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The next generation of consumers

Amanda Carlson

A southeast Minnesota farmer says the next generation of consumers have a better understanding of food production than many give them credit for.

Amanda Carlson of Welch works on her family’s dairy farm and is starting up a value-added beef and pork marketing business.

She recently participated in a Minnesota Farm Bureau Foundation “Farming Today” outreach program at a high school in Rochester.

“We talked to about 50 students, and of those 50 (just) one student lived on a farm.  Which is pretty incredible when you really think about it, and when I think of my background.  But they have a lot more knowledge than people realize I think; maybe not so much on the every day happenings on the farm, but they really understand what’s going on in the food space and what’s happening in the grocery stores.”

Carlson tells Brownfield the students had a lot of questions about what happens on the farm.

“We talked a lot about different labels that occur in the grocery store, such as antibiotic-free, no hormones on poultry packaging, and what that really means.  I was really surprised at how engaged the students were, and how interested they were in learning that and not just letting it pass through one ear.”

She says the experience showed her that young people want to understand more about where their food comes from.

Carlson encourages other farmers to reach out to consumers and answer any questions they might have.

 

 

 

 

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