ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER MARKET DEVELOPMENT 10 Since last March, media outlets, social media and consumers have been calling for new trading partners and counter-tariffs against the U.S., as if they’re new concepts or that trade with Canada’s closest geographical partner is treasonous. Neither is true. Instead, market development is and has been a prominent focus for the agri-food industry, including the Grain Farmers of Ontario, Cereals Canada and Soy Canada. For Dana Dickerson, the first step is acknowledging that there is no replacing the U.S. – or China. In spite of spirited “elbows up” references, Dickerson contends Ralph Pearce Market development always a work in progress Building an international customer base Contrary to current proclamations about protecting Canadian sovereignty, George Morris’s comment rings true, even today. Market development for Canadian agricultural commodities continues, but trade talk often revolves around breaking ties with the U.S. or China, and “finding our own way” with other countries. However, the messaging about global trade ignores historical and economic realities: free or liberalized trade has been part of the agri-food landscape in Canada for decades. Trying to change that is counterproductive and prone to failure due to its evolution. all sectors of Canadian agriculture must maintain trade with those two markets, even if it requires an exhaustive level of detail. “We do a lot of work in understanding our productive capacity,” says Dickerson, Grain Farmers of Ontario's’s director of market development and sustainability. “We keep an eye on what volumes are produced every year, the plantings, the shifts between the acreage of different classes of wheat or IP beans versus commodity beans. We understand the quality attributes for those grains in which quality is a decisive factor when it comes to sourcing or maximizing use of the grains.” “That’s a big world out there. That’s why we can’t just put a fence around Canada.” —George Morris, June 1993
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