Communication a Two-Way Street
By Trent Loos

Can anyone disagree with the notion that food producers must do a better job of telling our story to consumers? But exactly what story are we going to tell?

I just concluded one of the most enjoyable and rewarding weeks I have ever had as a speaker in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. I spoke with county economic development groups, an ethics class and hundreds of cattlemen. The week ended at the Mid-Atlantic Beef Symposium, a gathering of over 300 cattlemen from seven states. I must say that I have never attended a meeting where such a diverse group of independent-minded cattlemen that had such a unified voice.

An enlightening discussion was held with the 40 students in an ethics class at West Virginia University. Of these 40 students, only 12 had an agriculture background. We entered a dialogue about how and where food is produced. The vegetarian in the group brought up the ethics of killing animals for food. We covered issues such as the use of hormones and antibiotics and “factory” vs. family farms. No one topic in regard to food production seems to generate more negative sentiment in this country than term “factory farm.” The most common image conjured up by this phrase is that of a large assembly line style building with no attention given to the needs of individual animals. I have explained time and again that regardless of the number of animals in one system, the amount of attention each one receives has never been greater. All of the issues generated by the students pale in comparison to the issue that was brought into focus after visiting with cattlemen at the symposium. I left that meeting feeling a tremendous sense of unity. The attendees were mostly cow/calf operators with some who were direct marketing natural products. There were a handful of backgrounders and several who retained ownership on cattle that were now on feed in the Midwest. Despite varying roles in the industry, they were all interested in telling the story.

I felt no dissension between big vs. small operators. There was no bitter dispute about contributing to the research and promotion of the products they produce. They agreed in their resistance to unnecessary regulations and labeling laws. I left the east coast wondering why there was so much more unity in the east than in the Midwest or West.

Many in the crowd were startled when I told them that the beef check-off and country of origin labeling were frequently mentioned at the Animal Rights and Environmental conventions I had attended. These anti-ag groups have realized that they can utilize these issues as a divide and conquer technique to their own advantage. The biggest problem that livestock agriculture faces is that some in our own ranks have assisted these activists by pecking away at the establishment. Any time we attack a segment of our own industry, we are attacking ourselves and fueling our own demise.

Positive things have come from splintered groups within our own Ag community. For instance, people who have not previously been engaged in the dialogue have now become involved. I only wish we could air our differences in the proper venue and not contribute to the exodus of food production in the United States by supporting anti-ag terrorists and boosting the level of uncertainty felt by some consumers.
The answer to our problems lies in unity. That is not a new statement but it is so true. I am reminded of the words from Martin Niemuller "In Germany they first came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Trade Unionist. Then they came for me. And by that time, no-one was left to speak up." He spent seven years in a Nazi concentration camp as a result.

It may be that these Mid-Atlantic cattlemen are better at presenting a unified voice because they are surrounded by consumers. They are very concerned about the urbanization of their area. How arrogant can we be? We have long voiced frustration about the disconnect between farmers and consumers but perhaps they are not the ones who are disconnected, but we are. We have too many farmers and ranchers who don’t understand how our customers think and when we attack the establishment they take it literally. Everyone in food production undoubtedly has a similar goal. That goal is the continued careful use of our natural resources to generate the essentials of life. We simply need to be better at understanding what our customer thinks about how we do that. We may not agree on every issue – that is what makes our industry a great one. It is made up of stubborn, independent, creative individuals. But we must come to the realization that if we don’t put forth a unified front, we are setting up for our own failure. As noted in the motto of Bluegrass state, “United we stand, Divided we fall.”

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