Build Support Of Modern Ag By Educating Consumers

U.S. farmers dedicate themselves to growing the safest food in the world, raising their poultry and livestock in ideal conditions and living as good stewards of the land through sustainable management practices. Although, when agriculture is in the news, more often than not, it’s a negative story, with topics ranging from the mistrust of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to the mistreatment of animals raised for food.

The solution: Farmers need to take an active role in educating others about the food supply.

One way to spread the industry’s positive messages and increase the visibility of modern agriculture on a national level is through a feature-length documentary, “Farmland,” which follows six individuals who symbolize the next generation of American farmers and ranchers. All are in their 20s and farm in various regions and ag sectors across the United States.

The film, made with generous support from the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), gives viewers a firsthand glimpse into the lives of these young farmers and ranchers, their high-risk/high-reward jobs and their passion for a way of life that, more often than not, is passed down from generation to generation. USB helped fund the distribution of the film, which will continue through the spring and into the summer and fall.

Farmers Take a Grass-Roots Approach

Making sure consumers understand modern agriculture and its many benefits is as easy as taking two hours a month to talk with them and answer their questions.

“We need to figure out a way to educate others, whether it’s sending letters to your local newspaper, volunteering to teach at an elementary school or, better yet, hosting an open house on your farm one weekend between planting and harvest,” says Jay Lehr, Ph.D., science director of The Heartland Institute. He describes these activities as those that farmers can accomplish in the same amount of time that it takes to watch a movie.

To highlight the truth behind today’s agriculture, farmers can share what modern ag entails on their own operations. It’s the responsibility of those who are in the field, day in and day out, and their counterparts who work in the ag industry to share all the positives going on today in agriculture.

“In the interest of transparency, we need to be the ones to tell the consumer our story because if we don’t, somebody else will who may not have the knowledge we do about food production,” says Nancy Kavazanjian, USB farmer-leader from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
Tackle the Tough Questions

When it comes to addressing consumers’ concerns, here are some of today’s most talked-about issues in agriculture. Use these key points and learn how to spread the right information when these topics arise.

1. Consumers’ Top Three Concerns

Food-purchasing decisions are personal and emotional, so it’s natural for consumers to seek out more information on today’s food supply. Sometimes, however, they receive incorrect information. Listed below is what recent USFRA research found to be consumers’ top three concerns are about agriculture.

Make sure you know the facts to help you set the record straight.

• GMO foods and long-term health — Consumers express concern that foods made with GMOs may cause cancer, obesity and diabetes. But keep in mind that GMO traits undergo a rigorous approval process before they’re available for farmers to grow (see graphic below).
• Concern that anything deemed not “natural” is a threat — The fact is, the description “all-natural” doesn’t mean nutritional benefits, and labels do not include any standards regarding farm practices; it only applies to processing of meat and egg products.
• Science and logic don’t help: Shared values drive consumer trust — Instead of spouting facts, let consumers know that you are committed to growing a safe, healthy food supply. Shared values are more important to building trust than skill and expertise about a topic.

“Use words that consumers understand. I talk about farmers, family farms and barns, not producers, operations and livestock buildings,” says Wanda Patsche, farmer-blogger and CommonGround volunteer from Minnesota. “Be respectful. If you aren’t open to listening to them and acknowledging their concerns, they won’t be open to listening to what you have to say.”

2. Antibiotics in Animal Ag

Consumers often question why farmers give antibiotics to livestock and whether the meat, milk and eggs from those animals are safe to consume. To answer these questions, here are five important facts to know.

• Healthy animals provide healthy food — Antibiotics are a critical tool to prevent, control and treat disease in animals and reduce the chance of bacterial transmission from animals to humans, according to the Animal Health Institute.
• Regulated process ensures safety — A set number of days must pass between the last antibiotic treatment and that animal entering the food supply. This ensures that any medicine has cleared the animal’s system, according to FDA and U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) regulations.
• Human health is not affected — The use of medicated feeds in food-producing animals is evaluated and regulated to prevent harmful effects on both animal and human health, says Steven Vaughn, D.V.M., director of the Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation in FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine.
• Antibiotics have been around for a while — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved the use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry more than 40 years ago.
• Hear it from the farmer — Watch Joan Ruskamp, below, a cattle farmer from Dodge, Nebraska, share her story about antibiotic use in food animals and the responsibility that comes with raising healthy, safe beef. And be sure to share it with your social networks.