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Putting a face on food

An ag advocate says farmers need to be more confident when talking to consumers about how and why they produce food.

Kim Bremmer started Ag Inspirations two years ago after spending 15 years as a dairy nutritionist in Wisconsin. She says all consumer concerns about food production are valid whether farmers agree with them or not.  “Farmers today do more things to care for their soil than ever before and we just need to talk about it.  We can’t be afraid of the hard conversations, we always need to incorporate our why, and the most simple message of all is that healthy plants make healthy food.”

Bremmer says one the big concerns consumers have about food is the use of biotechnology and GMOS. She says with new GMO labeling requirements, farmers need to make sure they’re actively discussing what it is and why it may be important to their farm.  “USDA is going to have to be able to define now want gets labeled and how it get’s labeled.  We will enter this period of public comment and I think the discussion about GMOs has really just begun because now the devil’s going to be in the details and we have to make sure that we’re there, we’re the voice and we’re the experts that people want to come to to ask their questions.”

Bremmer says the majority of consumers fall somewhere in the middle of food trends today, and she believes companies are greater influencers marketing to fear rather than demands of the general consumer.

Brownfield spoke with Bremmer during the Great Lakes Crop Summit in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

AUDIO: Interview with Kim Bremmer