We become quite familiar and comfortable with the natural rhythm of the seasons, with what we come to regard as predictable ebb and flow, with the frozen landscape of winter giving way to thawing and warming, and the re-emergence of life all around us.

But in this modern age of the 24-hour news cycle and a social-media universe occupied by millions of citizen journalists, there are always issues that rise to prominence on any given morning. Each day, the sun rises on the possibility that you, your company or your industry is at the center of a media storm. It is entirely possible that what you dread, or even what you desire, will have taken center stage overnight. And you have to be prepared to deal with that possibility at any time.

We all know that change comes more quickly these days, and it is nearly impossible to predict the what, when, where and how. The “who,” today, is everybody, because the public has thousands of channels through which news, information, and, sometimes, misinformation flow.

The list of possibilities is endless, and probably includes things you haven’t even thought of yet. What is most important is the approach you take to inspire confidence among the consumers of the world. It’s been said that, in this age of instant information, the minute a trend is widely disseminated and recognized, the time is ripe for some other trend to begin.

As we move from issue to issue, it helps to demonstrate a consistency of approach and a guiding set of principles that shape your decisions, and to have solid, proven touchstones that stand up regardless of the issue.

I had the opportunity to speak recently about one such proven touchstone, the Jersey Fresh branding program and its spinoff brands, and how they provide a steady base upon which the promotion of New Jersey agricultural products is conducted.

I was speaking to the State Affairs Committee of the national Grocery Manufacturers Association as they gathered in Princeton, NJ. The GMA represents the people who make a vast number of the products you’d find in your local grocery store. New Jersey companies that are part of the group include Campbell’s and Progresso Soups, and Seabrook Farms, which specializes in frozen vegetables. The State Affairs Committee includes representatives from all over the United States, and their focus is on how to ensure that state laws and proposed laws don’t have a negative impact on their industry.

As I was making a point to them about the difficulty of trying to legislate demand for certain products, I thought back to my days (roughly 40 years ago now) as a grocer in Southern New Jersey. I recalled how, in those days, you as a grocer had no choice but to stock the national brands — the ones being the most heavily advertised, thus making them the ones consumers wanted and asked for by name. The widespread broadcast of information, primarily through television, drove consumer decisions about what foods — and, even more, which brands — they sought out.

The “locavore” and “foodie” movements have turned that model on its head. These days, consumers take far more time and energy to think about what they are eating. They seek out products — both fresh and processed — that come from places close to their own homes.

And they are not shy about making those desires known to those who purvey food, be they supermarkets, restaurants or institutions, while this has made the advertising of widely distributed products to a broad consumer base through national campaigns on television much more of a challenge.

Certainly, there is an acknowledgment of the locavore movement in the media. The trend has continued and grown by leaps and bounds. Now, not only do grocers want to tout the “local-ness” of their offerings, but so do restaurants, and pretty much any other venue where food is served.

Here, in New Jersey, we launched a program 32 years ago that consistently seeks to promote the agricultural products grown in the Garden State. Starting with fruits and vegetables, this new Jersey Fresh program had the ambitious notion of being not only an advertising vehicle for New Jersey produce, but also one that seeks to ensure high-quality products through a “quality grading” program that insisted on produce advertised as Jersey Fresh meeting certain standards.

Over the years, the concept expanded to include not only produce, but also seafood, dairy, and processed products (which can carry a Made With Jersey Fresh label if they qualify as having a percentage of local ingredients.)

It even expanded into non-food items such as nursery stock (Jersey Grown) and equine (Jersey Bred). Our state’s wineries got on board with Jersey Wines, and we’ve recently had our first Made With Jersey Fresh beer produced.

When consumers see the Jersey Fresh label, there is no doubt that the products bearing the established brand come from New Jersey producers whose products pass the highest test.

Douglas H. Fisher, New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture.