Farms in Focus

Are you a journalist interested in a local news hook, solid sources and a steady stream of story ideas to report on agriculture in your area?

Michigan Farm Bureau's Farms in Focus program is designed for you!

The scoop

Farms in Focus paves the way for news organizations to give readers, listeners and viewers unique insight into the industry that feeds us every day.

You choose the frequency, nature and scope of the reporting. We line up "adoptee" farms that fit your interest and assist with story ideas and other resources to enhance the coverage.

Story angles 

The possibilities are endless:

• Farm blogs (could include photos, videos, recipes, etc.)
• Agricultural podcasts
• Series profiling different types of local farms, illustrating Michigan's agricultural diversity
• One-time, in-depth feature profiling several generations of a prominent local farm family
• Detailed, hour-by-hour "day on the farm" feature
• Regular weather-related crop updates from one or more local farmers
• Young farmer profiles to showcase agriculture's next generation
• Ongoing "life on the farm" series throughout a calendar year or growing season
• "Ask a Farmer" question-and-answer feature
• Profiles of local farm markets and other direct-to-consumer agribusinesses
• Adopt-a-Crop! Follow a specific commodity from seed to serving, tracing the steps from planting and cultivation through harvest, transportation and processing into a familiar store-shelf and kitchen-cupboard product. Maybe top it off with a Michigan recipe.

More information

For more information, email Michigan Farm Bureau's Media Relations Specialist: Steve Paradiso or call 517-679-5437.