Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) will offer a specialized training to help dairy farmers create a proactive communication plan with the use of social media strategy to increase reach and visibility. The training, part of the Dairy’s Visible Voice curriculum, will be held 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 10 at the PDPW headquarters in Juneau, Wisconsin.
Participants will learn how to define a farm’s communication objectives and draft a plan for ongoing community relations, using common tools such as social media. At the end of the training, participants will understand what it takes to build public trust and increase two-way communication about a dairy farm’s activities.The trainer for this session is Renea Heinrich, public relations counselor with MorganMyers, a communications firm specializing in food and agriculture.
Heinrich’s presentations will be enhanced by two special guests who have experience in both proactive and crisis communication situations:
- Dairy Carrie, a popular “agvocate,” will share her experiences communicating with the public, activists and some well-known fast food restaurants through her blog, “The Adventures of Dairy Carrie.” In addition to her blog, Carrie is a farmer on a 100-cow dairy with her husband and in-laws in Lake Mills, Wisconsin.
- Gary Conklin, dairy farmer and owner of Conklin Dairy in Plain City, Ohio. The Conklin family experienced an undercover animal abuse video in May 2010. Conklin will share his insights for being proactive and transparent during an on-farm crisis, as well as the value of planning before a crisis.
“With increased scrutiny on the food system from media and consumer groups, dairy producers must be prepared to communicate in a sincere and professional manner,” says Shelly Mayer, PDPW executive director. “Knowing when to extend and stop dialogue is the key to effective crisis communication.”
To register for the April 10 training session, contact PDPW at (800) 947-7379. PD
—From PDPW news release
