Two California Polytechnic State University students visited Iowa State Monday night to spread the word on the importance of agriculture.

Brean Bettencourt and Mitchell Yerxa are both a part of I Love Farmers…They Feed My Soul, a non-profit grassroots movement sweeping across college campuses. I Love Farmers was started three years ago in response to California’s passing of Proposition 2, which outlined how farmers should house chickens, veal calves and breeding pigs. This overregulation, they said, could force family farmers and ranchers out of business.

“People thought this is not right, and something had to be done,” Bettencourt said.

A devoted group of Cal Poly students got together and decided they needed to spread the word on how important agriculture is, not just to farmers and others involved in the industry, but to everyone on the planet.

To increase awareness among young adults about where their food comes from so they can make informed decisions when voting on matters of agriculture, I Love Farmers has put forth an aggressive social media campaign using Facebook and Twitter. As one of the fastest growing agriculture Facebook groups, I Love Farmers has provided a forum where people can talk and debate about different issues in the agriculture world.

“Our goal is to create conversations about American agriculture with college students and to disseminate materials that will lead them to credible sources of information about food and agriculture,” said Megan Silcott, president of I Love Farmers.

On Thursday, I Love Farmers will be sponsoring a nationwide agriculture advocacy event entitled “WTF — Where’s The Food Without The Farmer.” Students on nine college campuses, including Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, will become “catalysts for conversations,” asking people about their opinions on agriculture. Besides providing credible information about the American agriculture industry, these students will also be handing out free I Love Farmers gear and telling of their own experiences in agriculture.

“In our own rights, we’re all experts,” Yerxa said. “We know what we’re talking about because we’ve lived it.”

“People can tell you you’re wrong, but no one can disregard your experiences,” Bettencourt added.

Iowa State will be participating in the WTF this Thursday. More information about I Love Farmers can be found on Facebook on their page “NEW I Love Farmers They Feed My Soul.” The movement can also be followed on Twitter at @ilovefarmersorg, or at the official website ilovefarmers.org.