Storyteller

Last night, I was up working on a presentation about how farmers can use the internet to connect with consumers.  It is I believe strongly in, and although it is awkward to start putting yourself out there for the world to see and judge, it has been a completely positive experience for me.  It allows me to tell my side of the story to a broad audience, not just the people I see every day.  On top of that, I have the opportunity to gain confidence and learn about what people from different backgrounds think about farming.  Some is negative, and some is positive, but people generally like farmers and generally mistrust the industry.  

When I was writing the presentation, the real goal is to get people to educate about agriculture.  To have understanding between those who produce and those who consume.  Farmers often shy away from the public relations side of their businesses because it is a soft skill, not something that can really be added to the net income, although it does seem more than happy subtract. As an individual person, a farmer doesn't realize how far their voice can reach.  And we need to take the initiative to do it.  

Only about 2% of the US workforce is in agriculture.  That means at least 98% of the population does not have hands on experience of what it is like to be on a farm.  But 100% of the people have an opinion about it.  The first place they look for information is the internet.  And the first articles that come up on the search engine about "Where my food comes from?"  aren't always the ones that contain the most factual information.  Basically, if we aren't telling our story, someone else is more than happy to do it for us.  We won't have a say in how it unfolds, who are the heroes, and who are the villains.

We need to be honest about our position, and our shortcomings.  I don't think anyone would say farming is perfect, all technology is good, and that there is no room for improvement.  But as farmers, we do the best we can with the information we have.  A lot of good has come from changes we have made to satisfy consumers in the past, and we must be willing to make more changes in the future.  We aren't necessarily farming like our grandparents did, "uphill in the snow, both ways" but sure aren't farming like our children will be either.  We can't get too attached to present situations and prevent our story from moving forward.  We have made so much progress in production, and we are capable of making similar progress in public relations.  All we need to do is get started.