Farmers Need To Advocate For Animal Welfare

www.agrinews-pubs.com
Whitney Cole
2010-05-07

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The group gathered at the Indiana Milk Quality Conference spent almost two hours listening to various presenters talk about the situation that faces them as agriculturalists in the animal welfare debate.

But what should each farmer do about it? How do they become advocates that can help advance their cause and express the concern and compassion they have for their animals?

That’s where Laurie Richards, president of LR&A Inc., a professional coaching company, started her presentation.

“I believe it’s not enough to be good at what you do if you can’t communicate that to someone else,” she said.

When a producer or anyone involved in agriculture finds themselves in a situation where they have the opportunity to talk about what they do for a living, Richards said there are four questions to ask before engaging in a conversation that could become difficult.

First off, she said, make sure the person or people being spoken with are worth the time to join in a conversation. Richards said folks such as family, friends, community, media and politicians are all a part of the groups that should be worth it to the producer.

“Once a person takes a position on an issue, you’re unlikely to change their mind,” she said.

The second question to consider is if the producer can make a difference. Richards said there are three audiences for nearly every issue: the folks who will support the issue no matter what, the folks that will never support the issue and the people who are somewhere in the middle and on the fence.

“Those are the ‘sort of’ people. Those are the people who will listen to you and who you can sway,” she said.

The next question is: are the opponents correct in their statements?

“And if they are, are you prepared to deal with that,” Richards summed up. “If you aren’t prepared for that, maybe this isn’t the role for you.”

She urged everyone to get involved in some sort of political action committee, support the Political Action Committees that support agriculture and to introduce themselves to their local, state and national political leaders.

Richards also encouraged everyone in the room to ask questions of the groups they belong to about what the group supports.

“Are we giving money to groups that don’t support what we do for a living?” she questioned.

The same thought applies to a person’s 401k, mutual funds or other investments. Richards said it often is worth the time to check into where those dollars are going.

She also said it is a good idea to do a few little things, such as getting rid of sarcastic bumper stickers.

“I know it sounds silly, but think about it,” Richards urged. “What’s your gut reaction to a sarcastic bumper sticker?

“It’s usually either a, ‘yeah, that’s right,’ or a ‘well, that’s just stupid.’ It gives people a reason to like or dislike you without ever hearing anything you have to say.”

When dealing face-to-face with someone who is making accusations, she encouraged producers to take three steps to a good response. First, acknowledge what the person said and then share the good news and finally talk about the future.

For example, Richards said, if someone said, “there sure are a lot of those factory farms in Indiana,” an advocate’s response might be: “There are a lot of large farms in Indiana, but the majority of them are run by families who have owned the property for many generations. There is a great need for an increase in food over the next 50 years, and I am thankful those farms will be there to provide it.”

“You have to be able to respond and stay calm,” she said, “no matter how you feel about the person or the statement they’ve made.”

Overall, she reiterated that honesty is the best policy.

“You should tell them to truth, but you don’t have to tell them everything you know,” she said. “The faster your heart beats, the less your brain works.”


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