The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.2005, Side 43

Vol. 59 #4
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
169
viewed a wide range of individuals from
cow-calf to feedlot operators, politicians to
lobbyists, veterinarians to truckers. She has
spoken to commercial producers, purebred
producers and dairy farmers. She aptly
demonstrates the varying attitudes and
biases of each of these groups, as well as
showcasing the geographic differences that
affect size and style of operations.
But it’s a bit like going on a whirlwind
tour with brief stays at each destination.
Sometimes you’d like to stop and sit awhile
before getting back on the bus.
The reopening of the border in July
2005 forced Emilson to rewrite the conclu-
sion to this book. That in itself is not a bad
thing, since it gives the book a happier end-
ing than it might otherwise have had. But
the book, like the real-life response of
Canadian producers, shows that the relief
was tempered with caution. This could
happen again unless producers take steps to
protect themselves.
As a reader, I am what you might call
“the converted” to whom Emilson is
preaching. 1 am a cattle producer’s wife. I
have ‘been there, done that’. Her discus-
sions about farm and family life, and the
stories about farm families coping as well as
they can with a situation beyond their con-
trol, strike a chord. I know there will be
many readers out there who respond in the
same way.
I am making the assumption that
Emilson hopes to reach not only the seg-
ment of the population that has lived this
story from start to finish, but also that seg-
ment which knows little beyond they read
occasionally in the newspapers. Certainly
those consumers saw no evidence of a price
decrease at the supermarket meat counters,
despite the freefall in prices received by
beef producers.
What will help her in reaching that
goal are the strength of such passages as the
newborn calf story and her obvious com-
mitment to the lifestyle and the people it
supports, not to mention the wealth of rich
and well-researched detail.
What may detract from her purpose
are the occasional detours from chronolog-
ical order that are sometimes disconcerting
and the technical references that may not
always be understood by non-farm readers.
Some sections would have benefited from
more scrupulous editing.
Many people will want to read this
book, partly because of its subject matter
and partly because of Emilson’s earlier
writing success.
I hope that that readership will bridge
the rural/urban gap and create better
understanding of the forces that drive the
Canadian cattle industry and the people
who make their livelihoods within it. That
would be a good thing.
Information on purchasing the book
can be obtained from Emilson’s website at
www.karenemilson.com
Atkins&Pearce
Canada
HUGH HOLM
Plant Manager
P.O. Box 101 Bldg. 66, Portage road
Southport, Manitoba Canada ROH 1N0
(204) 428-5452 FAX: (204) 428-5451

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