Last month, a popular website called TheDailyMeal, posted a list of the top fifty most important people related to food in the United States.

The idea behind the making of the list, according to Colman Andrews, editorial director of TheDailyMeal, was to choose people who "directly—or have the ability to directly—affect what and how we eat."

"Some," the article explains, "wield a traditional form of power, like the key figures in the governmental agencies concerned with the economics and the safety of our food supply; some have more ephemeral might, like the media stars and public figures who sway our food opinions and stimulate our appetites today but might well be gone tomorrow."

So, with such an extensive list comprised of several niche categories, we were surprised to find that one major player didn't even make the cut.

The American farmer—who dedicates his life to feeding a population of 300 million—is nowhere to be found on a list of those who have influence over what we eat.

Instead, the list is stacked with celebrity chefs like Jose Andreas-who we hear makes a mean sea urchin ceviche with hibiscus, but has never had to worry about producing enough food to feed a nation. And tech gurus like Steve Jobs-whose revolutionary iPhone apps might be able to tell us the caloric value of every item in the store, but not how it got there.

The political celebrities also have some clout it seems. Michael R. Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Foods at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) comes in at number 11, while New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg is close behind at 27.

While we see the connection—the FDA is responsible for implementing policies and regulations throughout the food industry, and Mayor Bloomberg has developed a reputation for being a dietary regulation hawk—we can't help but think that this "power" would be nonexistent, if it weren't for full-time U.S. farmers who grow the food that these people then critique.

"In the food world, the people with power are...admirable consumer advocates - who tell us what we should and shouldn't eat, sometimes upending whole industries in the process," the article says.

That may be the case, but just because people tell us what we should and shouldn't eat, doesn't necessarily mean that they know what they're talking about.

Take Suzanne Somers, for example. She recently wrote her 20th book, Sexy Forever: How You Fight Fat After Forty and has since engaged in a whirlwind media tour promoting her dietary "expertise," claiming, "When you inject meat with antibiotics, the antibiotics get into your gut, eat up the happy bacteria, which leaves all the bad stuff. The bad stuff starts to feast on the lining inside the gut, eventually eats little holes in the gut. Those toxins, which should be neutralized in the stomach with hydrochloric acid, leak out now and that's how people are getting autoimmune diseases - MS, fibromyalgia, lupus."

Not only is this laughable to any person who has ever grown up on a farm or in an agricultural community, but to just about anyone who has eaten beef in their lifetime. Further, the functionality of it "seems to counter seventh grade biology."

"There are no real levels of antibiotics in our meat," said large animal veterinarian Sean McKim. "If by some chance there were infinitesimal levels of antibiotics in your hamburger, it would be such a low level that it would not alter the microflora in your gut at all."

Ms. Somers may be an accomplished actress and a New York Times bestselling author, but a food expert, she is not. Yet for some reason, we seem to have developed an association between celebrity and knowledge, when sometimes, the loudest is not always the one worth hearing.

So, instead of taking our cues from this year's top 50 celebrities, why not rely on the 210,000 men and women who spend a lifetime growing food from the land? The next time you're on Twitter, search for farming organizations. Pick up the phone and call your cousin in Iowa. Or, email info@thehandthatfeedsus.org.

We'd be happy to answer your questions. Or put you in touch with someone who can.

See the full list here.