Welcome to the Farm!

As a general rule, most farms are very unwelcoming. Farmers don't want consumers to even enter the property. Consumers never have a chance to see where their food comes from and how it is produced. And then we farmers complain about how consumers are trying to do us in. Really, they just need to be educated. 

Farming was not always so removed from normal life. Not too long ago, consumers knew exactly where their food came from, how it was produced, and how it was processed. Now, the closest they can get to knowing where it came from is "Product of Mexico" on the label. And yet we farmers expect our consumers to know what we're going through to produce their food, and we expect them to know what we need. We often assume they just don't like us. But that's not usually the case.

In reality, consumers need to be educated. If we want them to know what we need, we need to teach them.  And to do that, we need to welcome them to our farms. They need to see firsthand what we do to produce their food. The average consumer probably pictures pastured poultry production as follows:

Chickens free range in a beautiful field full of vibrant green grass. The temperature does not get above 75 degrees or below 65 degrees. The farm dog contentedly sits and stares while snapping at the occasional honey bee. Flowers are interseeded with the grass, and create a dreamy atmosphere. Predators are not an issue. Puffy clouds float overhead, but it only rains just enough to keep the grass green but not muddy.

Every farmer knows this fantastical farm does not exist. But I'm telling you, many consumers think it does. They don't know what it's really like. What we desperately need is for the consumers to support us and be on our team. Conventional farms will never have consumer support. We need to be unconventional. We need to have a relationship with our customers. We need consumer educating agriculture. Then the consumers will be on our side. No, they are not trying to do us in. They need to be educated and welcomed to our farms.

And with that education will come transparency. We cannot hide anything from our customers. They need to see everything. And when they do see it, we build trust with our customers and we're on a new level of consumer loyalty. 

We cannot be down on our customers because they support anti-hunting laws, or because they support "green energy" if we have not educated them. Yes, we will have disagreements with our customers, but consumer education really brings us together. It's our job. Here's a few ideas for educating our consumers:

1. Farm tours

2. Consumer focused books

3. CSA

4. U-Pick farms

Not everyone is going to respond the same, but I would bet that most customers would be delighted to just come out and see the farm, look at stock, and have engaging conversations with their local small farmer. They have busy, action-packed lives, especially city dwellers, and just getting out of the high speed rush of city life is just what they need. Let's support our consumers, and they will respond in kind.