Agriculture needs to quit beating the “we need to educate our consumers” drum.
There.
I said it.
Do we need to continue offering information about what we do? Yes.
Do we need to engage in conversations about agriculture? Yes.
Do we need to LISTEN before cramming the story we want to tell down someone’s throat? YES.
A hashtag has become popular on social media asserting, “Ag Isn’t the Problem,” but let’s face it, folks, sometimes it is…
Now hold on, I understand the sentiment behind the popular hashtag. The long hand version would read something like, “United States agriculture is not the problem you have been led to believe it is by off base studies and global data sets that don’t take into account the efficiency and sustainability of agriculture in the United States, however, we could probably make some improvements at home and certainly make an impact globally.”
That doesn’t look as cute on a t-shirt, though.
When I say sometimes agriculture is the problem, I mean we have harbored and cultivated a toxic, combative “us versus them” mentality that quickly devolves and comes out in nasty ways when a conversation actually has a chance to occur.
I was pretty disappointed this weekend to read a rant from a rancher in our local cattlemen’s association. He criticized everyone who had moved to his town in the last 20 years because they (apparently) have ruined everything, forced predators onto his land, and made his way of life nearly impossible. While the rant itself was disheartening, as he is supposed to be a leader in the community, the comments agreeing with him turned my stomach.
Those blame placing rants only further this self-imposed alienation farmers and ranchers already face.
We love to harp on about how “people are so many generations removed from the farm,” and “no one has any idea where their food comes from,” and “we need to thank farmers and ranchers because they work 365 days a year”, but when was the last time you sat down and listened (REALLY listened) to the questions or concerns a consumer has?
Have you ever reflected and realized they might have a point or some of their concerns are a real opportunity for improvement?
How often do you open your doors to give people a hands-on feel of what goes on at your farm or ranch?
Have you ever given someone a chance to tell you what they are curious about? Or have you been hitting the same talking points and buzzwords for the last decade?
We live in a world where simply selling something at market is no longer enough to stay viable. Niche marketing, forming connections, and revealing the process are the ways of the future and keys to marketing today, whether you like it or not.
If you insist on digging your heels in, saying agriculture isn’t the problem, refusing to change, and beating your “we need to educate consumers” drum, I think you will be left far behind.
I’m a ranch kid at heart. I get how hard of a lifestyle it is and how many legitimate (and terrifying) challenges there are, but it’s one we choose. It is a beautiful, fulfilling livelihood, and we are blessed to be involved in the production of food and fiber, but we need to quit patting ourselves on the back. Instead, let’s put that hand to use reaching out to make some connections outside of our own echo chamber.
