Popcorn is golden to Chicago kids on a combine

Posts Tagged ‘Farmer’

Popcorn is golden to Chicago kids on a combine

Monday, October 31st, 2011

~guest post by Brian Scott

“I started this site to promote the virtues of modern agriculture and feature the daily operations of our farm. Please read, discuss, and enjoy!” This is the last line of my blog’s About page. As a farmer, I know I have the responsibility to talk about my farm.

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of doing both those things up close and personal with a great group of home school kids who came all the way down from the northern suburbs of Chicago. The kids are participating in the FIRST LEGO League Food Factor Challenge, and they have chosen to study microwave popcorn. The goal is for them to find a problem in the food production chain and find a way to solve that problem. I had not heard of this program until the group brought it to my attention via a comment on this site.

Part of that comment reads: This year’s challenge is called Food Factor, and our team has chosen to study microwave popcorn in the pre-packaged bags. We are just beginning our research and were hoping to learn all we can about popcorn. This is where you come in. Would you consider allowing our team, with adult supervision, to visit your farm?

The question asked most frequently by ag people like me on social media is “How can I reach beyond the choir?” One of our biggest concerns is that we spend too much time talking to people already in the industry and not including the consumer in that dialogue. With that in mind, it’s hard not to jump at the opportunity to bring these young people out so they can see a real farm in operation.

Since the group consisted completely of home schoolers, their schedule was flexible and they were able to come out to the farm on a day when we were actually harvesting popcorn. That is easier said than done because the company we grow for needs the grain delivered at a certain moisture content, leaving a small window of opportunity for a group to come out and see the entire process.

The timing worked out great and the weather could not have been better the day they came out to the farm. The kids arrived just before noon, and to show their appreciation they brought us lunch at the farm. After lunch we started on their project – this wasn’t just a farm tour. We spent quite a bit of time in the office answering questions. These kids were very well prepared and had lots of great questions for us.

Next we took a trip through the shop and equipment shed before going out into the field to look at the popcorn. This is probably the part I was most excited about because these kids got to see popcorn still on the ear, standing in the field. What better proof that food doesn’t come from the grocery store? While in the field there were more questions to be answered, and we even found a couple of ears with insect damage which would be relevant to the objective of their project. One thing to watch for with popcorn is damage to the outer part of the kernel either by insect or mechanical functions. If popcorn is damaged, it won’t pop!

After inspecting the field we walked over to the combine and covered the basics of how it removes the grain from the plant and distributes the residue in the field. And, as a kind of grand finale, we gave all of the kids and adults a ride in the combine so they could see that whole process in action.

I had a hunch they would enjoy the combine, but I had no idea how excited they would actually be. When you do this kind of thing everyday, although it is fun and I love doing it, being around it your whole life makes the workings of a farm a pretty normal thing. Not so for these kids. In case you don’t know a combine has a window in the back of the cab that allows you to see what it going on in the grain tank as it fills with grain. Everyone who got their first combine ride that day was at first fixated with the front of the machine pulling in the stalks and knocking the ears off. They didn’t even realize that window was back there unless they turned around or I pointed it out to them.

The term I’ve been using to describe the reaction of all the kids when they saw entire plants in front of them seconds later somehow turned into clean grain in a window right behind them was that “their brains exploded.” There were lots of shouts of words like cool and awesome, but the quote of they day had to be one kid who looked at the flowing grain and exclaimed, “It’s so golden!” They had been learning eagerly for a couple of hours about how the seeds get in the ground and how long the growing season is, and then in a matter of seconds that plant becomes a form of food they are familiar with. Overall it’s still a pretty neat process for me to see too, but seeing it for the first time was quite a sight for this great group.

Not only did they see popcorn in the field being harvested, on the way back to Chicago they had a tour of the Family Time popcorn facility in Valparaiso, Indiana. In one day, these kids experience popcorn on the stalk in a field be harvested, trucked away, and then packaged. What a great experience for them!

Brian is a 31 year old husband, father and 4th generation farmer from Northwest Indiana operating 2300 acres of corn, soybeans, popcorn, and wheat with his father and grandfather. He has a degree in Soil and Crop Management from Purdue University and worked off the farm before returning home. In addition to family and farm, Brian is an automotive enthusiast and classic rock/metal fan. Find him on Twitter or Facebook, or check out The Farmer’s Life Blog.

Tags: Advocacy, Agriculture, Corn, education, farm, Farmer, Farming, food production, harvest, homeschool, popcorn
Posted in Advocacy, Agriculture, Farming, Food | 2 Comments »

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 »

Are farmers and ranchers ever happy?

Monday, September 19th, 2011

This was originally entitled “Isn’t it time we pull our heads out?” A close runner-up was “Your stubborness and independence may work on the farm – and put you out of business.” Professional discretion prevailed. However, it seems as though farmers and ranchers are never happy. And I’m not talking about the weather!

We first get mad when people “attack” agriculture. Then we thumb our noses at the “ignorant city people” who should know where their food comes from. And we grumble that we have to take the time to talk to these people when we’d rather be out with our land and animals. Usually somewhere in there is “someone else should be doing this for me – that’s why I pay check-off programs and my Farm Bureau membership.”

Territories develop, policy battles get in the way and the complexities of the agrifood system prevail. We get annoyed when these groups don’t represent every single practice exactly the way we want them to. It’s fair to say that an organization simply can’t tell YOUR story like you can – nor should they. However, we also complain that agriculture never works together – “it sure would be nice if the pork farmers would agree with corn farmers and those dairy people would get in line with the rest of us.”

After a lot of rhetoric and a few failed attempts, a variety of farm organizations finally pulled together the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance last year. So now farmers and ranchers are complaining that such a “large” organization can’t possibly represent ME because I farm _____. And how diverse is it anyhow – are you sure it includes what I do? And is it O.K. to work with such a big organization?

All of this leaves me a bit confused. This “big” organization was founded on farmer dollars and it’s working to have a conversation BIGGER than any of us as individuals. They are having town hall meetings with a variety of food folks, including chefs, mainstream media, academia and yes – even some people that you’d likely call a pundit. These food dialogues are designed to be a multi-faceted conversation and they’re happening in a way that you can participate virtually to ensure farmers are at the table. Why not join in on 9/22, submit questions and help answer questions about food?

No one can tell your agricultural story better than you. This effort won’t be perfect. You don’t have to agree with everything they’re doing. But doesn’t it make sense to stand shoulder-to-shoulder and pool our resources when there is only 1.5% in the U.S. population on a farm? Doesn’t it also make sense to approach this as a conversation instead of a battle? And shouldn’t it be more about the big picture than self-interests?

Just in case you’re wondering, nobody paid me to write this. After a decade of working with agricultural advocacy, I’ve heard thousands of complaints from farmers and ranchers across the U.S. and Canada. Frankly, it’s tiring. It’s time to round up the cattle, send them through the chute and get this job done. Either stop complaining or do something about it. I don’t see that we have any other choice. Do you?

Tags: Agriculture, Farmer, Food Dialogue, USFRA
Posted in Advocacy, Agriculture, Farmer, Motivation | 19 Comments »

Agvocating II: Overcoming objections with a smile

Monday, June 20th, 2011

~ guest blog post by Laura Nelson

Last month, I spent a few days in New York City for a crash-course in east-coast, city living. There in the heart of the Big Apple, I discovered a fun fact: most American still LOVE a great steak! You can read Part I of this blog post for more great news about the beef industry’s already captive audience.

Of course, to my dismay, each person I interacted with couldn’t be an avid beef-loving carnivore! I heard several “No thanks, I’m not a big meat eater…” Not a good time to get defensive, regardless of the sinking feeling that brought on. Which reminds me: Isn’t it strange how personal we can take someone’s food choices?

It is personal to them, but we shouldn’t take it that way. In a way, it’s just a choice like the ones we make every day: paper or plastic, Deere or Case, iPhone or Blackberry, country music or rock, red meat or veggies, horse or ATV, pork or chicken, etc.

Like the Pat Green song says, “I guess we’ve all got our reasons.” Trying to understand the reasoning behind another person’s choice is the only way to empathize and relate. In my opinion, that’s the only way to influence those choices.

For example, a question I got several times was: “Is this beef grass fed?” Keep in mind, that’s not an instant attack on grain-fed beef; it’s an innocent question.

My answer would be something like this: “Of course it is – nearly all beef cattle are grass-fed for a large percentage of their lives. But to get the kind of marbling and flavor our customers like, the beef cattle that meet our standards are fed grain in the mature stages of their lives. Do you usually purchase grass-fed beef? Why is that? Can you taste a flavor difference?”

Those questions at the end are the keys. Trust me; you’ll get further listening than talking, especially when you don’t yet have a captive audience.

Now, I know most of you don’t have an opportunity to initiate one-on-one conversations with New Yorkers who are enticed by the sights and smells of delicious steak samples. I had an unfair advantage.

But one advantage stays the same: a quality product provides opportunity to change opinions. As agriculturalists, each of us should have a quality story to tell. If you don’t, it’s time to re-evaluate what’s happening on the ranch. I interviewed a feedlot manager once who told me, “We don’t do anything here that we wouldn’t be proud to have videotaped and shown to the world.”

If you operate every day with that mentality, you have a quality product. So here’s a refresher on sharing that story:

Focus on the audience you have. That’s about 95% of the human population who enjoy an omnivorous diet just like you.
Capture that audience with a quality product and a quality story. Never miss an opportunity to make them feel good about your product. They’ll hold it against your reputation every time your message or story isn’t portrayed with the utmost quality.
Share that story on their terms. Memorized sound bites don’t work. Molding those sound bites with empathy to ways that relate to another human’s needs and interests do.
Listen more than you talk, especially with an audience you haven’t captivated yet. You’re not selling anything, you’re sharing information and that’s a two-way street.

As an industry information specialist for the Certified Angus Beef® brand, Laura Nelson executes media strategies for a cattle production audience in print media, radio and e-communications. Her team’s efforts focus on helping cattle ranchers across the country understand the management decisions that impact their ability to produce the premium CAB brand. Laura grew up on a diversified crop farm and cattle ranch on the Wyoming/Nebraska border and has a journalism degree from the University of Wyoming with a focus in agriculture communications.

Tags: agvocate, beef, Farmer, Food, food quality, steak
Posted in Advocacy, Agriculture, Consumer Trust, Farmer, Food | 1 Comment »

Captivating our already captive food audience

Thursday, June 16th, 2011

~ guest blog post by Laura Nelson (first of two)

When you’re passionate about being an agvocate, it’s easy to get bogged down in negative news about our industry. We monitor vegan ballot initiatives, watch atrocious caught-in-the-act videos and respond to soapbox-preaching food bloggers.

All noble causes, but also ones that can leave us feeling like it’s “us” versus “them;” ag versus consumers.

I got a great reminder of how untrue that is last month. I traveled to the Big Apple to work at The James Beard Foundation LTD pop-up store, sampling Certified Angus Beef ® steak to New Yorkers. I was prepared for some really tough consumer questions: hormones, CAFOs, animal welfare, beef nutrition, antibiotics, etc. (photo)

Instead of reciting sound bite after sound bite in defense of the beef industry, I re-discovered how much people love great steak and a simple story. People would casually grab a sample as they walked by; stop dead in their tracks to oooooh and ahhhhhh, then walk back to our booth and say, “That was the best steak I’ve ever had!”

A quality product attracts a captive audience. But a captive audience doesn’t mean an open door for a sales pitch. Rather, a good opportunity to visit with that person about a common interest – great steak, in my case!

Taking ag to NYC!

I learned that New Yorkers don’t typically have yards, so it’s frivolous to share grilling tips. Some folks weren’t familiar with the “tenderloin” cut. New Yorkers eat out a lot and restaurant menus call it Filet Mignon. Being in New York doesn’t mean you’re a New Yorker… the city attracts a lot of tourists (duh!) from many places, backgrounds and culinary tastes.

Learning these things changed the course of my conversations, allowing me to better connect with our audience. I could share my message: Certified Angus Beef ® is some of the best beef you can buy, raised by caring, dedicated Angus ranchers across America. The product quality is all about its marbling; look for our logo to make sure you’re consistently getting the best.

That was my story, but each time I told it in a different way that met the needs and expectations of that individual.

Of course, I heard several “No thanks, I’m not a big meat eater…” Not a good time to get defensive, regardless of the sinking feeling that brought on.

In Part II of this post, I’ll share some of the objections and questions I got to discuss with my not-so-captive audience and how we can all avoid being put on the defense. Hopefully these examples resonate with everyone in agriculture as a way you can agvocate with a quality story.*

Laura a Cornhusker by birth; Wyomingite at heart; Ohian by career choice. She’s a writer, farm girl, amateur photographer, agvocate, cook, red-dirt and classic rock music junkie and meatitarian (it’s a personal choice). As a Certified Angus Beef LLC industry information specialist, she travels, writes, spends time interviewing cattlemen and planning events and marketing materials, all with the goal of building supply for the world’s largest branded beef company. The CAB team blogs about our travels and observations in and around the cattle industry at www.blackinkwithcab.com and has a Facebook page.

*Note from MPK: After getting to know Certified Angus Beef through social media and reading about their market position in a recent Meatingplace article, I invited them to write how they’re connecting with consumers. While the brand represents only a part of the beef business, they offer lessons to learn from when trying to reach beyond the choir – regardless of your sector of agriculture.

Tags: Advocacy, Agriculture, animal agriculture, beef, consumer, Farmer, Food, steak
Posted in Advocacy, Agriculture, Animal Rights, Farming, Food | 1 Comment »