Farmers, politicians and industry insiders chowed down on a made-in-Manitoba breakfast March 15 as they gathered at the legislature for the sixth annual Agriculture Awareness Day.

The Manitoba government created Agriculture Awareness Day in May 2004 as an opportunity to acknowledge producers for providing safe, plentiful and affordable food products and recognize their role as key drivers of the provincial economy.

This year was an opportunity to unveil the new food guide that shows the foods that Manitoba farmers and processors produce, and where they can be purchased. Copies of the new guide are available at a variety of locations including GO offices, libraries, chambers of commerce and tourism offices throughout the province

Agriculture Awareness Day recognizes the contribution that the agriculture industry makes to Manitoba. Agriculture contributes 62,000 jobs to Manitoba’s economy and directly employs approximately 30,000 workers. In 2010, agriculture contributed $4.2 billion or four per cent of the provincial gross domestic product.