Last week, I was sitting in my introductory communications class at Purdue and overheard a conversation between two girls in the next row. I'm not sure how exactly the discussion arose, but it ended with one of them chuckling as she asked, "What do they even make in California?" The other girl in the conversation replied facetiously, "Models and oranges."
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Although to these girls, the conversation was a joke, it pointed out the great disparity between the producer and the consumer here in America. Between being a student of agriculture and being active in many clubs rooted in the College of Agriculture here at Purdue, I hear a lot about the separation between producer and consumer. In fact, just last week, the recently created Ag Task Force, along with many other ag-related clubs at Purdue, hosted the first annual Purdue Ag Week to target this exact problem. Though we are a land grant university, the college of agriculture only represents 9% of Purdue. Because the ag campus is separated from the majority of other buildings, there is a distinct gap between the "ag kids" and everyone else. The purpose of Purdue Ag Week, or "SWAG Week", which incorporated the theme and slogan of the week "See What Ag Gives", was to increase awareness of agriculture to the remaining 91% of campus. As I worked booths and spoke with students about agriculture, I was amazed to see how little people who live so close to agriculture actually know about the industry that feeds and clothes them.
So how exactly should we combat this distance between consumer and producer? I think that the first priority should simply be to make it a priority. All too often, we as agriculturalists get focused on the work at hand and not on the discussion that is forming outside our farms and businesses. These days, people are getting upset about "pink slime", but do they even truly understand what they're worried about? In reality, this meat (and not slime) that is at question is simply boneless lean beef trimmings, not some disgusting paste that gets poured on celebrities at the Kid's Choice Awards. The trimmings come from real cattle, just like the less questionable meat that they are mixed with, and are used in this way so that they aren't thrown out and wasted. However, the media has made it seem as though this product is some kind of biohazard waste that we are pumping into ground beef. 17% of the country's workforce is employed in agriculture, and although that is an awesome figure, there's still 83% of the country who will only believe what the news says about their food and the many other products that come from agriculture. That is why there has been such a huge backlash for issues such as the one with the "pink slime". If I didn't know where my food came from, and I heard that there was slime in my cheeseburger, I wouldn't want to eat it either.
Most likely, the consumers who are removed from agriculture aren't going to take the time to seek out answers from their producers. It's our responsibility to begin a conversation with those we feed and clothe, hear their concerns and worries, and reassure them of our production practices. Although it seems like a hassle to have these conversations, America's consumers fuel the livelihood of America's farmers. When our industry is hit by an issue fueled by ignorance, such as the pink slime debate, we are the ones who suffer most. I don't look at these conversations as a hassle or a burden, but rather an opportunity to educate and inform people who care about what they are eating and make better allies for when new issues arise, because they will arise.
Education about how farming happens is almost as important as farming itself. Take the time to learn the details of how your local commodities are grown so that you can educate someone you come in contact with about where their food comes from. I don't think anyone has ever been offended by a producer telling them how their food was produced. If we take the time to reach out and educate, so many of the stigmas that are formed around agriculture will slowly disappear.
Oh, and by the way...California happens to produce...
- 32 billion dollars in agricultural production (making it the #1 agriculture state by a long shot)
- 99% of America's specialty crops, including almonds, figs, garlic, olives, pistachios, and rice, among other commodities
- More milk and cream than any other state in America (sorry, Wisconsin)
- Half of the domestically grown fruits and vegetables produced each year
- 23% of the nation's cheese, 31% of the nation's butter, and 15% of that delicious ice cream we all love so much
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