses to
help young people, women, new Canadians, and minorities start or grow farm
businesses40.
Working in agriculture is much more than
growing crops or raising livestock. One in
nine Canadian jobs is linked to agriculture38.
From communications, engineering, and
economics, to food and animal sciences,
tourism, robotics, and the environment, the
career possibilities are endless.
There are many more jobs available across the
entire Canadian agriculture sector – not just
on farms – than there are people to fill them.
It is estimated that the industry could be short
123,000 workers by 202939.
Agriculture in the Classroom Canada and its
provincial member organizations across the
country are working to introduce these diverse
career opportunities to students to support
the long-term sustainability of the sector. You
can also read the career profiles throughout
this magazine to see a sampling of the options
available.
Farming and other careers in agriculture
75 %
of farmers have
mid to high
stress levels
68 %
of farmers are more
susceptible to chronic
stress than the general
population
58 %
of farmers meet
the criteria for
anxiety41.
Lyndsay Berry
supplied
Sharing Indigenous food roots
Saskatchewan’s food history is long and diverse.
Regina-based First Nations chef and food influencer
Jodi Robson enjoys sharing her own cultural
history by highlighting new takes on traditional
Saskatchewan culinary traditions.
A member of the Okanese First Nation, Robson’s
cooking style is described as both rustic and
experimental. She was a finalist in season three
of CBC’s Great Canadian Baking Show; returned
for the show’s holiday special in season five; and
actively highlights her passion for food, family, and
her Indigenous culture through social media.
“I wear a multitude of hats. I’m a local cook, a
recipe developer and content provider for online
resources. I’m also a co-host of an exploratory food
show called ‘Big Heart, Small Town’, where I travel
across the province with a former Saskatchewan
wanderer visiting rural regions, learning about
foraging, hunting and fishing,” says Robson.
“I’m a Nakota-Cree woman. I get to bring some of
my own cultural knowledge to these communities.
We cook a big meal to sit down, and share
knowledge.”
Some of Robson’s favorite traditional foods and
ingredients come from Saskatchewan’s boreal
regions. But while duck eggs, mushrooms, berries,
birchbark sap, wild rice, and many other products
were traditionally harvested from wild landscapes,
urban, industrial, and agricultural development
mean that Robson finds many such products from
Saskatchewan’s farming community.
“I rely on local producers for a lot of these
ingredients as communities grow and cities get
larger. It makes it way easier for me in a lot of
ways, and we’re still working with the more
traditional foods we’re used to,” she says.
“I appreciate the extensive range of products
available to me that would not have been prior. I
really like to work with boreal heartland products
like mushrooms and wild rice. They honour that
traditional method of gathering and product
treatment. They’re items that would be really time
consuming to go and gather, but are fantastic to
work with for any dish.”
When not cooking or sharing knowledge with
followers and other communities, Robson
enjoys spending time with her husband and two
children. They actively follow the Saskatchewan
Roughriders, love the outdoors, and even run “Sask
& Destroy” – Saskatchewan’s official fan chapter
for heavy metal giant Metallica.
10 The Real Dirt on Farming
Indigenous agriculture
Indigenous people have an important connection to the land, and have
harvested plants and animals for traditional medicines and foods long before
settlers arrived in what is now called Canada.
In addition to the challenges that all farmers face, Indigenous farmers
encounter obstacles associated with colonization, such as regulatory systems
including the Indian Act, as well as natural and geographic factors.
Almost 80 per cent of Indigenous farmers identify as Métis, with the largest
numbers farming in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. A little over a
quarter self-identified as First Nations, with most farming in British Columbia,
Ontario and Alberta.
• ManyMétisfarmersraisecattle,orareinvolvedinspecialtycropslike
hay, sugar beets, hemp, hops, herbs and spices.
• Indigenousfarmersaremorelikelytobewomen,comparedwith
non-Indigenous farmers.43
The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council has established an
Indigenous Agriculture Advisory Committee to help develop research and
programming to promote Indigenous participation in all areas of agriculture.
Did you know...that First Nations
people foster a planting relationship known
as the “Three Sisters”, in which beans, corn
and squash are planted side by side? The
beans fix nitrogen to the soil; the corn stalks
act as a trellis for the beans; and the squash
leaves provide ground cover that prevents
weed growth and conserves moisture.
To Indigenous people, agriculture is more than just
producing food for consumption or export. Food is
medicine. By taking ownership within the agriculture sector,
our communities can reclaim important parts of our past,
and improve food security, and strengthen the economic
future of our people.
- Dale Worme, Chair, CARHC Indigenous
Agriculture Advisory Committee
Jodi Robson
Wes Klages
supplied