Sarah Wilson is a Farmer on a Mission. She and her family farm in North Dakota and she has experienced first hand how people perceive agriculture. Fact: most Americans are at least three generations removed from the farm. And these new urban dwellers do not understand where our food comes from.
This is very important as the agriculture industry is desperately short on qualified talent in the industry. How to recruit and retain employees is the key topic being discussed this week in Minneapolis, MN during the annual AgCareers.com HR & Food Roundtable. With the negative perceptions many people hold about ag and the outright bashing of modern agriculture, Wilson first became an AgVitist and today she is an AgVocate.
But why should the human resources industry care about agvocacy? Because as they struggle to engage new talent, all people working in the industry need to share their personal stories and talk about the great things happening to help recruit and retain employees.
Today Wilson said the negative messages are spreading because humans fear what they are not familiar with and the anti-agriculture industry is selling fear and guilt about food choices. She said activits are attacking the moral fiber of the ag industry. So Wilson is asking people to become an AgVocate.
What’s the difference between AgTivist and AgVocate? They both share stories about ag but an AgTivist tends to share stories within the industry; whereas, AgVocates share their messages outside of the industry: in schools, at church, at their kids extracurricular events, on airplanes and more.
So here are a few tools to become an AgVocate.
- Share your personal story.
- Communicate your message in an easy to understand manner.
- Harness your influential power.
Learn more about becoming an AgVocate in my interview with Sarah Wilson: Sarah Wilson, Farmer on a Mission
View the 2014 AgCareers.com HR & Food Roundtable photo album.