In this issue : #RealDirt  *  Issue 3 Winter 2016
FARM   *   FOOD   *   CARE   *   COMMUNITY
 

Whether good or bad in your opinion, El NiƱo has resulted a mild winter in Saskatchewan this year. There is no doubt that Saskatchewan producers will feel the effects of the warmer temperatures and less snowfall than normal for growing crops and feeding livestock.

 

This issue of our newsletter focuses on a topic that has been in the news a lot lately - that of how farmers and ranchers can most effectively win consumer trust. What do we need to do to develop more positive relationships with the public? Read on for ideas and inspiration!

Improving Public Trust Can Help Feed the World
Kim Kennett, Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan

With the recent release of the SaskCanola's License to Farm documentary and the research results from the US Center for Food Integrity, there's been a lot of discussion in the agriculture industry of late regarding the importance of creating trust with consumers.
SaskCanola's documentary,  released at the Crop Production Show in January 2016, invites farmers  to join the conversation about food and become advocates for the industry. The video ,   designed to inspire farmers to talk with consumers and strengthen relationships with the people who eat the food they produce, emphasizes that now is the time to work together to gain and maintain our social license.
Similarly, a study conducted by the US Center for Food Integrity concludes that if you increase transparency with consumers, you will increase trust. "A Clear View of Transparency and How It Builds Trust"  highlights 2015 consumer trust research and some best practices that the food system can use as a guide for increasing transparency. The study also reveals who the public holds most responsible for demonstrating transparency, specific areas where they expect transparency, and precisely where consumers want to access information that is most important to them.
But how does improving consumer trust and being transparent about how food is produced here at home affect the rest of the world?



The Real Dirt on Farming
Speakers Training
 
Upcoming training dates:

March 11: Swift Current
March 17: Yorkton
March 22: Saskatoon

 
Media Training
Interested in learning how to effectively
speak up to enhance consumer confidence
in food and farming?
Don't miss our
Media Training workshop on
April 6 in Saskatoon. 

Winners!
Congrats to Sara Comerford of Grandora, SK whose name was drawn to receive a $50 Tim Hortons gift card for completing the 2015 Farms at the Table conference survey!


Our congratulations to Karen Petrychko of Melfort, Marianne Trefiak of Leross and Jeanne Bohn of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan winners of the national Real Dirt on Farming online contest who each received a $250 gift certificate from  Federated Co-op.



Trevor Scherman,  a third-generation grain farmer from Battleford, SK, tells us how he got involved in social media and why he thinks it's important to share our stories with consumers:

"I first became involved in social media when I came across so much misinformation about agriculture on Facebook - how people just believe what they read without looking for further information or contacting a farmer about it..." 
   ...more  



Thank you, Trevor, for your efforts!  

 
Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan Councils will begin operating shortly. The Animal Care Council and Crop Council will guide initiatives specific to the two Councils. If you are a member of FFC SK or belong to a member organization and are interesting in serving on a Council, please contact the FFC SK office.

We'd like your input!
As part of their Faces of Farming initiative
this past year, FFC SK has been compiling photos that can be accessed for our programming purposes, as well as for member and consumer use.

Let us know what you think:



The Farm & Food Care Foundation has changed its name to Farm & Food Care Canada to provide greater clarity on its national role and enable a more active delivery of programs. The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI), modeled on its US counterpart, will become a division of Farm & Food Care Canada. CCFI will be launched at a summit in Ottawa, ON 
May 31 - June 1, 2016.



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