Our Blog: where do you stand?

I am a St. Louis Cardinal Baseball fan. I also am a fan of food. So, my ears perked up when I heard a radio commercial featuring Cardinal slugger Matt Holliday promoting Stepping Up to the Plate, an educational ad campaign aimed at increasing consumer understanding of how Missouri's farmers are using the latest technology to provide safe, affordable and nutritious food.

Holliday also promotes the Farmers Feed U.S. website. For the many Americans who think their food comes from the grocery store, this website is a great way to meet farmers from select states (currently, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio), virtually tour their farms and get a better understanding of how food makes it from the field to your table.

And here's the best part of visiting the site - once you meet a farmer, you can enter to win the Ultimate At-Home Tailgate Party.

Besides making me crave a home-cooked meal with Missouri-grown ingredients, the website also:

• Serves as a reputation management tool for farmers, helping us understand how food is actually grown.
• Provides a great incentive for website visitors - tailgates are fun and a free one is even better.
• Makes it easy to explore a farm. No fear of stepping in the manure - just click and tour!

Be sure to follow Holliday's lead and explore farm life through the Farmers Feed U.S. website. And if you win the Ultimate At-Home Tailgate Party, be sure to send me an e-vite!