The Great Divide
Noah Kahan released a brand-new song in January called “The Great Divide”. It talks about themes of growing apart and how people can end up worlds away from where they grew up, values they used to hold and people they used to know. I believe this provides a great reflection to show the increasing divide of the average non-agriculture consumer and their knowledge of and connection to farming and agriculture.
Historically, almost everyone in smaller cities or rural towns knew a farmer or had some connection with farming, even if it was just through a friend of a friend. I grew up in a smaller town in central Illinois and while I did not farm myself, it was a large part of our community, so I was at the very least aware of it and knew when it was planting, harvest, and the difference between a corn head and bean head on a combine. As years pass, fewer kids, teenagers, and adults seem to have less and less knowledge of what is happening on the farms surrounding them…but they are often presented with fewer opportunities to learn about what is happening. Sure, they may know farmers in their community, but how often do you choose to discuss the details of your job when you run into a neighbor at the post office or talk with a friend after church?
Not one thing is to blame as cultural shifts are bound to happen, especially in the age of social media and younger generations being drawn to what is directly in front of them (that is, their phones and what they see on social media). As we’ve touched on in previous posts here and here, it has become more important that farmers, agriculturalists, and their supporters to take advantage of opportunities to talk about Illinois agriculture and what happens on their farm to help minimize this great divide.
Be Like Them
In today’s social climate, experiences are craved above stationary events like sit-down meals with guest speakers. This gives us license to be creative in how we connect with consumer audiences. It may feel demanding and time consuming to create experiences that cater to what the people want, but the good news is that it can be very efficient when done right.
The best piece of advice I can share? Be like them to reach them.
Bite
Social media
I’m focusing on social media in this category, but it could fit anywhere depending on your time and excitement to engage online. At its simplest, you can use social media to share already curated posts designed for your audience, share information from other trusted pages, or simply share an ag fact a day or week as it relates to Illinois or your local community. Social media is both customizable and scalable, but the important thing is to have a consistent presence and continue sharing your personal story to keep agriculture trending at the top of news feeds.
Snack
Book clubs
Many local communities have established book clubs. If you know of one, or are already a part of one yourself, this is a great opportunity to pick a book on an agriculture or food topic for the next read. The great thing about this is that it can be an agriculture or faming specific book that you can be as involved with as you want, or the club will allow. You could simply sponsor the book and provide talking points or even serve as a moderator.
Need a book recommendation? Some of our book club favorites are:
- Grocery: The Buying and Selling of Food in America by Michael Ruhlman
- Hungry: Avocado Toast, Instagram Influencers, and Our Search for Connection and Meaning by Eve Turow-Paul
- This Blessed Earth: A Year in the Life of An American Family Farm by Ted Genoways
Packed lunch
Have a presence at local events
If your community is anything like mine, there are always local events happening that are looking for vendors. This is a great opportunity to show up ready to talk about Illinois agriculture and your own farm with people already at these events. This could be farmers markets, county fairs, craft fairs, music events, or bigger expos in town. For something like this you can coordinate volunteers to take a shift and get together beforehand to go over main talking points and goals for the event. If volunteering sounds like something you may be interested in, always check with your county Farm Bureau! There are often many opportunities to jump in to engage consumers in your own community.
Sit-down meal
Farm tours or events
Getting non-ag audiences on the farm is an excellent way to connect them directly with farming for a fun experience. This could be done by hosting a county-wide farm tour where each farm has a fun opportunity for participants and allows them to tour agriculture across your county. Another option is hosting a dinner on the farm where you’re inviting the community to taste and enjoy food grown locally.
The Consumer Engagement Grant
As you are working with your county Farm Bureau on consumer engagement opportunities make sure, they know about Illinois Farm Bureau’s Consumer Engagement Grant. This grant program offers up to a $1,000 reimbursement for eligible projects and events. This is an application that is open quarterly throughout the year and serves to support county Farm Bureaus as they reach out to their community to connect non-ag adult consumers with farmers, with the goal of building trust in farming and farming practices.
For more information on this grant, check with your county Farm Bureau manager. If they have questions, please send them my way (Jacey Yahne, jyahne@ilfb.org), and I am happy to help. Please note that only county Farm Bureau staff and leadership may apply on behalf of their CFB organization.
Have a cool idea for a consumer engagement project or something you have been a part of in the past? Share below!
Engage 
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