The real conversation connects producers with the community
03 February 2012
As the red meat industry faces increasing calls from the community to be more transparent about the activities we undertake to produce beef, sheepmeat and goatmeat, the most powerful advocates for the livestock industry are livestock producers themselves and the individual stories they have to tell.
MLA Manager Industry Integrity Communications, Deborah Leake, said MLA had already been actively communicating about the industry to Australia’s urban community through educational tools like Virtual Farm Visit and in campaigns such as Red Meat Green Facts.
However, MLA is now looking to help producers develop skills to take the reins and engage with consumers themselves through a new program called The Real Conversation.
“There is a high level of community support for our industry - people trust producers and want to hear their stories,” Deborah said.
“If our industry wants to inform their views, then producersneed to genuinely participate in the conversation. This program is about equipping producers to share their stories and their passion, and engage in real conversations around what they do on-property in terms of animal welfare, sustainable practices and modern farming. It’s about making our industry more transparent in the face of any misinformation that’s out there.”
Deborah said there were several ways producers could share their stories but increasingly social media was seen as an effective tool to reach out and connect with urban communities.
This year, MLA is rolling out The Real Conversation social media workshops across Australia to help producers learn how to strategically use social media to connect directly with an urban audience to effectively tell their stories. The workshops will equip producers with skills in using different communications platforms, such as blogs, Twitter and Facebook.
“The industry is under a bigger magnifying glass and people are looking online for answers to their questions. It’s up to us to populate that space with the answers,” Deborah said.
“The program will give producers the support and tools to identify what method of communication suits them best and how to use all these different platforms together. But the story they choose to tell is up to them.”
If you're interested in holding a Real Conversation social media workshop in your area, contact MLA's Social Media Manager Matthew Dwyer on 02 9463 9186 or email mdwyer@mla.com.au
Find out more
Read the blog for the inside story on The Real Conversation social media workshops
See more about how social media is growing demand for red meat on feedbackTV
Take a look at these producer blogs:
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