The Rural Voice, 2005-06, Page 36Looking ahead
The road ahead
Dr. Gord Surgeoner and Prof. Ann Clark see totallg
different futures for farming in the future but both
agree enema will be a keg
Story and photo by Keith Roulston
Perhaps no two figures represent
the polarity of agriculture's
future as Dr. Gord Surgeoner
and Prof. Ann Clark.
Surgeoner, President of Ontario
Agri -Food Technologies and
foremost advocate of the advantages
of high tech agriculture is the speaker
who is most often called to speak to
"progressive" farm groups who want
to hear how the wonders of science
can provide a better future than
farmers face today.
Clark, who spearheaded the
creation of an organic agriculture
program at University of Guelph, is
more likely to be asked to speak to
organic agriculture groups and those
who worry about a food system
hooked on high energy inputs.
Both agree on one thing: the
future of farming will be shaped by
the price of petroleum products.
For farming to be successful in the
future, tomorrow's farmers are going
to need to be providers of raw
materials for industrial processes as
well as providers of food, Surgeoner
believes.
Agriculture in Ontario faces the
same issues it did when the
Challenge of Abundance report was
issued in 1969 where our ability to
produce food is outstripping demand,
Surgeoner says. In food production,
"The Global Village is upon us," and
there will be more competition from
places like Brazil, Argentina and the
Ukraine.
"What we have to do is start to
develop markets beyond food."
More and more of our fuels will
come from plant material, Surgeoner
predicts. Processes are progressing
that will be able to create ethanol
efficiently from plant materials as
well as from corn and grain.
Competition for farmers in the
future may not be from farmers in
Iowa or Brazil but from the price of
32 THE RURAL VOICE
Dr. Gord Surgeoner sees farmers providing part of the answer for an energy
crisis. Ann Clark sees an energy crisis changing the entire structure of farms.
crude oil. When oil is at $50 a barrel
certain crop -based energy processes
are viable. If the price goes to $100 a
barrel, a whole lot more processes
make sense to turn crops into oil,
plastics and chemicals.
While we won't run out of
petroleum in the near future, the price
will outstrip the development of new
reserves, Surgeoner says. The U.S. is
already short of reserves.
In future, 85 per cent of car
components could be recyclable,
made from the products of plants.
Meeting these requirements will
mean more segregation and identity
preserved crops as farmers become
very customer specific, Surgeoner
foresees. Farmers will grow for a
contract, versus a commodity market.
It means different crops than we
grow now as farmers meet the needs
of industrial processors.
Looking ahead, there will
probably continue to be fewer
farmers, he says. The remaining
farmers will be more business -
oriented, stressing good management
and record keeping. They'll also have
to think globally.
Still, there will continue to be
lifestyle farmers too, he says.