Our second gathering for the AgriPower Institue through Ohio Farm Bureau was in Findlay, OH for two and a half days. We were not far from my hometown so the boys got to spend a few days with Grandma and Grandpa J in Bowling Green! (If you missed the session 1 run down of AgriPower check it out here).
During some public speaking trainings in session 1 we were tasked with creating a 5 minute speech about anything we’re passionate about and to be prepared to present it during session 2. We started off by getting that out of the way! Public speaking can be very intimidating. I’m not sure why after many years of practice starting in 4H, through FFA and all the way through college at OSU do I still feel a little bit nervous about speaking in front of a group but here I am. My speech was all about knowing the numbers on your operation – I shared it here if you want to check it out.
We spent time learning about podcasts – the newest and coolest way to get your info these days. I enjoy a good podcast that is focused on a topic but also sounds like an authentic conversation between friends. One of my favorite agriculture podcasts is Midwest Farm Wives with Whitney Larson and Kylie Epperson and my favorite non-ag podcast is The History Chicks. Check them both out if you’re into podcasts.
We dove deep into the science of communication. In agriculture we get a lot of push back because we’re always presenting the facts about why we do what we do. There’s nothing wrong with showing the science behind why we do something the way we do but we have to be aware that the consumer doesn’t always care about the science. It’s really not at the front of their mind. Ever. The consumer makes a large percentage of their buying choices based on price and emotion. As the producer and as the agricultural industry we have to transition to presenting the science and how it impacts us, our families and our farms. We need to stop leaving it as just the facts but add how the facts affect our family operations and goals.
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