Florida Dairy Farmers recently partnered with the PIE Center to examine Floridians’ perceptions of agricultural water use. Pleased with recent PIE Center research results that show the public’s overwhelmingly positive perceptions of farmers, Florida Dairy Farmers showcased the study in its quarterly newsletter.
Florida Dairy Farmers partnered with Florida Farm Bureau and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to commission the research.
Florida Dairy Farmers vice president of communications Noel Perkins said the PIE Center provides valuable services to farmers and agricultural and natural resource organizations.
“PIE Center research plays a key role in helping members of our organization not only understand Florida’s agricultural issues, but also further gain insight into the public’s perception of these issues and how they affect consumer behavior,” Perkins said.
The newsletter featured graphs and information from the PIE Center’s study on the perceptions from the public and policymakers about agricultural water use, and was distributed to
dairy farmers throughout the state.
“The PIE Center research was funded by farmers, and our newsletter serves as one of many 
communication vehicles used to share information with our farmer funders and others in the agricultural industry,” Perkins said.
The study revealed that Floridians strongly believe that farmers protect Florida’s natural resources, such as water.
Dairy farmers in Florida are working to improve agricultural practices in order to be more environmentally friendly, along with the help of Florida Dairy Farmers and similar organizations, Perkins said.
“In fact, several Florida dairy farms – most recently Alliance Dairy in Trenton, Florida – have been the recipient of the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Award for their outstanding practices and environmental innovations,” Perkins said.
Florida Dairy Farmers represents more than 130 Florida dairy farmers and works to improve the image of the dairy industry.
The organization also acts as a channel for communication to many different people involved in the industry.
“Our role is to help facilitate the sharing of information among our farmers, industry advocates and organizations that support sound environmental practices,” Perkins said.
