9/10/2014
Ag Literacy
You can be an Agvocate
Regional Women in Agriculture
September 2014
Overview and issues

Ag Literacy or “Agvocacy”

Who’s telling the stories on social media?

Are stakeholder/Extension voices there?
 What
do they know, think they know?

Understanding the changing demographic

Promoting and marketing

Understanding the tools/platforms

Setting up a plan that works

Who is going to do it?
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Generational Divide
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Generational Divide – How we receive,
process and believe information
My Generation +>
New Generations -<

May or may not do social media

Social media is primary

Varying rates of Internet access

Extremely connected

Prefers face to face interaction

Connect via smart phone

Reads newspapers

Does not read newspapers

Varied sources – slower digestion –
news in details

Rapid pace – ease of sharingheadlines

Cautious

Impulsive

Baby Boomers

Millennials and Gen X
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The Credibility Gap
You say …
We keep food
affordable.
Our methods
are proven
safe.
Most
farms are
family-run.
We care about
our land and
animals.
They hear …
Your methods tamper with nature.
At what expense to quality?
We NEED to
produce more to
FEED the world.
We have the
safest food supply in
the world thanks to
the ag industry.
We need a secure
domestic food supply.
But beholden to big processors
and the bottom line.
You will take profitable
short cuts when and if
you can.
You WANT to produce more
to SELL to the world.
You want subsidies and lax
regulations.
Pesticides, antibiotics and hormones
might not be safe in the long-run.
REAL ESTATE: “LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION”
AGVOCACY: “STORY, STORY, STORY”
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How do we tell our story?
Method
Do you…
Websites

Have an “about” feature that includes pictures?

Social Media

Identify one platform that you or a chosen
person can use

Contribute as a guest or contributing columnist

Traditional Media


Ambassador
Speak to schools “career day” or attend local
meetings

Write letters to editors, letters to
representatives

What does your farm or business look like to the
drive by visitor?


Write letters

Appearances
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Who are you?










Greenhouse/garden center
Farmers Market
Creamery
Poultry farmer
U-pick
Orchard
Grow for processing/grain
Events
Value Added/Retail
Agvocate
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Who they think we are
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http://www.factoryfarmmap.org/
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Chipolte’s Original streaming comedy series depicting agriculture as industrial
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Documentaries
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They are not the enemy…

Vegans

Raw food advocacy

Plant-based diets

Vegetarians

Organic farmers and customers
They can, do, and should co-exist with
Traditional agriculture
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Seed Signs
•
Some states not using
•
Makes farm look corporate?
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NOT THIS
THIS!
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MODERN LITERATURE
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Excerpt from “Skinny Bitch”
Of the ten billion animals slaughtered each year in America for human
consumption, the vast majority of them come from factory farms. Factory farms
that raise cattle, pigs, chickens, egg-laying hens, veal calves, or dairy cows
have an enormous amount of animals in a very small space. There are no vast
meadows or lush, green pastures. The animals are confined inside buildings,
where they are literally packed in on top of each other. Egg-laying hens are
crammed into cages so mall, they are unable top open their wings, and their
mangled feet actually grow around the wire mesh floors. This overcrowded,
stressful environment causes chickens to peck at each other and factory farm
workers, so the ends of their beaks are seared off their faces using a hot knife.
They all live in the filth of their own urine, feces, and vomit with infected,
festering sores and wounds. To keep the animals alive in these unsanitary
conditions, farmers must give them regular doses of antibiotics. Half of all
antibiotics made in the U.S. each year are administered to farm animals,
causing antibiotic resistance in the humans who eat them.
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Responding to a negative video/photo
Do
Don’t

Respond

Ignore

Be respectful

Call the poster crazy or a liar

Say the content is upsetting

Don’t question authenticity

Express your values

State this is NOT typical

State how you or your
farm/business do it differently

Post a picture or link
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WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?
AND HOW DO WE TALK TO THEM?
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Resources
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Resources
Center for Food Integrity

http://www.foodintegrity.org/

@foodintegrity
U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance

http://www.fooddialogues.com/

@USFRA Twitter
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Common Ground

Findourcommonground.com
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Ag is America
Agisamerica.org
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Resource Websites

Common Ground www.findourcommonground.com

U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance http://usfraonline.org/

Farmers Feed Us http://www.farmersfeedus.org/

Family Farmers http://familyfarmers.org
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Jayson Lusk

Reveals that all Freshman at
Oklahoma State University are
required – required – to view the
food documentary Food Inc.
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How to add your voice – blog or website

Google eBlogger (free)

WordPress.com (free)

Weebly.com (easy free website or blog)

Create YouTube videos
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Guest blogger for CNN’s
eatocracy
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C.O.P.E. with BLOGS
Google’s e-blogger
WordPress

Free

Free

Easy to use

Premium domains available!

Many themes

Many themes

Can use as a webpage

WordPress Analytics

Google Analytics

Social media sharing/republishing

Social media sharing


Can replace websites if no online
commerce is desired - Esty
Can replace websites –
eCommerce available
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Weebly

Set up a Weebly website

10 minutes

8 pages filled in two hours

Very user friendly

Custom domain names
Are available
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Website should


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Have an “About Us”

Family photos

History of business – old photos
Value statement

Our Philosophy
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Animal welfare, environment

What is important to you and how is it reflected in your business, or farm
Links to everyday life. This could be social media: Instagram, Flickr, Facebook,
Twitter
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Please Google
“Oprah Inside a
Slaughterhouse”
“Mark Lynas Oxford 2013”

Look at who Cargill chose as
spokesperson

Examine how she describes her
business

How does she refer to people who
might not agree with her

Vimeo video

Anti-GMO activist changes mind
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Google

Free email
What do people see or find when they
‘Google’ you?

Free YouTube Channel

Google + (alternate to Facebook)
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Google Business Places

Free eBlogger (Blog or Website)

Google Docs (similar to MS Office
Suite)
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Millennials/Early Adopters/Activists

Activists/Animal Rights/Vegan

Use photos
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Videos
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Not current material
Infiltrating

Hormones/pesticides/antibiotics

Networked

Guilt

Dominate social media
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Scare tactics
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Dominate main stream media

Production Agriculture is evil
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Engaged
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Passionate

Organized

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Oprah / Cargill

Michael Pollan
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Consumers want to know…

Who you are

What values do you have and do you share values with
consumer

Your story
Relationship potential
Your story
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Tools and Platforms
Social Media
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Enter the conversation
What to say
What to do

I understand your concern. I/we are
concerned too.
Post photos!

I’m glad you raised this issue

Facebook

Acknowledge “bad actors

Twitter

Show concern for animals

We produce wholesome food. We
donate to food banks

We look for varieties to reduce
herbicides & fungicides

Family not factory

Blog


YouTube comments

Respond to comments

Tell your story!

Set yourself apart
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been mov ed, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link
points to the correct file and location.
Makes me want Chipolte even more…though I am convinced they put crack in their chicken or something. I’m way to addicted to their tacos!
SHIRLEY: I saw this on TV for the first time last time. I think it played in the middle of the Grammys (which, except for Adele, was terrible.
Makes
meshow
want was
Chipolte
even more…though I am convinced they put crack in their chicken or something. I’m way to addicted to their tacos!
Las
year’s
so good.)
PATTI: That was an awesome commercial!
ANGELA: Here in Ohio Chipolte supported hsus. I won’t eat there. Large farms are most likely family owned.
SHIRLEY: The land may be owned by the "family" . But the equipment, the feed, the animals and the schedules and animal husbandry are
furnished by the corporation. The "family" ends up being high end sharcroppers, at the mercy of fuel and feed cost increases, and all the
other hazards of agriculture. I've been through industrial chicken and hog facilities. I'm glad someone has noticed and acted accordingly.
SUE: Well, I guess I will jump into this discussion. I am torn about my feelings concerning this commercial. I am a poultry famer. The
"corporation" does not furnish the equipment or my schedule. I AM NOT a sharecropper. If am a correct, we all are at the mercy of rising
fuel and feed cost. We work together with our intergrator to grow the healthiest chicken we possibly can. Our chickens and those of all the
growers I know, are treated well. We constantly check them, watch the air quality, water quality and feed quality they receive. We worry
about them and their health. Please check out www.realfarmersrealfood.com. Here is a great quote from that site" It is in the farmer’s own
best interest to see the animals in his charge treated humanely, guaranteeing him a healthy, high-quality animal, a greater return on his
investment and a wholesome food product. No advertising campaign or salesman can convince a farmer to use a system or product that
would harm an animal."
SHIRLEY: Sue, I am pleased with your comments. Do you decide what feed you give your chickens or does it come from the company? Do
you decide what day they will deliver and pick up the chickens from your houses? I congratulate you if you have been able to pay off your
investment in the houses and equipment before they are worn out and fully depreciated.
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Hashtags
To #Hashtag or
Not to
Hashtag…That
is the
question?
http://youtu.be/57dzaMaouXA
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Sort and Search

#GardenChat
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#FarmMD
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#AgChat
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#NetMD
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#FoodChat

#Garden

#FarmDE
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#FoodSafety
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#NetDE
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#RuralMade

#FarmMD

#NetMD
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Tools and platforms
Priority
Maybe

Twitter

Pinterest

Flickr

Instagram

YouTube

Stakeholder blogs

Professional content blogs

Facebook

LinkedIn

Instagram
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Twitter

Microblogging

Mobile friendly

Reporters

Legislators

Younger demographic

Targeted conversations

Photo driven
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Chat it up!
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Twitter Chats

#GardenChat
Mondays, 9 p.m., EST

#AgChat
Tuesdays, 8-10 p.m., EST

#FoodChat
Third Tuesdays, 8-10 p.m., EST
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Flickr

Free with 1T of storage

HUGE SEO driver!

$25 year for no ad pro


Name images with keywords
Do your images show up on Google
search?

Links to websites in descriptions

Link directly to Twitter
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Flickr accounts
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Way to organize & back up photos
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Delaware4h
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Huge driver for website
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Sussexcounty4h
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Can make albums or individual
pictures private, semi-private or
public

Carvelud
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UDcanr

UDExtension
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Thousands see our content every
day

Do not upload camera file names
DSC_101
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Flickr
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One Month – Delaware 4-H flickr
2693
2458
3104
2048
1251
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Flickr success
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Rename everything at upload to keywords
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Tag photo
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Use “description” area to post links to our website on key images
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Great photos >>>creative commons
LinkedIn (B2B – Peer to Peer)
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Instagram

Photo driven

Youth audience

Hashtags!

Simple to use

Comments

Allows re-posts to Tumbler, Twitter,
Facebook, Flickr
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Pinterest
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FACEBOOK PAGES
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Which apple photo is better?
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In Summary

Capitalize on family history and
the land

Photos are powerful

Tell your stories

Offer you location for school tours

Leadership and sponsorship in the
community

Maximize roadside impressions

Blog or keep websites up-to-date

Title your images with keywords

Make corrective, polite comments


Use social media
Nametags and information at
Farmer’s Markets

Write guest columns


Visit schools
Let younger generation help with
YouTube and social media

Create a business or farm YouTube
video

Repeat your logo or develop a
brand
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“You are what you share”
~ C.W. Leadbeater, We Think: The Power of Mass Creativity
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