Our farming expert Philip Keddy answers your common questions, including how you can become a farmer and how farmers minimize food waste.

WHAT IS AGRICULTURE?
Agriculture is the broad term for everything that goes into growing crops and raising animals, to provide food and materials that people can use and enjoy. Farming, which involves cultivating the land and raising livestock, is one part of agriculture, which also includes plant science.

People across the globe have practiced agriculture for thousands of years. Today, through modern farming innovations and plant science technologies, Canada has been able to grow some of the highest crop yields in the world, giving us a competitive edge globally.

For farmers like the Keddys, agriculture is also a way of life, a livelihood and a passion that they enjoy day in and day out.

HOW DO YOU BECOME A FARMER?
There are several ways to get into farming. The most obvious way is that you can be born into it. Almost all – 98 per cent – of farms in Canada are still family-run, with wisdom passed down through generations and children eventually taking over the work of their parents.

But anybody can become a farmer if they have the passion and drive to do it and access to sufficient capital. You will need some level of practical on-farm experience and you can study specific college or university courses to learn more about agricultural production, such as agronomy, agricultural science, or plant science, or take business courses to help set you up to succeed.

WHAT ARE PESTICIDES?
Pesticides are products that farmers use to help their crops succeed. They’re one tool in an integrated pest management strategy to safely protect crops against weeds, insects and diseases. Different pesticides manage different pests – herbicides are used for weeds, insecticides for insects and fungicides for a wide host of diseases. All of these types of pesticides are essential for helping Canadian farmers produce high quality and abundant crops which keeps food prices affordable for Canadians. Health Canada regulates pesticides in Canada – even the lawn or domestic pesticides that people use at home – so food grown with the help of pesticides remains safe to eat.

HOW CAN FARMERS MINIMIZE FOOD WASTE?
Food waste and food loss happens when crops, fruits, vegetables or other food products are unable to be harvested or discarded. It can happen at several points in the food’s journey – during production (on the farm), handling, storage and distribution (to and at the store), or in people’s homes. All of us can reduce food waste at home by planning ahead so we’re only buying what we will really use. For farmers, though, reducing food waste starts in the field.

Plant breeding and other plant science innovations mean that farmers can grow high quality crops that are less likely to spoil while growing, after harvest or in transportation. For instance, to combat the 40 per cent of apples that traditionally go to waste, scientists have developed a variety called the Arctic apple, which has the same taste, texture and crunch of conventional apples, but won’t bruise or brown.

Using pesticides also helps to protect crops from being spoiled by insects and disease, which reduces food loss before the crop is harvested. Roughly 20-40 per cent of crops are lost each year globally due to insects, weeds and diseases. This would be much higher without plant science technologies. Pesticides can also help to prevent waste after harvest by continuing to protect crops from insects and other pests while they are in storage and transportation.

Finally, some farmers, including the Keddys, have a novel solution for fruits and vegetables that are misshapen or don’t meet the aesthetic regulations for sale. In the case of the outliers from their sweet potato crop, the Keddys feed them to their cattle to ensure they don’t get thrown away.

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