Clinton Monchuk, executive director of Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan, is trying to persuade Canadian farmers to share more information about their growing practices in order to dispel misinformation that is circulating on social media. Monchuk states, “It’s just telling the truth and being transparent about what we do so consumers can actually understand what we do and really why we do it.” At first glance, these statements seem to be honest approaches to counter food disinformation, which is becoming rampant. “If you have social media accounts,” Monchuk continues, “feel free to post some of the things that you’re doing, from sorting cattle, to picking eggs, to planting your crop, just so that information gets out there.” The plea is to the small holder farmer, whose ability to be self-sustaining is becoming increasingly rare. Like many agricultural sites across North America, the number of large Canadian farms increased more than doubled from 1976-2021 — 7866 to 16,966. Roughly 86% of US farms are small family farms; they operate about 40% of US farmland and make less than $350,000 per year. Is Monchuk’s plea to call upon everyday farmers to be more transparent a viable solution to food disinformation? The question is pertinent because a deeper dig provides new information and nuance. Monchuk’s comments were published in a June 2026 Farmscape article. Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers. The case study of Smithfield may help to illuminate us. Smithfield is the world’s largest hog producer and pork processor. The company agreed in 2019 to move toward powering dozens of its hog farms in Colorado with on-site wind energy. That’s good, right? Well, hold on. Smithfield is the same company that saw 130 waste lagoons compromised during Hurricane Florence, flooding North Carolina farming communities many miles inland. This kind of flooding is a largely airborne issue — numerous disease pathogens and bacteria are sent variously into neighboring lands, waterways, and drinking water. Moreover, the lives of mass-raised pigs are cruel. They are crowded into metal-barred and concrete-floored pens in giant warehouses where they will live until they are separated to be raised for breeding or meat. So, as critical consumers of information, we need to ask for more than feel-good, farm narratives that have limited transparency. While we want to support local small businesses, we also have an obligation to understand the consequences of those businesses on the planet. The Importance of Considering Emissions in Agricultural Transparency Importantly, we need to learn about climate performance of agricultural systems, which starts but moves well beyond mere direct greenhouse gas emissions, according to Luigi Mariani and Aldo Ferrero. They write in the June 2026 issue of Scientific Reports that productivity, land use efficiency, and their influence on future land demand must be taken into account when discussion the effects of agriculture on climate and consumer well-being. Their analysis highlights how protecting forests and grasslands from agricultural conversion must remain a central climate objective. Sustainable intensification, they say, “provides the most effective pathway for reconciling food security with climate mitigation.” Kaitlyn Kimball, organic farmer and founder of Sunset Farm in Naugatuck, Connecticut, also sees the problem of small holder farmers as much more complex than social media. Kimball counters that “unstable markets, tariffs, weather events, and corporate consolidation threaten the small family farm.” Political and social analyst Chris Armitage offers a different tactic to being transparent — a scaffolded approach that introduces systemic change. It is a methodical, persuasive push that compels government officials to listen and take action. “Day one, a paper letter in the mail. Day two, a phone call to the office. The next day, an email; the day after, the contact form on the website. Maybe we show up in person at the district office. We send a handwritten note and a typed one, since the office logs them separately. We can bring a friend, and then a few more, each doing the same steps in their own words. We send a direct message on every platform the official uses, on posts that they make regardless of the subject. We can go to the places they are online and in real life and ask them and their supporters why they don’t respond to their constituents. Those are consequences, and it’s time we start introducing them more often for politicians.” Why does persistence like Armitage outlines pay off? It is directed at power brokers — the people who are elected to make good decisions on behalf of citizens. Final Thoughts In order to become more fully aware of the extent of food disinformation on our diets, we need to move beyond food media that relies on restaurant recommendations and recipes. In-depth food and culture reporting requires more resources, time, and expertise on the part of the reporter and editors; that type of journalism was once the norm. Not anymore. Five former Eater journalists say food media has become too reliant on search traffic, social media algorithms, and advertiser-driven incentives. Jaya Saxena, a former Eater correspondent who was laid off, believes food media can survive if journalists develop an intensely close relationship with readers and constantly cultivate community. We need to adopt a different way of being transparent. Increasingly, in this era of sites chasing search engine optimization and Google algorithms prioritizing AI summaries, it’s important to be close readers of texts. That includes articles across platforms that may or may not foster trust in our food systems. In the age of disinformation, conscious food literacy can lead to better health, climate, and public trust. References “Canada’s disappearing ‘average farmer’ means one-size-fits-all policies no longer work.” Alfons Weersink. The Conversation Canada. August 15, 2022. “Farmed animal welfare: Pigs.” MSPCA. “Five laid-off Eater journalists are betting on a different future for food media.” Amaris Castillo. Poynter.50. June 10, 2026. “Fly-in 2026: Save the small farm! The one issue that could still unite America.” Kaitlyn Kimball. National Family Farm Coalition. March 4, 2026. “Sustainable intensive agriculture as key player in ensuring food security and mitigating atmospheric CO2 growth.” Luigi Mariani and Aldo Ferrero. Scientific Reports. June 2026. “Trust in our food system is imperative.” Clinton Monchuk. Farmscape. June 15, 2026. “What spies, saboteurs, and abolitionists can teach us about effectively influencing politics.” Christopher Armitage. The Existentialist Republic. June 17, 2026.
Liked by Henry Leblanc, Abigail King
Liked by Henry Leblanc, Abigail King
Liked by Henry Leblanc, Abigail King