Iowa’s CommonGround Women Farmers Host Ladies Night Out
The night of Friday, September 14 served as a special occasion for several women farmers with the CommonGround Program as they hosted a contingent of Iowa’s leading ladies at their ‘Ladies Night Out’ event on Julie Van Manen's farm outside of Kellogg. Women decision makers, media personalities, reporters, chefs, fellow farmers, bloggers, and mothers came out for a night out on the farm with the CommonGround volunteers.
The goal for the evening was to create a relaxing atmosphere that encouraged causal conversations about farming, food and life. "It's exciting to share our everyday lives with consumers right here in Iowa," said Van Manen. "It's our job as farmers to not only grow healthy, quality food but communicate and answer questions of those who support and buy our products."
CommonGround is based on the idea of fostering conversations to help consumers sort through the myths and misinformation about food and farming. When consumers understand that real families are raising their food and that they share common values and expectations, they have more trust in farming.
The Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) represents thousands of Iowa farmers in investing in educational programs to inform consumers about all the amazing products that come from corn and to tell the stories of Iowa’s farm families. As a partnership between ICPB, the Iowa Soybean Association, the National Corn Growers Association and the United Soybean Board, the goal is to create awareness and put a face to farm families while talking to women who are purchasing the food for their families.
In Iowa, CommonGround volunteers focus on engaging those who make the food purchasing decisions for their families and giving them the tools to make informed food choices. Each CommonGround volunteer has their own area of expertise from GMOs, animal welfare, food safety, antibiotics, all the way down to sustainability – which will lend a helping hand in answering a wide breadth of questions.
If you are interested in learning more about CommonGround Iowa, go to findourcommonground.com/blog/community/iowa.
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The Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB), works to develop and defend markets, fund research, and provide education about corn and corn products. The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) is a 7,500-member strong grassroots-driven organization, headquartered in Johnston, Iowa, serving members across the state, and lobbying on agricultural issues on behalf of its farmer members to create opportunities for long-term Iowa corn grower profitability. For more information, visit iowacorn.org.