Voices for Agriculture: Advocates Advice

As Derrick Josi, a fourth-generation farmer from Tillamook, Oregon, listened to a presentation at a National Milk Producers Federation Conference in Nashville in 2016, one of the speakers said something that changed his life.

Don Schindler, who does social media and digital communications training, told Josi and other farmers why they should be online to tell their story directly to consumers. "If you're not online, somebody else will be online telling it for you and they're not going to get it right," Josi recalls Schindler saying.

Josi has now become an inspiring example of how even one person -- one Voice for Agriculture -- can make a difference.

Two weeks after his Nashville trip, Josi started to write online about his dairy and views on agriculture. Today, the 41-year-old is known internationally. His TDF Honest Farming content includes a website, social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, a book and even merchandise he sells. In 2023, his content reached 211 million people, he says. So far this year he has already reached 90 million people.

Oregon Aglink Executive Director Mallory Phelan says there are several reasons why Josi has been so successful, has so many followers and has had such a large impact. She points to his high engagement with his followers, his authoritative approach as he talks about dairying or agriculture and his consistency with his frequent posts on social media.

Josi answers the curious and sometimes tough questions about what farmers do and why. He says he measures his success by the amount of people who learn about the dairy industry from him and how he helps bridge the gap between farmers and nonfarmers. Josi adds he will research or contact others -- such as commodity checkoff groups -- to make sure he has the facts.

Phelan stresses Josi also doesn't shy away from controversial topics that other farmers might avoid. "He gets some really, really brutal messages -- mean to him, to his family and people in dairy. There's a chunk of people that say 'thank goodness for Derrick', for carrying the torch."

Finding other advocates like Josi to help carry that torch is especially important today.

"We're in a moment in time right now, where people are asking, 'Hey, what are you doing as a farmer to raise the food that I need to eat and feed my family?' Let's take that opportunity and share our story, but in a way that they can understand what it is and why we do what we do," says Woodruff Public Relations Managing Supervisor Cindy Cunningham, who's a former assistant vice president of communications for the National Pork Board.

The following are some tips Josi, Cunningham and others give on how to be a more effective and successful Voice for Agriculture.

START YOUNG. Take part in organizations such as 4-H or FFA. Cunningham says 4-H opened her eyes to what was available for her as a career and she credits 4-H for helping her develop skills to talk about what is happening in agriculture, and why farmers do the things they do.

GET INVOLVED. Look for opportunities such as Ag in the Classroom, or your local Chamber of Commerce, Rotary group or Agricultural Business Council. They can help hone meeting and speaking skills, provide networking opportunities and be a forum to hear from government officials and industry executives. "The Council also seeks to be an advocate for agriculture and agricultural economic growth in this region," the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City states on its website.

NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK. Cunningham says through networking, such as in National Ag Communicators of Tomorrow, you learn who you can reach out to if you have questions on how to communicate. You can also watch others as they communicate about agriculture and the different messages they give. She adds networking is also critical to make sure that you can expand beyond what's happening in your own circle -- and can understand how your message can have an impact potentially across the nation.

DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS. Identify what you would like to learn or skills to build. Practice your audio or video skills on your smartphone, for example. Gain confidence in public speaking by getting involved in a local Toastmasters group, your local Farm Bureau, TEPAP, or your state's LEAD program, if available. The National Association of Agricultural Educators also can help encourage and train advocates.

BE AUTHENTIC. BE YOURSELF. Zach Johnson, 40, known as the Millennial Farmer, is a sixth-generation farmer from Lowry, Minnesota. He uploads daily YouTube videos about his farm; he has more than 1 million followers and 300 million lifetime views since he started posting in the spring of 2016. Johnson says authenticity is important for the content he produces. "If you want to be a voice for agriculture, you have to know what suits you. Find what you're good at," Johnson says. "Be yourself. ... people will sniff it out if you're not being who you are, if you're trying to make points you don't actually believe," Johnson adds.

Josi agrees. "Don't be afraid to be yourself. Because the worst thing you can do on social media is pretend to be something you're not."

KNOW YOUR PURPOSE. Mitchell, South Dakota, rancher Amanda Radke, who hosts "The Heart of Rural America" podcast, says there's always room for more people to advocate for agriculture both personally and professionally. But most importantly, people who want to do this need to know their passion, purpose and reason for being in agriculture so they can then tell an authentic story. "We all have a story to tell, and some are more open to hearing it than others," she adds. "I'm not going to change who I am or what I do to make someone else happy."

DECIDE YOUR AUDIENCE. Determine who you want to reach and what works best for you to reach that audience.

BE CONSISTENT. Decide how often you want to get your message out and the quality of what you do. In social media, it can be daily videos -- or short, effective videos posted three times a day.

INVEST IN EQUIPMENT. Smartphones, tablets, or even computers can be valuable tools, but you will need reliable, fast internet to livestream your message or upload videos. Use a good microphone, avoid the wind, record at high resolution, and watch your lighting.

HAVE PHOTOS, VIDEOS, PROPS. Josi says make sure you can explain what is going on in the pictures and videos you use, whether on social media online or in a speech and PowerPoint-style presentation. Otherwise, you end up spending a lot of time explaining the images later.

FIND MENTORS. Radke says she is thankful for mentors along the way who gave her opportunities to write blogs about her daily life on the ranch, and taught her to stand up for what she believed in. "We need to be fearless champions for the family farm and ranch. I look forward to doing that the rest of my life," she says.

ASK FOR ADVICE. "Don't be afraid to reach out to other advocates and ask for advice," Josi says. "You're gonna run into some that are not going to be friendly. But there are some really good advocates out there that are willing to answer questions."

DECIDE HOW TO MEASURE YOUR SUCCESS. Is it to bridge the gap with nonfarmers? Or do you want to make money or a career from being an advocate?

DON'T GIVE UP. "It's a hard time to be and become an advocate for a sustainable ag future, because of how much is stacked against us every day as farmers," says Michelle Hughes, 31, who advocates for young farmers in her role as the co-executive director of the National Young Farmers Coalition, based in Washington, D.C. "But now is not the time to give up or become demotivated with our dreams for the future, it's time to get creative about how we reach our goals," says Hughes.

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-- You may email Elaine at elaine.shein@dtn.com, or reach her on social platform X @elaineshein or call 402-214-8531

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