The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) is a major national organization geared to improving public trust in U.S. production agriculture and assuring that the voices of farmers and ranchers are being heard in public discussion of food and food production.

Now the alliance is launching its producer-focused Web site, www.usfra.org. The National Pork Board is one of 46 commodity organizations and agricultural businesses supporting the efforts of the alliance.

Most of the alliance’s efforts will be directed toward helping those who influence decisions about food – food retailers and restaurants; chefs; journalists; medical professionals and others – understand how today’s farmers and ranchers go about their jobs of raising food.

However, the early efforts of the alliance are directed at acquainting farmers and ranchers with the alliance and its objectives, and to enlist the help of farmers and ranchers in spreading the message about today’s agriculture and its production practices.

The launch of the Web site coincides with a series of advertisements that were run in agricultural publications and broadcasts under the heading, “We’ve raised just about everything but our voices.”

“I’d encourage all pork producers to check out www.usfra.org,” says Dale Norton, member of the National Pork Board and Michigan pork producer, who sits on the USFRA board of directors and its executive committee. “We all have a role to play if we want to have a seat at the table when everyone from Oprah to the manager of your local grocery store is talking about food in a way that impacts our future. The Web site is a good place to begin getting involved.”