Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart and Farm Credit Canada (FCC) President Greg Stewart recently signed a partnership agreement recognizing Saskatchewan as the first province to become an official partner of Agriculture More Than Ever.
Agriculture More Than Ever, started by FCC, is an initiative focused on promoting the industry and improving the perceptions of agriculture in Canada.
"Our agriculture industry is an important economic driver in Saskatchewan and will play a large role in our future growth," Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart said. "Our producers are leading a promising, exciting industry and in order to keep agriculture growing, we need to promote its benefits to the public. Agriculture has a great story to tell and we can't be shy about telling it."
Agriculture More Than Ever partners will work to promote the contributions made by farmers, ranchers and the industry to the economy, environment and health of people around the world. Through Agriculture More Than Ever, producers, stakeholders, industry leaders and others involved in agriculture provide information, dispel myths and tell success stories to improve public understanding of the industry.
Agriculture accounts for one third of Saskatchewan's exports and one quarter of the jobs in the province. In 2011, Saskatchewan became Canada's top agri-food exporting province, with more than $10 billion worth of agri-food exports.
"Those of us involved in agriculture love what we do - challenges and all - and we need to be more vocal about why," FCC President and CEO Greg Stewart said. "The way we portray agriculture has a direct and powerful effect on how the public views our industry. We want Agriculture More Than Ever to be the catalyst to get people talking about the opportunities and promising future that the industry has to offer. In fact, the future of agriculture depends on it if we want to attract the people, skills and investment needed to meet the growing demand for food globally."
For more information about Agriculture More Than Ever, visit agriculturemorethanever.ca.
