Have You Let Your Voice Be Heard?

I recently went to a restaurant in downtown Indianapolis with four friends, who are all involved in agriculture. While looking at the menu, we saw the wording, “farm-raised beef” and “locally raised” and chuckled. When the waiter came up to get our order, one person in our party asked him, “Isn’t all beef farm raised?” He replied that the restaurant is supplied with beef from a farm located northwest of Indianapolis. He did a really good job answering the question.  

 

There are a lot of different ways to label food products - start a conversation!
Photo courtesy: Esquire.com

 While my friend’s inquiry was sincere and non-aggressive, the waiter could have been embarrassed or thought we were trying to get a laugh at his expense. What I noticed was no one in our group tried to tell the waiter about livestock, crops or agriculture, not even me. All five of us just sat there and remained silent, listening to the waiter, when we could have sparked a conversation about agriculture.

 

What have you done to defend or promote agriculture to someone who might not be familiar with it?

Do you communicate with others about their perceptions and opinions or only communicate your own or keep to yourself? Even though we have different roles in the industry, all of us wear the hat of an agricultural communicator. We have countless opportunity to share our knowledge and technical skills with others outside of the profession – our friends, family, co-workers, etc. – about the industry.

With all that said, next time you have the chance to share with the industry we are all passionate about – do it!

 

Best,

Logan Britton