SPEAK UP FOR AG

1. August 1, 2013 SPEAK UP FOR AG Sharing your pride for Texas agriculture

2. Texas Proud Pride in doing it well. Pride in doing what’s right! • You communicate by what you do! Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

3. Texas Proud But we must change our approach. • OldWay • Deliver messages • “Don’t be silly. Listen to me. I’m right, and you should do what I say.” • New Way • Start conversations • “Here’s how we do it. Here’s why we do it. What are your concerns?” Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

4. Farmers Fight?Farmers Engage! We need to stop talking about “educating” consumers. • Consumers have no interest in being educated. • Instead, we should focus on “engagement.” • Consumers have concerns. • Listening—and engaging—leads to common ground. • Honest, straight-forward and transparent answers build trust. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

5. Farmers Fight? Farmers Engage! It’s very hard to match the emotion the other side brings to the table. Our farm kids can help! • Farmers and ranchers operate at the nexus of two things about which people care a lot: • The environment • What they feed their children • We need emotion and passion of our own. • Our young people studying agriculture are a very good start. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

6. Where We Stand Consumers don’t know much about agriculture. • True, but dismissing their opinion is demeaning. • USFRA survey reveals 72% have “little or no” knowledge about food production. • Avoid “talking down” to them. • Engage by example: “Here’s how we do it on our farm/ranch.” • Tell stories of your personal experiences. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

7. No Ag Code! We speak in “ag code,” and consumers don’t get it. • Take these out of your vocabulary: • “Agriculture industry” • “Agricultural producer” • “Operations” • “Commodities” • This feeds the “factory farm and “industrial agriculture” misrepresentations. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

8. Be Relatable! Replace old jargon with terms consumers understand. • Swap “ag code” with: • “Agriculture” • “Farmer” and “rancher” • “Farm” and “ranch” • “Crops” • Above all, we may be an industry, but that conjures up negative images. We can choose the language. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

9. Connecting with Consumers

10. Agriculture is a Big Tent The Consumer is the Ringmaster Many consumers have legitimate concerns. • They have a right to those concerns and their opinions. • We want to influence the “big middle.” • Join in conversations that are already happening: • Use the information you already know. • Share personal experiences. • Answer their questions. • Don’t be defensive. • Demonstrate pride in modern agriculture. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

11. How They See Us Many consumers still see the red barn and pitch fork. • Consumers love stories of family farms and iconic images of farmers. • But the emotion does not translate to farming and ranching as we know it and they see it. • Local and organic “own” that iconic image. • Consumers think conventional farmers and ranchers are part of “Big Ag.” Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

12. Changing with the Times One-way communication is as dead as a doornail! “I think in the past when people talked about communicating, it was often viewed as kind of a one-way thing—‘I’m talking to you and I know what I’m talking about, so you should believe what I say.’” – Chris Galen, board of directors, U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

13. Changing with the Times Everyone wants a say—and they can have it. • Walter Cronkite says, “…and that’s the way it is.” • But Walter is dead. Everyone wants a say as to “how it is.” • Media is evolving and everyone is a “citizen journalist.” • Farmers and ranchers have been losing this fight by not taking part in it. But that is changing! Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

14. More than Facts We can’t ignore science. It’s on our side. • We also must incorporate emotional, appealing and personal stories. • The old messages are not working. • Food is safe, abundant and affordable. • We have a responsibility to feed the world. • Farmers only see a fraction of the food dollar. • These messages no longer resonate with the media, nor with the public. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

15. More than Facts If the argument is about science alone, we lose! • Use science as a basis, but tell a story about farmers and ranchers. • Use the compelling image of agriculture. • Involve and incorporate our youth involved farming and ranching. • Don’t be afraid of any subject. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

16. Be Texas Proud Be proud of who you are! • I am a family farmer. The vast majority (97+%!) of all farmers are. • I am an FFA member and a 4-H kid. • The environment is very important to me. • Food (and farming) is about choices. • I am passionate about modern agriculture! Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

17. WARNING: Detractors

18. Detractors & Consumers Know the difference. • Detractors believe with religious fervor. • Anti-corporate, “Occupy” mentality. • You will NEVER change a detractor’s mind. • Instead, engage in the “big middle.” • Be patient with legitimate questions and concerns. • Consumers have a lot of conflicting information. • Your calm and patient answers can give them something else, something positive, to think about. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

19. Understand the Detractors They want to shut you down. This is about animal rights. PETA, HSUS and most of the other groups share this goal. Understand that you will not change their minds. Animal agriculture has a right to exist. We will win in “the big middle.” Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

20. Addressing the Detractors Confrontation/Escalation? Assess the situation. Are you talking to a concerned consumer or a detractor? Is there a camera present—hidden or otherwise? Are they looking for a confrontation? Be polite, but firm. Don’t surrender animal agriculture’s right to exist. Think about this before hand. Think about how you might respond. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

21. A Word of Caution What can we do to screw it up? Quite a lot, actually… • Overt abuse of animals. • The subtle abuse of neglect. • Winning at any cost. • Unethical shortcuts to the winner’s circle. • You communicate by what you do, by what you do wrong and by what you don’t do. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

22. Many “Don’t Get It” We’ll have a major embarrassment over this sometime. This embarrassing event is not a matter of if—it’s WHEN! Kids, parents, teachers and schools are forever stigmatized when someone’s mistake or prank “goes viral.” It gives another talking point for PETA and HSUS to use in passing harmful legislation. You are at risk! Ag teachers could be fired. The ethics of showing livestock will be challenged, and it will take decades to recover from it. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

23. Pop Quiz! Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

24. What to Do? Multiple Choice You see a cell phone video on Facebook depicting what appears to be animal abuse with a caption that all animal agriculture should be banned. You should: • Attack the person who posted it and tell them they’re ridiculous. • Comment that animal abuse should not be tolerated, but that animal agriculture is essential to the safety of the American food system and economy. • Show up at their house and confront them. • Counter with a video depicting both youth and adults properly caring for their livestock. • Ignore it. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

25. What to Do? Multiple Choice A parent emails you a blog post written by a reputable author that says there’s a decrease in youth interest in agriculture in the U.S. You should: • Throw your hands up in the air and apply for a job in another industry. • Tell the parent the blogger doesn’t know what he or she is talking about and is just wrong. • Respond to the parent honestly and offer your personal experience with hope for a strong future for the agriculture industry. • Respond to the blogger, telling him or her that they’re wrong. • Offer the blogger examples of how agriculture is alive and well in the youth of today. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

26. What to Do? Multiple Choice You see an investigative news report that shows students from another state neglecting their show animals or paying someone else to care from them. You should: • Share it on Facebook. • Show it to your students as an example of how the actions of a small few can affect the industry as a whole. • Contact a local news station and offer them an inside look at how your students properly prepare for a youth show. • Throw the TV remote. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

27. What to do? Multiple Choice A friend on Facebook consistently posts articles and updates about the superiority of organic farming, often spreading misconceptions about conventional agriculture. You should: • Comment on their post, making fun of organic farming. • Leave a post on his or her wall, pointing out that “all organic” is ridiculously impossible. • Openly discuss the difference between organic and conventional with that friend and others. • Defend conventional practices by posting articles that support modern agriculture. • Point out that Texas farmers and ranchers respond to markets, and there is “room for all.” Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

28. We’re Here to Help Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

29. U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) USFRA offers videos, infographics and resources on topics, such as: Animal welfare Antibiotics Biotech seeds Food choices and prices And lots more! www.fooddialogues.com/foodsource www.facebook.com/USFarmersandRanchers Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

30. GMO Answers GMO Answers, a collaborative online effort, offers answers to questions consumers may have on genetically-modified (GMO) crops. http://gmoanswers.com/ Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

31. My Beef Checkoff My Beef Checkoff offers tips on cooking beef, as well as information farmers and ranchers can use to promote beef in their area: www.beefboard.org Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

32. Texas Farm Bureau Resources from Texas Farm Bureau: TFB’s Website www.texasfarmbureau.org TFB’s Facebook Page www.facebook.com/TexasFarmBureau TFB Twitter Account www.twitter.com/TexasFarmBureau TFB YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/TexasFarmBureau Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

33. Moving the Needle Things to remember: • Be proud of agriculture. • We are not an “industry.” We are farmers and ranchers, living on farms and ranches, growing crops. • Don’t be defensive or belligerent. • These attitudes and concerns are here to stay. • Make the time. • Use the tools. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

34. We are “Texas Proud of Texas Agriculture” Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

35. Texas Proud of Texas Agriculture A partnership of Texas ag organizations, 4-H and FFA. • The young people we have in agriculture are one of the most compelling parts of our story. • 4-H and FFA students are being given the tools and training to speak out on behalf of agriculture. • Not confrontational, but telling their stories. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

36. Start a Conversation Help the kids understand and use these resources. • Farm radio • Public speaking • Issues teams • Facebook page • Livestock shows • www.texasproudoftexasag.org Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

37. Start a Conversation This is a marathon, not a sprint. Conversations can take place in many places. • Livestock shows and expos • Student displays and events • Online – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest& YouTube • Service clubs – Kiwanis, Rotary, Optimists & Lions • At the coffee shop or dorm • With the “mainstream” media Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

38. Connect. Inform.Influence. A partnership of Texas ag organizations, 4-H and FFA. • We must ALWAYS be willing to ENGAGE in conversations. • FFA and 4H already have the content! • The potential of these young folks involved in these conversations is virtually unlimited. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

39. QUESTIONS?

40. Contact Us Amanda Hill, APR Jessica Domel Associate Editor Field Editor Texas Farm Bureau Texas Farm Bureau ahill@txfb.orgjdomel@txfb.org (254) 751-2237 (254) 751-2398 @AmandaLHill @JessicaDomel Texas Farm Bureau Presentation

41. Texas Farm Bureau Presentation