Farmers have always been leaders, whether among their peers or leading the next generation. Agriculture has made the U.S. great; however, there are those that seek to see conventional, and even organic, animal agriculture end.
Agriculture is how we support our families and bring jobs into rural economies. Farmers, we have a big role to play today. Only 2% of the U.S. population is feeding the remaining 98% according to data from the American Farm Bureau Federation. Consumers want to know where their food is coming from and that we are doing a good job. Consumers still trust the American farmer.
Studies conducted in 2001 through 2010 show that 95% to 98% of people are buying non-organic foods. That’s about 95% of people who are either neutral or fully supportive of using technology to produce their food, Elanco’s Jeff Simmons wrote in, “Making Safe, Affordable and Abundant Food a Global Reality.”
Why am I bringing up these facts? Because it’s time we step up and embrace advocacy.
The American public wants to know where their food is coming from; this is not something that we can continue to ignore. Groups like PETA and HSUS will and are telling the story of agriculture, especially animal agriculture. If we do not take responsibility for telling the story, the American people will lose the right to choose when grocery shopping.
What’s an Advocate?
So, how do you become an advocate? Take a minute and think about what you could do to support a cause like agriculture. Did you think of getting up in front of large crowds, standing behind a podium, and lecturing on the science and benefits of agriculture? If you did, you are not alone. This is how I once thought we needed to advocate. I’ve learned there are quieter, less nerve-wracking ways to reach the public with our message.
The activists, although loud, make up a very small percentage of public opinion. Be realistic in your advocacy. We probably won’t be able to change the activist way of thinking. But we can reach out to those moms and dads, college students, working professionals like us who just want to make sure they are providing good-tasting, wholesome and affordable food for their families.
It takes all types of farmers to feed America; you will turn off your audience if you attack other styles of agriculture. A conventional farmer should not attack organic farming – just be ready to explain why conventional farming methods are safe and wholesome. The same goes for organic farmers. We are fortunate to live in the U.S. where choices exist.
It Starts at Home
Advocacy starts at home by sitting down to a conversation with our friends and families that have moved away from agriculture and addressing their concerns about antibiotics in meat and milk. A simple explanation that milk is tested at the farms bulk tank, prior to being loaded in the tanker, and again at the plant, may make all the difference. The same is true for meat products. Pork, poultry and beef farmers follow withdrawal times before even sending animals to market, where a random sampling of these animals are done.
People want to be assured when they make choice to purchasing conventionally raised meat and grains that they are not hurting their families. Keep the science to a minimum and use words that they will understand. This is more of an emotional conversation, and we need to flex to our audience.
Get Social
Another form of advocacy is through social media, and it’s not just for the younger generations. There were about 314.9 million active people on Twitter in 2020 and 2.89 billon active people on Facebook, according to Google in 2021.
By posting tweets on Twitter, a central Illinois farmer may connect with a consumer in Chicago. Before Twitter, there would have been no way of reaching this individual with the story of agriculture. Tweets are a short message, but it can start a conversation. If the Uber Driver in Chicago reads the tweet and tweets back, this is where the magic of how everyday advocacy starts.
Meanwhile, Facebook is an invitation platform, making it more protected. A Facebook page I like is Farm Hats. Farmers from across the globe are posting selfies and pictures of their many “hats” or roles in everyday farming. There are many other Facebook groups and pages like this that help show what we do in agriculture everyday.
As farmers, we are leaders and it’s time to take responsibility for telling the story of American agriculture. We must start the conversations. People want to hear about the families that are producing their food. I challenge each and every one of us to take a look at our busy schedules and find a few minutes each day or week to become and agriculture advocate in any way that works best for us.
If you can get someone to say, “I’ve never thought about it that way,” you’ve made an impact.
More from Farm Journal’s PORK:
4 Keys to Prevent Animal Activist Attacks in the Wake of a Disaster
People Play a Key Role in Influenza Control
African Swine Fever Virus Mutations May Pose Detection Challenges
