By Merck Animal Health
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The podcast currently has 24 episodes available.
Jane Dukes, associate director, Value Chain and Consumer Affairs, speaks with Anne Warden, Executive Vice President, Head of Marketing, Communications and Affairs for Dairy Management Inc and Emily Yeiser Stepp Executive Director for the National Dairy FARM Program at the National Milk Producers Federation. Both of these women work tirelessly for the dairy industry. Since 1939 National Dairy Month has encouraged families to make milk their beverage of choice based on its nutritional value. Dairy’s rich history continues to this day on more than 37,000 dairy farms and over 9 million dairy cows in the US.
“I think there's been such an evolution over the centuries of dairy farming and the advancement of technology, genetics, nutrition, that truly, it feels like it's hard to keep up with from a consumer standpoint.… And so to help communicate those differences, still with that same confidence of care is really what we get the most consumer questions about.” - Emily Yeiser Stepp
It's not easy being a dairy farmer. Producers are dealing with a lot of challenges at the moment including inflation, labor shortages, labeling of non-dairy competitors, higher input costs for feed and higher transportation costs. Fortunately for dairy producers, “dairy consumption is at an all time high… people love dairy and love finding ways to include it as a healthy option in their lives.” Programs like the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy fosters collaboration and progress to build a healthy and sustainable future for the dairy community.
“The National Dairy Checkoff is focused on growing demand for dairy products. We do that by delivering science behind dairy's benefits, behind its versatility as a category of products, and then giving consumers new reasons to love and trust dairy. So today, that means science that shows how milk and dairy products have a unique and truly unmatched combination of nutrients that can deliver against a wide range of consumer health and wellness needs.” - Anne Warden
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Jane Dukes, associate director, Value Chain and Consumer Affairs, speaks with John Stika, a meat scientist and President of Certified Angus Beef and Emily Metz, President and CEO of the American Egg Board. May is National Beef Month and National Egg Month and so in this episode our industry leading guests join us to recognize the contributions of layer farmers and cattle ranchers while gaining insights into the beef and egg industries. John guides grassroots programs and delivers premium beef from family farmers and ranchers to consumer’s dinner tables. Emily has worked as the head of Global Research and Development Communications and New Product Marketing for the world’s largest animal genetics company. Together they discuss how the agriculture industry can better interact and engage with consumers.
“Consumers do not buy on price alone. They buy in price in relation to value. And if you understand what consumers value and you align your production systems for those to align with that. I think the opportunity is there to be the financial beneficiary of that alignment and those decisions. I think the data supports the optimism that we're seeing from a production standpoint and a beef merchandising standpoint for the demand that consumers have for our products not just here in the US but around the world.” - John Stika
In a Merck Animal Health consumer research study conducted last year, two-thirds of consumers reported transparency in animal protein is extremely or very important, but only 35 percent of consumers surveyed feel the animal protein industry is transparent about sustainability or animal care/treatment. That's a gap Merck Animal Health feels we can fill. The egg industry is currently on a mission to simplify labels and allow consumers easier access to information in selecting their eggs based on what their family needs and the values they want to support.
“We need to do a better job of talking about what those different production styles and practices really mean and making sure that people understand that there are trade offs. And I frankly think this is a conversation that probably agriculture needs to have across the board. There's no one silver bullet in terms of production and there's trade-offs in everything.” - Emily Metz
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Jane Dukes, associate director, Value Chain and Consumer Affairs, speaks with Tara Vander Dussen and Brandi Buzzard Frobose. Tara is an environmental scientist, dairy farmer and online influencer. Some of you may know her as the “New Mexico Milkmaid” on social media. She’s also a mom to two adorable little girls, and the co-founder of Elevate Ag. Brandi calls herself a Kansas “cowgirl.” She’s also a rancher, mom and author of a blog, Buzzard’s Beat. She has a suite of resources to help advocate for agriculture called “Amped Up Advocacy” Both of these women are tireless advocates for agriculture with tens of thousands of followers on social media.
“I think to some extent we don't give grocery shoppers enough credit for what they can handle. There's always been a wall, like we want to give them information but not too much because we don't want to scare them off…but I feel like if grocery shoppers can see how we truly do care and we are doing what we need to do, even if that means expensive medical treatment to save an animal and a calf, that's the right thing to do.” - Brandi Buzzard Frobose
Consumers are three to four generations removed from the farm and want more information about how their food is grown and raised. Farmers and ranchers are feeling the pressure of a changing dynamic and perceptions of the food chain.
“If every single farmer and rancher shared their story online, I don't think there would be enough of us sharing. Every single farmer rancher out there is going to reach somebody different and that's why it's so important to have so many of us sharing our message is because we're going to connect and relate with people differently.” - Tara Vander Dussen
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Last year, Merck Animal Health conducted a research study that explored consumer desire for transparency in animal protein. In our survey, two-thirds of consumers reported transparency in animal protein is extremely or very important. Participants shared that food safety and nutrition for “me and my family” are the main motivators for this interest. And yet, only 35 percent of consumers surveyed feel that the animal protein industry is transparent about sustainability or animal care/treatment. That’s a gap we can help fill.
“We're really steadfast in reassuring that the food in the United States is the safest on the planet, that those who are in food production have made leaps and bounds in sustainability, that the diversity of today's food system empowers consumers to make the choice that is absolutely best for them... And then finally, it's important that we let them know that we're constantly innovating and leveraging technology to improve all aspects of food.” - Roxi Beck
Merck Animal Health is committed to the well-being of our communities, our employees, and our customers. In this episode, Jane Dukes, Associate Director of Value Chain & Consumers Affairs, speaks with Roxi Beck, director of consumer engagement at the Center for Food Integrity, and Tim Hammerich, senior director of communications at Cogent Consulting.
“I think farmers my age, as they're playing more leadership roles on the farm, are more interested in embracing technology and are more sustainability-conscious. And because of that, I think we will start to see more data available to tell the story of what's actually happening from farm to fork.” - Tim Hammerich
This Week’s Podcast:
Click the SpeakPipe link and let us know what your questions are! We will try to answer as many of them as we can on podcasts throughout the year.
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We're back! Welcome back to the fourth season of the "Caring for Animals and Creating Trust" podcast. I'm Jane Dukes with the Merck Animal Health Value Chain and Consumer Affairs Team, and I'll be your host as we focus this year on what consumers say they want more of: transparency from the food value chain from farm to table.
We're going to answer your questions right here on the podcast with the help of our expert guests. If you have questions you'd like us to answer on the podcast, click THIS LINK and let us know what they are. Our first guest for 2023 are Roxi Beck, director of consumer engagement at the Center for Food Integrity and Tim Hammerich, creator of the "Future of Ag: podcast and the producer of ours.
Today's food system continues to face challenge and change, and Tim and Roxi will look at emerging themes in 2023, and industry pain points and what's being done to address them. So if you have questions, be sure to click THIS LINK and we'll see you next month.
This September Merck Animal conducted quantitative Consumer Transparency Research. The purpose was to explore consumer desire for transparency specifically in animal protein and their perceptions of transparency when it comes to animal welfare and sustainability. The findings included the fact that two-thirds of consumers believe that transparency in animal protein is very or extremely important. At the same time, only one-third of those surveyed feel like the animal protein industry is transparent when it comes to environmental sustainability and animal care. So what does transparency in food mean to consumers and why is it so important?
“When I think of transparency and when I think of how consumers are dealing with it in our survey, I think about trust…… Do I trust you to be capable of delivering on your promises? But there's also intent, and that's more like consumer thinking. Do I trust that you have my best interest in mind? Are you trying to hide something? Transparency is very related to that latter one, intent. So if a company's willing to be transparent, to share information with me as a consumer, I'm more likely to trust its intent is aligned with my interest.” - Justin Cook
Merck Animal Health is committed to the well-being of our communities, our employees, and our customers. In this episode, Jane Dukes, Senior Manager with the Merck Value Chain and Consumer Affairs Team, speaks with Justin Cook the US Consumer Products Research Leader at Deloitte Services, and Maggie O’Quinn the New Business Development Manager at Midan Marketing.
“I think it's so important to start with the fact that consumers do trust farmers and ranchers. A recent Gallup poll said that 59% of consumers trust farmers and ranchers. So I think that's a really good springboard and good place to start, but what we've uncovered in our recent research is that second to quality, the number one thing that consumers are looking for right now is that they're curious to understand how the animals were cared for.” - Maggie O’Quinn
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At Merck Animal Health, we are committed to our customers. We want farmers, ranchers and veterinarians to share their stories. We’re releasing our third series of Caring for Animals and Creating Trust videos this month that shines a light on their backstories, what motivates them, what they care about and how they do what they do. Producers need to bridge a communication gap as consumers become further removed from the farm than ever before. The average American is three generations removed from the farm and they have questions about how their food is grown and raised. At the same time, shifting demographics contribute to a lack of trust in the food we eat, and questions arise about farmers and sustainability, animal welfare and production practices. While there’s plenty of research trying to get to the bottom of what consumers want to know, what do we, in the food value chain wish consumers knew? And how do we help farmers, ranchers and veterinarians share their stories?
“I am a busy veterinarian. I serve dairy and feedlot clients in southwest Kansas, and I wish consumers knew that at the end of the day, I'm feeding the same food that we're producing every day to my family. And it comes with that level of confidence in the safety and nutritious value of the food that we're producing, that I'm willing to put it on my table.” - Dr. Tera Barnhardt
Merck Animal Health is committed to the well-being of our communities, our employees, and our customers. In this episode, Jane Dukes, Senior Manager with the Merck Animal Health Veterinary Consumer Affairs Team, speaks with Dr. Tera Barnhardt a cattle veterinarian and owner of Animal Welfare Consulting & Research, a large animal consulting veterinary practice and a devoted advocate for agriculture. Also joining us is social influencer Natalie Kovarik, a social entrepreneur, storyteller, ranch wife, mom and co-creator of Elevate Ag, an online course that helps farmers and ranchers share their stories.
“I definitely started out with an agriculture based community in the beginning. I just think, you kind of draw in like-minded people. But as I've grown and had success, I've definitely started reaching non-consumers. And I do have a lot of people who follow me that are outside of the industry. And I think that's one of the really rewarding things is to be able to kind of have one on one interaction with them….Like I said, being in control of being able to advocate for the industry and, and say things that I want to, that I know are going to reach people.” - Natalie Kovarik
We know we need to tell our stories, but for many farmers and ranchers, there is perceived risk and a lack of time which might make them feel the benefits may not outweigh the risk. ElevateAg, co-founded by Natalie, is a resource producers can turn to to help them navigate sharing their story.
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In rural America there is a critical shortage of veterinarians, both for companion animals and livestock. Experts attribute the shortage to low wages, long hours and fewer graduates wanting to live outside a major city. This presents a problem in more ways than one since veterinarians are the first line of defense against disease. They work with farmers and ranchers throughout the animals’ lives, but they also inspect livestock before they can enter the food supply. There is also a shortage of companion animal veterinarians and veterinary technicians to keep our pets healthy members of the family. In 2020, pet ownership rose to 70% of American households. The need for companion animal veterinarians is outpacing the number we are graduating from vet schools across the country.
“Around 2003 is when I noticed that there was change. I think it stems from a change in the interest and expectations from our students…There is less interest in some of our incoming students to enter food animal medicine….I think it stems from the fact that they don't have the experience. Maybe they don't have a sense of awareness of what a food animal practice can provide both from a personal and a professional reward. And then also of course, as you mentioned, there's the student debt, the potential maybe for lower wages, work-life balance, and those issues. ” - Dr. Carlos Risco
Merck Animal Health is committed to the well-being of our communities, our employees, and our customers. In this episode, Jane Dukes, Senior Manager with the Merck Animal Health Veterinary Consumer Affairs Team, speaks with Dr. Justin Welsh executive director of Merck Animal Health Food Animal Technical Services team, Dr. Carlos Risco the Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Oklahoma State University, Rebecca Barnett associate director of public policy for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), and Leyton Becker a Merck Animal Health Veterinary Student Ambassador currently attending vet school at the University of Minnesota.
“I think that it's gonna take a lot of stakeholders coming together and collaboration. It's gonna take the vet school. It's gonna take our stakeholders at the state level, state vets, and the federal level. Everyone kind of coming together, looking at this picture and seeing what role do they play and what solution can they offer. I think this…has a lot of different moving pieces within it that we can approach it with our solutions to try to solve this. I just don't think there's one solution that fits all.” - Rebecca Barnett
The evidence of underserved counties in veterinary medicine is an ongoing pain point for the industry. There are also veterinary “deserts” where a single vet may oversee 150 square miles both for livestock and companion animals. It’s a tough life. Adding to the pressure is the rising debt load for education that has outpaced increases in starting salaries for veterinarians.
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Along with sustainability practices current consumers are also looking for transparency in the management of their food supply chain. Consumers want more information than ever before about how the food they eat makes its way to their plates. Nutrition, food safety, animal welfare, and labeling are all things consumers want to know more about, and the transparency they are looking for around food and food production is evolving quickly. Our food system is working hard to meet consumer expectations that can be a bit of a moving target.
“What we're doing is we're looking at conversations that consumers are having online, regardless of if we were observing them or not. And we're looking at their conversations in order to identify what something means, what a topic, a trend, an issue, something like today's topic, transparency. What does it mean to consumers? How are those meanings evolving or changing? And what does this mean for our business?.... It's helpful because we can answer what is happening in culture but our goal is really to get to the why. ” - Cheryl Auger
Merck Animal Health is committed to the well-being of our communities, our employees, and our customers. In this episode, Jane Dukes, Senior Manager with the Merck Animal Health Veterinary Consumer Affairs Team, speaks with Cheryl Auger, the Director of Client Success MotivBase, and Jim Lanier, the Senior Manager Animal Welfare and Market Quality Assurance with HEB Grocery.
“I work with different departments across the company to ensure that all animals in our supply chain are properly cared for. We actually establish partnerships with our vendors, industry groups, and actual producers to develop and monitor our standards and more accurately our expectations.” - Jim Lanier
We want to explore what consumers are looking for to fulfill this transparency desire in their food chain. It can mean anything from labeling to animal welfare and ingredient sourcing. Merck Animal Health commissioned an ethnography study on consumers and transparency earlier this year that Cheryl led. We discovered that consumer values and concerns play an important role when they ask for transparency in animal protein. In addition, we learned that consumers are driven by the need to make the right decisions when it comes to food and their health and part of that is fueled by skepticism and fear. They are worried about food safety, skeptical of production practices and worried about animal welfare as well as what’s not found on the label.
“Consumers are looking for standardized approaches to organic or other forms of labeling. They're looking for some help cutting through the noise or cutting through some of their confusion. So when it comes to consumers, understanding of transparency or their top concerns, we're seeing nutritional benefits, animal welfare, ecological impact, food safety, and standardizing organic.” - Cheryl Auger
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Consumers are interested in the sustainability of their food products and the impact food production is having on the environment. While many misconceptions exist about the sustainability of animal agriculture, data and science bring clarity to the sustainability story, helping stakeholders from farm to fork understand the progress made so far and focus on continuous improvement.
“It is a really interesting time because we're seeing the sustainability concerns, not just coming into play as a desire for more information, but actually as a driver of decision making….Consumers are more and more identifying sustainability as a broader set of terms, including responsible farming, land management, water use, animal welfare and even areas like antibiotic use and labor relations. So it is a category that's going to become broader and broader and require the marketplace to be very nimble in addressing this as it evolves.” - Andy Harig
Merck Animal Health is committed to the well-being of our communities, our employees, and our customers. In this episode, Jane Dukes, Senior Manager with the Merck Animal Health Veterinary Consumer Affairs Team, speaks with Tara Vander Dussen, Environmental Scientist, Dairy farmer and co-founder of Elevate Ag, Jamie Jonker, Chief Science Officer and Vice President of Sustainability & Scientific Affairs for National Milk Producers Federation, and Andy Harig, VP of the Food Marketing Institute
“It's important I think for our customers and consumers to understand that dairy farmers, like Tara, day in and day out, do their very best on their individual farms….they work with their animals, their land, their family, and their employees on the sustainability trajectory that is best for their individual business. Each dairy farm looks a little different and so their sustainability journey's gonna be a little bit different, but every dairy farm has that sustainability journey and the National Dairy Farm Program provides a way to capture metrics that can be added to (their) important stories.” -Jamie Jonker
We are finding that not only are consumers seeking sustainability in their food items but fortunately they are also open to trust the sustainable labels they see on their food packaging and the stories they hear about producers. Jamie shares that “consumers are not wanting perfection but wanting improvement.” Sharing the story of producers, how they have improved their efforts and what changes they are planning for the future are what consumers are seeking.
“I think that sometimes we get caught up in the latest trends in advancements, and we forget to share with consumers what we have been doing. I think we have to do a better job of taking consumers along on this journey….We have a track record of improving. We know we can do better. We know that we have done better in the past so we've set big goals for the future and we know we can get there.” - Tara Vander Dussen
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The podcast currently has 24 episodes available.