It’s time once again to convene my annual Agricultural Forum in Yorkton to open a national dialogue that will help to educate Canadians.

I invite everyone to the upper level of the Gallagher Centre on Friday, March 27 to discuss agriculture and the agri-food industry. Registration takes place at 8:30 a.m., and presentations run until noon. To ensure you gain admission to this popular event, I suggest pre-registering by calling my Yorkton office at 782-3309, or call 1-800-667-6606 from of town.

We are delighted to feature one of the continent’s best keynote speakers on agriculture. Dr. David Kohl will speak on the future of agriculture by examining consumer and technical trends from an international perspective. Dr. Kohl has acquired an impressive global reputation for his expertise in agricultural economics. He has traveled more than six million miles to discuss the business of agriculture. He has held more than 5,000 seminars, written four books and published 500 articles on agriculture business and finance.

Dr. Kohl was scheduled to join my Agriculture Forum last year, but was unable to travel at the last minute due to inclement weather. We hope clear skies will prevail this year so he can share his extensive experience with the people of Yorkton-Melville. Many people who have heard him speak before are already booking to come and hear his message again.

At the time of this writing, we have invited additional well-informed speakers and we await a reply regarding their availability. There will be a question and answer session for those who attend, because it is important to keep the federal government informed about the concerns of the agriculture and agri-food sector.

Each year, the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) records my Agriculture Forums. I believe it is important for Canadians across the country to learn how the agriculture and agri-food industry works. The program is re-broadcast several times in various CPAC locations in Canada. In this way, Yorkton-Melville figures prominently in our nation’s education on where food comes from and who produces it. It is essential to remind urban Canadians that their food doesn’t magically appear on their kitchen tables. Many growers and handlers play a vital role in using technology and science to deliver those goods, and our forum helps to highlight that local effort.

We hope to see you in Yorkton to discuss the issues that affect us all.

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The audio version of Garry's March 23, 2009 op-ed column can be heard by clicking here