Surprising Farm Facts - Andrew Campbell

Nov 13, 2020

Ep 321 - Surprising Farm Facts

Guest: Andrew Campbell

 

Did you know that more than 95% of farms in Canada are family-run operations? Families that have been working the land for three and four generations. You probably have little or no reference to the world of farming. I didn’t.

 

Andrew Campbell does. He’s a third generation dairy farmer and he’s also a storyteller, to which he says “is an unusual combination because most farmers work the farm for a reason. They really like Mother Earth and all of its inhabitants. They have been content doing their jobs with little fanfare. In a world of social media and environmental campaigns, that is not a good idea.

 

Farming is under the microscope from a variety of different constituencies that include (but are not limited to) consumers, regulators, politicians and activists. Campbell says, “If we don’t share our stories – the real stories of farming – then someone else is going to and they are going to get it wrong.”

 

Campbell operates a dairy farm in Southern Ontario and he is also out telling the story of farming. One year, he challenged other farmers to join him and post a photo a day online. Then he took a huge leap forward and produced 52 did-you-know videos about farming called “Dinner Starts Here,” where he took viewers onto 52 farms across Canada.

 

Fresh Air Media, his production company, continues to produce videos and podcasts because Andrew Campbell says farmers need to be heard as the food production authorities they are.

 

I invited Andrew Campbell to join me for a Conversation That Matters - Food For Thought about food production from the farmer’s perspective.

 

Conversations That Matter is a partner program for the Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University. The production of this program is made possible thanks to the support of the following and viewers like you.

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