Food Choices
Conversations to connect the farm gate & consumer plate
The advent of social media has brought the diversity of food opinions to clear light. I listen and participate in hundreds of conversations daily with people around the world. It’s beneficial to converse about food, its’ origins, the people who produce it and how the agrifood system works. It’s also immensely frustrating to see how polarizing food and farming have become.
Frankly, I don’t know why someone in San Francisco believes they should dictate the technology used by a soybean farmer in Kansas. Nor do I understand what right a person in L.A. has to tell me that we shouldn’t eat bananas in the Midwest. Likewise, I don’t believe that a modern hog producer in Missouri needs to condemn a consumer in New York City that wants their pork raised in a hut. I’m particularly passionate that agriculturists don’t buy into the negativity; a conventional dairy farmer in Wisconsin and organic dairy farmer in Oregon shouldn’t be insulting each other about their chosen practices.
We all have a choice. A choice in the food that we buy. And, of equal importance, a choice in the way we farm to produce that food. The markets will bear how the choices made by the majority of consumers; not a food elitist grandstanding for regional markets nor a large agribusiness dictating how products should be labeled. My greatest concern is getting accurate, valid and meaningful information to people with studies showing 61% of consumers being confused about food.
Honestly, I’d be confused too, if I had not come from the food production side of the business. There’s so much information pushed by people who have spent little (if any) time on a modern farm. Couple that with political platforms and activists groups with hidden agendas – voilá, you have a climate of confusion. How should we clear this up? Conversations between farmers and consumers are a great way to start. Not just at the farmer’s market, but conversations with people who make different choices than you do. Conversations that involve listening and productive dialogue without agenda pushing.
As a mother, a cook and a consumer, I make the choice to avoid organics. I’ve not seen the science that supports a nutritional reason to spend the extra money, know that some organics are raised in the same field/barn as conventional and don’t like a lot of the products approved for use in organic production. Philosophically, both my husband and I believe in the responsibility of modern agriculture to feed a burgeoning population and oppose the system that inflates margins based upon a food label. And we adamantly avoid any food labeled “natural” because all food is natural.
Having said that, I support farmers who choose organic production. When it comes to raising our own food, we’re very careful to not over utilize chemicals, work to maximize organic soil content and care for our cattle in order to minimize medicines. And, if it’s possible, I like our family to have food that’s raised close to home. That’s our choice. We have friends who only do organic and are vegans – that’s their choice. Whatever choice people make is their own business – as long as they’re making it based on accurate scientific information – and not unbalanced accounts on antibiotics from Katie Couric , the underhanded emotional campaigns of HSUS, or swallowing only the advice of a Berkley professor with “the Pollan pill” on Oprah.
I would be the last person to claim the agrifood system is perfect. There are companies that control too much of the market. Decreasing margins mean smaller farmers must either adopt to a niche or get bigger operations. Look no further than the milk pricing system if you want an example of government interference – and middlemen increasing margins. It worries me to see the increase in food imports and more companies moving production abroad. And, the agrifood system is complex enough that it’s really hard to understand if you’re not personally engaged.
The great news is that the complexity and size of this system allows it meet a variety of needs. We can satisfy the organic lover in Vancouver, help the single mom in Indianapolis and feed the starving in Africa. The bad news is that many would like to see a food system that conforms only to their agenda. I think that’s a disservice to the freedom of choice. Consumers have a right to choose. Farmers also deserve that right. The question is where those two choices meet.
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Nice post Michele, I think the core of the issue is a comment I heard from member of the agchat community.
The difference between us (many in ag) and them (many of the “activist” groups) is how we perceive solutions being found.
To many in ag, a market approach appears far superior, ultimately if people want organic/cage-free/pick your latest craze they will vote with their pocketbooks and many will see an opportunity to provide the product consumers desire.
To many activists, they feel the best approach is some style of law or mandate, talk of which stirs strong emotions, hence the ongoing debate.
Would just be preaching to the choir if I expounded on why I feel the market approach – warts and all – is most often superior!
Excellent post, Michele! Your quote, “I’m particularly passionate that agriculturists don’t buy into the negativity” really inspires me. I totally agree that we need to not run each other’s choices down–organic does not have to be versus conventional! We all determine the best way to provide a product that the market wants. In order to market your product, you don’t have to criticize the other.
Good thoughts, and well spoken!
Very nice post. It is important to make sure we increase the civility of the dialogue about our food and how it is produced.
Farmers and consumers are talking directly to each other in increasing numbers, and this is a good thing, although not without it’s frustrations.
While agriculture and farmning as a way of life is under attack on many real fronts, it is important not to get too defensive when communicating with the public. They they will perceive the cumulative defensiveness as being in response to their legitimate concerns (the customer is always right). If they perceive agriculture as too defensive, the result is they will not trust the answers they are getting.
There are things that need improvement in any industry and discussing them in ours is not anti-agriculture. No industry can thrive without honest self assessment and improvement.
Even if these conversations move into the arena of whether it is moral or immoral to farm in certain ways, these are questions that consumers and farmers alike are wrestling with.
I LOVED EVERY WORD… and agree 100%. It was so eloquently written with great examples. Keep it up MPK!
Really great post, Michele. +1 on agreeing completely.
Everyone should be able to exercise their own food choices.
It’s a big old world with lots of hungry mouths. If we took all the energy devoted to how people _should_ be fed and applied it to how people _can_ be fed, there would be fewer hungry mouths.
Kudos to you for advancing a thoughtful and respectful discussion of food issues.
All comments and the main article are right on. I too will want to continue to exercise my choices as a consumer. And I for one am sick of having most of these choices mandated into law by people who have no idea how I live or what I think. But, man, I sure want to know what is behind the choices I think I am making correctly for myself! I am so glad that I stumbled into #agchat this week. I think about these topics all the time and never realized anyone else did! How naive.
I am exposed only to the Katie Couric style reports. I want to hear from the farmers. Please educate me. I may not agree with everything, but, at least I will be able to make an informed decision.
Thanks for being here, I will be back to read more!
Michele,
Well said!
As a fledgling grass based cattle producer I catch criticism from old school cattlemen.
I agree with the school of thought that grass fed is healthier for the livestock as well as producing a more nutritious product. However, I also chose this method because it requires less operational overhead and promotes soil biodiversity (read sustainability) without the use of chemicals (also a cost saver).
While I do not impose my views upon other ranchers, I do quibble with the livestock marketing system that is biased against the small producer. Especially the grass fed ranchers and farmers. We are consistently “marked down” by packing plant buyers and thus, have a very narrow marketing channel.
Where I would like to see meaningful dialogue is in providing better opportunities for the small producer to broader distribution and marketing channels for “non-grain fed” meats.
Great Site! I am enjoying “going back through your archives!
Cheers!
Still would enjoy a further discussion on the role fairs can play in providing a platform for public information. Love this blog! Keep it up.
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