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BetterFarmingON
Better Farming
January 2017
SHORT
TAKES
Farmojis give unique look at ag
In a world where methods of expression continue to change, a Canadian
company is helping the ag industry express itself in a fun and unique way.
Winnipeg-based
Think Shift Advertising
released a series of emojis for
mobile devices geared towards agriculture.
There are over 200 Farmojis, as they’re known, including farmer faces,
cattle, soybeans, tractors, farmer’s tans and even plaid shirts.
Think Shift said in a release
that the images, which are
available from Apple’s App Store,
are a way for the company to
honour those who feed the world
on a daily basis.
And so far, the feedback on the
stickers has been nothing but positive.
“I think it’s very beneficial, especially
in this age of social media,” said
Brittany MacIntosh
, Glengarry County’s
queen of the furrow. “It’s so important to
promote agriculture on a variety of plat-
forms and these stickers can help farmers do
that.”
MacIntosh, whose family runs
Glengarry
Stock Farms
, said the emojis also show that farmers
are getting younger.
The emojis were released in the fall.
BF
Agriculture
recognized on
best employer list
The agriculture industry is well
represented on the list of Canada’s
Top 100 Employers project for 2017.
Winners include
Bayer Inc.
and
BASF Canada Inc.
Al Driver
, chief executive officer of
Bayer CropScience Inc., credits his
30-year career with the company to
the people in the industry, and the
companies’ products.
The people “are passionate, com-
mitted and get out of bed every day to
work to be successful in agriculture.
(Bayer) has always had a real custom-
er focus; including growers, retailers,
and internal employees,” Driver says.
“We also have the opportunity to
provide innovative products for Cana-
dian agriculture – there is no better
success than the producer using our
products, and growing a great crop.”
Similarly,
BASF Canada Inc.
recognizes the importance of its
people.
“BASF is committed to fostering an
inspired and engaged workforce,”
Marcelo Lu
, president of BASF
Canada, said in a release. “We are
looking for the next generation of
leaders and innovators to help bring
our solutions to life and join us in our
journey of creating chemistry for a
sustainable future.”
The competition grades employers
based on several factors, including the
physical workplace, work atmosphere,
vacation policy, training resources,
and community involvement. The
2017 winners were announced in
November.
BF
Ontario entrepreneurs are getting
into a unique type of farming –
insect farming.
Jarrod Goldin
, owner of
Entomo
Farms
in Peterborough County,
believes insect production is an
emerging business opportunity for
the western world.
“Our farm has grown because
demand is growing,” Goldin says.
“There have been a lot of insect
start-ups (lately), with products
ranging from pasta to chips.”
Insects are 60 per cent protein,
and very high in nutrients such as
B12 and iron. “We still want (con-
sumers) to eat their meat, but every
once and a while maybe they can
try insect-based protein.”
With carbon tax and antibiotic
regulations in the future, alternative
protein sourcing opportunities
(such as insects) may increase, says
Evan Fraser
, Director of the Food
Institute of the
University of
Guelph
.
The consumer popularity barrier
may not be as big as most believe,
says Fraser. He compares insect
eating to sushi consumption. “Raw
fish went from disgust and late night
ridicule to established in 10 years –
(sushi and insect eating) face the
same consumer disgust barrier,” he
says.
BF
Creating a buzz for insect farming
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