More than 60 representatives from more 20 national food and agricultural organizations have agreed to form the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) to focus on working together to enhance U.S. consumer trust in modern food production that ensures the abundance of affordable, safe food.

Rick Tolman, CEO of the National Corn Growers Association and chair of the USFRA Steering Committee, says the new organization represents a start toward a unified voice for U.S. agriculture. “It is only the beginning of a process designed to create a coordinated effort by and on behalf of U.S. farmers and ranchers. Several participants have stepped forward to officially join the Alliance. Others need to return to their boards to determine whether they will join.”

USFRA officially incorporated last week and oganizations have been asked to respond about affiliation no later than November 1. After that date, a board of directors will be established and will elect an executive committee.

Tolman says USFRA hopes to have its first campaign up and running shortly after the first of the year and will be sending out an RFP for a management organization to handle coordination since there are no plans to create a full time staff. He says they really hope to take advantage of the efforts already started by many organizations and coordinate them in a unified way so that consumers hear the same message.

Listen to an interview with Tolman about the new group here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/usfra/usfra-tolman.mp3″ text=”Rick Tolman Interview”]