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Canada’s Agriculture Day, held this year on February 13, celebrates the business of agriculture and the farmers who work to put food on the tables of Canadians. Viterra, a Western Canadian grain handler with local operations, observed the occasion by sponsoring a breakfast for local producers.

"This is all about you folks,” said Keith Brownell, Grain Marketing Manager for Viterra and speaker at the event. “It is Canada's Agriculture Day, February 13th, and it’s something we need to celebrate. And one of the things that I've realized as I've been involved in this industry is that we need as much ag-vocacy as we can possibly get. There's not a general understanding of the value that gets brought to, number one, our economy, and everything else, and there's a lot of misconceptions about agriculture.”

Following breakfast, Brownell presented on how to make good decisions even when faced with the volatility of farming, and how not to let your gut get the best of you. The human instincts of fight or flight, or too much optimism or pessimism, can lead a producer to make quick and sometimes irrational choices instead of taking the time to make thoughtful and rational decisions. As Brownell said, “Marketing plans fail because humans are emotional when it comes to money.”

He also took some time to discuss the current state of the market specific to the Westman area including geopolitical forces affecting grain prices and a comparison of yields and prices year over year.

The theme of Canada’s Agriculture Day this year is "Raise your forks & make some noise!" which is exactly what this event managed to do.