Women from farms across the country, along with state and national staff, came together last week for this year’s CommonGround Summit. Over the course of two days, attendees participated in experiences that built skills, sparked insights, and fostered ideas that will empower the volunteers in their efforts and energize the program as a whole.
Through presentations from experts and group exercises, participants and honed the skills that they use to share their personal story. Highlights included a look at Building Bridges on Tricky Topics with Roxi Beck of the Center for Food Integrity (CFI) and a consumer panel featuring a diverse group of local moms, led by Allyson Perry, also of CFI.
The diverse group of local consumer moms shared their concerns and the personal experiences that influence them, in an open, honest manner. As the moderator and volunteers brought forth questions that scratched beneath the surface, the common concerns that bother families everywhere and underlying values that make us more alike than different became apparent. The conversation brought forth noticeable themes such as the desire to stretch hard-earned dollars, to create quality time in hectic schedules and to do what is best, as best as possible, for each member of their family.
“Through my work with the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), and with the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, I already respected and supported CommonGround. Meeting volunteers from across the country and seeing their passion for supporting agriculture brought the program to life in a way that deepened my respect and appreciation,” said NCGA Member and Consumer Action Team Vice Chair Dan Nerud, who was also in attendance. “The support and collaboration I saw among four generations of farm women makes me excited to see the impact CommonGround will make well into the future.”
Conference offers the volunteers and staff a chance to share experiences gained through program participation over the past years, including the unique insights gained and innovations made since the last conference in March of 2019. This cross-pollination and grassroots-focused approach allows efforts to grow and innovate to meet the moment.
CommonGround is a grassroots movement to foster conversation among women — on farms and in cities — about where our food comes from. Developed and supported collaboratively by the National Corn Growers Association, and state corn and soy associations. Since it began more than ten years ago, CommonGround has created more than 1.5 billion touchpoints through the grassroots efforts of more than 200 volunteers.
Want to join the CommonGround conversation? Find out more at findourcommonground.com.
