District farmers urged to market products better to consumers

Although Jarrod Gunn-McQuillan and Eric Busch were not born and raised in Rainy River District, they see strong agricultural opportunities here—especially in creating sustainable food systems.
Gunn-McQuillan, a dietitian with the Northwestern Health Unit, and Busch, an agricultural intern here, were the guest speakers at the Rainy River Federation of Agriculture’s annual spring dinner at the Emo Legion on Saturday—and both are sincerely interested in this idea.
“There are really beautiful lakes here. It’s a pristine environment,” noted Busch. “It’s very different than anywhere else and I see great opportunities here.”
Gunn-McQuillan agreed the district is distinguished and unique, and has a sense of connectiveness with many organizations and industries.
“What a vibrant rural community,” he stressed. “The numerous organizations play a key role in the future.”
They noted “food localism” is one way the district can work towards a sustainable food system.
“Food localism aims at creating direct links between farmers and consumers,” Gunn-McQuillan explained, citing three ways to institute this: marketing food to local/regional markets, creating a brand, and increasing accessibility.
Busch added it’s important to think about questions concerning the consumer, such as: What affects their buying decisions? Do attitudes and preferences change towards food? Where are the attitudes headed?
“I think they are changing right now,” he noted. “These questions are difficult to answer, but they are important.”
He also feels a lot of consumers are uneducated about where their food comes from.
“There is a lack of communication and they don’t know whether the food is safe,” Busch said. “This is ‘not-knowing’ and maybe they’re scared.”
Gunn-McQuillan noted it is the packers and retailers who control the flow of information. “It comes down to the basic way—direct marketing,” he explained. “Eliminate the middle men.”
This can be done through farmers’ markets, farm-gate sales, and agri-tourism.
“It’s food with a face—a comforting feeling you don’t get at the grocery store,” he added.
Busch and Gunn-McQuillan noted a food council, strategic planning, research, and projects are in the works to get food localism off the ground here.
“We want to close the gap between urban and rural communities,” Busch stressed and encouraged everyone to get involved.
“Take time to step back and look at the Rainy River District, join the municipal council and other organizations, develop relationships and partnerships, and ask questions.
“Questions spur debate, which spurs learning.”
Also at Saturday night’s dinner, Bill Darby, secretary of the Rainy River Regional Abattoir board of directors, gave an update on the progress of the project.
“[The board has] been meeting every two weeks,” he noted, though adding they may have to bump it up to every week.
“There’s a lot of work ahead of us,” he admitted.
The board has 95 pledges to date, including $48,000 in membership fees and $20,000 in loans (not yet collected).
“Our goal is to raise $600,000 so we still have a long way to go,” he remarked.
Darby also said the abattoir board has started the process of incorporating and has established a bank account.
“We’re planning to tour two abattoirs in Manitoba on May 9,” he noted. “And we’ve started to develop our goals and objectives.”
He said those who have not paid their $500 membership should do so soon because, as of May 15, there will be a change in voting eligibility—only those who have paid will be able to vote.
“We are working well together,” Darby stressed. “More people should come on board. This is the last chance. We need it [the abattoir] to sustain farms and the agriculture community.”
The Bill Gibson Memorial award also was presented at the RRFA’s annual dinner.
Kim Jo Bliss announced Ken Fisher as the winner, referring to him as “very unique” and as someone who “shows his true colours and feelings.”
At the conclusion of the formal portion of the evening, RRFA president Trish Neilson encouraged everyone to stay and visit with each other because there is a lot going on among those in the local agriculture community.