Going Beyond the Choir: Blog Action & Food Day

Archive for the ‘Consumer Trust’ Category

Going Beyond the Choir: Blog Action & Food Day

Friday, October 14th, 2011

“We need to quit preaching to the choir and go beyond agriculture.” This is the single most common wish I hear from ag folks in my advocacy training workshops across the States and Canada. Going beyond the agriculture choir is easy to talk about, but difficult to execute. However, this week offers several opportunities for you to extend he reach agriculture’s voice. Please help get the word out to other folks.

: Be sure farmers are a part of this conversation!

Blog Action Day is Sunday, October 16, focused on food. I’d encourage you to go to http://blogactionday.org, register your blog and and then write a post that offers your perspective on food. You can also tweet using #BAD11 or connect on Facebook. At a loss for what to write or stressed about time constraints? They’ll give you ideas here.

If you’re on a farm or ranch, remember your daily “mundane” chores are a novelty to 98.5% of the population. You can even grab a video camera and record what you’re doing (know that I’m smiling as I write this since so few enjoy video cameras). Write about harvest and how that makes a difference in the food system. Consider drawing parallels between technology used on the farm and world famine. Open the window into your barn by sharing how you care for animals.

Have some fun with it – this should simply be a conversation. It is not rocket science, particularly if you’re able to focus on hot buttons of those who are “beyond the choir.” Stay away from the science talk, drop the ag jargon and share why your family cares about making a difference in the food system. In other words, relate on a human level!

Blog Action Day also falls on Food Day this year, orchestrated by Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). All stripes of agriculture deserve to be represented in Food Day – and you need to understand that the food story will be told by those present in the conversation. Are you willing to add your voice? You can do so by tweeting with the #FoodDay tag, seeing and responding to their messages on YouTube, commenting on their Facebook page or referencing it in your blog posts (for Google rankings).

Keep it positive – you do not need to be defensive, though you may not agree with many of the messages coming from Food Day. Why not add diversity to the discussion – and real life examples from people who live and breathe agriculture? And if someone takes a nasty shot at you, a certain sector of ag or questions your style of farming – take the high road. Help people understand your family’s role in food, why it matters and the necessity choice for both food buyers and producers.

Going beyond the choir involves jumping out of the choir loft and finding your own groove. Are you ready to take that step? I hope so – your voice needs to be added to the mix or it’s going to be a rather lopsided ensemble. I’ll be there – and have no desire to be a solo act. Won’t you join me?

Posted in Advocacy, Agriculture, Consumer Trust, Farm Life, Farmer, Food, Motivation | 1 Comment »

Thinking about food

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

Yesterday I witnessed a real-time conversation about food and farming, intersected by virtual participation and live video feed. It was a fascinating experience to be in the audience at UC-Davis, help stimulate the social media conversation and see the behind-the-scenes effort that went into these Food Dialogues that the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance also hosted in New York City, D.C. and Fair Oaks, Indiana.

Chefs, farmers, mainstream media, food scientists, academia, ranchers and even those with viewpoints different than traditional agriculture were on the panels. An array of topics included sustainability, food safety, local foods, biotechnology, hormones, antibiotics, manure, soil, environmental practices, ethics, animal welfare, social responsibility, national security and food labels. Questions flew from all over the country, drawn from the audience – as well as Twitter, Facebook and the Food Dialogues website. After a few early techno glitches, it was a wonderful example of the many ways we can have a conversation integrating real time and social media.

The most interesting part of the day was watching 4,000+ tweets and probing a bit further in the online conversations. The long-term value to this day is digging deeper to identify where farmers and non-farmers can connect. The reality is we share common values, but there’s a lot of misinformation driving us apart. Common values must prevail or we all lose. 72% of consumers know nothing or very little about farming. That screams opportunity for the majority of folks reading this!

As I reflect on the conversation, this is what my crystal ball says:

* Farmers and the general public both value sustainability. And most agree that it has environmental, social and economical components. So why do we have to fight about what a sustainable operation is? According to the new USFRA research, 99% of farmers say they care about environmental practices while nearly 3/4 of consumers are concerned about the use of pesticides and insecticides used in farming. There’s a connection!

* Scripted folks come off as less than genuine. Farmers sharing their story, even if it’s one of large family operation, are considered authentic. And transparency about what you really do on your farm or ranch trumps any argument. Yet that transparency is incredibly hard to define.

* Passion connects on an emotional level. Passionate ag and food people attract others like bees to honey. Sure, some can be passionate naysayers, but it’s a small percentage. Why not find common points in your passion to get excited about farming and food together? Hint: this means you have to rein your passion in enough to listen to each other.

* There is confusion in both the farm and consumer ranks about the effect of government regulations on farming. Consumers are seeking more information on this, so your personal stories about regulations will help build understanding.

* Animal welfare matters. It is important to people buying food – and farmers must talk about how today’s practices are actually better for the animals.

* Feeding a growing population appears to be important to everyone around the food plate, but it’s more top-of-mind to farmers and ranchers. There’s a significant chance to connect through this social good conversation.

Who was missing in these Food Dialogues? A more diverse subset of farmers – small, medium sized and organics to add to the larger producer mix. Given health professional influence over people’s food choices and beliefs, it makes sense to include more dietitians and doctors. I’m sure there will be additional opportunities to plug them into the conversation in the future.

More than 2/3 of those purchasing food are thinking about how it’s produced on a regular basis. Consumers are looking for information about farming. All of us in agriculture have to determine if we’re willing to give it to them – even during planting season, winter, harvest or summer heat stress. Are you willing to step into the conversation? If you don’t, there are plenty of people who will be glad to continue the food confusion.

Tags: Agriculture, animal welfre, biotechnology, Farmer, Food Dialogues, food label, GMO, organic, pesticides, sustainability, USFRA
Posted in Advocacy, Agriculture, Animal Rights, Consumer Trust, Environment, Farmer, Food, Social Media | 8 Comments »

9/11: Politics, Religion & Food

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

Courtesy of Reuters

Thousands of articles have been posted and millions of tears shed over the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001. This isn’t about my memories of that awful day, though I will say that the images of airplanes flying into buildings and people jumping from the World Trade Center will be forever etched in my heart. And every airport reminds me of that pain; I’m a mom and I get on a lot of airplanes. Regardless of the number of flights I’ve been on since 9-11, I say a prayer at the beginning of each flight that I can deliver on the promise that mommy will be home in a couple of days.

Emotions aside, the world knows that September 11th forever changed our country. It’s pretty easy to look at it from an American’s perspective; so many innocent people died because of terrorists. It’s perhaps more difficult to look at it from a Muslim’s point of view; thousands more have paid the price because of a few radical terrorists. I had never really considered that perspective until I worked in Egypt, where I found Christians and Muslims living in peace with each other – and equally as confused about the global aftermath of September 11 as we are in the States.

Now that I’ve delved into the non-controversial topics of religion and politics, let’s throw in food and national security. Consider this; more than 40-percent of our food is imported. Local food, community supported agriculture and urban gardens may be all the rage, but the reality is that we rely on other countries for our food. Lest I be called a hypocrite; our family enjoys fruits and vegetables from other countries in the six months of the year that we don’t grow food in Indiana. And, I worry while preparing our family’s meals that the food has undergone the same standards as what we’ve raised on farms in the U.S. and Canada.

Courtesy of foodtechconnect.com

At a time that Americans are so sensitive about our national security, do we really want to rely on other countries for the majority of our food? Consider what’s happened to oil and our gas prices; it makes no sense to have our food ‘held hostage.’ Yet, the increasing regulations, lack of understanding about today’s modern farm and constant scrutiny of American agriculture is pushing more food production out of the U.S. and Canada. Is it a perfect system? No. But if you’re food buyer, rest assured that USDA and FDA have the most stringent standards of anywhere on earth. And also know you can always talk to a farmer or food processor if you’d like to know the steps to keep your food safe – here are a few to help you get started.

Ag folks, let’s be sure we deliver on that promise. There is likely no greater vulnerability to the USA’s national security than food and water. According to this article, FDA has spent $1.3 billion on food defense programs since 2005, the USDA said it has spent $1.64 billion on food defense since 2003. Some of this may be inconvenient to your farm or agribusiness, but enough has not been done. I hope that you will be able to say with assurance each night at the supper table that you did everything possible to protect your family and our food supply. And I also hope you are prepared to explain how your farm to the 98.5% of the population not in your shoes.

Tags: food safety, imports, local, national security
Posted in Agriculture, Consumer Trust, Farmer, Food | No Comments »

A Dirty Dozen: Agvocacy in Action

Monday, August 1st, 2011

We started our 10 year anniversary with a challenge: pick an agvocacy idea to multiply your voice tenfold. Leveraging voices between the farm gate and consumer plate is the goal of 10x Connect, so we’re providing a “dirty dozen” of our most popular blog posts to provide you food for thought.

The Tears I’ve Shed…Animal Abuse
An emotional response to another animal rights activist video. A must read for anyone concerned about dairy farmers abusing calves. Michele offers a personal glimpse of how food producers feel watching these videos and illustrates the misrepresentation by comparing prostitutes to farmers.

Farm and Ranch Blogs
Our collection of farm & ranch blogs from across the United States, Canada and several countries around the world continues to be a popular destination for people searching for food, farm and ag information. Click on the region links to see blogs from specific states.

What Shape is Your Food Plate?
Have you considered ways for all sides of our food system to connect equally, whether it’s the farmer, scientist, nutrition expert or consumer? The circular food plate gives people the opportunity to reach across, shake hands, and find common interests. MPK points to science, accuracy and credibility as hot buttons with food producers, dietitians and scientists that can help them work together to educate people about food. Research shows that the less people know, the more afraid they’re likely to be.

: Grab an idea from this dozen & cook it up to your own tastes.

I eat. You farm. So what?
A farmer walks into a suburban grocery store and talks with a food consumer. Read here for a conversation on hormones, pesticides, animal abuse, subsidies, biotechnology where there’s a connection made between two humans.

10 Rules of Online Engagement for the Kicking and Screaming
Guest blogger Dan Toland of Ohio Farm Bureau provides 10 tips for farmers and agvocates online – even those who are fighting the internet and social media. He points to a 52% increase in consumer trust on websites as a credible source on food system issues as reason enough to join the discussion. It’s time to step outside your comfort zone and be engaged in real, live and honest-to-goodness online conversations about what you do.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream…
MPK hosted a party celebrating all the flavors of advocacy during National Ice Cream Month. Lots of fun flavors from all over the U.S. and Canada.

Advancing Social Media for Agriculture
We’re bombarded by 13,000 marketing messages each day, now largely due to new media. Watch the Evolution of Online Agvocacy if you want to see more. All of this social media mania is also building a fear that humans may just stop having real conversations -after all, we can just text, direct message, instant message, Facebook or email (how old school!). Nothing could be further from the truth, based upon the energy level of a group of farmers, ranchers and agricultural folks this week at the inaugural AgChat Foundation Agvocacy 2.0 Conference.

Why Farmers Should NOT Speak Up
A highly sarcastic look at 15 reasons why farmers and ranchers should not tell their story. Why start the year on a resolution when you can kick it off with satire? Great quotes from ag people added to MPK’s sarcasm. Post your reason – let’s get all the excuses out of the way so we can laugh a little – and then have a productive year as agvocates!

The Integrity of Humane Care
How would you feel if your family was video taped in secrecy in your own home? MPK shares the feelings of farmers in this situation with animal rights videos. She questions the integrity of an agenda-driven group producing videos while disregarding private property, biosecurity, food safety and employee protocol.

Cow’s need nutritionists? Don’t they just eat grass?
There are many similarities and a few key differences between the nutritional demands of a cow and a human. Robin Rastani, a nutritionist for dairy cattle, explains her common goal with human dietitians – providing a healthy, balanced diet within a budget for our clients. A guest post that provides a great example of connecting science of agriculture to food interests.

The Sin of Animal Agriculture
Generations removed from the farm means we no longer have conversation that animals die for us to eat. Somehow, we need to get back to understanding that farmers raise animals for food – animals that are very different than Fido or Fluffy. Those farm animals take things we can’t eat or drink and convert them to life sustenance.Those of us in agriculture need to learn to better communicate that we are grateful for the sacrifice that farm animals pay so that we can eat. Not just to feed people in cities, but our families, too.

High Fructose Corn Syrup: Good or Bad?
Will HFCS harm baby Blue? Guest blogger MRS talks about reading the stance of other mommy bloggers and how compelling their passion is – until she read a a registered dietitian’s blog about the body treats high fructose corn syrup the same as table sugar. Is HFCS really one of the foods that pose a health risk or simply something to be consumed in moderation?

So…how can you apply these ideas to your world? Take 15 minutes today to adapt one of them to your world, in the interest of connecting farm gate to food plate.

Tags: abuse, Agriculture, Animal Rights, farm, Food, HFCS, MPK, Nutrition, Social Media
Posted in Advocacy, Agriculture, Consumer Trust, Farmer, Farming, Social Media | 3 Comments »

Who makes – and shapes – food?

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

~ guest blog post by John Coupland

Farmers are essential in our food system, without farmers we would all starve, but farmers don’t make food. There is almost nothing produced on farm that is immediately edible. Post-farm processing can be so minor you scarcely notice – wash the apples, it can be significant but traditional – mill and separate wheat to make bread flour, or it can render the source material unrecognizable – separate the corn starch then digest with enzymes to make HFCS. All of these are food processing and are required to turn farm produce into food that people eat. So what are the connections between the farm and the table? There are many possibilities, but let’s start by following the path taken by most of our food.

Almost all food processing in the developed world is done at an industrial scale. The supermarkets and restaurants we buy most of our food from in turn buy their supplies directly or indirectly from other companies that make it. These companies in turn buy their ingredients from other companies and so on until someone pays the farmer for the produce to feed the cycle. A simple example is tomato ketchup – tomatoes, salt, vinegar and spices. The tomatoes were grown by a farmer, ground and concentrated into paste in one factory then shipped to a second factory to be blended with salt, vinegar and spices, cooked, and bottled as ketchup. Sure, without farmers the food system wouldn’t happen, but the same could be said for the retort operators, truckers, microbiologists, sensory scientists and factory workers.

The system is responsive at one end to the perceived demands of the consumer (and great efforts are made through advertising and public relations to shape those demands.) If people demand cheap food, organic food, “natural” food, local food or anything else, then the amoral forces of capitalism reach back through the food system until the effects are ultimately felt on the farm. In contrast, farmers have little “push” in the other direction. Very little of the retail price of food is due to the cost of raw ingredients and so changes in individual farm efficiency have little effect on the consumer. Similarly “quality” at the farm gate is only important to the immediate purchaser of the produce and is unlikely to have any effect tasted by the consumer. Buyers for the food industry care more that the product is consistent than it is sporadically excellent. (Food safety is another matter. Good agricultural practices contribute to safe food).

The costs and underlying shape of the food system is also affected by changes in regulatory, fiscal or trade policy. Farmers may seek to influence the food system through lobbying or through customer education but in doing so they are in political competition with other interests. There are other food systems, direct farm sales being a notable example, which give the farmer more control. While these can be locally important, the dominant food system feeding 9 billion people will be driven by efficiency. A good place for political engagement by farmers would be to better define what efficiency means.

John Coupland is a Professor of Food Science at Penn State. He was born and educated in England and moved to the U.S. for work. He teaches courses in the chemistry of foods and does research into how fats and oils lead to food texture. He blogs at http://johncoupland.tumblr.com/ Although his spare time is mainly taken up by his family, he manages to maintain his reputation as the worst fisherman in the state of Pennsylvania.

Posted in Agriculture, Consumer Trust, Food, Nutrition | 5 Comments »