RED DEER – If it takes a car to help Alberta city residents get smart about where their food comes from, then that is a publicity stunt farm groups are willing to pull.
The nine members of the Alberta Livestock Industry Development Fund have developed a website and newspaper campaign to tell people about the different areas of livestock production and how eggs, dairy products, beef and pork end up on store shelves.
To sweeten the deal, the group is organizing a draw on a diesel Smart Car.
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The website at www.whatsonyour
plate.ca has received an average 65,000 unique hits per month since it started last year, said group spokesperson Dawn Ius.
Visitors to the site post about 100 questions and comments a month and all receive answers.
The tone is humourous while delivering serious messages in five minute videos featuring Alberta farmers. The emphasis is on sound management and thoughtful animal care with a strong dose of family values.
Viewers learn that Alberta farms may be large but are owned by families, often several generations at a time.
“The key message is family farms,” Ius said.
Edmonton actor Donovan Warkum plays Daniel Smart in the videos, interviewing producers on their farms so they can explain what they do each day.
A new video is launched on the website each month. Along with the interviews, pop-ups appear on the screen with extra information and farm trivia.
The newspaper campaign features two half page articles written for an urban audience that appear each month in the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal. One article focuses on an issue such as animal welfare or environmental care while the other is a producer feature.
The campaign cost $500,000 and started running last year. The car was introduced this year and will be given away at the end of the year. People can enter on the website or with tickets wherever the car appears.
