It’s AFACT: Dairy Group Turns a Year Old

Laurie Savage
Correspondent

LEBANON, Pa. — One year ago this month, dairy farmers gained a unified voice in the effort to protect their right to use what they believe is safe, approved technology.

“It was frustrating dealing with the bST issue by myself,” said Tom Krall, who hosted a meeting at his dairy farm July 10 for other farmers who felt the same way.

In October, he joined American Farmers for the Advancement and Conservation of Technology (AFACT), a nationwide, farmer-led organization with over 1,000 farmer members.

Liz Doornink, AFACT co-leader and Wisconsin dairy farmer, said producers were focused on what was being taken away instead of what they could offer.

More and more, processors and retailers are requesting farmers refrain from supplementing cows with recombinant bovine somatatropin (rbST).

But supporters point out that the technology increases the efficiency of dairy cattle and is proven safe for human consumption by the Food and Drug Administration. No difference has been shown between milk from cows that were treated with rbST and milk from cows that were not treated.

The objective of AFACT advocates is to build relationships with food processors and retailers and influential others, Doornink said. AFACT prepares producers to have conversations on the value of technology in producing high quality and nutritious milk and agricultural products.

Rather than focusing on the loss of this technology, she said, producers should take time to visit with retailers and processors to build a relationship and give them someone to go to when questions or issues arise.

AFACT also monitors the media and Internet for opportunities to respond to misinformation and issues as they arise. One example is Wal-Mart’s indication the store would carry rbST-free, store-brand milk through an Internet blog.

In span of a few days, over 200 producers visited the blog to post comments that were not negative. Instead, farmers shared a passion for farming, values and the facts, Doornink said.

“It is our responsibility to tell the truth and get the word out there,” Krall said.

If all processors, retailers and consumers hear is activists’ messages, they have nothing else on which to base their opinions.

“You need to talk about your values, that you feel a sincere responsibility for producing a quality product,” said Carrol Campbell, Kansas dairy farmer and AFACT co-leader. Speaking up is five times more important than knowing how to produce milk.

The Food Chain
“You’re passionate about feeding the world. Now you have to communicate that passion,” said Kevin Murphy, president and chief executive officer of Missouri-based Food Chain Communications, a consulting business he started a year ago.

Murphy said the chain from farm to consumer is not a straight line, but circular, beginning and ending with the consumer.

He encouraged farmers to “get out of the silo” and connect down chain. About one in five people touch the food system in some way (beside just being a consumer.) Farmers should reach out to those who reach the consumer.

“We have lost our connection with the food chain,” said Monty Miller, who provides support for the development of AFACT.

Surveys say dairy farmers are highly credible with consumers. “You can tell the story far better than anyone else can,” Miller said.

The AFACT training provided farmers with tips on how to approach store personnel to start a conversation. Both farmers and store personnel can share their views on the dairy case.

Doornink advised farmers to use open-ended questions when speaking with store personnel. Don’t go in expecting big changes in the dairy aisle, instead position yourself as a resource and tell them to feel free to call upon you.

Leave a business card for the store to keep on file.

Be yourself, tell your location, explain how many generations of your family farmed, Miller said. “The more you personalize it, the more impact you make.”

Use body language and simple phrases to keep conversation going and listen with sincerity and genuineness.

“You can win people over by summarizing what they say,” Miller said.

Murphy encouraged farmers to refrain from telling the economic or scientific side of the food story, but instead focus on the emotional side.

“People look at science with an eye of scrutiny,” he said.

Fewer farmers means more consumers are distant from their food source, and activists can prey on that disconnect, Murphy said. There are more than 400 advocacy groups.

In addition to activists, over 27 government agencies touch food in some capacity, making a farmer’s job to educate more difficult.

“You have to be able to educate at every level of the food system,” Murphy said.

For more information, visit www.itisAFACT.org