Agricultural News
U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance Continues Outreach to Consumers with Faces of Farming and Ranching
Thu, 17 Jan 2013 23:35:02 CST
Earlier this year, the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance put out a call for farmers and ranchers who are outstanding at what they do and are proud to tell their stories. USFRA invited them to submit short videos telling their stories in hopes of finding individuals to act as ambassadors with consumers in its Faces of Farming and Ranching project. The votes have now been tabulated and the USFRA will reveal the winners January 22nd.
Hugh Whaley with the USFRA spoke with Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays recently and said it is imperative that producers connect with real farmers and ranchers.
"Consumers have indicated in our research that they want to talk directly to, as much as possible, the people who are raising and growing their food. We have found that out through our Facebook page, through our Twitter, through our website. As long as they are talking directly with or get answers to their concerns directly from farmers and ranchers themselves, they are much more comfortable with the way today's food is produced."
Whaley said that consumers have several questions and concerns about how their food is grown in the modern world. Some are concerned about livestock handling practices and genetically modified crops but, Whaley said, "those aren't the only concerns. Pesticides are certainly a concern and biotechnology and GMOs are certainly a concern. A lot of the reason why? People just don't know that much about them. They don't know just exactly what biotechnology is. They think that GMO is a negative word. They really don't know what it is, but they just think that it is a negative term. Animal hormones, animal antibiotics, certainly on the livestock side of things, are a concern there, too, as well. People want to know how their food is produced. How their food is raised in order to feel much more comfortable with whatever purchase decisions they are making whether It is at a retail establishment, a farmers market or whether it's at a supermarket. They want to know exactly how that food is raised. And that really raises their comfort level in the food selection choices they do make."
In an effort to interact with the public, learn more about their concerns and provide information at the same time, the USFRA sponsored two "Food Dialogues" last year to bring the public and producers closer together. The dialogues were held in New York and Los Angeles and brought together a broad collection of experts to speak and listen to the public about the subject of food. Whaley said his organization is trying its best to reach out and interact with consumers.
"We've gone down avenues that a lot of agriculture has never gone down before, particularly in the area of pop culture. We've reached out to those individuals that have influence in the entertainment industry, that have influence over influencers. And when we talk about pop culture we're not talking about the Kim Kardashians of the world. Although we are talking about people like that, that do have influence over how people decide what to do or how people decide how to live. So, those kind of influencers wield an awful lot of power over the consumer and the choices they make whether it be food, whether it be entertainment, whether it be clothing. But we're interested in the food, naturally. And we realize that pop culture, whether it's 15 minutes of fame for one individual over here or a lifetime of influence over on the other side. Those people that have an influence over what people decide to buy, what they eat, what they put into their systems and what they feed their children are people we want to talk with."
Whaley said there are a number of tangible things producers can do to get involved in the dialogue about food.
"One of the most tangible things they can do is join our movement and financially support our movement. We currently have over 80 organizations-60-plus affiliates, 21 industry partners and supporting partners-that are out there helping and working with farmers and ranchers to tell their story. So, anybody out there who's not part of our movement, we would certainly urge them to consider doing that. Whether it's through financial support, or financial and human capital support, being able to take that message, be willing to have those kinds of conversations, those dialogues with consumers out there that have concerns."
Whaley says his number one priority for 2013 is to continue the face-to-face dialogues with consumers so they can make informed choices
You can learn more about USFRA's Food Dialogues and their Faces of Farming and Ranching project at http://www.fooddialogues.com.
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