A man passionate about agriculture, Peter Hohenadel spoke at the latest Canadian Club of Halton dinner.
His presentation “My 12-Minute Walk to the Country: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Agriculture and Food” drew on his experiences with “The Royal”. Peter dispelled negative opinions about the food we produce and consume. The presentation raised some concerns about the struggle to attract younger people to the industry.
“I’ve worked in agriculture all my career,” Peter said, “studied it in school and visited hundreds of farms across Canada. Like many of us in agriculture, we wish the urban public would take a science-based view of modern farming."
He continued: "It is an indisputable fact that Canada has some of the safest food on the planet. Many urbanites I encounter, however, seem to prefer an emotion-based perspective on food, which is that if it seems icky, it must be unsafe."
"An independent research study some years ago found that when presented with the concept of feeding silage to cattle – chopped plant material stored in a silo where it ferments to improve palatability and nutrient release – a number of urban respondents said they would not eat meat or dairy products from animals that had been fed such a gross diet,” stated Peter Hohenadel.
Other topics covered in the question & answer period included:
- Science and safety of genetically modified foods (for resistance to pathogens and herbicides and for better nutrient profiles)
- Organics
- Cost of farmland and farming equipment
- Industry standards
- Transportation of food animals
- Risks of monoculture
- Food waste
- Perfect looking fruits and vegetables vs “seconds”
- Flavour vs the demand for year-round availability of fresh foods
About Peter Hohenadel
Mr. Hohenadel is an agriculture graduate of the University of Guelph with a long career working with farmers and the companies that offer products and services to them. For the past five years Peter was the Agriculture and Food Director at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
Mr. Hohenadel consultants in food and agriculture. Also Peter has been an active member on the Board of AgScape, the voice of agriculture in Ontario classrooms.
Born and raised in the city, he currently resides in downtown Toronto, just a 12-minute walk to the Exhibition Place fairgrounds.
About the Canadian Club of Halton
The Canadian Club of Halton, with 200 members, presents 7 guest speaker dinners September through April at the Oakville Conference Centre. The club is now in its 33rd season.
The next dinner takes place on Thursday, February 21st featuring Dr. Terry Bennet MD, Co-Director, McMaster Autism Research Team.
Non-members are welcome.
Reservations are required.
For more information, visit www.canadianclubhalton.ca.