Producers on the Web

Web Site Profiles Indiana Livestock Producers
04/06/2009 by Gary Truitt

Consumers today are interested in knowing more about how their food is produced. Environmental, safety, and welfare issues are figuring more and more in consumer buying decisions. Yet, most Americans know very little about how their food is produced or the men and women who produce it.

A newly-launched web site is designed to give people a firsthand look at livestock production in Indiana and the people behind it. Indiana Family Farms (www.indianafamilyfarms.org}profiles Indiana beef, pork, and dairy farmers and lets them, in their own words, tell their stories. With photos, text, and audio, these producers tell the history of their farms, share their approach to meat production, and express their values. Visitors to the site will get a sense of what life is like on a livestock farm as well get an idea of the kind of people that make up the Indiana livestock industry. Visitors can also e-mail any questions to the farm families as well as click on a variety of educational resources on this site to learn more.

Currently there are 6 farms featured on the site, but this will grow as more producers are added. The site was developed and is administered by The Hoosier Ag Today Foundation with funding from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. Link

Anytime and anywhere is how the story of agriculture should be told. Most of our consumers are looking to the internet for most of their information. Agriculture presence is growing on the web but we can’t stop now. Anywhere the animal rights crowd is, we need to be there too. In fact, we really need to get there first. Even though many producers might cringe at the idea of having an active presence on the web, it really is becoming quite necessary.