This entry was posted on Friday, November 28th, 2008 at 11:41am and is filed under Media and information, Ranching, Agriculture, Farming, Food Production. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
One of the meta-issues that impacts my life in a surprisingly large number of ways is the growing disconnect between food consumers and food producers.
As a producer, my business is affected by the views and beliefs of politicians, activist groups and consumers; the vast majority of whom don’t have a realistic idea of what life is like for a typical American farmer or rancher. Legislation such as California’s Proposition 2 and the EPA’s proposed ‘cow tax’ can have huge impact on food production and producer’s lives.
As a farmer’s market vendor, I come fact to face with the reality of the gulf between consumers and producers every week. Although I am sometimes discouraged by the misconceptions I hear, I am also heartened by the sincere interest many of my customers have in knowing about their food and in hearing the “real story” of how their food is produced.
Dan Rather, who came from a ranching background, once told me that he would love to see a series of “farm Disney Lands”; not with rides and cutesified animals, but where people could actually come see how food is produced and that there are real people, real families, producing it.
Information is out there; encouraging outreach, taking a hard look at activist groups, and presenting the producer’s viewpiont on issues. I suspect that much of the what is written ends up preaching to the choir, as pro-ag articles tend to be in agricultural-focused, not consumer-oriented venues.
If you are a producer, be an ag ambassador, know the issues and be willing to discuss them. If you are a consumer, reach out and ask questions, visit a farmer, keep an open mind. The best way to bridge the gap is person-to-person.
December 1st, 2008 at 10:03am
Good post Sara,
Having come from a non-traditional ag background (suburban kid) who then went on to pursue a college degree in ag, I am very dismayed by what most people “think” they know about agriculture.
Historically it’s always been the activists groups who have sought to push negative perceptions about agriculture and now there are a lot of people looking to capitalize off those perceptions.
I agree 1000% that producers need to speak up and be heard. Producers can not be passive and continue to let those who do not have connections to agriculture speak for them.
What I honestly wish is that there was some basic agricultural eduction requirement for graduation in our high school system. If students are required to learn the basics about math, history, grammar, natural and physical sciences, why not agriculture as it too impacts their lives everyday.