Farm-to-table dinners connect customers with agriculture

Dinner on the farm is an everyday occurrence for many of us. We live and work on our farms, so naturally that is where we enjoy our meals.

For customers, dinner on the farm is a trend that is increasing in popularity to help them connect with their food and where it comes from. These events often highlight many local foods and the talent of local chefs.

The Maxwell family of Cinnamon Ridge Farms, an Edge member in Iowa, hosted their first farm-to-table event in 2017 with an impressive crowd of 110 guests.

“The idea came from videos that I had been seeing on social media,” Joan Maxwell said. “Various organizations like AgChat and Farm Bureau have been telling us to connect with consumers to tell our story since so many others are telling our story for us.”

The Maxwells are no strangers to hosting events for the public.

“In the past, we have had open houses where we invite families to come out and see our robotic dairy farm. However, I wanted to do something classy and I wanted to invite influencers – people who make our policies or influence others on how they should eat – out to the farm. I took this idea to our county Farm Bureau and they agreed to help make it happen.”

The event was invitation-only. Personal phone calls were made by event organizers, then followed up by email invitations. A week prior to the event, an email reminder was sent.

Members of the local Farm Bureau board were on hand to mix and mingle with attendees. Farm employees and local FFA members helped decorate for the event and serve food. State Sen. Rita Hart was instrumental in helping make the event happen, including assisting with event planning and inviting people. Guests included the Iowa Supreme Court judge who decided the Des Moines Waterworks case, Thomas Waterman, the head of the emergency department at the University of Iowa Hospitals, local and state government leaders and local business leaders.

If you’d like help engaging with customers, please reach out to me at lbrey@voiceofmilk.com.

Joan Maxwell (front) of Cinnamon Ridge Farms speaks to the crowd at her family's first farm-to-table event.