Effectively Communicating Agriculture: How to Talk to Anti-Ags.
This past weekend, I traveled to Bozeman, Montana, to the Montana Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer & Rancher Conference. I’ll be presented a workshop with a lecture titled “Effectively Communicating Agriculture: How to Talk to Anti-Ags.” Below is a written version of my workshop.
What is the public’s perception of ag?
I’ve learned a lot from old ranchers and farmers, but they haven’t learned a lot from me…it’s not that I don’t have valuable information to share with them, it’s that they don’t care or have time to hear what I have to teach.
Anytime I bring up curating a positive perception of the ag industry and why it’s important to do, I always hear the phrase ‘well…it doesn’t matter what they think, they need us to eat.’ Yes, that’s logical and accurate — but it’s becoming less and less true by the day.
In a study conducted by the Center for Food Integrity (CFI), it was revealed only 30% of respondents “strongly agree” farmers take good care of the environment.” 60% were ambivalent.
“They’re just not sure farmers are doing enough,” CFI reported.
To me, that’s ridiculous. Obviously, farmers take care of the environment, we’ve being farming this land for thousands of years, we must be doing something right. How on Earth could 60 percent of respondents have mixed feelings about farming professionals who work in, on, and around dirt every single day taking care of their land?
The answer, “big is bad” according to CFI.
I don’t tell you this to get off on an ag and the environment rant, I tell you this to provide an example of just how little consumers trust agriculturists.
PETA, HSUS, Farm Sanctuary are planting the bad ag seed when in reality, there’s no bad seed to be planted. American Farm Bureau reports that 98% of farming in the U.S. are classified as family farms, but those anti-ag organizations don’t tell you that.
65% of CFI study respondents say they are hungry for more information about agriculture. We have to get the truth out and create a positive public perception of agriculture before anti-ags do.
Why is a positive perception of ag important?
Now that we've established we need a positive perception of ag, let's talk about why it's important.
Without agriculture we’d all be naked and hungry. However, the public doesn’t always think that way. There is such a disconnect between agriculture and the public that it’s no longer common knowledge to consumers where their food comes from. The problem is not that the public no longer needs agriculture; the problem is that they don’t know that they need agriculture.
And they think this way because anti-ag organizations use arguments such as…
“We don’t need animals, we can create alternative proteins!”
Imitation or lab grown meat isn’t the solution, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Although these efforts (despite your opinion of fake meat) will contribute to solving world hunger, it’s not the end all, be all solution.
“You can save the environment by going vegan!”
Veganism is another proposed “solution” we often hear as to how we plan on feeding everyone in the world. However, it’s not a sustainable diet and is virtually impossible to do correctly. Animal products are hidden in so many random things, it’d be impossible to completely stop using animal byproducts.
“Farmers and ranchers are only in it for the money!”
How many of y’all know a farmer or rancher who’s bragging about having a “good year” financially? There are none.
Agriculturists didn’t choose their profession for the money — if they did, they wouldn’t be farming or ranching.
“We can quit raising livestock and just allocate all pastureland to crop production!”
Not all land can be used for crop production. Using Northeast Texas (where I grew up) and South-Central Montana (where I live now) as an example: in my hometown we can grow cotton, corn, wheat, soybeans…up here, you could potentially do that in some places but not in mass quantities. Different terrain has different uses, and it’d be impossible to grow crops on every square inch of land.
Furthermore, if we quit: what the heck would we do with all the animals? It’s not like livestock would quit naturally breeding to one another. Our animal population would grow, significantly, with grazing areas shrinking — it makes no sense.
Bottom line: there are 7.9 billion people in the world who need agriculturists of all shapes, sizes, colors, and specialties to survive. However, if the public doesn’t approve of our practices, agriculture as we know it may come to an end.
I say again: we have to get the truth out and create a positive public perception of agriculture. Because those anti-ags are spreading blatant lies about agriculture, and they don’t have our best interests or the consumer’s best interests at heart...they have their propaganda at heart.
Can we change the public’s perception of ag?
YES! By effectively communicating agriculture.
It’s a universal ag communications goal to plant the seed of food truth from a young age, however, that hasn’t always been a mission of ours. In 2021, we have to do major recon from the mess that PETA, Cowspiracy, and anti-ag influencers have created. Anyone with knowledge of agriculture can do it, and I’m going to tell you just how you can…
***Disclaimer: this is based off my experiences and the experiences of my colleagues. This has not been properly put through the research ringer, if you know of a graduate student who may be interested in conducting research on this topic, please let me know I will literally be their research assistant for free.***
I have found success in engaging with anti-ags by…
Forming a solid first impression: As with all walks of life, a good first impression is key. If someone gets a bad taste in their mouth about you when you first meet, that bad taste never really goes away. Even with anti-ags, you need to make sure you have a strong, non-intimidating first impression.
Having a good mix of professional and personal banter: Agriculturists often have a hard time “dumbing down” the science behind our agricultural practices. Although we need to give off a professional demeanor for the public to take us seriously, we can’t be so professional that what we say goes straight over consumers’ heads. A good rule of thumb that I learned in some ag communication classes in college is to write (or in this case, explain things) at a fifth grade level.
Creep: Specifically, online, you need to “creep” an anti-ags Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter profile before you even begin a debate with them on the internet. You need to know who you’re dealing with, what organizations they support, what their stance is on other hot topics. Do your research before you hit “send” on a social media comment, it’ll help you better understand the person you’re debating and what information they may come at you with.
Have valid sources: A valid source is: reputable, unbiased, and timely (published within seven years of citation). If your source is invalid, you’re argument invalid. I will elaborate more on this later on.
Double and triple check spelling and grammar: There is nothing more belittling then spelling a word wrong in a Facebook debate. Your opponent will most likely correct you and you will look like an idiot, for lack of a better word. You want to come across as intelligent and like other consumers viewing your interaction with an anti-ag can trust what you have to say. A silly mistake like a misspelled word or incorrectly used term can be detrimental to your credibility. Check your spelling and grammar a thousand times before you engage with an anti-ag online, because
Most importantly, be WARM…
WARM is an acronym I came up with that has the four main characteristics you need to be when interacting with anti-ag activists.
W – Well Informed
Be sure you’re well informed on the topic you’re planning to discuss or debate before you even engage. You need to know that topic like the back of your hand and have valid sources on deck with links. Valid sources include government organizations such as the USDA, FDA, and EPA, as well as most educational institutions. Invalid sources include Wikipedia, blogs, opinion pieces (like this blog post), and, as much as it pains me to say, most industry backed studies…this is not to say Farm Bureau or NCBA is not a good source, however, if you can site a government organization before these organizations, do it — anti-ags believe the ag industry is biased, meaning they won’t trust ag industry organizations.
A – Approachable
If you are not approachable you won’t even be able to have a conversation, you need to have a warm and welcoming personality; not cold and off-putting. You need to project an attitude that’s warm and inviting. People need to feel like they can be intellectually vulnerable around you — they need to be unafraid to ask questions.
A popular saying right now is “ask a farmer/rancher, not Google.” If we really want consumers to come to the source, we need to display an approachable, inviting attitude.
R – Respectful
Just because you don’t agree with someone doesn’t mean they’re stupid. Everyone is intitled to their own opinion whether it’s the same opinion as yours or not. It’s simple, we learn it before we even begin grade school — follow the golden rule. If you call someone entitled, liberal, bum be prepared for them to call you a ignorant, redneck, inbred, arrogant hillbilly
Respect is the secret ingredient to having a productive conversation or debate.
M – Mindful
Know your audience, know what they need to hear and how to word it (don’t go over their head). Figure out whether you’re communicating with a 75-year-old grandpa who is getting his granddaughter to actually make his venomous Facebook comments or the gen z granddaughter.
On top of that, know when to stop. It’s so easy to go back and forth with an anti-ag, but at some point, your debate becomes pointless and repetitive which just makes you look like a fool.
Know who you’re dealing with and know when to stop dealing with them, I promise, it’ll make your time engaging with anti-ags significantly more productive.
If you take anything away from this blog post or the last, it’s that anyone can advocate for the ag industry.
Take a photo while you’re feeding cows this winter, share it to Facebook, and explain what kind of grains you’re feeding and why.
Visit with your local high school FFA chapter about how you and other agriculturists in the community can showcase ag careers and answer student questions.
Strike up a five-minute conversation with a consumer near the meat cooler at the grocery store and tell them what makes a good pork chop.
It may sound crazy, and it may be out of character for you, but anti-ags are doing all these things to further their propaganda. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from vegan influencers or PETA, it’s that all is five minutes of your time to change someone’s opinion about agriculture — and they’re capitalizing on it, so it’s our job to reverse the mess they’ve created.
Anti-ags are proudly standing on their soap boxes and screaming “AG IS EVIL!” at the top of their lungs. It’s our job to take their hand, help them down, and explain to everyone they’ve misinformed that ag is not destroying the planet; the economy; the health of mankind…it’s saving it.
