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by Michele Payn-Knoper

The anticipation of spring brings a flurry of work to most farms and agribusinesses. As farmers get wrapped up in preparing the planter or in calving, an important responsibility is commonly forgotten or ignored: talking to consumers about food production and safety.

Championing the cause of agriculture right now is more critical than ever because we are losing in the courtroom of public opinion. Agriculturists need to remember to plant seeds of confidence in the customers who ultimately purchase food and fiber products. Increasing the public’s understanding of ag has to be at the top of our chore list.

Recently, European-funded environmental activists admitted to purposely stirring up anti-biotechnology hysteria in Zambia. The activists' efforts resulted in the rejection of a shipment of U.S. grain. When 3 million people continue to starve because of activist rhetoric, it’s pretty clear that the need to intervene is crucial.

Unfortunately, the opportunity to factually educate consumers is dwindling. The 2002 Food and Farming Study, sponsored by AFBF and Altria Group (formerly Phillip Morris), illustrates that a growing number of consumers have formed opinions about food production since 1999, the last time the survey was conducted. Fewer consumers now answer "don’t know" when asked about different farming and food production practices compared to three years ago.

The frightening revelation is that consumers still are not getting agrifood information from farmers or others in agriculture. As was the case in the 1999 study, nearly 75 percent of consumers say the agricultural industry is doing only a "fair" or "poor" job of communicating about our industry.

The study revealed several other interesting findings: Farmers underestimate consumer opinion and the level of importance consumers place on wildlife habitat preservation, water recycling and chemical use reduction. Minimizing risk of bacteria, freshness and maintaining nutritional value are issues with the biggest gap between what's most important to consumers and their current level of satisfaction. Consumers are most against pesticides to improve appearance, hormones to improve milk production and antibiotics to promote growth in animals.

The good news is that consumers still support farmers. The majority (44 percent) agree with the concept of subsidies paid to farmers, though nearly two thirds believe subsidies should be based upon sound farming practices rather than production.

Farming is consistently ranked as one of the three mostly highly respected occupations in this country. We must leverage that credibility to help educate the public about food production and safety issues to counter the extreme messages and scare tactics brought forth by groups like PETA or Friends of the Earth.

Add "championing agriculture" to your checklist each season. Consider it an opportunity to sow seeds for the future of our industry. Invest an hour each week to "speak out for agriculture" – whether through casual conversation, a letter to the editor or a tour.

If each "one person" took "one hour a week" to champion the cause of agriculture, our industry would see significant strides in the understanding of the agrifood business.

Michele Payn-Knoper is a professional speaker based in Lebanon, Ind. You can visit her Web site via the "Featured Links" section of OFBF's home page at www.ofbf.org.