New Faces Sought By @USFRA

The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA®) is looking for a few new faces.

USFRA Faces – Thomas Titus of Illinois, Jay Hill of New Mexico, Erin Brenneman of Iowa, Carla Wardin of Michigan, and Darrell Glaser of Texas

This year, through the Faces of Farming & Ranching program search, USFRA is looking for its third class of standout farmers and ranchers who are proud of what they do and strive to be sustainable and technology-driven, eager to share their stories of continuous improvement and are actively involved in sharing those stories in public and on social media to help put a real face on agriculture and shine a light on the heart, personalities and values that are behind today’s food.

“The impact of farmers and ranchers leading the conversation about how food is grown and raised is imperative in gaining trust with today’s consumers,” said Nancy Kavazanjian, USFRA Chairwoman. “We’ve seen strides in sustainability and technology on the farm, yet misconceptions about genetically engineered (GE) crops, antibiotics and pesticides confuse consumers, so these ambassadors for agriculture are critical in setting the record straight and participating in these influential conversations about food production.”

Farmers and ranchers who grow and raise an assortment of foods through various methods, on differing scale and across all regions of the country are encouraged to apply, as it is important to show American agriculture and all of its diversity.

“People genuinely want more information about farming and ranching, and talking to people as a representative of the industry sharing the facts, but also addressing their feelings, is an interesting part of this role,” said Carla Wardin, one of USFRA’s current Faces of Farming & Ranching and a Michigan dairy farmer. “I’d encourage everyone to apply, because not only does it help you improve as a communicator, but you can also make an impact on the consumers’ view of today’s agriculture being progressive and committed to responsible practices.”

Interested farmers and ranchers can apply for the program online by July 10, 2016 and will need to include a home video of less than three minutes describing themselves and their farm or ranch. Among other criteria, farmers and ranchers must have an existing social media presence, either through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and/or a blog. A combination of public voting and USFRA judging scores will be used to determine the winners, who will be announced on November 9 at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention (NAFB) in Kansas City.