Farmers joining the conversations on food in many ways

Farm Bureau farmer and rancher members hand out the stickers to people as they talk with them about food and agriculture at fairs, festivals, farm tours and community events.The popularity of these simple stickers points to a hunger among consumers (who are on average, three generations removed from farming) for information about the food they eat, where it comes from and who produces it.

And, America's farm and ranch families are more interested than ever in reaching out to consumers to talk about the food they grow and the art, science and business of farming. Individual producers do this in person, online or both.

Online, recent posts to the AFBF's FBlog by farmers and ranchers explore a variety of food-related topics including, "The Real Story of Ag," "Food, Inc.," "Helping Hands and Good Conversation" and "Family Farmers Produce Safe Food."

Also online, the micro-blogging social media tool Twitter offers a new twist on finding concise consumer-friendly information on just about any subject, including food and farming. If you're using Twitter, search for #foodfact, #foodandfarmfact and #farm to find 140-character messages sent by all types of farmers, ranchers and growers.

Despite the pervasiveness of electronic communication, when meeting face-to-face, most producers still prefer to offer printed resources that people can hold in their hands to help tell the story of modern farm and ranch production.

One example is the "Food and Farm Facts" book (previously "Farm Facts") and a smaller pocket guide version produced by the American Farm Bureau. These printed materials highlight today's modern agriculture. Other excellent printed resources with state-specific agricultural information also are available from most state Farm Bureaus.

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