Ag's image problem is a failure to communicate

Art4Agriculture founder and South Coast dairy farmer Lynne Strong put the question to the industry via her blog after Sydney Royal Show when a marketing friend with an outsider's perspective raised the issue of ag's image problem.

The reality is everybody in agriculture has a role to play in how perceptions towards the industry are formed, however, in the words of the Cool Hand Luke character the Captain: "What we've got here is a failure to communicate."

Often it's a case where the public are so disconnected they simply don't know what's right under their nose, which is why it's not only important for individuals in agriculture to understand how to start the conversation, but the industry as a whole needs a funded strategy which puts more trained people and resources between everyday farmers and the public to help engagement.

Some projects exist that are tackling this, but the lack of funding suggests either industry is failing to see the value in such programs or the government is not understanding how this can help grow agriculture.

Sydney Royal is a microcosm of how the city (as a rule of thumb) relates to ag - it's there, but so what?

What makes the Royal special is how many city and country people it brings together in one space, we just need to use it better.

Getting a targeted, positive message across about agriculture should be like shooting fish in a pond, but we're barely hitting the target.

Busy, sleep deprived exhibitors can provide a polite response and occasionally some information about their operation, but this isn't where the industry will get traction.

It needs a focused, consistent message.

The point of connection and how this allows agriculture's message to be absorbed in context is a big issue and needs work.

Outside of the show it's a lot harder to get people to stop and engage as they go about their daily routine.

Agriculture needs an engagement strategy that capitalises on hot spots such as the Royal.

We've led the city to ag with the show, the feedback which sparked this discussion indicates there is a thirst for information, but we haven't yet figured out how to make the public drink.