Farmamerica ‘Raise A Toast’ celebrates women in agriculture

Nearly 100 women gathered at Farmamerica the evening of Jan. 17 to celebrate the central role women have always fulfilled in agriculture and to look at some ways that could change moving forward.

For the organization’s second annual “Raise a Toast” event, Farmamerica staff worked with Janesville’s Infinity Catering to deliver a “farm to fork” meal comprised of locally sourced foods and ingredients nearly all of which came from providers located within 70 miles of Waseca, according to program coordinator Kari Wadd. 

The culinary experience began with a frosted pineapple cocktail and was followed by three different types of appetizers including herb-infused goat cheese tomato bites, turkey cranberry crostini and glazed pineapple and sausage bites.

A spinach salad with fresh greens and “everyday” sourdough bread from Waseca’s Barefoot Lane introduced the main course, which included smoked tri tip with garlic aioli sauce, hasselback potatoes with rosemary asiago goat cheese and roasted green bean bundles with a bacon wrap. Hydroponically grown fresh strawberries were joined by shortbread cookies from Dueling Grandmas Shortbread of Little Canada, Minn., for dessert.

As diners enjoyed their meal, they heard from internationally recognized online influencer Michelle Miller, who writes under the name “Farmbabe.” Her podcast boasts hundreds of thousands of followers, reaching an audience of millions each month.

As Miller shared her experiences with the group, she encouraged everyone present to consider ways they can “agvocate” for farms and farmers. She listed numerous organizations and bloggers who, she said, were promoting their own agendas–and often their own finances–by attempting to discredit or raise alarm regarding practices used in agriculture.

Telling those present they have “the most trusted voice,” she suggested that women in agriculture have the authentic experiences and practical outlook which will give authority to information they share.

She told the story of her own beginning as an influencer. Married to a farmer, she read some claims by the blogger “Foodbabe” regarding the dangers of pesticides used on typical food crops. Curious about the information, she did some research which led to the fact that, really, only about “two beer cans” worth of the active ingredient reached the crop on each acre of land.

When she shared this information with “Foodbabe,” rather than receiving a receptive response, she was banned from the site.

This led to her becoming more determined than ever to “agvocate.” During the pandemic, she was distressed by an online advertisement posted by Burger King which suggested feeding cattle lemon grass–a plant native to southeast Asia and Australia–would reduce the amount of methane cattle release during the digestive process.

The idea that importing a non-native grass to feed cattle would be beneficial seemed utterly ridiculous to her, Miller said. In response, she contacted the public relations department of Burger King, invited representatives from the company to tour “real midwest farms” and see the many ways sustainability is already central to agricultural production.

Miller encouraged all ladies present to consider raising their voices when they see cases of misinformation regarding agriculture.  She told them becoming an influencer is easier than it might seem, then offered some advice as to how to go about it.

Among her suggestions was “be approachable. Treat anybody like you would a best friend.” She also said they should maintain an online personality consistent with who they really are: “Be yourself,” she said. “Show an authentic voice.”

She suggested networking and collaborating with others who share similar interests, varying content, sharing personal stories and moments of humor, and “always tagging” online work as important steps.  She offered that “something as simple as a beautiful sunrise on the farm with your cows out to pasture” could catch people’s interest and go viral.

For those not interested in electronic media, Miller suggested farmers markets, agritourism, and other settings where members of the general public meet with “agvocates” can be very beneficial.

“Alone you might not feel like much,” she said. “But together we can move mountains.”