Communicating those messages to either combat some of the
myths that are out there or to encourage people to be more
curious when it comes to their food,” Harbstreet explains.
Effective Communication
T
hrough her work, Harbstreet interacts with many ag-
riculture organizations and companies. She says many
have hosted great informal, yet educational, experiences. She
cites a recent farm-to-table dinner hosted by BASF as an
example.
“Having some time to have really candid and transparent
conversation with farmers has been so, so helpful for me
personally to understand my relationship with food a little bit
better and to also understand what resources I have from a
professional standpoint,” Harbstreet explains.
A relaxed environment where people can eat and drink
helps people feel comfortable enough to dig into the
tougher questions that may not come up in a more formal,
professional type of setting, she says.
No matter the setting, being open and transparent is key
for farmers who want to share their way of life.
“Saying ‘I can’t speak for the industry as a whole, but this
is how we do it. This is what goes through our mind and the
concerns we have and how we address them’ is effective when
answering questions from dietitians or anyone else interested
in food,” Harbstreet explains.
Don’t Forget Your Heart
W
hile she’s had many positive experiences with the agri-
culture community, Harbstreet has experienced some
cringeworthy attempts at outreach.
“My clients, they’re human just like anybody
else. So the foundation of their decision making
is still that very visceral or emotional reaction. I
think it is helpful in some cases to have things
like data or numbers or facts, but at the end
of the day, even in light of that information,
we’re pulled by the storytelling piece of it,”
Harbstreet reminds farmers.
“Sometimes there can
be this formality
involved in these
conversations
where we have
the evidence or
we have the proof that
this works, but it doesn’t
really dig into that emotional
aspect. There remains a
disconnect.”
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streetsmart.rd
FOOD FOR THOUGHT DIETICIAN
CARA HARBSTREET OFFERS ADVICE FOR
FARMERS LOOKING TO CONNECT WITH
DIETICIANS AND THEIR CLIENTS ABOUT FOOD.
T
he letters after her name give Cara
Harbstreet a unique vantage point.
“The credentials that I have are MS,
RD, LD. That refers to my master’s
degree, RD is registered dietitian,
and then licensed dietitian is LD. Most states
also require licensure in order to practice as a
dietitian,” Harbstreet explains.
Her training as a dietitian isn’t the only thing that has
shaped Harbstreet’s point of view, though. Due to social media
connections and events around the country, she’s been able
to spend time with boots on the ground visiting farmers who
grow the food products she talks about every day.
Getting to the Farm Gate
H
arbstreet has found her sweet spot now, but she wasn’t
always passionate about food and where it came from.
She admits, even among dietitians, her career path has been
nontraditional.
Although Harbstreet grew up in a rural area, she says
her understanding of agriculture was minimal, at best. In
college, a class called World Food and Agriculture helped
her discover a curiosity in food and nutrition. That spark
ultimately led Harbstreet to change her secondary art
education major and pursue training as a dietitian.
After earning her credentials, Harbstreet was invited
on a farm tour by Kansas Farm Bureau.
“That was one of the first instances where I
was having these face-to-face conversations with
farmers. I was just fascinated, hearing the stories
and the background and connecting it to what I
was talking to my clients
about nutrition-wise,”
she recalls.
Harbstreet has
been on many
farm tours since,
and her job looks
a bit different
than she first
imagined. She doesn’t work
in a hospital or see patients one-on-
one. In fact, she has a home office,
and Instagram is a tool she uses
daily.
“It’s much more on the
communication side of things.
Illustration: Brian Taylor
20 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | August 2019 Portrait: Provided by Cara Harbstreet
c o n n e c t i n g YOUR FARM
By Natalina Sents, Digital Content Manager
Cara Harbstreet
