As you may have noticed, things have been quiet on the blog for almost 2 months. Life with a baby has proved busy... and you know, the holidays didn't help that at all. Baby girl is almost 5 months old and growing like a weed. Managing life with her is interesting and I'm still getting used to it.
Last week, I spent my first night away from her at the Michigan Farm Bureau Voice of Agriculture conference. How should we be connecting with consumers? Less than 2% of the population are farmers in the United States. Most people haven't stepped onto a farm. Sitting and listening to people talk about how to bridge that gap on the plate really gave me something to think about.
Little did I know this is just a small stepping stone to what they really would like from me. I am being leaned on more now that ever before to get involved in my county Farm Bureau. I am now on the Promotion and Education committee and most recently have gotten myself into a much bigger event. The Ottawa County Farm Bureau is putting together what they are calling a Farm to Food Expo for a Saturday in June...of this year. Crazy. Our first meeting was today!
The goal behind this whole project is to bring the farm to the people. Connect the people with the producer. The hope/want is to get all the commodities we produce in Ottawa county, which is VERY diverse, to be represented by the overseeing organization as well as farmers in the area that produce said product.
I have my hat in the ring for the adult education chair. I was more or less voluntold. Its a thing and happens more often that you think.
So I guess this post comes down to...how do you connect with your food? If you were wanting to learn about how let's say.... wheat was grown for your bread, or even how the celery you had for a snack got to you? What would you want to see?
We are aiming for positive marketing only, no promoting one brand over another, no industry is better than another, and no one farming practice isn't superior either. We want to show people how diverse Ottawa County is, how the local economy is greatly impacted by agriculture, and just be able to see the sheer number of products we can produce locally.
Open and honest conversation. The idea is massive. The work will be extensive. The impact though could be bigger than we could imagine.
Have you ever been to an event like this? I am looking for some input. I would love to heard what you think of the whole idea.