A busy hotel on a busy street in one of Alberta’s busiest cities is as good a place as any to talk about agriculture. That’s what more than 1,000 farmers, agrologists and other ag-minded folk did at FarmTech in Edmonton Jan. 25-27.
Global perspectives, local knowledge was the theme, and plenty of both were offered and shared.
Members of the agricultural media were there to report on developments but on the last day, the tables turned. Conference participants asked questions of the media instead of the other way around.
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My ag media colleagues and I heard appreciation for our reporting, in both print and broadcast, but also an observation that we preach to the choir.
Farm media do a fine job of reporting on farming to farmers, they said, but urban Canada needs a better understanding of agriculture in general. What can be done to make it a greater part of daily news fare?
There’s no easy answer. In days of yore, most daily newspapers had agricultural reporters. Then, as the number of farmers shrank and Canada became more urbanized, the ag beat was rolled into business coverage. At the same time, many media organizations reduced staff, making it difficult for any multiple-beat reporter to keep current on agricultural issues.
Now, agriculture has to compete for ink and airtime with all other urban daily business-related stories. Only the really “big” agricultural news stories, often those involving disasters, tend to make the cut.
How to manage this, and inform urbanites about farm news, good and bad?
Farm media had this advice for farm groups. First, take the initiative. Figure out the message and the target audience. Develop a News release
news and determine where best to send it.
Keep the message simple and emphasize what’s new. Tell how the development affects farmers and especially how it affects consumers or the wider world.
When reacting to a problem or disaster, designate a spokesperson who is available to all media at virtually all hours.
Choose someone who can explain things simply and clearly, someone with patience because they’ll have to explain it more than once.
Ag media colleagues Bruce Barker of Top Crop Manager, Jack Howell of Call of the Land, Janet Kanters of Alberta Express and Caitlynn Reesor of 790 CFCW had much more to say, as did I, but of course this space has limits.
It was a pleasure to serve on a panel with them and realize our shared enthusiasm for reporting on agriculture in all its diversity, complexity and dynamics.
