Dairy farmers need to know about crisis communications just as much as any other business. Those attending the Alltech Global 500 Peter Kerr, KerrComm, address this topic and provide meaningful ideas for how to cope with it. Peter is a communications consultant and he presented a very positive message about turning a negative situation into an opportunity.
He discussed how the critics of agriculture who often present very misleading or inaccurate information are successful by having very well crafted messages. Farmers need to be equally prepared so they can use opportunities to teach and present truthful information. I like his idea of also being prepared to use new communications channels like social media as vehicles to deliver that positive and truthful message. He also suggests that farmer consider consulting with a communications professional. On a final note he made a point of being truthful even if the negative publicity you may be dealing with is because of a problem on your operation. Be prepared to tell your story and what you’re doing to change things. Good advice!
You can listen to my interview with Peter here: Interview with Peter Kerr