By KEVIN WALKER
Michigan Correspondent LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) is doing its part to help farmers reach out to the general public; toward this end it has two programs, one new. The new program is called Farmers Care.
“Farmers Care is a theme of value-based messaging,” said Jeremy Nagel, MFB county communications manager. “It’s for any kind of promotional or educational activities our county members choose to engage in. Our members have done a lot of different things. There’s so much misinformation out there about how farmers treat their animals.”
The four themes are: farmers care about their animals; raising safe food; protecting and preserving the environment; and Michigan’s future.
“It was originally devised as a very focused campaign, but the following year we developed these themes and encouraged county level members to get out these messages,” Nagel said.
County level Farm Bureaus have done Farmers Care-based educational flyers, billboards and media relations campaigns. The program was started in 2009. There is also a website featuring several video clips produced by county Farm Bureaus, an animal welfare brochure in PDF format and information on the “Share How You Care” video contest.
Adopt-a-Farm has been around longer than Nagel has been at the Farm Bureau, which is eight-plus years. It’s had different incarnations, as well. For example, at one point the Farm Bureau sponsored an adopt-an-animal program.
“Adopt-a-Farm has grown and changed over the years to help our members reach out to the media,” Nagel said. “Adopt-a-Farm has been a good way to introduce our members to media relations. It’s a crash course. It’s worked out really well.
“Among the benefits is that our members lose some of their skepticism about working with the media.”
Jerry Huehl, a farmer in Washtenaw County, participated in the Adopt-a-Farm program a few years ago. “Basically, they followed us through one whole year on the farm,” Huehl said.
He said his wife, who works at a local hospital, received a lot of feedback from people who read articles that were published in the local paper, a Heritage Newspapers publication.
“They said a lot of good things about it,” Huehl said. “It enlightened the reporter, also. He rode in the combine. It was a really good thing to do. Anybody can do it. It’s good for the city folks so they can get a better idea of what goes on on a farm.”
Huehl has a dairy farm on about 1,000 acres. He raises corn and wheat and said he also plants crops for other people. It’s possible he would participate in Adopt-a-Farm again.
Anyone who might be interested in learning more about the Adopt-a-Farm program or possibly participating in it may contact Nagel at 800-292-2680, ext. 6584. Also, to learn more about the Farmers Care program, go online to www.farmers-care.com/care |
