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Communicating About Where Our Food Comes From

By: Julie Steininger | 03/03/2011

Did you know you need a farmer three times a day?

That was an "aha" moment today at Commodity Classic, the convention of the U.S. corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum industries.

The day kicked off with breakfast with Monsanto's Leading Growers Network. We had a great discussion with leaders from the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, a coalition of farmer- and rancher-led agricultural organizations who are working to strengthen the public image of agriculture. One nugget I wrote down is that consumers prefer the term "today's agriculture" over "modern agriculture." That enforces how important the message is and that you need to understand the audiences you are talking to.

From there, I sat in on a presentation by Advocates for Agriculture, Troy and Stacy Hadrick. Wow, are they dynamic! The Hadricks, much like USFRA, are working to shape the U.S. perception of agriculture. Consumers are asking questions about where their food comes from and how it is raised and experts in agriculture need to answer those questions, not the organizations and individuals bashing "today's agriculture." Key takeaways from the Hadricks include:

• Have an elevator speech - share who you are, where you're from and your connection to ag (or whatever industry you represent).
• Actively counter misinformation. The Hadrick's have a blog for this - Advocates for Agriculture.
• Share the facts. The Hadrick's are active in social media - Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Troy is famous for his "dumping the Yellow Tail" video!
• Talk with kids. Young people are sponges for truthful, interesting information and can be great advocates.
• Don't ask Google where your food comes from; ask an expert. Check out websites like Farmers Feed US.
• Team Ag. We're all in this together; there's room for all and we need to present a unified front.
• Don't. Let. Anyone. Else. Tell. Your. Story.

It is energizing to be with hard-working farmers and farmer leaders who are helping to feed, fuel and clothe the world. Now I need a farmer for the second time today – lunch!

Posted in Agriculture and Nutrition