Coverage of AFBF’s 92nd Annual Meeting Page 3


InsIde:


New faces in Congress, at the Statehouse Page 4,5


News in Brief ............... 2 AFBF Roundup ............. 3 Farm Bureau News ...... 7 Around Indiana ........... 8


A PublicAtion for Voting MeMbers of indiAnA fArM bureAu


Indiana’s Family of Farmers ag coalition connects farmers and consumers, in person and online


Consumer engagement


was a hot topic at the Ameri- can Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting in Atlanta. AFBF President Bob Stallman applauded the recent forma- tion of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, a national ag coalition whose goal is to build consumer trust. Mike Rowe of “Dirty Jobs” fame encouraged farmers to reach out to non-farm audiences.


diana’s Family of Farmers’ umbrella for two reasons,” said Andy Dietrick, IFB’s director of public relations. “First, our messages are well tested – we listened to a lot of consumer moms. Second, similar themes are surfacing in other consumer research. That means we’re on the right track.”


Messaging based on market research including


A big part of the IFOF outreach will be online, and we invite you to participate as one of the voices of Indiana agriculture:


• Visit our website,


www.indianafamilyoffarmers.com. • Share our blog, which can be found on the website. • “Like” our Facebook page. • Follow us on Twitter.


Breakout session after


breakout session explored appropriate tools for engag- ing different audiences, in- cluding consumers. While the national talk about farmers engaging con- sumers is welcome, it isn’t new for Indiana agriculture. Indiana’s Family of Farm- ers, a coalition of ag-related organizations, is an identity through which Indiana farm- ers have been reaching out to the public for more than a year. Building on two suc- cessful state fair campaigns, the coalition is now working to engage those who make food purchasing decisions for their families. “We feel confident mov- ing forward under the ‘In-


Indiana Farm Bureau P.O. Box 1290


Indianapolis, IN 46206


online surveys and focus groups ensures that consum- ers hear what they need to hear from Indiana farmers. The words, phrases, tag- lines and images used by Indiana’s Family of Farmers address consumer concerns about today’s agricultural products and practices. That, said Dietrick, is a shift from agriculture’s traditional sci- ence-based and authoritative tone of voice. “Consumers want to be reassured, not lectured,” said Dietrick. “They want easy- to-understand information about what farmers grow and how they grow it. With that they can make informed choices for their families.” In terms of formal struc-


Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage


P A I D Huntington, IN


Permit NO. 832


ture Indiana’s Family of Farmers is a loose-knit coali- tion – no officers, board or dues. Four internal working committees are responsible for the planning and devel- opment in four key areas. The four committees are: Brand and messaging:


Establish brand style guide, internal communication tools and internal calendar; create display and activity tools and materials; coordinate promo- tion of the coalition through existing editorial channels. Ag resource: Assess and


coordinate in-classroom ac- tivities and materials; main- tain “free resource” approach with teachers; incorporate partner educational efforts; coordinate distribution of quality Ag Day materials. Online presence: Devel- op/implement online strate- gies for Facebook, Twitter and other Web presences; develop/implement strategy for ongoing engagement of e-mail campaigns; monitor coalition’s online presence. Indiana Humanities Coun-


cil Partnership: Manage spon- sor responsibilities for Food for Thought initiative; main-


tain contact with IHC regard- ing events and other projects. The coalition will actively


participate in at least seven public outreach events in 2011, with each event target- ing a specific non-farm audi- ence. The events are Ag Day at the Statehouse (March); Earth Day Indiana (April); Vintage Indiana (June); the Indiana State Fair (August); Dig IN (August); farm tours (dates and locations to be determined); and the Indy Baby Expo (October). This hands-on public rela- tions approach is designed to reassure consumers that Indiana farmers understand their concerns about quality and safety, and that farmers can be trusted to provide healthy and affordable food for their families.


Equally important with meeting and greeting con- sumers in person is intro- ducing them to farms and farmers through various


online media, including an Indiana’s Family of Farm- ers website, blog, Facebook page and Twitter feed. The Indiana’s Family of


Farmers coalition includes IFB, Indiana Soybean Alli- ance, Indiana Corn Market- ing Council, Indiana Pork Producers, Indiana State Department of Agriculture, American Dairy Associa- tion of Indiana, Indiana Beef Council, Indiana State Board of Animal Health, Indiana Wine Grape Council, Pur- due Cooperative Extension Service, Indiana 4-H Foun- dation, Indiana Beekeepers’ Association, Indiana Veteri- nary Medical Association, Indiana State Poultry Asso- ciation, Indiana Professional Dairy Producers, Indiana Association of Soil & Wa- ter Conservation Districts, Purdue Agriculture, USDA- Natural Resources Conserva- tion Service and the Indiana State Fair.


January 25, 2011 Issue No. 006


Gib Crimmins (second from right) and Kendell Culp (right), both of Jasper County, talk about IFB’s issues with Rep. Tom Dermody (left), R-LaPorte, and Sen. Jim Arnold (standing), D-LaPorte. The two legislators were among the 90 who showed up at IFB’s legislative kickoff event, held this year on Jan. 5. Having 90 legislators out of a possible 150 attend represents a new record attendance for the annual event. Photo by Kathleen Dutro.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8