Food Day a starting point in discussing agriculture’s important role

WASHINGTON — Oct. 24 marked the first Food Day, a holiday organized by the Center for Science in the Public Interest that was celebrated online and at many grass-roots events across the country.

Unfortunately, Food Day’s founding principles downplay the importance of modern agriculture and unfairly criticize the way of life of many food producers who don’t fit the “local” or “niche” mold.

For example, two of Food Day’s goals include “limiting big agribusiness” and “reforming factory farms” — terms that conjure up negative and misleading stereotypes about today’s agriculture industry.

Agriculture’s message

Food Day has the potential to kick-start many conversations about how food is produced in our country. It represents a tremendous opportunity for farmers and ranchers to share how agriculture is more than just a business; it is a way of life, no matter if you have ten cows or 10,000.

New resource

The Animal Agriculture Alliance has partnered with Miss America 2011 Teresa Scanlan on to announce the launch of Real Farmers Real Food — www.realfarmersrealfood.com — a new website that showcases the importance of America’s farmers and ranchers, large and small, to our nation’s security and vitality. Scanlan’s one-minute video message encourages Americans to celebrate the hard work of our nation’s farmers and ranchers.

“Not everybody farms, but everybody has to eat,” Scanlan says in the one-minute video, also available at www.youtube.com/animalagalliance. “Most Americans don’t realize how essential and crucial agriculture is to our lives and to our economy.”

Scanlan explains that most people do not understand the connection between the thousands of family farms across the country and their own dinner. Real Farmers Real Food serves as a positive reminder for each of us to take time to appreciate the many people who make our safe, abundant and affordable food supply a reality.

American agriculture has a wonderful story to tell. The Real Farmers Real Food website highlights the ways today’s farmers and ranchers rely on both technology and tradition to meet the needs of consumers. While our industry may not be perfect, time and time again, American agriculture has shown a commitment to continuous improvement — be it for food safety, animal well-being or environmental stewardship.

Visit the Real Farmers Real Food website to read an op-ed on Food Day by Chris Ashworth, DVM, a rancher and the alliance’s current chairman. Other highlights include a collection of video farm tours and a section that busts many common myths about food production.

Getting involved

Members of the agriculture community are encouraged to get involved in the Real Farmers Real Food effort by signing the pledge in support of American agriculture that is available on the website and participating in conversations about food production on Twitter by using the hashtag #FoodDay.

Let’s work together to use Food Day to celebrate the diversity of American agriculture. All of us in agriculture should work together to help consumers learn about their food straight from the people who understand how it is produced best — farmers and ranchers.

Editor’s Note: Hubbart is communications director for the Animal Agriculture Alliance.

Tags: food day, opinion, agriculture, food