Agricultural News
Food Dialogues Bring Consumers, Producers Together
Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:39:54 CST
U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) hosted the New York Food Dialogues on Nov. 15. Farmers, ranchers, industry experts, pundits and media attended the in-depth conversations on today's most provocative topics concerning food and its production - antibiotics, biotechnology, and media, marketing and healthy food choices.
Bob Stallman is the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. He is also the chairman of the board of the USFRA. He recently spoke to Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays about the concept of bringing together the broadest spectrum of food producers together under one table as possible. He says the overarching goal is to get as much information as possible to consumers on how our food is grown. The project is so enormous, he says, that it couldn't be accomplished by any one group acting individually.
"American Farm Bureau tried on our own to do this with a three-year program, but we weren't big enough, we didn't have the resources, and we didn't have the scope necessary to move the needle, if you will, on consumers' attitudes toward how we raise and grow food.
"I think a lot of the other groups felt the same way and that's what caused the grand alliance, if you will, to come together all across U.S. agriculture. We have over 70 affiliate groups now.
"By pooling all of our resources and coming up with a common strategy, common messaging, understanding what the research tells us to do. We're much more able to impact that needle in terms of moving it in our favor with consumers' greater trust in U.S. agriculture."
Stallman said the needle needed to be moved because consumers today are very much insulated from what really happens "down on the farm."
"We've been facing the problem that we've known of for years and years about the growing disconnect with consumers and what happens on farms and ranches today-how their food is grown and raised. It's just that there was a time in this country 100 years ago where everybody knew how their food was grown and raised. Well, that's not the case today. We know that.
"So, by them not having that knowledge and not having that connection with the farmers and ranchers any more it's very easy for other messages to penetrate to them and they don't have any information to offset that. So, in essence, we're trying to inoculate consumers against negative messaging about how we raise and grow food."
The Food Dialogues in New York City is simply the latest in a series of dialogues reaching out to consumers all across the country. It is part of a larger effort that is just in its infancy, Stallman said.
"We've only been operational for a little over a year, about 14 or 15 months, and we've made some great strides in that time. We've set up some very strong social media platforms that we're using. We've had some major "Food Dialogue" events that attracted national interest. And we're creating this group of contacts in terms of consumer influencers that we can reach out to and they can reach out to us when questions arise about how our food is raised and grown. Research shows that we are on the right track, which is very positive."
In the dialogues, Stallman said, no subject is off the table. The discussions are meant to be wide-ranging and fact-based. They truly are meant to be conversations. He said everything is discussed including such topics as biotechnology, antibiotic use, and healthy food choices. Even those who are critical of aspects of modern farming and ranching have a voice in the conversations.
"The point is to have a robust back-and-forth to where we air all of these issues and then let consumers get that information and knowledge and have their questions answered. And by doing that we think in the long term we're going to be successful in keeping consumer trust in how we raise and grow food."
Stallman said the dialogues are not meant to advocate any one approach to raising food or to throw anyone or any production methods "under the bus."
"I believe that any farmer and rancher should be able to produce food in any manner they so choose if they have a consumer that wants it and is willing to pay for it and they can make a profit doing it. And, so, there's a lot of ways of accomplishing that. There's no one 'right way.' But having consumers understand that and what the differences are like the fact that 'natural' doesn't mean anything in the grocery store. That 'organic' is a specified label with USDA regulations surrounding it, helping them understand the differences with that.
"I think every consumer should know a farmer. I think that would be really cool myself. And, so, all of these things are out there and the key is not to try to pick one system or one approach or one line of thought to try to express to consumers, but to have that dialogue and engage with them on all the topics they have an interest in.
"We embrace all the choices that farmers and ranchers provide no matter how they do it. And I've encouraged farmers and ranchers not to try to diminish what other people do just because that's not their choice as to how they produce food."
Stallman said the results, so far, are very positive and he has high hopes for the future.
"Five years out, I hope that we have such a robust dialogue in this country with consumers that they feel comfortable talking directly with farmers and ranchers through social media platforms that they get all their questions answered, that they have confidence and trust in how their food is raised and grown. And that they understand that what we're doing is providing healthy choices for them and their families."
The Food Dialogues are archived on the USFRA's website. Go there by clicking here.
You can hear the full conversation between Ron Hays and Bob Stallman by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.
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