A video from the Idaho Preferred website featuring Hillside Grain in Bellevue, Idaho.

1. Program detail

BOISE — The Idaho Preferred website has gotten a makeover, and the state’s farmers are helping out by telling their stories.

The state Department of Agriculture program so far has sent a professional photographer to 59 farms and ranches to shoot stills or videos. That need became apparent during the overhaul of the Idaho Preferred website, re-launched in early September.

“We knew something had to be done,” said Anne Struthers, an ISDA marketing specialist for Idaho Preferred. “We need to tell stories about the people behind food production. It resonates with the consumer.”

“And it’s an opportunity to showcase our members,” said Marketing Specialist Erica White, whose work areas include digital marketing.

They said the content can be expanded — such as to show a crop’s stages at different times in the growing season or to provide opportunities for how-to or behind-the-scenes images. Program staff contribute photos and videos. Member farmers and businesses have full access to content.

White said a south-central Idaho mill got many more visits to one of its social media platforms soon after Idaho Preferred posted on-site videos. The program aims to get more videos about its members.

Struthers said discussions at member locations among the food producer, photographer and staff often help show if the story is best told through photos or video. The idea is to tell about the person, and how or why he or she is doing something, rather than just showing a process or object.

“Members can utilize Erica and Anne,” ISDA Deputy Director Chanel Tewalt said. Many often don’t have the time or resources to take on these projects themselves.

Most Idaho Preferred members have a social media presence. Some use their member page as their website, which is allowed and helps drive traffic to the program’s site, officials said.

ISDA Market Development Division Bureau Chief Laura Johnson said the redesigned website and additional member-focused imagery and content mean “producers are front and center. And for consumers, it’s easier to find local products.”

As of Sept. 30, Idaho Preferred had 344 members, up 10% from a year ago. Struthers said there is an opportunity for substantial growth partly because consumers are interested in locally produced food.

Annual dues are $50 for members who don’t change a product and $100 for those who process, craft or materially change something. Restaurants and retailers can join for free.

Idaho Preferred says it aims to identify and promote food and ag products grown, raised and processed in the state. It was started in 2002 with a USDA grant.

White sees more opportunity for marketing cooperation among members, such as when they offer products that are complementary or that originate from different parts of the state.

Johnson and Struthers said Idaho Preferred events remain important, whether in person or virtual. Sessions with chefs or retailers, for example, can help a member get a product into a restaurant or store, or show the buyer opportunities to expand an existing relationship.