“We’ve been fed over and over again to be scared of the way our food is farmed and raised, and I just don’t think that I believe that anymore.”

That’s a quote from one of several young online influencers who took part in immersive experiences in the San Antonio, Texas, area and in eastern Iowa – exposing them to farms and ranches, test kitchens and cooking challenges, to demonstrate how food is grown and raised, its nutritional benefits and how to whip up delicious dishes.

And it’s music to the ears of farmers and ranchers who face increasing skepticism about on-farm practices and their impact on people, animals and the planet.

Coordinated by The Center for Food Integrity, the influencer tours were part of broader Gen Z research to better under this powerful segment and how to best engage the Gen Z consumer, farmer/rancher and workforce

(Learn more Engaging Gen Z: The Consumer, The Farmer/Rancher, The Workforce)

Eye-Opening Experiences
During the two-day San Antonio experience that included Gen Z consumer influencers and Gen Z farmers, attendees visited a cattle ranch, a meat counter and grocery store, and participated in a cooking challenge. The tour also gave influencers access to experts including a rancher, cattle nutritionist, veterinarian, chef and dietitian.

Bringing together Gen Z influencers ultimately allowed them to meet the many individuals behind food production, understand that those producing food share their values for a system that is sustainable, and experience truths about today’s food system directly from the source. Attendees said the experience opened their eyes to how decisions are made and how open dialogue is best to build trust.

A similar, smaller tour was held with two food influencers who toured both livestock and crop farms in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, area. As one influencer commented: “I had no idea that there was this much technology. When I envisioned a farm, it wasn’t this. I think it’s extremely important to continue innovating. I wish everyone could come have this experience.”

(View feature videos and influencer content from both tours at BestFoodFacts.org)

More Than Ten Years of Tours
For more than a decade, CFI has helped move the needle by giving online influencers a backstage pass to agriculture and food. We welcome them to join us on farms, in university labs, in test kitchens, in food processing facilities, and more. And we introduce them to farmers, veterinarians, dietitians, food scientists, nutritionists, researchers and others who can share their perspectives first-hand. In turn, influencers get to share their experience and conversations with their audiences – sometimes millions of their peers.

Particularly for Gen Z, influencer tours are impactful as they prefer immersive experiences, want their voices to be heard, and have a heightened interest in how food is grown, raised and produced. Sustainability and climate issues are priorities.

Influencers are thoughtfully engaged to ensure they’ll be interested in what the experience has to offer. Prior to being on the ground for the experience, we ask them about their perceptions and beliefs about what they’ll see. The experiences are tailored to highlight topics relevant to the sector and production systems featured – and the specific areas in which influencers have expressed interest.

Moving the Needle
Afterward, we follow up with the influencers to understand what held true, what was surprising, and generally, what stood out that they feel their audience would benefit from knowing.

The tours consistently result in positive influencer feedback. They thoroughly enjoy meeting the various experts and getting a behind-the-scenes experience that is unavailable to most consumers. Further, the content influencers develop and share on their digital platforms – videos, recipes, blogs – provide the sneak peek into farming and food production to consumers across the United States – and sometimes even more broadly.

CFI research shows that to earn trust, third-party validation ranks high. That’s what influencer tours provide – that “outside-looking-in” perspective – that is then shared with peers who trust influencers’ opinions.

Influencers from the Texas and Iowa tours noted:

• “I wish people knew that there are many farmers out there who care just as much, likely more, about sustainability than the general population.”
• “The tour has made me think more about labels on animal products and where my meat is coming from.”
• “I wish people not involved in ag could have access to better information about where their food comes from. I also want people to see that farmers and ranchers truly do care about producing healthy, nutritious food.”  
• “I wish I could dump all of the information I absorbed during the tour into my audience’s brains. It was so informative.”
• “I was really impressed with all of the USDA-regulated checks and balances that this industry has.”

The epiphanies are impressive, and the outcome of the tours is, too. The influencer-generated content reached more than a million people. Several tours we’ve conducted, involving 10 to 12 bloggers, have audiences in the multi-millions.

The tours speak to the power of boots-on-the-ground engagement – particularly for a generation that values hands-on experiences and wants to feel they have a voice and are making a difference. I encourage you to download the guide, and watch the tour feature videos and influencer content on BestFoodFacts.org.

Finally, reach out if you’re interested in learning more about tailoring a tour to bridge information gaps, make powerful connections, and earn trust in farming and food production practices vital to producing more food, more sustainably. We’re happy to help.