submitted by Aaron Putze
Director of External Relations & Coordinator
Iowa Food & Family Project, Iowa Soybean Association
Iowa is distinctly agriculture. Eighty-six percent of its land area is devoted to farming, the most of any state. Yet many Iowans admit to having little understanding about the origins of their food and what farmers do. As a result, they have sincere questions about agriculture as it relates to food safety, affordability and choice, livestock well-being and environmental quality.
Farm families welcome this interest. Farmers — many second, third and fourth generation — respect the land, treat their livestock with dignity and honor an ethical obligation that’s been handed down from generation to generation to produce safe and wholesome food.
Bottom line: Farmers have a story to share and consumers want to hear it. The time is now for the Iowa Food & Family Project!
The mission of the Iowa Food & Family Project is to inspire positive and enduring relationships between farmers and consumers through personal engagement, advocacy and education. To help carry out this mission, today the Iowa Food & Family Project (Iowa FFP) will be announced as the presenting sponsor of the Iowa Games and supporter of the Live Healthy Iowa program.
The Iowa Food & Family Project is a collaborative organization created by the Iowa Soybean Association involving the participation and guidance of Iowa families, farmers, food retailers, commodity and food relief organizations, civic and community leaders.
Iowan, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Norman Borlaug, whose pioneering work in agronomy helped billions avert starvation, once said, “The first essential component of social justice is adequate food for all mankind.”
As we look to the future, Iowa’s farmers and America’s farmers stand ready to answer that call by providing healthy, abundant and affordable food. That indeed is a miracle, one that will be celebrated and championed by Iowans and the Iowa Food & Family Project.
To learn more or to get involved, log on to www.iowafoodandfamily.com!