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“We need ethical reflection, not extremism,” renowned author and film maker Shawn Lawrence Otto told the crowd of food and farm industry leaders gathered for the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 11th annual Stakeholders Summit.
Sixteen expert speakers explored the theme “Real Farmers Real Food: Celebrating Tradition and Technology” during the two-day conference held in Arlington, Virginia. Presentations helped attendees ensure authenticity in telling their unique agriculture story and encouraged the entire food chain to unite and embrace innovative consumer outreach efforts.
Who is the best person to share agriculture’s story? I am a firm believer that farmers’ best spokespeople are actually themselves. And more than ever before, the public is hungry (no pun intended) for information about where their food comes from.
Thankfully, the Internet has made it easier than ever before for farmers and ranchers to highlight the importance of what they do with folks thousands of miles away. Blogs are a very popular way for people to learn and share. More than 345 million people read blogs hosted by Wordpress.com, a popular blogging platform, each month.
Editor's note: The following article is part of monthly columns series for the Progressive Dairyman Extra e-newsletter. This update is provided by Animal Agriculture Alliance Communications Director Sarah Hubbart. To submit a question or comment for Hubbart, leave a comment below or click here to email the PD Web Editor Emily Caldwell.
Consider these statistics: • If Facebook were a country, it would be the world’s third largest. • A new member joins LinkedIn every second. • The second largest search engine in the world is YouTube. • 90 percent of consumers trust peer recommendations – only 14 percent trust advertisements. • There are over 75 million more people playing Farmville than there are real farmers in the U.S. (Click here to see the source.)
Picture this. You’ve decided to take a quick mental break from your work day by logging on to Facebook. You’re minding your own business, just scrolling through your news feed, when – BAM – it hits you.
Your second cousin from the big city has posted the latest anti-animal agriculture video to hit YouTube, courtesy of an animal rights group.
Do you want to speak out for agriculture but aren’t sure where to start?
Have you ever wanted to respond to a news article that didn’t quite get the facts right about modern agriculture? Do you seek ways to keep your farm secure from “undercover” activists?
