Keeping the local community on side and engaged with farming can be tricky. After all much of the farming news they hear, see and read about is negative, be it about health scares or food issues
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Community newsletters While not everyone wants to share every detail of their farm with the locals taking the time to put together some succinct, interesting information in a simple newsletter two or three times a year could go a long
way to keeping your non-farming neighbours on side.
A short, simple newsletter including details of what you’ve been up to on the farm recently and explaining why certain things, such as silage making and slurry spreading have been going on and what you do to lessen the impact of these essential activities on the local community.
Using an email format for your newsletter also makes it instant and when you have email addresses for near neighbours it allows you to make them aware of upcoming activities, such as harvest which may hinder traffi c in the area, allowing them to plan their travel accordingly. It may seem like a simple thing, but taking time to let people know shows consideration and means they feel valued and respected.
Contribute to local and national radio debates Many local and national radio stations have call in and debate style shows which often touch on farming and rural issues. While calling in to such shows may not appeal to every one its something more farmers can do and which benefi ts the industry enormously. Who better to tell farming’s story to the masses then farmers themselves? Also some local radio and TV stations host regular slots on farming issues and becoming involved with those is a great way to put the farming message across in a down to earth and factual fashion. No one expects you to be a TV star, but being prepared to be involved in the odd snippet here and there will help everyone in the industry and keep British farming at the forefront of the public’s minds when they go shopping.
Help with community events
Many community events rely on the input of the community themselves. While it may not seem an obvious way to put the dairy message across, helping out with events and lending a hand with machinery or other items such as straw, is an easy way to engage with community and put something back in the local area.
Talking to people while your doing it will soon help spread the message and make people aware of what you’re doing
and how things are on the farm and in the industry as a whole.
From little acorns oak trees can grow and by using all or some of the methods above you can quickly spread the positive message about farming to a wide audience, which is often eager to know more. Importantly wherever possible engage with the younger end of the community, infl uencing the children and young people can make a huge difference and allows them to pass messages back to their parents and love d ones in a way that everyone will learn from.
THE JOURNAL AUGUST 2015 43
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It is essential to portray a positive image of British farming fi rst and foremost
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