It has been a year since the announcement of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance. I remember speaking with Rick Tolman, CEO, NCGA, about the newly formed alliance then. This week USFRA held its first annual meeting preceded by a board meeting. After the program was over I visited with Rick to find out what has been accomplished.
Rick says it’s really exciting to see what’s happening. At the first board meeting the attendance was about twelve or so people and at this year’s meeting there were over twenty with about eighty other people sitting in. He says they raised over $10 million dollars in the first year and have a second year budget of $11.1 million. That’s a big number for farm groups to “put in a pot.” Rick says that a lot of the annual meeting dealt with plans for 2012. In our discussion he talks about what some of those plans are.
Listen to my conversation with Rick in this week’s ZimmCast: USFRA A Year Old
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The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, Food Dialogues, is now live for your viewing pleasure. You can watch live on the Food Dialogues website or by using the Food Dialogues app on Facebook. That’s where I’m watching.
You can interact by signing in and post your comments and questions. This is what USFRA is looking for and hoping there will be a lot of participation.
Post Update: In case you missed this live stream I’m sure it will be available on the website somehow later. In the meantime you can listen to the opening segment I recorded here: USFRA Food Dialogue Open
Post Update: The Food Dialogues program has ended. If you missed the conversation you can still check the tweet stream with the #FoodD hashtag and it’s my understanding that there will be video in it’s entirety available on the Food Dialogues website.
Today the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance released the results of a survey they conducted in July/August. They surveyed 2,417 consumers and 1,002 farmers/ranchers, both on a nationwide basis. The graphic below shows a comparison of the top five things consumers want more information about with the top five things farmers/ranchers think are most important to educate consumers about. You can find a more comprehensive summary of the results with this link (pdf).
The survey results will play a key role in guiding discussion of today’s Food Dialogues. You can watch these town hall meetings online and use the #FoodD hashtag on Twitter to follow along and interact with the conversation. One of the panelists is Rick Stott, Executive Vice President, Agri Beef Co. I visited with him yesterday to learn how and why he got involved and what he hopes the event will accomplish.
Rick says that his company has been interested in becoming more open with consumers for many years and thinks the industry should too. He says that there has been a “cloud of unknown” within the ag industry that has “fundamentally allowed other people to tell our story.” He says they have yet to have a negative experience with anyone who has visited their operations. As a result of their own interests he believes what USFRA is doing is very important and that is why he got involved. He says the dialogue concept of the town hall meetings will allow for two way communication and he hopes to see a tremendous amount of interest in watching and participating. Using the internet as the vehicle to make it all happen just makes sense to him. One of the exciting things to him for using this communication platform is that the information will be “filtered” far less than would have been the case just using traditional media channels. He hopes this will make the dialogue healthier.
You can listen to or download my conversation with Rick here: Rick Stott interview
The AgChat Foundation (ACF) and the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) have partnered up to help farmers and ranchers share their stories with the general public.
“The core vision of the AgChat Foundation is to empower farmers and ranchers to share their stories,” said Darin Grimm, Kansas farmer and AgChat Foundation president. “We are excited to partner with USFRA to build and expand those conversations”
The partnership is multi-faceted. USFRA recently sponsored the AgChat Foundation’s Agvocacy 2.0 Conference, which sought to teach farmers and ranchers about using social media platforms and other technology to share their stories with food consumers. USFRA has also committed to an additional sponsorship, which will further the ACF’s ability to have an impact on more farmers and ranchers from across the country.
Playing to their strengths, the AgChat Foundation will be a key partner in USFRA’s Food Dialogues event on September 22. The event, a simultaneous grouping of four live meetings around the country as well as online participation, will feature a series of different panels discussing different topics in key locations. The goal of Food Dialogues is to answer the questions that Americans are asking about their food. The AgChat Foundation will help engage the online agricultural community through a strategic social media campaign in order to build excitement in the weeks leading up to and during the event. To learn more about Food Dialogues, visit www.fooddialogues.com.
During the Farm Progress Show last week USFRA held a press conference to announce the upcoming event. In the photo is General Manager, Hugh Whaley (left) and USFRA Secretary Bart Schott. You can listen to or download a portion of the press conference remarks and Q&A here: USFRA Press Conference
Americans have a lot of questions about how our food is raised, the impact on our health and the health of the planet. Today it seems there are more questions than answers. Join us, journalist moderator Claire Shipman and Chef John Besh right here on September 22 for The Food Dialogues – the launch of a new effort to bring together different viewpoints on farming and ranching and the future of food to solve our most challenging problems. This Town Hall-style discussion will take place in Washington, D.C., California, New York and the Midwest, and virtually – to connect Americans interested in a dialogue about their food.
The Food Dialogues will be held in four locations:
The Newseum in Washington, D.C.
Chelsea Studios in New York City
UC-Davis Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science in California
Fair Oaks Farm in Fair Oaks, Indiana
At the AgChat Agvocacy 2.0 Conference the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance presented some research with consumers that was conducted by Maslansky, Luntz + Partners. On our program was Jenn Dahm (pictured left). Jenn says that “the finding that all of our research hinges on is the fact that America loves farmers and ranchers. All the effort we’re putting in to showing our families and our values and what we do in those terms, it’s good, and it helps and you know that battle is already won and the place where we really need to focus our energy if we’re going to be effective is talking about our methods.” This is the area where consumers have questions.
She says that fighting back is not working. Throwing facts at them is not working. Inviting consumers to the table is working better. “It’s not a war, it’s about starting a conversation.”
One of our sessions at the Ag Media Summit is titled, “Of course our food is safe,” says modern ag – But is anybody listening? The presentation was made by leadership members of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance. The Chairman is Bob Stallman, American Farm Bureau Federation, seen at the podium. I visited with him before the session started.
He says the presentation here is all about the kickoff of the USFRA communications program. He says there will be six phases the campaign will be running through. Phase one is in process which has two components. The first is to encourage farmer and rancher support and participation. The second is to lay out what the effort will do. He says farmers and ranchers need to change their way of thinking and “be willing to engage in a conversation with consumers, not just tell them what we think they need to hear but listen to what their questions are and what they want to hear and that’s going to be the crux of the initial phase.”
Bob says the “pace” has picked up and there are now 49 farmer led organizations that have joined USFRA as affiliates.
This week the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance announced an ad campaign to encourage participation. So what if you’d like to get involved? There are a number of ways which you can find on the USFRA website. So take a few moments and raise your voice and join the conversation about the industry’s commitment to continuous improvement and dedication to producing healthy food for people everywhere.
The campaign includes advertisements that are featured in Meat & Poultry, The Packer, AgWeb.com and Agriculture.com. Other elements of the campaign will include:
Digital media and banner ads
Town hall style meetings
Social media and peer-to-peer networks
We want to hear from you and invite you to raise your voices! Please visit our newly redesigned website at www.USFRAonline.org where you can share your ideas and opinions. In fact, we invite you to go to the site and tell us what you wish Americans knew about their food.
Join us in leading the dialogue with Americans about where their food comes from and how it is produced. After all, as America’s farmers and ranchers, you’ve raised pretty much everything. Except your voices.
The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance got a boost from DuPont. The company has announced its support of USFRA by becoming one of the first members of the Premier Partners Advisory Group.
“DuPont is proud to support the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance as they bring together an unprecedented group that crosses all boundaries in modern agriculture with a single goal of building understanding about the dependable, abundant supply of food produced by today’s farmers and ranchers,” said DuPont Executive Vice President James C. Borel. “There is an increased need to reinforce the importance of agricultural contributions and its value to society, and promoting the merits of a career in agriculture also are essential to recruiting tomorrow’s farmers and innovators.”
“We appreciate the support of DuPont as we build the foundation for an alliance that will tell the great story of America’s farmers and ranchers, and the healthy and sustainable food supply that they produce,” said Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation and chairman of USFRA. “Agriculture continues to be attacked by a number of groups, and it is critical that we work together to enhance public trust and maintain the freedom of U.S. farmers and ranchers to operate in a responsible manner.”
DuPont is one of the first members of the USFRA’s Premier Partners Advisory Group (PPAG) that will support the efforts of the independent farmers and ranchers in the Alliance. PPAG members will be able to participate in USFRA board meetings as non-voting participants and will be able to serve on committees and task groups. The members of PPAG will elect a representative to serve as an ex-officio member of the USFRA Executive Committee.
Ketchum has been chosen by the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance to be its primary communications agency.
The announcement represents the next strategic step driving the USFRA mission to strengthen the image of agriculture and enhance public trust in today’s best production practices.
The Alliance, currently composed of more than 30 of the nation’s foremost farmer- and rancher-led agricultural organizations, chose Ketchum to begin immediate development of its strategic communications plan. Ketchum is partnered with Zócalo Group, its full service word of mouth and social media agency, and maslansky luntz + partners, a research-driven communication strategy firm that specializes in language and message development.
“The USFRA decision to partner with Ketchum comes as the result of an extensive and deliberate decision-making process conducted by our Communications Advisory Committee, and the full support of the USFRA Board of Directors,” said Forrest Roberts, chairman of the USFRA Communications Advisory Committee and CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “A nationwide review of agencies possessing the best business acumen, agricultural expertise and creative talent led us to this significant step forward.”
With the planning process moving forward immediately, USFRA and Ketchum will create an integrated campaign to address the critical communications issues surrounding U.S. agricultural production practices and its role in providing a safe and plentiful global food supply. USFRA plans to launch the communications campaign in July 2011.
If you’ve been wondering how you can support the newly formed U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance the wonder no more. You can now make donations online.
You can support the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance and its goal to bolster the image of agriculture and enhance public trust in our food supply. Use the “Donate” button below to contribute to the cause.
We will:
* Enhance consumer trust in the U.S. food production system.
* Maintain and enhance the freedom of U.S. farmers and ranchers to operate in a responsible manner.
* Strengthen collaboration.
At the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting I got an update on how things are going with the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance from General Manager Hugh Whaley. He’s seen here in their booth out on the trade show floor.
Hugh says they now have 23 national and regional organizations that have joined in the alliance with an eleven member board. They just added a board member from the National Milk Producers Federation. Of course, the Chairman is Bob Stallman, President of AFBF! Now that the organizational structure is in place Hugh says the next step is to select or identify a company with a proven track record of creating opinion changes with the general public. He says they are also talking with and open to more organizations joining in and the board just approved a strategy to involve agribusinesses as well. They’ve received proposals from 4 firms to become their legal counsel and hope to have a selection made soon.
The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) has selected Drake & Company to provide association management services. I missed this in my Twitter feeds and it was brought to my attention this evening during the Gateway NAMA holiday dinner by Brian Reuwee. So, way to go Steve Drake and Hugh Whaley and Brian and crew!
“USFRA established a transparent process to select a general contractor to guide us towards the enactment of our vision and the accomplishment of our goals,” said Bob Stallman, USFRA Board chairman and American Farm Bureau Federation president. “Of our three highly qualified finalists, Drake & Company was selected for their innate knowledge of our business focus, their staff experience and their record of helping volunteer-driven organizations achieve measurable results.”
DrakeCo, an AMC Institute-accredited association management firm, had been providing start-up and interim general contractor assistance to the organization since August.
“We are passionate about the Alliance’s cause and strongly believe in its vision and goals,” said Steve Drake, DrakeCo president. “We will continue to apply our experience working within the agricultural community, checkoff organizations and customer-facing communications to achieve USFRA’s goals.”
During the first quarter of 2011, USFRA will continue to develop and plan a national trust and image campaign to strengthen the image of agriculture to be launched in 2011. Veteran agricultural association executive Hugh Whaley will serve as general manager.
The newly formed U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance announced their board of directors and officers today at the NAFB convention. Pictured is Chairman, Bob Stallman, AFBF.
You can listen to and download the press conference that was just held in the media room and I’ve posted a release which has a lot more details below as well. (Thanks to Tom Steever, Brownfield Network, for the audio since I goofed w/my recorder.): USFRA Press Conference NAFB Convention Photo Album
Today’s agriculture continues to be attacked by a number of different groups. Unfortunately, as the majority of the U.S. public has become further and further removed from the farm, they tend to believe the groups attacking agriculture, according to the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA). This new alliance is comprised of most of the leading national farmer- and rancher-led agricultural organizations.
USFRA believes the actions of these groups have led a number of agricultural organizations to fund programs that bolster the image of agriculture and enhance public trust in our food supply. While these individual efforts have been helpful in answering some of the criticism, there is a growing need for all of agriculture to coordinate their messages and reach out even further to the consuming public through consumer influencers and thought leaders.
“We in production agriculture recognize the immediate need to build consumer trust in today’s U.S. food production system,” said newly-elected USFRA Chairman Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. “We also recognize the need to maintain and enhance the freedom of American farmers and ranchers to operate in an economical, sustainable and responsible manner. The sun rises today on a new, collaborative and coordinated effort by many segments of production agriculture to tell our great story as never before.” (more…)
It has been a year since the announcement of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance. I remember speaking with Rick Tolman, CEO, NCGA, about the newly formed alliance then. This week USFRA held its first annual meeting preceded by a board meeting. After the program was over I visited with Rick to find out what has been accomplished.
Rick says it’s really exciting to see what’s happening. At the first board meeting the attendance was about twelve or so people and at this year’s meeting there were over twenty with about eighty other people sitting in. He says they raised over $10 million dollars in the first year and have a second year budget of $11.1 million. That’s a big number for farm groups to “put in a pot.” Rick says that a lot of the annual meeting dealt with plans for 2012. In our discussion he talks about what some of those plans are.
“We appreciate the support of DuPont as we build the foundation for an alliance that will tell the great story of America’s farmers and ranchers, and the healthy and sustainable food supply that they produce,” said Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation and chairman of USFRA. “Agriculture continues to be attacked by a number of groups, and it is critical that we work together to enhance public trust and maintain the freedom of U.S. farmers and ranchers to operate in a responsible manner.”
At the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting I got an update on how things are going with the 
In this week's program you can listen in to my conversation with Bill Howard, Fastline, about their new mobile game app, AgRacer.
