Cherilyn Nagel keynote to provide ag perspective

Cherilyn Nagel has a message for farmers: tell your story!

The Nagel’s 18,000-acre family farm in Saskatchewan started over 100 years ago. In the 20th century, most people were farmers themselves or at least had relatives who were farming. Agricultural trust and respect was a natural outcome. Nobody questioned farming practices, because they too were involved in growing food for their families and neighbors.

But, says Cherilyn, “Now we’re two generations removed from the family farm. And farmers forgot to bring consumers along regarding the progress we’ve made and technological advances we’ve adopted.” Trust is still there, but questions abound as well. As a director of the Global Farmer Network, and facilitator for Farm and Food Care, Cherilyn is training a new generation of farmers to communicate and collaborate with the public and stakeholders in a way their forebearers never had to.

Cherilyn tells farmers to welcome the questions being asked by the public. What’s the effect of fertilizers and herbicides? How is water quality being effected? What’s the deal with GMOs? Is labeling helpful?

“At the end of the day,” according to Cherilyn, “the conversation is about values. What are our common beliefs about environmental protection, food safety, adopting new technologies and affordability? The science of farming, adopting best practices and working together should be built from a foundation of shared values.”

For our region, the message is timely. In areas such as Hangman Creek, efforts to reduce nonpoint source pollution are now front and center. Reducing nonpoint pollution is essential to addressing fish habitat, dissolved oxygen, algae blooms and other environmental issues effecting waterways that are very much in the public eye, e.g.-Lake Coeur d’Alene, the Spokane River and Lake Spokane.

A strand of sessions throughout the second day of the conference looks at what’s being done to address nonpoint pollution: regulation and enforcement, voluntary incentives, collaboration, new approaches and case studies. Ag producers will be joining us, as Cherilyn counsels, to engage in the discussions.

Part of Cherilyn’s training is that farmers can acknowledge mistakes and practices that are no longer viable because it’s part of learning. And farmers are the best people to help the public understand the choices being made to produce quality crops while staying economically viable and keeping food prices affordable.

The conversation is taking place in a world where farming is becoming more and more sophisticated to meet as many interests as possible. It’s a world, says Cherilyn, where “we need to be on the same team.”