Dairy Farmers, You Are the Message

[Guest guest]

Dairy Farmers, You Are the MessageDave Lefever, Editor http://www.lancasterfarming.com/node/1087 LANCASTER, Pa. — Guess who's most credible to the public when it comes to talking about important issues in dairy farming. Dairy industry leaders? The state vet? Animal science professors? How about the USDA?If you said nope for all of those and guessed dairy farmers themselves, you're right. That's why Joan Horbiak is passionate about getting her message across to dairy producers: "If you're not part of the story, the public won't have a clear picture of the dairy industry." Horbiak, a media communications adviser for Dairy Management Inc., spoke to a several hundred producers and others here Wednesday morning at the Pennsylvania Dairy Summit. "Every negative question is an opportunity to not

just defend the dairy industry but promote it," she said. Horbiak interspersed her presentation with news footage of farmers talking to reporters about real-life situations. Some of these showed dairy producers making clear, heartfelt statements about how they care for their animals and the environment — interviews that were bound to have a positive effect on the public's perception. At other times, the news story was not likely to paint a positive picture, as in the case of a farm worker who lowered a front-end loader in front of a reporter's camera to prevent them from filming cows. Telling a reporter "no comment" is a bad idea, Horbiak said. Most people will make a negative interpretation of it. Instead, if a farmer feels he or she has nothing to say, or needs time to prepare, the best response is to politely tell the reporter they will call them back. If a farmer turns their back and walks away from the

media during discussion of contentious issue, "it will play on the TV all day," Horbiak said. The result could be harmful to not just that farmer but the dairy industry in general. Horbiak urges calmness when talking to reporters or the public. The hotter and more hostile the tone of the other person, the cooler and calmer your response should be. Clarity is another key. That means staying focused on the message and keeping away from jargon that dairy farmers use daily but the public probably won't understand, such as "TMR" (total mixed ration) or AI (artificial insemination). Even the term "dry cow" has been mistaken for a mixed drink, Horbiak said. "Keep your message simple," she said. "Having a simple message doesn't mean you're simple-minded."For issues of high concern, a sense of empathy and caring means as much to the public as any other factors combined, including competence and dedication,

according to Horbiak. While the number of animal rights activists has burgeoned in the past decade, Horbiak said that a human face and a genuine sense of caring goes a long way toward curbing the anti-farm momentum of groups such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treament of Animals). "A heartfelt message from a farmer does more to stop PETA than any facts and figures," she said. "You need to put a face on an issue and you need to be human." Horbiak called for a unified public voice among dairy farmers, even when it comes to issues they disagree on, such as rbST (recombinant bovine somatotropin). She used a television news clip of a dairy farmer bad-mouthing rbST as an example of a story that could create an overall negative perception of dairy farming. While Horbiak said she respected the farmer's view, she urged

keeping "personal opinion" and "professional opinion" separate when dealing with the public. "Mixed messages breed fear and suspicion," she said.

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