Campaign connects farmers and consumers

An ambitious campaign that celebrates the American farmer is taking off in popularity.

After a successful December launch in Ohio, “Farmers Feed US,” a campaign showcasing the strength and scope of American agriculture, has now launched in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Missouri.

The Center for Food Integrity, a not-or-profit organization, which works to serve as a resource for balanced information about the U.S. food system, is managing the campaign, and plans to bring it to additional states throughout 2010.

According to campaign administrators, this “innovative, interactive and proactive” campaign strives to “instill confidence” in America’s farmers. Connecting consumers to the intricacies of their shopping carts is the basis of the campaign; underscoring the values of those that produce our food is its primary message.

The campaign is “just the beginning of an exciting platform that puts a familiar face on the dedicated men and women who produce our food, and sets the stage for long-term outreach with an audience that, today, is generations removed from the farm.”

FarmersFeedUS.org allows visitors to view short online videos about how farmers produce safe, nutritious and affordable food. Each video is a separate farm tour, featuring personal stories of farmers from their respective states. Each state’s individual Web page also offers links to its state-specific agricultural groups for additional consumer-education opportunities.

“As more and more people move from an agricultural background to the suburbs and cities, it’s important for consumers to understand how food is delivered to their tables,” said Terry Fleck, executive director of the Center for Food Integrity. “And there’s nobody better to factually and passionately tell that story than the farmers of this country.”

Driving the campaign’s success is heavy social marketing, including a YouTube promotional video and separate Facebook pages and Twitter accounts for each participating state.

Visitors to the 90-day campaign will also have the opportunity to register to win "Free Groceries for a Year." The Ohio sweepstakes, with three awardees, has ended; however, consumers in the other participating states may still enter to win.

Each state is awarding $5,000 in free groceries for a year to one to three registrants depending on the state. Visitors can register every day to increase their chances for selection.

207,000 registrations were received in Ohio. Ohio’s campaign generated a staggering 1.76 million media impressions. The average Internet user visits a Web site for two minutes, but visitors to Ohio’s “Farmers Feed Us” Web site visited for nearly seven minutes, revealing a real interest in the farming community.

Ongoing promotional efforts include retailer promotions, state advertisements and news-story placement for all states.

Fun Farm Facts (http://www.farmersfeedus.org/)

• The average person consumes 584 pounds of dairy products a year.
• Agriculture employs more than 24 million American workers (17 percent of the total U.S. work force).
• Today's American farmer feeds about 155 people worldwide. In 1960, that number was 25.8.

“Farmers Feed Us” lays the foundation for ongoing consumer engagement in today’s agriculture industry and promises to spark renewed awareness and curiosity in America’s farmers.

Do you think this campaign is effective or has the potential to be effective? Do you believe the average American consumer is grateful to our country’s agriculture industry? Do you think the average American consumer has confidence in American farmers?









Survey reveals consumer thoughts about U.S. food system

Sustainability is a hot topic in agriculture lately, as consumers are bombarded with messaging about the price, safety and availability of food.

As food and agriculture coincide, sustainable agriculture is a movement interlocking the success of three concepts: farm profits, farm communities and eco-friendly farming practices.

The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) recently released results from its 2009 Consumer Trust Survey about sustainability. CFI is a nonprofit organization that promotes dialogue, advocates best practices, addresses consumer issues and serves as a resource for accurate, balanced information about the U.S. food system.

CFI member organizations represent each segment of the food chain, including farmers, ranchers, processors, government and companies that deliver food products under local, regional and global brand names.

The purpose of the survey was to better understand consumers’ decision-making processes in regard to food purchasing, since most consumers are largely uninformed, and to help build confidence in the American food system.

Survey respondents were asked a series of questions regarding their beliefs about the following stakeholders of the food system: farmers, restaurants, grocery stores and food companies.

Survey Highlights

• Consumers hold farmers most accountable for sustainability in the food system.
• Consumers hold restaurants least accountable for sustainability in the food system.
• Men are more trusting of the information that was presented than women.
• Consumers are willing to be educated about the food system.
• Consumers trust food more if it is made in the U.S.
• Food prices are not as great a concern for consumers as they were one year ago.
• Consumers do not consider organic food as healthy as they did two years ago.
• Consumers perceive farmers as most competent among industry groups and therefore, place the most trust and responsibility in them.

A Webinar presented by CFI about the survey, including survey questions, can be accessed at:

http://www.4shared.com/file/153522650/43682205/CFI_Consumer_Trust_Research_Webinar_--_Sustainability.html

As the results indicate, consumers’ trust in and expectations of farmers are great responsibilities to bear. Farmers are charged with creating and supplying an affordable, dependable food supply that meets sustainability standards.

Interestingly, respondents also believe that having shared values and ethics among industry members is more important than the groups truly demonstrating sustainability competence.

What conclusions do you draw from the survey results? What kinds of questions should the next survey include? How can farmers and other members of the food industry demonstrate their commitment to sustainability? Do farmers deserve more recognition for their role in the industry?