News Release:

Farm Bureau presentation dispels some common ag misconceptions

Participants in the 2007 Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention—mostly farmers—got information to help them combat misinformation about their industry.

Betty Wolanyk, director of education and research for the American Farm Bureau Federation, presented “Addressing Misconceptions About Agriculture” Nov. 26 at the event in Chantilly. She’s compiled facts in a resource to help people in the ag industry clear up some common misunderstandings.

Wolanyk said misconceptions such as the belief that organic dairy products are hormone-free, must be addressed, or they get repeated and accepted as fact.

“If milk is labeled as hormone-free,” she said, “that is an incredible misconception. Milk contains vitamin D, and vitamin D is a hormone. It is that simple.”

Another common misconception is that farmers use more fertilizer on their crops than the average homeowner uses on his or her lawn. “In fact,” Wolanyk said, “homeowners use eight times more fertilizer per acre than your average farmer.”

She credits many misconceptions about agriculture to the fact that Americans are becoming further removed from their agricultural heritage. “People tend to believe more of what they hear, and then they repeat that information to others,” she said. “If we do not step forward as an industry and dispel the untruths, people will develop an inaccurate view of agriculture and they will not understand how modern agriculture works to produce our food.”

During her presentation, she challenged participants to sort several common misconceptions from facts.

One misconception that many found interesting is that, globally, hunger is caused by a shortage of food.

“Nothing is further from the truth,” Wolanyk said. “In fact, even Africa has enough food to feed its citizens. Hunger is due to economic, political and social reasons. Poverty results in lack of access to that food. Unfortunately, producing more food will not solve those problems.”

With 148,000 members in 88 county Farm Bureaus, VFBF is Virginia’s largest farm organization. Farm Bureau is a non-governmental, nonpartisan, voluntary organization that supports its members through legislative lobbying, leadership programs, commodity marketing and risk management services, insurance products and other benefits.