U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance looks to educate the public

Jan 15, 2016

Organization launches effort to engage consumers

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, in a joint effort with Discovery Education, is a launching an educational effort to inform urban youth about agriculture.

The goal of the initiative, called Discovering Farmland, is to build trust between farmers and consumers.

Rany Krotz, CEO of the alliance, as well as the U.S. Farming and Ranching Foundation (USFRF), said consumers trust farmers, but are unsure about how the food is grown and raised.

The USFRF is working on developing a nationwide curriculum that students can use to learn more about agriculture.

Students will use the documentary “Farmland” as the core for studies; the film follows young farmers and ranchers as they try to navigate life on and off the farm.

Available lessons currently include:

Farming As An Industry, which allows students to study how agriculture has evolved. Data analysis and environmental studies will help them understand how products are developed in the United States.
Educated Consumers, which looks at the media’s impact and influence on agriculture.
Breaking Down Stereotypes, which uses group discussions to explore common stereotypes associated with farmers.
Challenges In Farming and Ranching, will allow students to understand the challenges farmers face including the pressure to feed others, finances involved and new technology’s role in agriculture.

Are you a high school teacher looking to introduce agriculture to your students? How would you implement the online resources and help your students understand how agriculture works and the dedication farmers show?

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.