Building a Relationship with Your Food:

Understanding and Trusting the Journey from Farm to Table

How do I build a better understanding of farming? Who can I trust to teach me about agriculture? How can I build a relationship with my food? Which farmers are farming the right way? How do I know who is a farmer? These are questions I posed in the ending of my last BLOG ENTRY. I will start with the first three questions now and come back to the last two in my next Blog entry.

How do I build a better understanding of farming:
The same way we learn anything- by asking questions and observing. You can visit a farmers’ market and talk with the farmers there. You can get on any social media platform and search for farmers, watch their videos and read their posts, then ask questions. You can go on a farm tour. What better place to learn than boots on the ground where the food is raised or grown. If you are not sure which farms are giving tours, search for “local agritourism” or contact your chamber of commerce or tourism council.

When asking farmers questions, be clear that you are trying to learn. There are some who think they know better how to farm than the farmers. You will want to distinguish yourself from those people. Just like with all people, some farmers will talk your ear off, others will be tight lipped. Do not be discouraged if you don’t get your answers right away. Keep trying until you find a farmer who is willing to share.

Who can I trust to teach me about agriculture:
This can be tricky. Just like with anything else, there are the truth tellers and there are people who are looking for attention. So social media influencers may not be the place to start. The best advice I can give is to begin with a solid resource, like your local Farm Bureau agency, your county’s Cooperative Extension, or the Green Jean Foundation. If you start with one of these you will receive proven information about agriculture and verified recommendations on who else you can contact to learn what you are seeking.

How can I build a relationship with my food:
I fully believe that food tastes better when you know the farmer or understand the processes through which the food was grown and harvested. Along with doing the things listed above, you should better read the labels on your fresh foods and select the ones that come from farms as close to you as possible. Produce is a great example. If you look at your produce packaging, you will likely see two locations listed. One is where the produce was grown. The other is where the produce was packaged. Try to select produce that was both grown and packaged in the USA. Milk has a coding system you can utilize. The code will look like 01-506. If the two numbers before the dash are 12, that milk is from a Florida dairy.

To be continued…

Hello. My name is David, and I am a big fan of farming, ranching, and agribusiness. I grew up in Southeast Florida on my family’s 800-acre ranch where we raised, trained, and boarded horses, held a summer camp, and taught lessons and gave trail rides. Right around the time I turned 30 years old I branched off to start a farm of my own. Since then, I have tried raising cattle, swine, poultry, goats, and sheep. It’s been a crazy adventure, and I am still trying to figure out which direction is the best fit for my small farm. Where I do have a clear direction is my position as a 4-H Youth Development Agent. I am proud to now be the agent where I once was a 4-H member. I also have a clear direction on my goal to advocate for farmers and ranchers and bridge the gap between producers and consumers. That role has me not only educating the general public about farming, but also educating farmers about how to best share their story with the general public. I lean on my experiences from being involved in statewide and national agriculture leadership programs to fuel my efforts.