Educating the public about the day to day on the farm is a daunting thought. But in today’s world of misinformation coming from social media and the news media, it is important now more than ever.
It is no secret that the available land for agriculture use is shrinking around us at an alarming pace. What is also alarming is the number of people that are so far removed from agriculture and they have no knowledge of how the agriculture industry works. People believe what they see on the internet and the nightly news and they will take that as fact without doing any research into the topic.
There are a lot of new people moving into traditionally rural areas. In Northwest Arkansas, the population rose 2.3% from 2023 to 2024 and Northwest Arkansas is the 18th fastest-growing metro in the U.S. Cities like Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and others are booming and prompting regional efforts for development including housing and infrastructure planning.
In Northeast Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas, there is a legal battle going on in the poultry industry that has been going on for 20 years. How many in agriculture are aware of this legal battle? It is safe to say it has been a hot topic lately and there is a lot of misinformation floating around that the non-agriculture public has strong opinions about.
The legal battle going on in Oklahoma affects everyone even if they are not involved in the poultry industry. And it comes down to the public’s perception of what we do and how we do it.
One hundred years ago, the population understood agriculture and had a reasonable grasp on it even as cities were expanding. The industrial revolution saw a shift in the labor force towards a factory system of labor which transformed largely rural, agrarian societies into industrialized, urban ones. Rapid urbanization brought about overcrowded cities which resulted in pollution, inadequate sanitization, lack of safe drinking water and overcrowded housing.
Thinking about the rapid population growth in Northwest Arkansas, it would be safe to say that some of the runoff that is headed into the Illinois River Watershed is not solely from the poultry industry. But that has not stopped the public from thinking it is all agriculture related because of the things being reported in the media.
This is where the disconnect in education about agriculture lies. It is up to those in agriculture to help educate the public on things that are happening and getting the truth out there. Most people have access to social media and it is important to use those platforms to educate the public, city neighbors and/or extended family on the truth behind agriculture.
Advocating for agriculture takes time, and for those involved in agriculture, time is a precious commodity. Unfortunately, in this day and time, agriculture education is something that cannot be overlooked or left for someone else to think about. But it also does not have to take up a lot of time.
The ability to utilize social media makes agriculture education accessible for everyone. If you have Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or any other social media page, use those platforms to highlight your day-to-day activities. Engage with people when you are out in public. When we haul our show cattle and stop for fuel, it never fails that someone wants to take a photo. We always take time to talk to people and answer questions. When we are at a show, we talk to the public about our cattle and allow them to take photos and pet them.
Recently, someone that I follow on Facebook made a post about their show cattle and how others in the show industry asked them, ‘Why do you let them pet your bulls?’, ‘Why do you talk to every kid and offer them to pet your bull?’. Her response: “In the show world you meet a lot of people from all walks of life. Some of which, their idea of beef comes from a store. When folks come to cattle shows, they are coming to look at the cattle. The majority of those people consume beef. Offering to let those kiddos pet ‘a big cow’, opens the door for the opportunity to talk with them and their parents about where their food comes from and how hard we work to provide beef that is top tier. To some people it’s ‘annoying’, to me, it’s the hope that I spark a young kiddo to dive into agriculture.”
This is a great example of being able to educate the public on agriculture and letting them view it in a positive light. Engaging with the public and answering questions about what we do. Having a positive attitude and a smile when someone stops to ask you a question.
We all know that not everything in agriculture is sunshine and roses but giving the public a small look into the day to day and finding positive ways to engage, will go a long way in educating the public. At OFN we hope that our stories and features shed light and education on agriculture and that the public understands how much we love and value this lifestyle we live.
