No such thing as a free lunch? Think again. Michigan farmers are offering residents a chance to win enough money for a person to enjoy a free breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for a year through its innovative and interactive sweepstakes, "Free Groceries for a Year!"
Michigan residents can register for a chance to win one of three prizes, each worth $5,000 in groceries, by watching videos at the Michigan Farmers Feed Us site. The site features apples, cattle, corn, dairy, egg, hog, vegetable, sheep, and soybean farmers from across the state, each sharing information about his or her farm and family.
In addition to guiding visitors at the site through their registration for free groceries, each of the 10 farmers offer viewers a bit of trivia about their farm and a brief video tour where contestants can learn how each farmer produces safe, nutritious and affordable food.
"The goal is to connect the farmers to the consumers directly (with information about the source of food) because there are so many people that are generations removed from a working farm," says Annie Link, a third-generation farmer who works on her family's homestead, SwissLane Dairy Farm, in Alto and is among the featured farmers.
"If the farmers aren't doing this, there are opportunities for myths and misunderstandings. That's not good," says Link, who's great-grandfather, Switzerland-born Fredrick Oesch, started the farm on 84th Street with a purchase of 91 acres in 1911. "I think this program is a step in the right direction to connect the consumers to the farmers and get this information. We're very excited about it. It's getting quite a buzz."
In addition to educating the public, contest sponsors hope to increase the public's awareness of the important role agriculture plays in Michigan's economy. Most people don't realize the industry is the second leading industry in Michigan, second only to manufacturing, and contributes over $71 billion to our state’s economy, Link says. "It gets overlooked. I think a contest like this is going to really help it (gain a greater profile)."
Consumers can register with each of the 10 featured farmers daily through the end of the 90-day program on Feb. 12. At the sweepstakes' conclusion, three winners will be randomly selected with one winner each chosen from Detroit and Grand Rapids and a third winner from outside both of those cities.
The contest is sponsored by a coalition of about a dozen organizations who will work with each winner to determine their preferred grocery store, and then purchase $5,000 in grocery gift cards from those stores.
Source: Annie Link, SwissLane Farms, Alto; Farmers Feed Us website
Sharon Hanks is the innovation and jobs news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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