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| Lindasy Reames Assistant Director VFB Governmental Relations |
I attended the Animal Agriculture Alliance Summit this past week in Arlington. The summit brought together around 200 agriculture leaders to address issues facing animal agriculture. This year the focus was on transparency in the industry and finding ways to show the general public and media what farmers do on their operations. It is a challenge to balance the needs of bio security and private property while opening up farms for tours and education. Below is an article done by agri-pulse on the conference.
Animal agriculture advocates address public image challenges
by Sarah Gonzalez
Transparency and outreach are essential for animal agriculture to close the “communication gap” that exists between the industry and the general public, according to several speakers at the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 11th annual Stakeholder Summit this week. Nearly two hundred animal agriculture representatives attended the summit in Arlington, Va., where Indiana Pork Executive Director Mike Platt described his organization’s approach to the communication problem.
Platt is president of the Fair Oaks Farms’ new “Pig Adventure” organizing board, which is implementing a 2,600 sow operation to be open for public tours. With a “Disney-like” engagement for its customers, Platt said the “Pig Adventure” will convey the main messages that pork farming is compatible with the environment, pork producers care about their animals and that pork is healthy. He said Fair Oaks Farms expects its first visitors to the sow operation by next year’s Memorial Day, which will be an addition to its existing dairy operation with similar public tours.
