o/t - F.A.R.M. program - heard of it?

Fordfarmer · Dec 19, 2016

I asked about who had heard of the F.A.R.M. (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) program on facebook, and only got a few replies. So I'm going to ask here. The stated purpose is to improve consumers' confidence in dairy products and the farms and farmers that produce them. Without getting into the good or bad of the program, I'm just asking... how many of you, besides U.S. dairy farmers, have heard of it?

rrlund · Dec 19, 2016

Is it a state or a national thing?

Fordfarmer · Dec 19, 2016

National, but not government. Run by the National Milk Producers Federation.

rrlund · Dec 19, 2016

It's been 13 years since I quit milking,so it must be something that's come about since then. Must be something similar to the Dairy/Beef Quality Assurance Program.

unclesilo · Dec 19, 2016

new to me but I ain't on facebook, I sold my dad and I out in nov 03 so I still have a mild interest but nowhere the involvement I should have.

paul · Dec 19, 2016

Nope.

Paul

rrlund · Dec 19, 2016

You don't hear DBQA anymore,just BQA. I wonder if this FARM thing replaced the dairy part of BQA?

donjr · Dec 19, 2016

Never herd nuthin bout it....

Fordfarmer · Dec 19, 2016

I don't think so...this is just for/about dairy products, nothing to do with beef. Includes a survey/inspection of each farm done by your dairy's field man, with random farms selected for 3rd party verification. Program started in '09 (voluntary involvement), was updated a few years later (and many dairy processors started requiring producers to participate), and there are new rules taking effect Jan. 1.

Leroy · Dec 19, 2016

Never heard of it but quit milking in 1980

rrlund · Dec 19, 2016

That's the trouble with trying to cater to these food fad nut jobs. Ag and commodity groups come up with all these programs to make consumers feel better,then those consumers never hear about them. All they do is cause more work and hardship for producers.
These brainless foodies don't want to know where their food comes from. They don't pay a lick of attention unless it's something negative coming from some extremist group. That's why I'm all for telling consumers to shut up and eat your dinner. If it was gonna kill you,laws that are already in effect to protect you wouldn't allow it!

Rant over. Where's the Tylenol?

greg oliver · Dec 19, 2016

fordfarmer, I have not heard of it but I only help milk once in awhile. My guess is there is a deduction in the milk check to cover said program.lol I quit dairy farming in 1994 and it irritated me the amount of deductions from the check.

Spudm · Dec 19, 2016

Like M.A.E.A.P in Michigan. Heard of it?

rrlund · Dec 19, 2016

Ya,that's why I asked if it was state or federal.

formerly ny bill · Dec 19, 2016

pretty much necessary so that the quality control dept at the milk retailers can tell the few loudmouth activist foodies that we are doing the responsible job that we were already doing anyway. sort of like the question have you quit beating your wife yet? really ticks me off.

Fordfarmer · Dec 19, 2016

Nope, never heard of MAEAP.

Fordfarmer · Dec 19, 2016

This is EXACTLY my point for posting this question. More busy work, and no results. No one has heard of it, except those directly involved. Why should we have to jump through the hoops, if it isn't doing its job?

rrlund · Dec 19, 2016

Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program. Sounds about as impressive as F.A.R.M. doesn't it?

Traditional Farmer · Dec 19, 2016

If Industrial Ag spent half as much time producing what consumers want as they did insulting their customers they might get some where.The Customer Is King period because they control
the money.

Fordfarmer · Dec 19, 2016

This isn't about WHAT is being produced, it's about HOW it's produced. And frankly, the average consumer is very ignorant about darying, or farming in general.

Traditional Farmer · Dec 19, 2016

Doesn't matter if they are ignorant or not they have the MONEY to spend on what they want,might want to compare regular milk prices to organic milk prices these days to see what I mean.

ss55 · Dec 19, 2016

I've never heard of it before either. My first impression of the acronym F.A.R.M. and Farmers Assuring Responsible Management are both too vague to make me think of any dairy products. M.I.L.K., C.R.E.A.M., C.H.E.E.S.E, D.A.I.R.Y or C.O.W.S would have been much better acronyms for consumers to identify with dairy products. My gut feeling is the F.A.R.M. might be more focused on helping producers feel better about themselves than about reaching the consumers.

paul · Dec 19, 2016

That kinda bothers me, what you say.

My consumers are hogs, dairy, ethanol plants, and export to the Pasific Rim. All of those demand low cost grains of acceptable standard quality.

What little bit of my production that gets fairly directly to a store shelf is still highly processed, and it is the middlemen, or processors, that need to up their game and offer what is wanted by the consumer.

Then, the consumer - they vote with their purses and billfolds, and over and over they want cheap food. Most choose reacher bland processed foods that are easy and closer to junk food.

What I produce is good, and wholesome, and healthy when it leaves my farm. What happens to it after that is beyond my control.

It really bugs me when folks talk with a full belly, and run me down as your message alludes to.

I think you are wrong.

And tired of farmers getting attacked for something they don't do.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Paul

Fordfarmer · Dec 20, 2016

That's only part of the picture. Which has a higher sales volume, regular or organic? There isn't an organic processing plant near me. You also need to consider cost of production/profit margin.

Traditional Farmer · Dec 20, 2016

Marketing organic is more work but so is the returns,also depends on the market you have but in my area the organic and local gown producers are doing real compared to the conventional guys.
They develop a loyal customer base that doesn't care if the prices dropped on the commodity exchange that day.

rrlund · Dec 20, 2016

The whole point is,consumers don't pay a dammed lick of attention when we try to tell them how it's produced. The only thing they pay any attention to is meaningless catch phrases like organic,natural,local,non GMO,gluten free etc etc etc.

Traditional Farmer · Dec 20, 2016

Not true many of the customers want to come to the farm where the food is produced to see how things are done thats a big drawing card for producers.And don't sell these folks short on being educated on food they're a lot smarter
than many of you conventional farmers think.You can start with they know how to make a whole lot more money(LOL).

rrlund · Dec 20, 2016

Those who do go to the farm,I'd be willing to bet they bring a friend so they can show them how much they care. Then on the way home,after they drop off the friend,they stop at McDonalds,and the friend who got dropped off calls up and orders a pizza.

o/t - F.A.R.M. program - heard of it?

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Similar threads