More variety (and varieties) on the dinner plate

I have been looking back at a tribute to Arthur Vesey that appeared in Rural Delivery 20 years ago, following his death at the age of 92. The company he founded, Vesey’s Seeds, was marking its 60th anniversary at that time.

“All that Mr. Vesey had to offer in wisdom, ethics, humour, and a great love for music and theatre, were devoted to building his seed house and enriching the lives of friends and his small community on the northern edge of Charlottetown,” stated our article. It noted his receipt of an Award of Recognition from the P.E.I. Institute of Agrologists and an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Prince Edward Island, and his status as a two-time World Champion Pumpkin Grower.

In this issue of Rural Delivery, on page 32, we have Nicole Kitchener’s excellent profile of Veseys, marking the company’s 80th anniversary. Nicole highlights the fact that Vesey himself started out as a farmer. That informed his rigorous approach to testing seeds and trialing vegetable varieties. He embodied the shared values that connect the commercial grower with the devoted home gardener. He was, it would seem, a guy who put the “culture” in agriculture.

Check out the 2019 catalogue from Veseys. The cover illustration, depicting warplanes flying over the company’s headquarters, is historically accurate. The Charlottetown Airport, which is adjacent to Veseys’ research farm, was offered up for RCAF use in 1939, and throughout the Second World War there were pilots training in the skies above those fields of vegetables.

Think about the meaning of farming, and food security, in those uncertain days. What was behind the entrepreneurial impulse that launched Arthur Vesey’s company? Was it an expression of optimism? Maybe partly a feeling of social responsibility? I wonder how he viewed the seed business in relation to national sovereignty.

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At the 2019 Scotia Horticulture Congress, held a couple weeks ago in Greenwich, N.S., Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, from Dalhousie University, gave a characteristically entertaining update on food trends and market opportunities. He talked a lot about the new Canada Food Guide, which recommends less processed foods and a more plant-based diet overall. “Good news for you guys!” he told his audience of market garden producers. But he questioned whether it will have the desired effect – especially in Nova Scotia, which has a higher rate of food insecurity than any other province. (Rates in Northern Canada are off the charts.) People are being told they should prepare wholesome meals from scratch – as if that were a novel concept – but those who could most benefit may not have the wherewithal to follow this advice.

Charlebois did not dispute the nutritional expertise behind these dietary recommendations, or the environmental sustainability considerations that have been factored in, but he said that if we genuinely want to improve the general health of the citizenry, the ag industry has to play a part. “Rural Canada and farms have to be connected with food systems,” he said. “The new Food Guide got urban. That’s really what happened.”

In urban areas, where there are higher concentrations of population and wealth, the shift toward a more plant-based diet is well underway – not just in Canada, but around the world. Similarly, ready-to-cook meals are continually gaining popularity. Charlebois is not in the business of assessing whether such trends are desirable or undesirable; he is more concerned with how our agricultural sector can adapt and remain profitable.

“It’s actually quite okay to treat vegans normally,” he said, eliciting laughter from the audience. “They’re part of the economy, and we can feed them and make good money. It’s a totally different marketplace. Food diversity pays.”

Charlebois suggested that even beef producers, who tend to become apoplectic about plant-based dietary pronouncements, can take advantage of the trend. “I’ve noticed that in agriculture, a farmer will see his or her commodity in isolation,” he said. “The future is about partnerships. It’s about partnering with other commodities, to be part of a much larger portfolio of ingredients. Why not promote meatloaf with beef and lentils in it? What’s wrong with that, for example?”

I was reminded of a comedian I heard on the radio, who said he had finally mastered the Moosewood Cookbook, and the only modification required to make every recipe taste delicious was to add some bacon. Seems harmless. It’s funny how some people gag and groan whenever the word “tofu” is uttered. Where is the rule that says you can’t cook tofu with meat? Mix it up a bit. (Your average pork chop from the supermarket is similarly bland, and cries out for some culinary creativity.)

Charlebois also talked about the fact that 35 percent of the Canadian food dollar is now spent in restaurants. South of the border, it’s 51 percent. “You just go the U.S. and you can see it. There are restaurants, like, everywhere. Buffets everywhere!” he said. “But we’re catching up to the Americans. By 2035, we are looking at a 50/50 split between food service and retail.”

That might seem like another opportunity for the agriculture industry, but it doesn’t generally work that way. At retail, a mere 22 cents of every dollar spent on food goes to the farmer – but in food service, the farmer’s share is far less: just four cents out of every dollar on the restaurant bill.

“So you’ve got to figure out a way to get more than four percent,” advised Charlebois. He said it will require agricultural entrepreneurs who find ways to add value to their products, and to gain control of the supply chain.

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At the Guelph Organic Conference, just a few days earlier, I heard a somewhat different perspective from Paul Spence, who grows heritage grain on his mixed farm in Chatam-Kent, in southwestern Ontario. He wants to see more farmers growing more of those old varieties, partly to ensure reliable supplies of improved seed. Rather than accepting that the agriculture industry is entirely at the mercy of markets, Spence argued that farmers can play a role in educating consumers and creating informed demand.

By forming partnerships with restaurant owners, chefs, bakers, and craft brewers, he has learned more about how end users view his crops, and he has made members of the urban foodie crowd more aware of the agronomical and economic issues associated with growing those crops. He has gained an understanding of why certain wheat varieties are better for pizza or pasta, and he has sent a strong message to craft beer fans that they should ask whether their favourite brew is made with local barley. (At this point, few are.)

“Consumers don’t know,” he said, “and that ignorance is part of what we’re fighting against.”

Another example Spence talked about was a “rotational eating” dinner he helped to present, with each course based on one of the crops in a rotation: cereal, bean, corn, cereal, and alfalfa. The idea was to demonstrate that sustainable agriculture depends upon people eating a diversified diet.

“I challenged everyone there – I said, ‘There is no option, you’re eating meat, for the simple reason that animals do have a place in agriculture, and it’s about soil-building and soil regeneration.’ The one chef there took the challenge, and he actually tried to cook with alfalfa – worst thing I’ve ever eaten in my life! But they were all engaged.”

Ultimately, a bison dish was served for the alfalfa course; it proved very popular, and served to illustrate the vital role of forage crops. Far from viewing the urban-rural divide as a foregone conclusion, Spence made a strong case for building bridges and thereby enriching the experience of food for producers and consumers alike. DL