I came across an op-ed criticizing non-local food from U.S. politician Bob Haefner recently, but it wasn’t against imports from Canada or elsewhere, as I expected — it was against products grown in his own country. I don’t think pitting agriculture from one region against another is helpful, but I appreciate this politician’s passion, and I wrote about in this week’s Urban Cowboy column in the Guelph Mercury. Grandstanding over agricultural issues is rampant throughout the U.S. right now because President Obama has sent high highest-ranking agriculture officials on rural fact-finding tour in America’s heartland. Prime Minister Harper should do something similar in Canada, especially given the troubles in the pork sector, the parched land in Western Canada and ongoing questions about food versus feed versus fuel.
Thanks to University of Guelph agricultural communications diploma graduate Joanne Falk, communications manager at the George Morris Centre, for the photo from Powerline spoofing local food.
