Where does the food on your table come from?

(BPT) - Is the food we're eating healthy long-term? Is the planet able to sustain the amount of food we're producing? Americans are asking questions and thinking more critically when it comes to the food they eat. They want to know where it comes from, how it's grown and produced, and what effects this process has on our health as well as the health of the planet.

Through a new organization, the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), food producers have launched a movement to open up a dialogue on www.fooddialogues.com, inviting everyone to the table for an honest and robust exchange of opinions about American agriculture. Farmers and ranchers from across the country are actively participating in this ongoing online conversation to learn people's concerns about food and to share their personal stories.

On the site there are several options for learning more about your food including an online forum and video section. The series of videos offers insight into the types of questions being asked by typical American consumers. In one, Alyse Pellegrini, mom of two, asks "How could you make me feel better as a mother, knowing that what I'm buying is safe?"

Pig farmer Scott Long recognizes the concerns of families and consumers: "The most important thing is the health of the animals. My family eats the pork that I would sell to you. We are accountable for everything we do."

Regina Alexander, also a mother, wants to know, "What are you doing that is different from the previous generation?"

According to Dino Giacomazzi, a fourth generation dairy farmer, who works on developing environmentally and economically sustainable solutions on his farm, "One of the really cool things about being a dairy farmer in this age is our understanding of nutrition, and as a result of this we have much better health for the animals. We exist off of the land and so constant improvement is the only way we can grow and make sure that it is available and still working for the next generation."

There is so much more that Americans want to know about their food. If you have questions and want honest answers about where your food comes from, visit www.fooddialogues.com. Also, check out U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance's Facebook page to join the conversation and to read and post questions.