Farm to Family Connection - Commentary

FARM TO FAMILY COMMENTARY ---Select commentary from a weekly column by Curt Arens published in the Cedar County News, Hartington, NE

April 2007

Getting the Word Out

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, I’ve been fortunate enough to serve as the voice of a weekly locally-produced radio show – "Farm to Family Connection" – over the three year life of the program on KK93, 93.1 FM in Yankton. This two-minute show, running Thursday mornings and again on Thursday evenings, has featured over 100 different local family farmers and small-town businesses that represent the heart and soul of rural life in our region.

Initially, the program began as a way to promote the idea that consumers have a choice with the food they place on their dinner tables. We wanted to give local consumers an idea of the diversity and quality of food products raised by local family farmers and sold directly through on-farm stores, farmers markets, on local retail shelves, highway stands and even delivery to their doorstep.

Most food in America travels 1500 miles before it gets to your plate. That is a lot of expense wasted on highway time, fuel and freight, especially when great quality meat, eggs, milk, jams and jellies, chicken, elk and buffalo, baked goods, fruit and vegetables, as well as a whole host of other farm products are raised right here in our own area by family farmers you know and trust.

I have been quite proud of the program that we’ve developed with the kind folks at KK93 and I’ve heard lots of great comments from listeners. I think we have all been somewhat amazed at the diversity of agriculture in and around our own communities. Most popular farm press focuses on the major commodities and livestock, but the fact is, that farming is much more diverse and farm families are much more versatile than they are given credit for.

This past week, I handed on the voicing job for Farm to Family Connection, to Yankton author and publisher, Loretta Sorensen. Many of you have seen Loretta’s byline in local newspapers. She also publishes the regional magazine, "Spirit of the Plains", a non-denominational Christian magazine featuring local stories of people and their faith.

My last show aired last Thursday and Loretta’s first show, about Pierce Lockers, airs this Thursday, Apr. 5. I enjoyed learning the ropes of narration at the radio station and I’ve been fortunate to make many good friends there. They’ve been quite patient with me, and their electronic genius makes a farm boy sound much better on the air than he really is.

With my commitments on the farm and with my family and writing continuing to increase, it was time to transition to someone new like Loretta, who had the expertise, talent and a shorter commute to the radio station. I continue to write the programs, and along with Brunswick farmer, Sandy Patton, I am involved in a project with the Northeast Nebraska RC&D at Plainview in surveying farmer participants in the program to gauge success.

From the surveys we’ve conducted, we’ve learned that producers who participate in a program like "Farm to Family Connection" or similar promotional campaigns see more benefits each time they participate. If the goal is making your farm or business a household name, frequency helps a lot. But all farmers who have participated in the show over the three years we’ve been running it, have seen some benefits in telling their story to local consumers and showing the folks in our area how diverse and how vital our agriculture really is.

Thanks to everyone who has been listening to the show. I’ve appreciated your kind comments. Please keep tuning in for more and keep looking to local farmers for the food that graces your table.