A new documentary on farming—entitled “Farmland”—made its debut this week in several cities around the U.S. as part of Agriculture Week activities.
The movie focuses on six young farmers from different regions of the country, including David Loberg of Carroll, Neb.
“I hope that for the non-ag consumers we put a face behind the product that they’re buying on the supermarket shelf, and they just feel better and more comfortable about the food they’re buying,” Loberg says. “At the same time, open up a conversation between us and the consumer—that we show them our side of the story—and then we just have to listen to them and make it so we produce a product that everyone’s happy with.”
Nebraska director of agriculture Greg Ibach was among those who attended an advance screening of the film in Omaha.
“I think the documentary was just a great expression of what we feel in agriculture,” Ibach says. “I think the director, Mr. Moll, did a great job of capturing the genuine feeling and the sincerity of the six individuals that he interviewed.”
Farmland was produced with the backing of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA). Lisa Lunz of Wakefield, Neb., who serves on the USFRA board, says they hope to spark a nationwide discussion about agriculture.
“The agricultural industry hasn’t done a very good job of answering consumers’ questions,” Lunz says. “Consumers have a lot of questions, and in the past we kind of just ignored them—and so, as an industry, we need to acknowledge those questions.
“Hopefully this is a tool that can be used so that questions about our food and food production can be talked about.”
More screenings of the film are planned for April with widespread distribution taking place in May.
Source: www.brownfieldagnews.com