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USDA wants Americans to ‘Know Your Farmer’ better

By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH
Indiana Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The USDA is using social networking sites and other Internet tools to help get its message and information to the public.

The department’s “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” program makes use of a new website at www.usda.gov/ knowyourfarmer and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Videos related to the program have also been placed on the video site YouTube.com

The Know Your Farmer website puts access to information about USDA and all of its programs on one site, making it easier for visitors to find what they’re looking for, said Kathleen Merrigan, USDA deputy secretary.

“Many of our constituencies don’t know about a lot of the programs we offer, and we wanted to create a one-stop shopping place for all of that information,” she said. “This is a portal into everything the USDA does. We’re saying, ‘Hey, take a look at this. Have you considered how this may help?’

“There’s a huge number of USDA programs that can fit the needs of national and regional agriculture, but we haven’t done a good job of matchmaking over time.”

The USDA is using a variety of ways to increase its communication with the public, she said.

“We’re using different media for different audiences. We’re still doing traditional releases, but the way people – especially young people – get their information is changing and we need to be cognizant of that. Instead of being followers, we can go to the head of the class.”

The use of “webinars,” social networking and video sites is a great way to reach young people, she said.

“This next generation of folks communicates in a completely different way and they look for news in a completely different way,” she said. “We want to speak to the younger generations and talk about agriculture and why it’s meaningful in everyone’s life. We all should be engaging in a robust discussion about agriculture, and we want to look like we’re part of a transformation.”

The USDA hopes the site will enhance ties between local farmers and the consumers who eat their food, Merrigan said.

“Americans are more interested in food and agriculture than they have been at any other time since most families left the farm, and we are marshalling resources from across all of USDA to help create and strengthen the link between local production and local consumption,” she added.

Consumer demand for locally grown food is expected to increase in the United States from approximately $4 billion in 2002 to about $7 billion by 2012, according to the USDA.

Last month, the agency hosted a chat about the new site on Facebook, and Merrigan said future chats are planned, possibly once a month. The site gives visitors information and links on a variety of agriculture-related issues, including protecting natural resources, promoting healthy living and grant and loan programs. Photos and videos are also used extensively on the site.

“The site shows the prominence this administration places on these issues,” Merrigan said. “This is about USDA learning. It’s about USDA listening and having a conversation. It’s not about USDA dictating.”

Marketing promotion winners

As part of the Know Your Farmer initiative, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced the winners of the 2009 Farmers’ Market Promotion Program.

Reaching into communities across America, 86 grants totaling more than $4.5 million were awarded to encourage and support the viability of farmers’ markets and direct marketing projects nationwide. A national directory of markets is available at www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets

Thirty of the 86 grants promote the use of new electronic benefit transfers (EBT) projects, and funding directed toward new EBT amounts to a little more than 18 percent of the total being announced. These will help increase access to locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables by low-income consumers, using funds provided by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

10/21/2009