How to talk about Sustainability

In our culture’s evolving society, more communication avenues are emerging, allowing food-eaters to share about their food and desiring to know how it was raised. The ‘sustainability movement’ amongst consumers has caused a myriad of definitions of the term that farmers and ranchers have been ‘sustaining’ since the beginning of time.

The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) has been conducting research on consumers’ perceptions of agriculture since 2011 in an effort to earn consumer trust in American food and agriculture. Along with conducting annual research, they aim to ensure the voices of farmers and ranchers are presented in influential conversations about food and agriculture where they can make a positive impact.

Sustainability and Consumer Perceptions

Most recently, USFRA’s research focused specifically about sustainability and consumer perceptions; conducting online interviews, surveying a total of 1,000 consumers. This perception survey provided benchmark results and explored opinions on farming and ranching based on two key types of consumers: general consumers and consumer food connectors. General consumers included: millennials; parents; non-parents; or general consumer population. Consumer food connectors included: educated consumers with a strong interest in politics and government policy; highly-engaged food influencer that others turn to for information about their food; make all household decisions and purchases related to food; or engaged in food advocacy activities.

When it comes to specifically talking about sustainability, USFRA found that terms like, “water, soil, air and habitat” resonate the most with both general consumers and consumer food connectors.

The 2016 Food and Health Survey, conducted by the International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC), found that consumers consider sustainability more in their decisions to buy food and beverages than just a year ago, and seven in ten consumers think it is important that the food products are produced in a sustainable way. Both USFRA and IFIC’s surveys showed that agriculture’s impact on humans is always top of mind for consumers. They want to improve their health, as well as their families, through access to safe, nutritious food and want to have a positive impact on their local community.

But are consumers equating “producing nutritious, safe and high-quality food” to “sustainability”? Obvious enough, sustainability can mean different things to different people. USFRA found that consumers define sustainability with terms such as: environmentally responsible, integrity, ethical, accountable for actions, trustworthy, supporting local communities and social responsibility.

Even more interesting, half of the consumers polled with USFRA could not state what sustainability meant to them, although they say it is important. It needs to be farmers and ranchers responsibility to define sustainability for them.

Defining What We Do As Sustainable

Farmers and ranchers keep future generations top of mind. We love talking about being a third or fourth-generation farmer while bringing in the fifth generation. Doing more with less is part of being good stewards of the land. We talk about our sustainable practices, but we don’t always convey or define what we are doing is actually sustainability. Consumers, food connectors and media alike are hijacking this concept that food producers have been doing for hundreds of years and making it their own. Much of the language the agriculture industry uses today gives consumers unnecessary anxiety, simply because they don’t understand what it means. We have an opportunity to turn terms and phrases that are perceived as negative, into positives.

For example, when we talk about pesticides, explain that they prevent bugs and other pests from eating crops – that’s sustainable. By taking time to explain the term from our perspective, we will be squelching the negative perception in the food-eaters’ eyes.

Transparency Leads to Sustainability

Based on consumer perceptions, transparency is king when it comes to making food-purchasing decisions. Food connectors find it extremely important to know about where the food was grown or raised where price was the number one importance for general consumers.

To help tell this agriculture-sustainability story, USFRA recommends that farmers and ranchers:

• Keep in mind that sustainability is an inherent part of your business. Keep the future generations top of mind and communicate that doing more with less is part of being good stewards of the land. Sustainability means smart business practices.
• Make sustainability relatable. Communicate that you are making it better for the future versus defining success of the past. Connect your audience to who you are and not just what you do, and associate with shared values.
• Use language that resonates. Water, soil, air and habitat; improving the environment around my farm; limiting impact; improving human health; access to safe and nutritious food; efficient use of land; more with less; using new technologies – equipment and software; making business more profitable through sustainability; sustainable food is affordable food.

More than ever, now is the time to be transparent about what you do. People don’t need a checklist on each “hot issue.” But they do want relevant and true pieces of information about where their food comes from and where it was raised. Take advantage of opportunities to deliver factual information about how food was grown and raised across the supply chain, and share information whether it’s superior or not. Coffee shop conversations, church lunches, social media interactions – all of these venues will make an impact if you start telling your story and most importantly, relating it to sustainability.

USMEF, USFRA, and USGC Discussions at Commodity Classic

As the current Nebraska Corn Board intern, I was able to attend Commodity Classic 2016 in New Orleans. While there, I spent some time at the trade show, engaging in conversations with several different agribusinesses. I stopped by the following three booths: United States Meat Export Federation (USMEF), United States Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), and the United States Grains Council (USGC). I had really great, informative conversations with each of these three agricultural groups.

At the USMEF booth, I learned that their mission is, "to increase the value and profitability of the U.S. beef, pork and lamb industries by enhancing demand for their products in export markets through a dynamic partnership of all stakeholders." This past year they were able to set a new record for global pork exports, which increased by about 5 percent from last year. This was largely driven by demand in China, Mexico and South Korea. After speaking with a representative of USMEF, I was informed that one of their main focuses this year has been producer education, which will continue being a priority into the upcoming years. Being present at Commodity Classic helped USMEF reach these producers from all over the nation.

I also spoke with employees of USFRA. Their main goal is to communicate all aspects of agriculture with consumers who might have questions about how today's food is grown and raised. The vision of USFRA is to build trust and confidence in today's agricultural practices. Specifically, they have been working to build the bridge between farmers and consumers. This year, they have focused on farmers thanking consumers and have trained farmers to be comfortable talking to consumers about any concerns or questions they may have.

Finally, I spoke with representatives of USGC. Their goal at Commodity Classic was to entertain all attendees, but doing so in a way that would show the importance of agricultural trade. Their mission is to develop markets, enable trade, and improve lives. I learned that one of their main priorities is to help people understand the global picture of crops, including prices and profitability. Being present at Commodity Classic allowed USGC to create new partnerships by building valued, long-lasting relationships with farmers, agricultural leaders, policymakers and administrators.

Facing the Facts about GMO

As farmers, we see the value and usefulness of biotechnology. Biotech is the farmer term for what food eaters know as GMOs.

The misfortune around biotechnology/genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) is that food eaters are unsure of what GMOs really are and farmers don’t always know how to talk about it. The seed companies are great at explaining the science, but food eaters really don’t want to hear it from them.

Growing more with less

For farmers, biotechnology is a useful tool in their toolbox of resources for growing more food sustainably. To them, that means using fewer pesticides and fertilizer, and fewer times across the field meaning less fuel. It also lets them grow crops that may be resistant to pesky pests that have damaged their crops in the past.

“As a farmer, I see biotechnology as huge investment into growing enough food for a growing world with fewer resources,” says Jay Reiners, a farmer near Juniata, Neb., who serves on the NCGA Trade Policy & Biotech Action Team and is a director on the NeCGA Board. “From drought resistance to disease resistance to insect resistance, we can grow more corn, soybeans or other food sources in a more sustainable way.”

As farmers, they see the usefulness of GMOs, but how can it be better explained to food eaters?

Jay Reiners, photo from Omaha.com

“I think the reason biotech is misunderstood is because as an industry we haven't explained what biotech is good enough from the beginning,” says Reiners. “We assumed that the public wouldn't have a problem with it because the government said it was safe. Now we are on the defense against false information.”

This challenge hasn’t resolved overnight, but farmers and farmer-driven movements are aiming to do a better job at directly conversing with food eaters through programs that get them in front of food eaters – not an easy task when you think about it. Some farmers have direct access to their customers at farmers markets. But commodity farmers who don’t directly market their grain through farmer’s market, don’t have the opportunity to have face-to-face conversations with their customers.

So programs like CommonGround, U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) and more have been started from the ground up (meaning started by farmers) to help give farmers and ranchers alike an opportunity to be in front of the public.

Women to women

CommonGround is a movement of farm and ranch women who volunteer their time to share about where food comes from and how it is raised. It was started in 2009 (Nebraska was one of the pilot states!) and has now grown to 19 states and growing + over 180 volunteers! These women involved volunteer their time and the CommonGround program (funded by farmer checkoffs) helps setup opportunities for them to be in front of food eaters – like dietitian conferences, grocery-store conversations, media opportunities, food meetings, moms groups, etc.

They are moving the needle as real, credible women who are relatable to the women food purchasers, which by the way, women are the majority of people who buy food for and make health-wise decisions for their families. So it makes sense to have women farmers and ranchers, who also buy food for their families, sharing what it is that they do raising food and why they do it.

“With programs like CommonGround, we are able to help change public opinion one at a time in a personal way from a first-hand account where their food comes from,” says Reiners.

Farmers and ranchers are food eaters, too

USFRA is an organization involving more than 90 farmer and rancher-led organization and agricultural partners representing virtually all aspects of agriculture. They work together to engage in dialogue with consumers who have questions about how today’s food is grown and raised. USFRA is committed to continuous improvement and supporting U.S. farmers’ and ranchers’ efforts to increase confidence and trust in today’s agriculture. Similar to CommonGround, they want food eaters to see that farmers and ranchers are just like them – people who care about what we grow, raise and eat – and are relatable. One of their main programs is a Food Dialogues format that brings together food raiser, eaters and business together to share and solve issues we face today.

Another great resource for food eaters is GMOAnswers.com. It shares easy-to-understand messages about what GMOs are and why farmers use them. It allows for anybody to ask questions and they assure those questions are answered. They use peer-reviewed information and useful experts to answer the questions so they stay objective. Go check it out for yourself: GMOAnswers.com.

GMOs and biotechnology are not meant to be scary, secretive or subjective. They have been around for over 20 years and not one case of human illness has resulted. There are just a lot of unknowns, and we are farmers want to make sure food eaters understand why it is what we do and why we care. Let’s all come to the table to discuss GMOs and why they can be a sustainable part of our future!

Watch these videos about GMOs/Biotechnology from The Cob Squad!

VIDEO: Kernels of Truth–GMO Safety

Words that build trust

In most relationships, saying the right thing or communicating effectively helps keep that relationship healthy. There is no difference in a farmer’s relationship with food consumers.

Farmers tend to have their own language with words that mean something to them in their working environment. Yet, while “production”, “yield” and “precision” might mean great things to them, food consumers are really unsure of what they mean and it can diminish the trust they have in the food production system.

The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) has been working for some time on how to connect with our consumers – and USFRA is supported partly by corn checkoff dollars so we care about the research they are doing.

USFRA encourages farmers to choose their words carefully when communicating with consumers. Here are some of the words/phrases that research suggests are often most effective:

A great example given by CommonGround Iowa volunteer and farmer, Julie Kenney is:

“As farmers, we’re committed to continuous improvement and to producing more with less. We’ve learned from previous generations and have adopted new technology over the years to farm more efficiently. We want to be good stewards of the land so it’s available for our children to farm someday, should they choose.” 

Sounds like a great, easy 30-second elevator speech to me. Challenge for this next week, do you have your 30-second elevator speech ready if a consumer asks you what you do – and does it include words that build trust?

FARMLAND Documentary in theaters May 1

Agriculture is telling its story.

Yes, those of us in the ag industry keep hearing that we need to tell our story, and now the time has come that combines a diverse perspective into the lives of young farmers and ranchers and the way they produce food.

This story is FARMLAND, a documentary from award-winning director,James Moll, that takes a look into the world of farming first-hand through the lives of six young farmers and ranchers. This story shares about their high-risk/high-reward jobs and passion for a way of life that has been passed down from generation to generation, yet continues to evolve.

Moll traveled across the country meeting the young farmers and ranchers and truly just had them share their story.

“I wanted farmers to speak for themselves and tell the story themselves,” Moll said in a recent interview with Agri-Pulse. Listen to all of Moll’s Open Mic audio with Agri-Pulse.

This film was supported in par by U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, but Moll had the final editorial say on the film. He said he really got to know the story of farmers and ranchers while putting the film together. 

“From a personal perspective on farmers and ranchers, I feel like I now know a farmer, I know many of them. But I couldn’t have said that before. I hadn’t even set foot on a farm before. That sounds crazy and knowing what I know now it seems ridiculous that I would grow up in this country and never have been on a farm. But now I can say I know farmers,” said Moll.

There was a Nebraskan featured in the film as well. David Loberg raises corn and soybeans, custom feeds cattle and runs an irrigation business on his fifth-generation family farm near Carroll, Nebraska.

Watch the trailer to catch a glimpse of the stories. Then find a theater near you starting May 1 (click here to find the nearest viewing) to watch this excellent film. Find out more on farmlandfilm.com.

FARMLAND Teaser Trailer 2014 from Farmland on Vimeo.

Putting a new face on food

Consumer skepticism about food system demonstrates need for farmers to engage.

Some 95% of corn farms in America are family-owned. Still, more and more consumers believe the majority of their food is being produced by large corporate farms.

According to Charlie Arnot, CEO of The Center for Food Integrity, consumers have become increasingly interested in food. “Food is on the consumer radar— big time,” he said. “There is also an increased skepticism regarding food production.”

Arnot said that consumers are deeply conflicted about food. There is a low correlation between what consumers say concerns them and their actual buying behavior. “While many consumers support greater regulation that can lead to higher food costs, they will still buy the least-cost product. In fact, one out of four dollars spent in retail food is spent at Wal-Mart stores.”

While one might think that food safety would be at the top of the list of consumer concerns, affordability of healthy food actually holds the number one position. “Safety is an assumed given in the U.S. food supply,” Arnot said. “It’s the one fundamental, non-negotiable requirement of our food system in this country. But people most want access to healthy foods they can afford.”

The Center for Food Integrity recently conducted a nationwide survey to gauge consumer perceptions about the food system in the United States. The results indicate that consumers are less trusting of “corporate” food production and they are demanding a high degree of transparency from those who provide food for the marketplace. Arnot sees this as a challenge and an opportunity for farmers and ranchers to reach out to consumers.

“We’re not going to change what someone believes by providing them with data,” Arnot said. “Farmers and ranchers need to engage directly with consumers in honest conversations about food production. Agriculture has to embrace a much more radical idea of transparency.”

The Nebraska Corn Board supports a number of initiatives that connect food producers with food consumers, including CommonGround, the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, Ag in the Classroom and several other consumer-focused programs.

Arnot said that putting a face on agriculture is critical to overcoming consumer concerns. “Shared values drive trust. When consumers see and sense that the farmers and ranchers growing their food feel the same way they do about important food production issues—that builds a connection and understanding that numbers and science simply cannot.”

This will be a long term process, Arnot said. “Agriculture is very results- oriented. When we see a problem, we want to have it fixed in the next production cycle. When it comes to consumer perceptions on food, it’s a generational challenge—and it will take years to establish a stronger connection between farmers and consumers.”

Meet the Faces of Farming & Ranching

The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) program, partially supported by Nebraska corn farmers through their checkoff, has found four fresh Faces of Farming & Ranching to represent American agriculture to the general public.

The four represent a range of agricultural commodities including corn and soybeans, hogs, cattle, and dairy and they were chosen through on-line voting and a panel of judges from nine finalists announced last month at the New York Food Dialogues. The winners will act as national spokespeople, and will share stories and experiences on a national stage to help answer consumers’ questions about how food is grown and raised to feed our nation.

When the four were introduced by USFRA this week, they were asked what they believe is the most important story for agriculture to share.

Chris Chinn of Clarence, Missouri is a 5th generation farmer with her husband Kevin, his parents and brother raising hogs, cattle, hay and row crops. “I think it’s more important for us to listen to the concerns that people have about how food is produced so we can have a more open dialogue,” Chris said.

Will Gilmer and his father own/operate a dairy farm in Lamar County, Alabama that has been in continuous operation since the early 1950s. “It’s important that we help people understand what the new things we’re doing are, why we’re doing them and how it’s beneficial to them in giving them great choices at the grocery store,” said Will.

Katie Pratt and her husband Andy (7th generation farmer) and their two children raise corn, soybeans and seed corn in Dixon, Illinois in partnership with Andy’s family. “One of the stories that needs to be told is that we are families operating businesses,” said Katie.

Bo Stone jointly owns P & S Farms in Rowland, NC with his wife Missy and his parents where they grow corn, wheat and soybeans, hogs and cattle, as well as strawberries and sweet corn that are sold at their own roadside market. “We are all consumers of our products and I’d like for everyone to know that we’re in this together,” he said.

Listen to those comments in response to a question by farm broadcaster Jeff Nalley: USFRA Faces of Farming

Find out more about the winners here or watch this video to learn more about them.

Podcast: USFRA videos airing on Discovery Channel feature Nebraska farmer

In this podcast, the Nebraska Corn Board's Kelsey Pope and farmer Shana Beattie provide some insight into videos created by the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA),  in partnership with Discover Communications.

The videos involved farmers and consumers meeting around a table to talk openly. They began airing before Thanksgiving on Discovery’s networks, like the Discovery Channel, TLC and Animal Planet. Shana Beattie, a farmer from Sumner, Nebraska, took part in the videos.

The videos were filmed on an almond farm in California. Several consumers around a table were there to ask questions of the farmers and ranchers. "Farmers included dairy, beef cattle, hog, eggs and fruit and vegetables," she said. "My role was to give the perspective of a grain farmer and as a mom."

Beattie, who is also a CommonGround volunteer, noted that while everything was filmed for TV, the conversations were real, and so were the questions. "We answered honestly and openly. In the portions I was involved in, the consumers at the table were moms," Beattie said. "They told me afterwards that they really had a different perspective of what we do after our conversation."

She said that was most rewarding and encourages others to speak up, too.

Check out the podcast for more — and watch an extended version of the video below. USFRA, if you recall, hosted the Food Dialogues in September, and you can find more videos and information there.

Nebraska Corn Kernel podcasts are also available on iTunes! Click here to subscribe.

USFRA to host food dialogues Sept. 22

The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) said this week it is hosting The Food Dialogues, a town hall-style discussion to address Americans' questions about how their food is grown and raised, on September 22. The dialogues will be held at four locations across the country and online.

Topics for the interactive event also include the long-term impact of food people are eating – on their own health and the health of the planet — as well as findings from recent surveys of farmers, ranchers and consumers conducted by USFRA.

The event kicks off at 10:30 Central time with lunch at host sites in New York and D.C. Other host sites are in Indiana and California. Following lunch in the Eastern time zones, introductions and panel discussions get underway, gradually moving across the country. The event wraps up about 4:00 Central time following Q/A opportunities at every location - with questions coming from those invited to attend and others via Twitter and Facebook. (Check out this Facebook app, it's a great way to organize and host an online watch party with your friends and family.)

Announced participants include Claire Shipman, television journalist and senior national correspondent at ABC's "Good Morning America," who will moderate the event from Washington, D.C., and chef John Besh, who will moderate from New York. Additional participants include Max Armstrong of Farm Progress Companies and Jane Wells of CNBC.

USFRA said it will announce the full list of panelists prior to The Food Dialogues event - go to http://www.fooddialogues.com/ for details.


For more in USFRA, check out this podcast.