Real Farm Lives launches Season 3 – Origin stories

Find out where some of your favourite foods begin

May 24, 2022 – OTTAWA, ON – For immediate release

Canadians’ interest in food and their desire to know how it was produced has been heightened over the last two years. Real Farm Lives, which is returning for a third season, gives Canadians who may not have the chance to visit a farm a behind the scenes look at a day in the life of the hard-working farmers who grow our food.

Season 3 travels to PEI and builds on two previous successful seasons that have featured farm families from Alberta all the way to Nova Scotia. In an effort to share accurate information with consumers about food production, the documentary web series highlights the realities of modern farming, straight from the perspective of Canadian farmers.

“Most Canadians no longer have a direct connection to the farm so it’s understandable that they have questions about how their food is grown. Consumers want transparency in the food system and that’s what we are trying to give them through Real Farm Lives,” says Pierre Petelle, president and CEO, CropLife Canada, the association behind the series.

Featured in Season 3 is a fifth-generation farm family, the McKennas, from Newton, PEI. The McKenna family grows potatoes, carrots and turnips and they are driven by a commitment to sustainability and continuous improvement.

“It might surprise a lot of consumers to know that agriculture is among the most innovative and technologically driven industries in the world. Farmers are sustainably growing more food while adapting to the challenges of climate change. And it’s a story we think more Canadians would like to hear,” says Petelle.

According to research conducted by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, Canadians have a high level of trust in farmers but they often have an outdated view of what a farmer looks like.

“Real Farm Lives gives Canadians the chance to hear directly from farmers about how they grow the food they find on their grocery store shelves. And it helps to tackle some of the misconceptions Canadians have about farmers and about agriculture writ large,” says John Jamieson, president and CEO of the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity. “I think Canadians will feel a real sense of pride about the work Canadian farmers do to feed Canada and the world after watching these videos.”

Season 3 of Real Farm Lives features videos of potatoes, carrots and turnips being grown and harvested, along with interviews with three generations about the challenges and opportunities that come with growing food.

Real Farm Lives was developed by CropLife Canada and funded in part by the Government of Canada under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriCompetitiveness Program. It was also supported by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity.

To watch Season 3 of Real Farm Lives visit: www.realfarmlives.ca.

For media inquiries please contact Meeta Chawla at chawlam@croplife.ca or 613-601-8474.

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About CropLife Canada

CropLife Canada is the trade association representing the manufacturers, developers and distributors of plant science innovations, including pest control products and plant biotechnology, for use in agriculture, urban and public health settings. Visit www.croplife.ca to learn more.