ABSTRACT

This chapter explores the links between the overwhelming economic pressures exerted on farmers by the industrial food system, shifting production practices and consumer food fears in Canada and the United States. It focuses on the majority of farmers in the region and the opportunity to raise beef for the local market. The farmers assimilate the message promoting global food systems and are co-creators of the decline of local ecology and local food for local eaters. The chapter considers the health implications of factory farming in and focuses on the pressures exerted on producers from corporate integration. It compares the stewardship capacity of two farming groups the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) with the National Farmers Union (NFU). This chapter examines the attraction of genetically engineered (GE) crops for farmers, the claims made by multi-national corporations (MNC) seed and chemical companies, and the response of some farmers to the introduction of GE seeds.