I come across a social media post almost daily that bashes agriculture and stirs up emotional responses from both sides of the agricultural spectrum. Recently, I was reading through a post about a woman who needed help with her vegan friends’ view on the dairy industry. Want to know what the majority of the responses were?
Something along the lines of, ” Don’t waste your time, people who think like that aren’t worth the argument.”
I used to be the queen of arguing just to argue, not necessarily about agriculture, but almost everything else. I didn’t care about facts, just said whatever ignorant thing came to mind, so trust me when I say,” I get it.” Brick walls are no fun to argue with and it can be very discouraging to try and make a point. However, I’ve since changed, become more open-minded, and a better listener to those with opposing ideas because that’s how our conversation and communications skills improve and are more effective.
The same idea applies to Michelle Miller, founder of Farm Babe, and Dylan Sher, creator of “Before the Plate.” If they hadn’t had open minds about agriculture and hadn’t decided somewhere along the way to advocate for our industry, we wouldn’t have some of the most influential social media advocates of today.
I suppose what I’m saying is that your argument DOES MATTER. We all have to work so hard to counter all those stories we see every day from anti-ag groups and consumers who need educating. Even if it goes in one ear and out the other, we have to let go of our egos and be willing to comment back on posts with helpful and informative words. Regardless of whether that person hears it, many others who were on the fence might read those words and resonate with them.
This includes all social media because, let’s face it, your biggest target is constantly on social media and therefore, those outlets are crucial to reaching a wider range of people and beliefs. A couple years ago, the Alabama state Cattlemen’s association reported about 18,000 people reached daily on their social media pages combined. That’s a small amount of people compared to some celebrity page views, but that’s a great number to continue to build views on. Think about how big their reach has grown since those numbers were last reported.
We need to be active representatives of this industry, no matter how small or insignificant we think our story is.
When I began my journey as a Young Cattlemen’s Leader in Alabama, I spent two days in leadership meetings and it was there I learned a term called, “Anonymous Extraordinaires.” This referred to those people who work constantly behind the scenes of a movement or cause and although they aren’t the face of the movement, they deserve as much credit for the success of it. In many ways, advocates are the Anonymous Extraordinaires of agriculture. It’s because of the dedication of those willing to combat the misinformation and lies spread about the industry that our industry can thrive.
So, I challenge you to comment back on each post you see tearing down our industry. Be humble, kind, and welcoming, but stern, factual and stand your ground. Show the world how passionate you are about your career and why you sacrifice so much for people who care so little. Tell them why Agriculture is so beneficial to this world. Your life and your argument aren’t a waste of time, even when it falls on the deafest of ears. It is crucial to the future and success of our industry. Those who are hardest to educate are the most important to reach. Imagine the passion they have for anti-ag. We must be passionate 1,000 times more passionate than them to reach the people who need to hear it.
It is possible, it can be done. Show a video of your daily life, post an inspiring story, or comment back on that negative post. Making a difference starts with those comments you think aren’t worth your time. Those trivial comments are what brings down our industry and makes us suffer in the public eye. Advocating for agriculture every day is what makes you the Anonymous Extraordinaires of agriculture.
