Responding to Consumer Preferences

By Bethanee Jensen

When I was a teenager, I worked as a waitress for a couple of years. One of the first things I was taught was that the customer is always right. Some people were easier to please than others, but each one had to be catered to. It paid off in tips.

Everyone has the right to decide what kind of food they want to eat. That does not just apply to a customer in a restaurant, but also to the people in our communities, people of Ontario, Canada, and the world. In Ontario, we have responded to consumer demands in certain areas, such as catering to people who want Halal or Kosher foods. In the same way, if people do not want to eat food produced with certain chemical inputs or genetically modified organisms, that is their right. It is to our advantage, as farmers, to produce what they want to buy.

There is significant diversity in consumer preferences. A 2013 study showed more than 50 per cent of Canadians buy organic products every week. There has been a marked increase in the purchasing of local food. We are seeing different "raised without" products that are attracting consumers...and premiums for those who are willing to adjust their practices.

I recently attended a SoilSmart conference, where the focus was on changing the way we have been taught to farm:  to farm with nature instead of suppressing it, and how to be better stewards of the soil.  By looking at soil as a living organism, not just a growing medium, it is possible to create healthy soil, which creates healthy plants, which goes up the food chain to animals and people.

The formula included no-till planting combined with cover crops, putting livestock back on the land and replanting windbreaks.  The importance of biodiversity of cover crops, crop plant rotation and livestock was emphasized.

The list of on-farm benefits that were mentioned was extensive, including erosion prevention, input reduction and increased profitability, just to name a few. Many of those benefits are important to a segment of modern-day consumers as well. Societal benefits that were mentioned were decreased greenhouse gas emissions, elimination of nutrient run-off and improved water quality – things that many consumers deem important.

The knowledge exists to allow farmers who are willing to respond to the challenge to cater to many of our consumers’ preferences. If we can cater to the customer, benefit society by improving air and water quality, make our farms more sustainable and resilient and make more money in the process, what do we have to lose?

Source: CFFO