Bridging the cultural divide

Editor:
We have lived on a farm in Clearview for the past 26 years. Our land is managed by a real farmer. We have witnessed the demographic transformation of the area with the arrival of citizens from urban centres seeking “the country life.”
Intrawest has precipitated a burgeoning four-season resort economy in the area. Golf courses have sprouted up replacing arable land and cyclists in their best “tour” garb abound on local roads used, as well, by combines and tractors.
The culture clash between locals and transplants has engendered some confusion and ill will. Much of this divide originates in the transplants’, like us, notion of farming from a 20th Century perspective; intoxicating the soil by over-spraying and no real concern for the environment. A son of a local farmer, studying agricultural financial management at the University of Guelph, gifted us with a book which demystifies farming in the 21st Century.
The title is Food 5.0: How We Feed the Future by Robert D. Saik.
Topics addressed are chemistry, genetic engineering, bioengineering, precision agriculture and data collection. The objective of the book is to educate all of us non-farmers about how our local farms operate; as well as dispel myths about issues such as round-up and cancer, spraying, fertilizer and organic farming. A must-read for “cidiots” to begin to bridge the gap between our cultures.
Dan Watkin,
Clearview.