Events

National Farmers Union 39th Annual Convention

November 20-22, 2008

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Hilton Garden Inn
1st Avenue and 22nd Street, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
For Hotel Reservations, phone 1-306-244-2311 or
E-mail reservation to: reservations.saskatoon@hilton.

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Keynote Speakers Include:

• Raj Patel: Author of Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the Hidden Battle for the World Food System
• Judy Rebick: Rebuilding the Food System for the Future
• Bob Kingston: Agriculture Quality and Food Safety
• Larry Hill: Strengthening Farmers’ Market Power
• Juana Ferrer: Food Sovereignty: Feeding the People
• Paul Nicholson: Farmers and the Global Food Crisis
• Elwin Hermanson: Bill C-39 and Changes to the Canada Grain Act
• Jacques Laforge: Supply-Management: A system that works for everyone
• Darrin Qualman: Building Solutions to the Livestock Crisis

See the Full Agenda»

Garden Inn. Single or double rate $139 (plus applicable taxes).

Convention Registration Fees:

NFU members: $150 – Registration fee for delegates and visitors (includes spouse and children) $75 – Per day for those not planning on attending the entire convention
Free – Youth delegates and youth visitors only
Non-NFU members: $150 – Registration fee (includes spouse and children) $75 – Per day for those not planning on attending the entire convention $15 – Per day for students (with valid Student ID)

Registration will take place at the convention beginning Wednesday, November 19 at 6 PM. For further information, please contact the National Farmers Union office at
306-652-9465 or e-mail nfu@nfu.ca

October 10, 2008

Care about where your food comes from?

• Want to eat better with locally grown food?
• Interested in helping develop the Kingston area's capacity to grow its own food?

Following the success of last year's Local Food Summit in Kingston, the National Farmers Union is organizing the Food Down the Road Seed Summit for Sunday, October 26, 2008.

“As the starting point of virtually all our foods, seeds are a critical and essential part of farming and gardening,” said Andrea Cumpson, of Inverary, National Farmers Union Local 316 president.

“Whoever controls seeds, controls life,” Cumpson said.

“The NFU is very concerned that so much of our seed is controlled by transnational corporations involved in seeds, chemicals and pharmaceuticals,” said Peter Dowling, a local NFU member and a member of the NFU Regional (Ontario) Council.

“Local farmers, gardeners and eaters can learn more about seed and seed politics and what we can do, as we choose and use seeds, to regain some measure of control over our seeds,” Dowling explained.

The Summit will open with keynote speaker, Raoul Robinson, discussing broad issues related to seeds and seed policy. Robinson is an internationally-known plant scientist with several decades of plant breeding experience, working to improve crops for commercial and subsistence farming around the world.

There will be two panel discussions, one on national and international seed politics and activities, and one outlining personal actions urban and rural people can take to gain more control in their seed decisions.

The sessions will run from 1 to 4:30 p.m., Sunday, October 26 at St Lawrence College. Ample car and bike parking is available at the college, located at 100 Portsmouth Ave., Kingston. The college is wheelchair accessible and served by Kingston Transit.

The Seed Summit is a continuation of the farm and food advocacy work initiated by Local 316 and its Food Down the Road project (the 2007 spring series of speakers and the Food Summit last November). FDTR is part of a movement to build a more sustainable local food system in our area.

Funding for this event is provided by NFU Locals 316 and 318, NFU Region 3 (Ontario), St. Lawrence College, KFL&A Public Health, and the Trillium Foundation-funded collaborative of NFU, EFAO (Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario) and CBAN (Canadian Biotechnology Action Network).

For more information and to register, go to www.fooddowntheroad.ca

Contact: Peter Dowling, (613) 546-0869 | Andrea Cumpson, (613) 353-2260

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