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Down on MI Farm events provide lens into Michigan ag

The Michigan Ag Council says inviting social media influencers to dinner with farmers is amplifying efforts to educate consumers about how food is produced.

Executive Director Noelle Nachreiner tells Brownfield their Down on MI Farm dinners provide a personal connection and feature hyper-local ingredients from Michigan.

“Following our dinner last year that we did for social media influencers, they actually reported that they felt more confident in understanding Michigan agriculture and being able to talk about Michigan agriculture,” she shares.

Last year’s one dinner reached more than 130,000 consumers with native content.  Nachreiner says livestock, dairy, and cash crop farmers hosted three meals this year.

“Our partners in the Michigan Ag Council represent so many spectrums of Michigan agriculture,” she says.  “We want to really highlight the breadth of Michigan agriculture and everyone that we’re supporting here.”

Nachreiner says the experiences are an intimate way to break down misconceptions with new audiences and advance farmer connections.

The events are sponsored by Michigan corn, soybean, beef, and dairy farmer checkoff programs along with the Michigan Pork Producers Association and GreenStone Farm Credit Services.