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Advocate says joint ag effort needed to reach consumers

 

An agriculture advocate says it’s time to join forces and bring farming’s positive message to consumers. “Pooling our resources, speaking up and telling the truth is more important than ever.  Getting everyone on board together to do that?  If we could figure that out, that is the million dollar question, and it’s just going to take people willing to sit down, people willing to work together.”

Kim Bremmer of Ag Inspirations and Common Ground-Wisconsin engages consumers in grocery stores and airports.  She also speaks to groups about agriculture.  Bremmer tells Brownfield farmers, farm organizations, and suppliers should not let opponents tell their story incorrectly.  “We’re competing with activist groups like HSUS, Humane Society of the United States,  who has over 242-million dollars a year, the largest anti-animal agriculture group to date.  That’s a lot of money to tell the story of animal agriculture, and not tell the truth.”  Bremmer is also concerned about two-and-a-half billion dollars going to more than 300 organic associations she says work to discredit modern agriculture and GMO’s

Bremmer also criticizes food companies for labels like “Non-GMO” sunflower seeds or tomatoes when none exist.

Several agriculture groups encourage farmer members to talk to the 98% of Americans that don’t live on the farm, but Bremmer says a joint effort would help.  “We are all in this together, and if we’re going to protect our ability to farm in the United States and the science and technologies that we can and should use, we better all be speaking up today.”

Bremmer says schools are another place to talk about agriculture, as many English and art classes use Michael Pollan’s Food Inc. movie and curriculum, which she says is very inaccurate.

She says it’s time farmers take back the message of sustainability and let people know American farmers and ranchers are the world’s leaders in food production using fewer resources than ever before.

 

Kim Bremmer talks with Brownfield’s Larry Lee at the 2017 Wisconsin Corn/Soy Expo.