A west-central Saskatchewan farmer wants to make your next trip to the grocery store feel a lot less overwhelming.
Dennis Bulani, who grew up on a mixed farm near the Cando area north of Biggar, has released a new book titled What a Farmer Wants You to Know About Food — a science-based guide aimed at helping consumers make informed food choices and understand where their food really comes from.
The book covers hot-button food topics such as GMOs, organic versus conventional farming, pesticides, food preservatives and seed oils, and tackles misconceptions that have left many consumers confused and anxious.
“Grocery shopping should feel good,” said Bulani in a recent interview. “You should be able to feed your family without worrying you chose the wrong product.”
The idea for the book was sparked during a conference in Phoenix last year, when Bulani sat through what he describes as a misinformed panel on agriculture and food production.
“They were presenting themselves as experts, but the information they shared was completely out of step with what actually happens on farms,” he said. “I wanted to challenge them but didn’t have the facts at my fingertips — so I went home, did the research, and ended up writing a 45-page letter. A friend read it and said, ‘You’ve almost written a book.’ So I did.”
The finished product is more than 150 pages long, with nearly 200 scientific and ethical references, written in an accessible tone for the average consumer. Bulani’s goal is to put power back in the hands of both shoppers and producers.
The book is as much for farmers as it is for consumers, he said.
“I wanted to give farmers the confidence to have hard conversations without avoiding them,” he said. “Too often we feel sheepish when challenged about our practices, but if we can back up our story with facts, we should speak up.”
Bulani, who studied animal nutrition and agricultural economics at the University of Saskatchewan and has decades of experience in the feed industry, draws on both personal and professional experience to walk readers through what he calls “ethical agronomy.”
Topics in the book range from the use of synthetic fertilizers to the benefits of direct seeding, regenerative agriculture, and even the environmental stewardship of cattle ranchers.
“There’s a perception that ‘big agriculture’ is something corporate or disconnected,” said Bulani. “But over 88 per cent of farms in North America are family-run. Farmers are raising their own kids on this food — we’re not going to grow anything we wouldn’t feed our own families.”
The book is available online through Amazon.ca. More information can be found at trustyourplate.com
Bulani says consumer advocates and influencers have already taken notice. His recent social media collaboration with @ListentoLena sparked great engagement with her followers, encouraging them to dig deeper into the realities of food production.
“Consumers have good questions,” said Bulani. “This book helps answer them — with real facts, from the people who actually grow the food.”
