My previous posting asks, amongst other things, the general question of “what do we want agriculture to do?
I have come across an interesting site Food Dialogues http://www.fooddialogues.com/about/our-values/
Food Dialogues is the site of USFRA. The group, in it’s own words is:
U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) is a newly formed alliance consisting of a wide range of prominent farmer- and rancher-led organizations and agricultural partners. This marks the first time agricultural groups at the national, regional and state levels have collaborated to lead the dialogue and answer Americans’ questions about how we raise our food – while being stewards of the environment, responsibly caring for our animals and maintaining strong businesses and communities.
The site includes an interesting value statement that says:
We believe in farming and ranching that is sustainable. To us this means helping people everywhere thrive, improving the health of the planet and growing strong businesses.
They comment on aspirations about people, planet and business, and strategic objectives to:
- Increase the number of policymakers and government officials (at all levels) who value modern agriculture production.
- Engage key customer decision makers in the dialogue about the value of modern food production.
- Work with leading national influencer organizations (medical, cultural, dietary, environmental, etc.) to create partnerships in support of today’s agriculture.
- Increase the role of farmers and ranchers as the voice of animal and crop agriculture on local, state and national food issues.
This site deserves a visit and USFRA is to be supported in trying to establish a dialogue and encouraging people to thinks about agriculture in a meaningful manner.