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| The new “Home
Grown” initiative seeks to promote the invaluable contributions
made by American family farms, like this one in Colorado. |
NCGA Joins Leading Agriculture Groups to Form ‘Home Grown’ Coalition (9-20-04)
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) today announced
it is joining forces with seven other influential agricultural groups to
create Home Grown,
an aggressive new public information effort to better educate consumers on
the invaluable contributions today’s farmers make to the U.S. economy,
the marketplace and America’s cultural identity.
Home Grown will demonstrate to U.S. consumers that farming
families provide 92 percent of America’s food and fiber, the United States still enjoys
the most affordable food and fiber products in the world, and today’s
farmers need existing federal policy to continue to provide these invaluable
products.
NCGA President Dee Vaughan said recent media reports have wrongly blamed
farmers for causing the U.S. obesity epidemic and robbing taxpayers through
federal farm support programs. The Home Grown effort seeks to dispel these
myths and others about agriculture.
“We want to make
sure people have the right picture in their minds about
farming and agriculture,” Vaughan said. “They need to know that
food in
America is the most affordable in the world thanks to a strong federal farm
policy and the highly efficient way U.S. farmers work. They need to know
the small contribution of taxpayer dollars — about 4 cents per meal — supports
a food and fiber industry that employs more than 20 million Americans.”
Vaughan said farmers are also often accused of degrading the environment,
when in fact U.S. producers are responsible conservationists and contribute
immensely to the environmental vibrancy of the United States.
“Americans need to know farmers are stewards of the environment and
current federal policy encourages environmentally friendly farming techniques,” Vaughan
said.
Home Grown, which also includes American Farm Bureau and commodity groups
representing wheat, cotton, sugar, rice, and soybeans, will conduct a wide
variety of activities in the coming months in Washington, D.C., and across
the United States.
Members plan to include other components, such as a program to educate school
children in large cities, point-of-purchase educational materials and a communications
resource center for agricultural producers.
Home Grown welcomes corporate sponsorship and invites other
groups to join in the effort to cultivate the recognition and respect America’s
farmers deserve.