The Rural Voice, 2000-08, Page 10WANTED
Contestants for the
BRUCE COUNTY
Queen of the Furrow
Competition
Must be: between 16 and 25 years old
a resident of Bruce County
and in attendance at the Plowing Match
Sept. 1, near Ripley
Call Cheryl at (519) 934-3367
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Competition includes:
2-3 minute speech interview
Plowing (Tractor and Coaching Provided)
BRUCE COUNTY
PLOWING MATCH
Coaching Day
August 31
Match Day
Sept. 1
at the
Lowry Farms
Hwy. 21 south of Kincardine
(S. of 12th conc.)
NOON
BAR-B-QUE
Awards Presentation
after judging
President
Bob Hammell
R.R. 2 Wingham
519-392-8242
For Tractors contact
John Gillespie at 519-395-5248
For information
contact Bonnie or Roger Thorne
at 519-934-2202 or
Fax 519-934-3173
6 THE RURAL VOICE
Keith Roulston
True factory food coming?
Watching the urban reaction to the
Walkerton E. coli tragedy. I can't
help but think proponents of gene-
tically altered foods are right: it's a
technology that's here to stay. What's
more. we haven't even begun to see
where bioengineered food will lead.
People in
cities. including
reporters and
media person-
alities, are now so
far removed from
the realities of
nature. that they
just don't trust
natural processes.
The idea that
manure is spread
on fields is
downright
disgusting for
some people.
Recently on a
major U.S. TV network, a current
affairs show did an expose of organic
food with experts saying it was
dangerous to public health because it
could be infected with bacteria from
being fertilized with manure (even if
most organic farmers compost their
manure to destroy pathogens).
In a book I'm.currently reading on
the development of franchised chains,
the author points out that North
Americans have been conditioned by
industt ialization to expect uniformity
and precision. They'd rather go to a
chain restaurant in a strange town and
get the bland food they've come to
expect than take a chance on finding
something truly outstanding (or
something less than desirable) in an
unknown local establishment.
That industrialization is spreading
to the production of food. The drive
in pork in recent years has been to
provide packers, and by extension
consumers, with a raw product that's
as close as possible to the identical,
no -surprises products turned out by
factories and chain restaurants.
In the wake of Walkerton, these
factory farms have come under
extreme criticism by the same
consumers who have driven the
market for cheap, consistent foods.
Urbanites also don't like the idea of
hundreds or thousands of animals
being housed in one building under
what they imagine must be horrible
conditions.
I'd bet, though, there won't be a
movement away from factory farms
because, while the consumers may be
frightened of all that manure. or
worried on behalf of the animals,
their dollars will still be spent on
cheap, consistent pork chops.
What's more likely to happen is
that food manufacturers will begin
looking at other ways to extend
industrialization. Depending on
natural processes like growing crops
and raising animals is an uncontroll-
able element in an industrial process
that calls for control of the most
minute detail.
And at this critical time in human
history along comes biotechnology.
It's the kind of technology industry
can embrace. It's highly scientific
and human controlled — not
dependent on the vagaries of nature.
Though we've only begun to
experiment, the sky appears to be the
limit in fiddling with genes. Some of
the things scientists are aiming for are
mind-boggling, even blurring the line
between plant and animal. If tobacco
plants can be engineered to create
blood replacer, mightn't some
bacteria or plant be changed to
produce a taste -alike meat substitute?
For food processors, schooled in
the world of controlling every aspect
of their product, isn't it a logical step
to look at biotechnological industrial
processes that would eliminate the
messy cows and pigs and still
produce a food that tastes like beef or
pork? Not only would it soothe the
conscience of consumers worried
about the fate of animals, but it would
take the mystery out of an unknown
natural process. Food would come
from the factories urbanites have
come to trust. And food processors
could control the whole process,
something that's difficult to do now
when food comes from a farm.
Will it happen? Who knows if
biotechnology will go so far. But I'll
bet the idea of producing food in a
true factory setting will be explored.0
Keith Roulston is editor and
publisher of The Rural Voice. He
lives near Blyth, ON.
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