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Faces of Farming finalist connects with consumers at State Fair

A finalist for the USFRA’s Faces of Farming and Ranching contest says he connected with consumers during the Minnesota State Fair.

Paul Lanoue of Marshall is a farm business management instructor and works on his family farm.

He and his wife attended the Fair and answered questions about agriculture.

“The misconceptions that were out there were very, very strong, and people just don’t have an understanding.  So when I started talking about it, I asked them the question: ‘what is the most technologically advanced industry that’s out there?’  Number one is military, number two is agriculture.”

Lanoue says most people had no idea farming involved so much technology.

“When I can start to tell the story of things we do on our farm as far as GPS to drive our tractors and help us get better utilization of nutrients on our fields.  That way we minimize overlap and reduce residue (therefore) minimizing the impact on the environment, they’re really flattered at that.”

Lanoue is one of eight Faces of Farming finalists who will be voted on during an online contest that runs the week of October 10th.

Finalists in other Brownfield states include: Emily Buck and Lauren Schwab of Ohio, Katie Roth of Wisconsin and Geoff Ruth of Nebraska.