A 2021 Super Bowl commercial that extolled the virtue of a world without cows sparked a 3.5-year journey to create a full-length journalistic documentary on what would happen if cows didn’t exist. Alltech’s “World Without Cows” film has been an excellent conversation starter in the film festivals where it’s been entered, says Susanna Elliott, Alltech chief marketing and communications officer.
While the film has been making headway in showing the importance of agriculture to decidedly non-ag-specific audiences, Elliott and a panel of speakers at World Pork Expo emphasized the heavy responsibility of ag literacy needs to be shouldered by many.
Finding the first right step to a big anti-ag issue
Kylee Deniz, executive director of the Oklahoma Pork Council, shared while her state is pro-agriculture in many ways, notably in the state legislature, pork producers still face opposition.
“There is an in-state group that has a lot of contacts with out-of-state groups and they are just doing some of the wildest things. What we’ve experienced is about sow housing legislation — but it’s not really about how sows are housed, it’s about removing opportunities for farmers,” she explains.
They are well-funded and reaching large audiences in the Oklahoman and New York Times. She and her team at Oklahoma Pork Council have had about 50 interactions with this group and says they are trying to create something similar to California’s Prop 12 and Massachusetts Question 3.
“We have our hands full, but we are proud of our farmers. They continue to show up and do the right thing on the farm every day. They open the barn doors to share their farm story because if we don’t, the other story is not accurate,” Deniz says.
Andy Curliss, vice president of strategic engagement for National Pork Producers Council, spends a great deal of his time researching the funding behind anti-ag initiatives. That helps him focus education campaigns to the right audiences.
“It’s hard to compete with that type of money [$10 to $50 million], but when you start focusing on the right audience and who really matters here, that’s how you take it one step at a time,” he says.
Using trust to the pork industry’s advantage
Sharing the good things about the pork industry can feel overwhelming, Deniz admitted, but it’s important to start, whether that’s conversations in your own community or online.
“Everyone has a role in our trust factor as an industry,” she says.
Curliss adds consumers are just humans, and the more authenticity producers can share, the better.
“We should recognize the trust of the American people is there with farming and agriculture. That’s why these groups constantly try to organize. That’s why they need millions of dollars to attack us, but that also puts us in a different posture as we start to communicate. It comes back to being human, being authentic,” Curliss says.
Agribusinesses and associations can help with creating a strong digital presence. A digital presence is so important because “nowhere else do people ask more honest questions than Google,” Elliott says.
The message has to be clear, though.
“Communication hasn’t truly taken place if it’s not understood. We can’t use industry jargon,” Elliott adds. “We are committed to being fact-based and we want to get in front of policymakers, doctors and nutritionists.”
Curliss even recommended industry board leaders taking the next step into politics because they have the knowledge and the issues training already.
The task is large, but each panelist agreed that it’s up to everyone in the industry.
“When I need hope, I go to Arby’s at lunchtime and see the line wrapped around the building. Demand for meat is high, and it’s much more prevalent than the loud activists,” Curliss says.
Discover ways to get involved with Planet of Plenty at worldwithoutcows.com.
Your next read: If I Could Turn Back Time: Farmers Open Up About Learning Life Lessons the Hard Way
