Brewster Kneen

Bio

"After studying economics and theology in the US and the UK, Brewster Kneen produced public affairs programs for CBC Radio in Canada, and worked as a consultant to the churches on issues of social and economic justice. In 1971, he and his family moved to Nova Scotia, where they farmed until 1986, starting with a cow-calf operation and moving on to a large commercial sheep farm. It was through his work working with other farmers, raising awareness about how they were being squeezed by the industries controlling food production, and setting up co-operatives to bypass the middle men, that in 1980 Brewster and his wife Cathleen started publishing The Ram’s Horn, a monthly newsletter of food systems analysis.

The Ram’s Horn (www.ramshorn.bc.ca) dissects the dominant food system, reporting on the activities and analysing the strategies of transnational agribusiness and governments. In 1986, Brewster began devoting himself full time to writing and lecturing on the food system, with increasing attention to biotechnology. He is the author of many books including Invisible Giant: Cargill and its transnational strategies; Farmageddon: Food and the culture of biotechnology; From Land to Mouth: Understanding the food system; and The Rape of Canola. In his spare time, he plays an active role on GRAIN’s board." (http://www.grain.org/seedling/?id=258)