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by Jack Fisher, OFBF executive vice president

Ask Farm Bureau members what they want most from their organization and chances are pretty good that one of their first answers will be "educate the public." I can't count the times a farmer has said to me, "The public doesn't appreciate what we do," or, "People need to understand us better."

When I dig a little deeper and ask folks why they want to educate the public, a common reason is a simple desire for respect. Farmers are rightfully proud of what they do and understandably want to be well regarded. If you are one who feels that way, there's some good news to report. In a recent Ohio State University study, more than 92 percent of the respondents said they strongly agree or agree that "farming makes a positive contribution to the quality of life in Ohio." And when asked why it was important to preserve farmland, nearly 70 percent said "because we should protect farming as a way of life."

Clearly, the public holds farmers in high regard. You, and Farm Bureau, can take a large part of the credit for that. You're the one who provides safe, affordable food. You're the one who works to protect the environment. You're the one who contributes to the community and the local economy. And through Farm Bureau you’ve done the important job of making the public aware of these things. Because of Farm Bureau membership drives, political activity, promotional campaigns, outreach to other ag organizations and community involvement programs, we've been able to reach literally millions of people over the past several decades and share with them a positive message about Ohio agriculture.

This has been no small task. You've put in the time, talent and resources and have harvested a good crop of favorable public opinion. But just like in farming, every harvest is followed by another season of planting. Our challenge, in terms of educating the public, is that we have some brand new fields to prepare.

Our target is moving. Every day, changes are taking place in who we need to reach, how we get their attention and what we need to say to them.

Finding ways to identify and talk to this moving target isn't unique to agriculture. Just look at the billions of dollars spent by businesses, politicians and special interest groups to market their products and ideas. For farmers though, the job is even tougher because our audience is increasingly less open to our message. Our hard-built foundation of trust and understanding is eroding. The reason is simple: People today are too far removed from agriculture.

When Farm Bureau was formed 84 years ago, 27 percent of Americans worked on farms. By 1950, the figure was 12 percent. Now it's less than 2 percent. Even as those numbers declined, most people still had a tie back to the farm, maybe a grandpa or aunt's farm that they visited and learned to appreciate. But now, we've reached the point where it was grandma's grandma or a great-great uncle who had the farm. Here’s an eye-opening statistic: In Ohio State’s study, 41 percent of respondents said they didn’t even know a farmer. As fewer people have a connection to the farm, fewer of them feel a built-in fondness for who you are and what you do. And that makes agriculture vulnerable in the arena of public opinion.

Yes, the research shows that the public still supports Ohio farmers. But I’m afraid the support isn’t as deep or as wide as it needs to be. In my next column I’ll talk about how you and Farm Bureau can renew and rebuild the public’s knowledge, understanding and support for agriculture. It’s a task we must take seriously, because for farmers to prosper in Ohio, good will is as important as good weather.