'Real Dirt' a real success

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

by SUSAN MANN

Farm & Food Care Canada’s booklet, The Real Dirt on Farming, has reached a major milestone this week of one million copies distributed across Canada since its release in late 2014.

Even more amazing is the milestone was reached in just 15 months after the 52-page booklet was published, beating by a long shot the goal Farm & Food Care Canada officials had of distributing one million copies over four years.

The Real Dirt on Farming is available in English and French. It’s a national project led by Farm & Food Care Canada and its provincial associations in Ontario and Saskatchewan.

Farm & Food Care Canada is a coalition of farmers, associations and businesses working together to provide credible information to strengthen sustainable food and farming. The organization’s mandate is to cultivate an appreciation of food and farming by connecting farmers and consumers.

The award-winning booklet answers Canadians’ questions about food and farming, including addressing topics, such as pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, differences between conventional and organic products, animal housing and welfare, environmental sustainability and technology. It was written by Lilian Schaer, owner of Agri-Food Project Services Ltd.

Every four years Farm & Food Care polls Canadians across the country on their top questions and concerns about food and farming, says Farm & Food Care communications manager Kelly Daynard, who manages the booklet project for the organization. The booklet is written to answer their questions.

Reaching the one million copies distributed goal “crept up on me really quickly,” she notes.

Daynard says she had been keeping track of the bigger orders for the booklet and when she checked in the fall, the distribution rate was at about 980,000 copies. “We had a whole bunch go out since then. It (reaching the one million copies goal) came up really quickly.”

Bruce Christie, Farm & Food Care Canada chair, says hitting the one million copy goal “is a great testament to the usefulness and practicality of the publication. It answers so many questions, especially for urban audiences about where their food comes from.”

Christie says he has used the booklet to make presentations to urban audiences, such as service clubs in and around Toronto.

The next goal for Farm & Food Care is to distribute a further one million copies. Daynard says there’s no timeline set for that goal.

Daynard, who was involved in developing both the 2006 and 2010 editions, says she remembers when 15,000 copies for the 2006 edition were distributed and “we were really proud of ourselves. When we hit 100,000 copies with the 2010 edition, we were really proud of ourselves.”

The huge jump in distributions this time compared to previous editions of the booklet is likely largely due to “the fact that we’re now Farm & Food Care Canada, a national organization, and that has taken the lead,” she says. “It’s exciting for us.”

Daynard credits the organization’s funding partners along with the food and agricultural community for rallying behind the project. For example, the Ontario Junior Farmer Club bought 5,000 copies to hand out at events in its region, while other organizations also bought copies to distribute in a wide range of places, such as grocery stores and newspapers. Copies were mailed to politicians across Canada, dietitians, schools, professional home economists, media and other target audiences. A smaller 12-page version of The Real Dirt on Farming was inserted in the Globe and Mail in March 2015 and will be inserted in the National Post in April.

Christie says the feedback from the distribution in the Globe and Mail “was very positive. We did hear from some individuals that of all the inserts they’ve received over the years, this was one they made a point of keeping and not chucking out with the paper.”

Daynard says some farmers and agricultural industry members have bought several copies of the booklets and leave them in various places, such as the offices of their doctor or lawyer. “I’ve had people tell me they leave them in the seat pockets of the plane when they fly.” BF