"If we farmers don't tell our own story someone else will," says Joe
Swyers, a dairyman and panelist at the Professional Dairy Managers of
Pennsylvania's Fall Issue Forum on November 10th. "And that someone else
is probably not telling the truth about production agriculture."
Joe and his wife, June, operate an 1,100-cow dairy in Dansville, N.Y. Last
year, Swyers became concerned when he learned that Michael Pollan's "The
Omnivore's Dilemma" was part of his 8th grade daughter's school
curriculum. After having no luck talking with his daughter's teacher or
principal about his concerns, Swyers convinced the school superintendent to
give him a chance to offer the students another perspective of the food system.
Joe, and other dairy producers who have found ways to connect with consumers,
will share first hand experiences and tips they've learned along the way in
directing discussions about food production back to the center at the PDMP Fall
Forum in Lancaster County.
More and more, we are being told that consumers need to hear directly from
farmers about where their food comes from. "Much of the information
consumers receive is coming from a sophisticated activist-driven movement that
relies on myths and misinformation disparaging America's farmers," offered
Kay Johnson Smith, President of the Animal Ag Alliance and scheduled speaker at
the 2017 PA Dairy Summit.
Farmers can and should have positive conversations about their livelihood, but
for some, it may be intimating to talk about some of those issues being used to
drive consumers toward eliminating meat, milk and eggs from their plates seven
days a week. PDMP's producer panel will share their own experiences on
connecting with consumers through various platforms. Topics will range from
inviting non ag consumer onto the farm with tours and open houses, going out to
community groups and schools, starting a blog, and even just having
conversations on the sideline of youth sports or in the dairy section of the
grocery store. Tips will be given on how to answer consumers concerns about
topics such as GMOs, alternative beverage labeling, antibiotics and more and
resource stations will offer attendees take home tools to get started or expand
their communications with consumers.
After the networking lunch that follows the morning program on Nov. 10,
attendees will visit nearby Oregon Dairy as if they were non-ag consumers. The
Oregon Dairy Family will show PDMP attendees how they move consumers through
the operation and what messages they try to get across at each stop along the
way. Attendees will also be shown Oregon Dairy's compost operation, which is
not on the public tour but which has further connected the dairy to consumers
while helping diversify the family business.
For more information on the program and registration, go to
pdmp.org/november-issue-forum-and-pdmp-annual-members-meeting or contact
registration@pdmp.org or 877-326-5993.
Advanced registration is suggested; registration fee of $100 for non-PDMP
members and $50 for PDMP Members is required for registration and includes the
lunch and farm tour. To register, call the PDMP Registration Office at
877-326-5993 or go to the Events page at www.pdmp.org to download a
registration form. Producers who become members of PDMP for the first time in
2017, will be registered at the member rate for the November 10th Issue Forum.
The 'Fall Issue Forum' is part of the Professional Dairy Managers of PA's
ongoing commitment to offer top-quality educational programs to help improve
the productivity and profitability of the state's dairy industry. Attending
workshops such as these help producers keep abreast of the latest technologies
and management techniques, and provide important networking opportunities.
Registration for this packed program are kept low with the support of sponsors
including: Cargill Animal Nutrition Consulting Services, Dairy Farmers of
America, Ecolab, Innovative Dairy Nutrition, Land O' Lakes, Phibro, Select
Sires, TechMix, Udder Comfort, and White Horse Construction.
With the program sponsors, PDMP Premier Partners also help to keep registration
affordable for dairy producers: Acuity Advisors and CPAs, Elanco Animal Health,
King's Agri-Seeds, Lancaster DHIA, AgChoice & MidAtlantic Farm Credits,
Land 'O Lakes, Merck Animal Health, Murray Securus, Mid-Atlantic Dairy
Association and TeamAg, Inc. Support from the Center for Dairy Excellence and
the PA Dairymen's Association is also instrumental in PDMP initiatives.
Source: USAgNet