“They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Apparently those words ring true among those who have visited the farm in the last few years through the Breakfast on the Farm events held in Michigan.

Surveys were filled out, info was compiled and the results show that after people toured the farm, enjoyed a great breakfast, talked to the farm owner and enjoyed the farm cats, they felt as if they were more educated on farming practices, were less afraid of GMO technology and simply trusted farmers more.

Dr. Ted Ferris of Michigan State University was charged with the task of taking that information in and spitting it back out, which is a job he enjoys as a longtime professor in the Animal Science Department at MSU. His report shows the simple fact that the more people know the farmer and his practices, the more they trust him and are willing to disregard the nonsense they read in social media and online. That’s my unscientific summary; Dr. Ferris’ is much more complete.

To the online survey question: “My level of trust that crop farmers will do the right thing with regard to safe guarding grains used in food production,” the mean response before was 3.2 and 3.7 after the tour. This significant difference translates into 32 percent with a high or very high level of trust before and 59 percent with a high or very high level of trust after.

This online sample is small compared to online samples from dairy events, and it reflects a slightly smaller change in trust when compared to dairy farm tours.

Dairy event respondents shifted from 55-62 percent before to 90-95 percent after, with a high level of trust. This is likely because of the nature of the dairy tours, where participants see more of the process including cows being milked, fed and housed. When asked: “As a result of my farm tour, my trust in grains (corn, soybeans, wheat, oats) as a safe food has increased,” 35 percent of respondents to the online surveys neither agreed or disagreed, meaning their trust level did not change, while 45 percent agreed and 21 percent strongly agreed with this statement.

For 56 percent, their trust in farmers as a source of information about food production also increased. The level of trust participants had regarding crop farmers doing the right things to care for the environment shifted from 37 percent with high trust before to 58 percent after in the online survey.

Fifty percent strongly agreed and 25 percent agreed to a similar statement on the exit survey: “As a result of today’s tour, my trust in farmers caring for the land and environment has increased.” Only 5 percent did not agree to this statement.

As I read through this information, the biggest takeaway for me was the more we engage with consumers, the more they will trust farmers and their practices. Our ability to have personal conversations with people about the food we produce is huge.

You wouldn’t trust a dentist to do surgery on your heart, so who else is more trustworthy with the food we eat than the men and women who spend 365 days a year with dirt under their fingernails and chaff in their phone case?

Keep talking, people – keep talking!

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Melissa Hart may write to her in care of this publication.