Agricultural News
Food Dialogues Open Communications Between Producers and Consumers
Fri, 22 Jun 2012 16:53:38 CDT
Being less than two percent of the population, farmers are easily overlooked and frequently left out of the conversation when it comes to discussing the nation's food supply.
To help remedy that problem, the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance promoted efforts to get farmers and customers conversing at a higher level during the second Food Dialogues event held in Los Angeles. USFRA Chairman Bob Stallman said the meaningful conversations held during the Dialogues are critically important.
"I think it's the kind of conversation we need to have. We don't need to be shouting at each other, which has been occurring way too much in society in some of the popular media."
Stallman is a Texas farmer and President of the American Farm Bureau Federation. He says it is important for farmers and non-farm consumers to get past pro-con discussions and have a more thoughtful discussion about the meaning of science, technology and other societal concerns with food production.
"Farmers and ranchers have been really good about producing, about growing things. The tagline is we have sort of raised everything except our voices. Now we've realized we have to get out there and talk about what we do in a very honest, open, and transparent fashion."
The Food Dialogues grew from a recognition by the leaders and stakeholders of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance that simply producing a good product was no longer good enough.
"If we don't address the concerns and listen to that smaller group that has a host of other issues that we're not used to dealing with around the way we raise and grow food, you're going to have an expansion of that discussion and maybe to our detriment in terms of making decisions in the policy world that are based more on perception as opposed to reality."
While farmers have traditionally been very active and engaged in public policy - the notion of getting involved in public relations and talking directly with the customer is a relatively new development.
USFRA hopes the Dialogue started during the Los Angeles event will continue online at www.FoodDialogues.com and via the Twitter hashtag Food D (#foodD).
Click on the LISTEN BAR below to hear more on this story with Ron Hays and Bob Stallman.
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