Growing up on a citrus farm in the San Joaquin Valley of California afforded unique experiences that formed me and determined my career path – as it did for many children of farmers.

Looking back, there was never anything else I was going to do but advocate on behalf of farmers.  You see, it wasn’t just my dad.  I was surrounded by farms and farmers.  The beauty of the citrus groves and the knowledge and passion of local farmers imprinted on me from a very young age.

Our citrus farm was where we worked and played.  The work was hot and hard.  The play was the best!  Kids of citrus farmers will agree that running amongst the large trees created the perfect venue for tag – using oranges of course.  For me, hitting my older brother with an orange in a tag game was the ultimate achievement.

I bring up these experiences because some groups label me as running a “Big Ag Front Group” as if I have some agenda or other motivation besides advocating for farmers and supporting consumer choice. I don’t.  I do what I do because of how I was raised.

Here is what I know from all my years watching my dad and representing farmers:

• Farmers face uncertainty and challenges every day and they meet them with resiliency, tenacity and perseverance.
• The safety of the fruits and vegetables farmers produce is always a priority because their kids eat these same foods. (I ate oranges off my dad’s trees every day when they were ripe and in-season.)
• Farmers love what they do and are passionate about their work.
• Farmers respect and learn from each other. While they may be competitors, they often share information and new practices to help each other farm better and more efficiently.
• Most commercial farmers of fruits and vegetables grow both organically and conventionally to provide consumers with choices in the produce aisle.

Here is what else I know and believe.

• We need to support choice in the produce aisle by reassuring consumers that both organic and conventional produce can be eaten with confidence.
• To support increased consumption of these nutrient-dense foods, groups must move away from spreading inaccurate fear-based messaging in an attempt to encourage purchases of one form of produce over another.
• We need to stop disrespecting the hard work of farmers and farm workers by calling their healthy and safe products “dirty.”

I am among the very fortunate to have grown up on a farm.  This is an experience I share with many of my colleagues and AFF leadership.  I am also happy that my kids had a taste of what I enjoyed as a child whenever they visited their grandparents. Both are proud of their farming roots.  (No, my kids don’t work in agriculture – they followed my mom’s path, who was a teacher, and went into education.)

So next time you hear that the Alliance for Food and Farming is a “Big Ag Front Group,” hopefully this blog clarifies what motivates me, why I do what I do.  It’s simply because I love and respect farming and farmers and I want consumers to know what I know so they can be confident in their shopping choices.

I have no other agenda.

Teresa Thorne, AFF Executive Director

(One of the AFF’s main “Big Ag Front Group” accusers, has a multi-million dollar-budget, 60+ executives and employees on staff, New York PR agencies, A-list actors on their board and corporate offices in San Francisco and Washington D.C. For comparison, there of 2 of us on staff at the AFF, our offices are in the farming community of Watsonville, California and our annual budget is less than $250,000. Ironic, isn’t it?)

#NoMoreDirtyDozen