Newsletters

Newsletter #25: Farmers aren't public intellectuals

June 11th, 2026

Blog post: The urban-rural divide is about class, not beliefs

I embarked on my tour with a great ambition: to bridge the nascent partisan divide that is growing in Canada. My hope was to bring rural communities together and have conversations that transcend political loyalties. Keep reading...

I was on the radio!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of joining Rachael Henderson on The Local Food Movement radio show over at 93.3 CFMU. I spoke about the tour, some of the history of the documentary, and I even managed to round it off with a quick sing song of 1,000 tonnes... Check it out here!

Where I've been

  • May 27th: NFU Event - Beausejour, MB
  • May 28th: NFU Event - Lowe Farm, MB
  • June 4th: Lakehead University - Thunder Bay, ON
  • June 8th: Westdale Theatre - Hamilton, ON

Where to next

  • June 15th: Family & Friends screening - Thornbury, ON
  • June 17th: Common Ground Food Forum - Orillia, ON

See long-term schedule

Updates from on tour

Follow the tour on our regularly-updated YouTube playlist here:

Our podcast launches June 18th

I've had lots of interesting conversations in the communities I've visited since the tour started: 28, to be precise (and counting). Topics have ranged from the challenges of rural depopulation, the sudden bankruptcy of the largest farm in North America (Monette), to ways that rural economies keep going in the face of multi-national competition. Many of those conversations have been recorded, and we are turning the best ones into podcasts.

The podcast is a way to hear how the issues in The Hands that Feed Us actually show up in rural communities. Every discussion has been different, but the underlying issues are common across the country, and the podcast is a way to hear what's happening in other communities.

I've been talking about the podcast since I started the tour, and after some challenges getting started, we are finally ready to launch. The podcast goes live next week, on Thursday 18th June, and new episodes will come out every Thursday after that. Listen to it wherever you get your podcasts, or just get the link from this newsletter...

We need marketing help

As the tour is gathering momentum and the scope of the project as a whole is growing, we're on the hunt for someone who can help spread the word about the tour and find potential hosts along the way. That person would also help build the audience for our podcast. We are looking for someone who can both make a marketing plan, and do the day-to-day work of putting the plan into action (~20 hours/week) If you know someone who'd be good at that job (or you think you're that person), please introduce them via info@thehandsthatfeedus.ca.

Watch the film

Follow the tour

Suggest a host

Devon wants to have a movie night with as many people across Canada as he can visit! All you have to do is invite friends, family, and neighbours (10-15 is plenty), and offer a barn, basement or living room for a gathering. Devon will provide a projector, screen, and sound, and facilitate a post-screening discussion.

Devon is now in Ontario and heading towards Québec. He will be coming back west after visiting Newfoundland at the end of September. If he's already east of where you live — bring the tour to your hometown on his return back across the country!

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