Say 'yes' to the meeting

As farmers, we know most consumers are at least two generations removed from the farm. We know how important it is to build relationships with them. We know it’s important for consumers to see how farms work and be able to ask questions about how and why we farm the way we do.

This is why farmers should say "yes" if asked to attend conferences or meetings where they have a chance to meet consumers.

Do you remember Lucy’s booth in the Peanuts cartoons? She’d offer advice in her booth. It had a sign that said, “The Doctor is In/Out”. The California Strawberry Commission had a similar booth at last fall’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE), a meeting of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Their sign read, "California strawberries: Ask the farmer."

Instead of offering advice, they offered farming experience from one of two strawberry farmers. The farmers weren’t there all day, every day of the three-day show, but when they were “in,” the lines stretched down the aisle. I took a break from the NC Sweetpotato Commission's booth and got in line.

I spoke with Neil Nagata of Nagata Brothers Farms, a third-generation farmer. His grandfather started the farm after immigrating from Japan to California. 

Nagata and I talked about the varieties he grows, challenges on this farm, marketing, and other aspects of strawberry farming. In a room full of booths with nutrition information on food, it was refreshing to have someone who grows food on the floor to answer questions.

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen farmers make a difference at non-agricultural meetings. The first time I attended FNCE, Ocean Spray had its traveling bog set up in the expo. I talked to a cranberry farmer about everything from planting (cranberries grow on shrubs!) to harvesting (they don’t always float in water). 

Closer to home, I’ve been on a panel with Dr. Sheila Jordan, a livestock veterinarian and dairy farmer. She talked to registered dietitians about dairy farming and how milk gets from the cow to the grocery shelf. 

Her story was especially important since a later speaker, a registered dietitian, told the audience all milk in the U.S. was sent overseas for processing, and then shipped back. (It’s not!)

Educating educators

It isn’t just registered dietitians we need to build relationships with. For several years, I’ve worked with family and consumer science teachers.

I moderated a panel at one event which featured a swine and beef producer. A teacher asked about livestock’s effect on global warming. According to her, the textbook she used listed livestock as a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. We know from FDA data that isn’t true, and the farmer was able to address her concerns.

In a perfect world everyone would have a connection to agriculture, but that’s not the case today. We can’t wait for consumers to come to the farm. We must go to them.