Consumers Don't Want To Talk To Me, They Want You

Generations two to five of our family on the same farmstead

I told this to a customer a few months ago and it stunned him.  It's the truth though.  To non-Ag types I am not a "reliable" source.  I sell Monsanto products, I am the purveyor of herbicides and GMO's.  Forget that I have a degree from a well respected agronomy program at Purdue University, I had advanced genetics, botany and plant pathology, and several chemistry courses, and I am a 7th generation farmer.  Don't get me wrong, I have tried having conversations about agriculture with friends and family. It's never ended well.  I'm always civil and use just facts trying to get them into terms they can relate to and understand. 

My wife and I in the tractor cab this fall

It really boils down to how far most are removed from the farm and how they receive information.  It's also a generational issue, Millenials, Generation Y and X receive news and information from the internet.  Mom's trust other moms not people like me.  In fact, it's proven that they will trust other moms writing blogs more than they trust anyone else.  http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/12/survey-moms-trust-blogs-and-peers-over-government-sources-for-food-info/#.UyEWo4Wuo4w

The people they want to hear from is you, the farmers.  They trust you more than the government and scientists.  In most of their views the government and respected scientists can be bought by the large chemical companies.  This is why we are told not to call you producers, you are farmers, that's the
term they recognize and feel comfortable with.  In their mind you have a pitch fork in one hand, raise animals like our great grandparents did, and you plow fields with a team of horses.  That's what is shown to them from the time they are children.

This takes me back to a few months ago, sitting in that farm office.  It shocked my customer so much we had a 30 minute conversation on why I should be the one talking to people not him.  "You know the science behind this stuff, and you aren't biased on what company or trait we use," he told me.  I know this as well, but they don't want to hear from me.  They trust you, and that is why your message is so important.  People from country backgrounds are typically reserved about government and the rest of the community.  We are hesistant to talk to others about what we do, we mind our own
business, we have done this for years, and if the government passes another law we just work that much harder to follow the rules.

This is one area where we can't just turn our cheek and say it won't affect us.  There has been an increasing scrutiny of what we do regardless of if it's warranted or not.  The last 5 years has seen one attack after another on agriculture and it isn't going to get any better.  People like the Humane Society of the United States, PETA, and others won't just go away.  Unless you tell your story we will see more people blindly back them.

So what can you do?  Be kind and courteous to people talking badly about farming.  If you can't answer their questions feel free to contact people like me who can get you the answers and break down the science behind the products we use.  The most important thing is tell your story.  Don't correct them, tell them how you do what you do and why.  You can start a blog like several successful ones there already are online.  Use social media like twitter and Facebook to connect to young generations.

Two really good examples are:
     Dairy Carrie                                       Brian Scott
http://dairycarrie.com/                   http://thefarmerslife.com/

I think this is the most important issue facing agriculture right now.  It's up to you to defend what you know and love.  Farming is a way of life that we love and most don't understand.  Your passion and knowledge of what you do is the best way to show people why we are doing the right thing for the security of their food supply.