Stung by Marketing, Feed Additive Answers, and More

Reconnecting Nebraska's Farmers and Grocery Retailers

Sponsored by your Nebraska Grocery Industry Association

Greetings!

We would like to extend a sincere thanks to Kevin Murphy and Mike Smith for their hard work in publishing Farmer Goes To Market. This e-newsletter is all about providing the truth about our food and where it comes from. The articles are written to keep you informed of the facts and the hype that is used to target our customers in their food choices. Our country has some of the safest, cheapest food in the world. Our farmers make this possible. We thank Kevin and Mike for keeping members of our industry informed!

Sincerely,

Kathy Siefken

Executive Director

Nebraska Grocery Industry Association

Nebraska's soybean farmers are proud to bring you this information to help answer customer questions

Nebraska soybean farmers and their checkoff are proud sponsors of the Farmer Goes to Market program, realizing that this program provides an integral link in the food system chain. The information provided in this newsletter is a key step in our educational initiative, providing consumers with information on our effort to provide them with a safe, affordable, abundant food supply.

The farm and ranch families represented by Nebraska Farm Bureau are proud sponsors of the Farmer Goes to Market program. We take great pride in supporting Nebraska's agricultural foundation. A key part of that effort is to make sure we produce safe and affordable food. This newsletter is an important part of our effort to connect the two most important parts of the food chain -- the farmer and the grocer -- with the goal of increasing consumer awareness and information about how their food is raised in Nebraska.

An educational program produced by Food-Chain Communications and delivered to members of the Nebraska Grocery Industry Association. Farmer Goes to Market was established in 2008 to help bridge the growing gulf between today's grocery retailer and today's farmer, empowering them with full-chain knowledge to carry agriculture's true message to food consumers.

Navigating the New Food Movement:
Three Food Marketers Stung by
Dubious 'Absence Marketing' Claims
When 'absence marketing' backfires

"You can't go wrong if you increase your support of local and artisanal," gushed one Midwestern online green grocer. Maybe. But these three examples demonstrate the dangerous ground that can be created when retailers try to redefine "good food," by proclaiming them better and more wholesome because they don't contain some traditional elements of the bigger food chain. It's a learning experience for "absence labeling," and the caution it should warrant.

	Foresight on Food Politics: A Brief Who's Who? in Today's Food Fights The Washington-based animal rights group Humane Society of the United States seems to have gotten all the press recently in Nebraska. But there's a whole cadre of second-string food-system activists waiting to follow them in action and activism. Here's a quick rundown of some of the key players. Click here for a synopsis.

Translating Food Technology:

We Answer your Questions on the Latest
Suspect Cattle-Feed Additive

What's the beef with this additive?

When Tyson Foods, the nation's largest meat processor which buys roughly a quarter of all beef cattle, announced it plans to suspend buying cattle next month that have been fed the feed additive Zilmax, it raised the potential for yet another round of questions from your beef shoppers about this "growth hormone." Here a few points to help you briefly answer their questions.

Competitive Commodity Insight:
Cow Numbers at 20-Year Low.
Where are Prices Heading?

Cattle supplies falling; will prices rise?

U.S. beef production has now dropped to its lowest point in more than two decades, after dramatic feed-cost increases caused by the drought led ranchers to cut their herds. So why then are beef supplies actually increasing, and what does it all hold in store for long-term beef prices? Click here for the analysis.

Meet your Farmers...
Representing Five Generations
of Nebraska Farmers at Work

As chair of American Farm Bureau's Young Farmer and Rancher Committee, Gildner corn, soybean and popcorn farmer Zach Hunnicutt and wife Anna use their new-media savvy to talk on a national level about the issues farmers in their 20s and 30s face. Click the video to listen to this Nebraska TV's August Farm Family of the Month talk about how their fifth generation farm operates daily.

On the Lighter Side:
Attention Fellow Cynical Non-GenXers...
There May Be Hope After All

OK, we admit it took a lot of cajoling and needling to get us to finally click on an Ashton Kutcher video, especially an Ashton Kutcher video from the Teen Choice Awards, no less. But we have to give credit to the kid. Apparently his Iowa background sweeping out grocery store aisles made a lasting impact. Take a few minutes to be inspired.

Click here for more details on today's Food Morality Movement