Sure, you can go to the Minnesota State Fair and take a selfie with your cheese curds, sweet corn and bucket of cookies.
But how about a selfie with a farmer? A #felfie, if you will.
The Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation wants you to snap a picture with the people who grow the food and raise the livestock. Share it on social media with the hashtag #MFBFfelfie before the end of the fair and you've got a chance to win a $50 grocery gift card. (If you're not the social media type, you can also email your snapshot to mfbfstatefair@yahoo.com.)
And you don't even have to wander the fair in search of a farmer. There are #felfie volunteers waiting to say cheese at the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation building at 1305 Underwood Street. Like this:
So far, response has been, well, not exactly viral. There are just a handful of photos with the #MFBFfelfie hashtag on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
"We haven't had a ton of entries, but it's been fun for the people who just wanted to take pictures," said Pam Dahlman, a member of the farm bureau's public relations team. "There's a lot going on the fair."
Social media aside, she said, the point is to give fairgoers a chance to connect with farmers. A study the bureau did in conjunction with the Food and Farm Coalition of Minnesota found that nearly 60 percent of Minnesotans have never met a farmer before.
"We just want to provide that opportunity in our building," Dahlman said.
