Finding Your Voice
My husband and I were recently returning from a short trip to California’s Central Coast, driving along the vast Interstate 5 highway. The drive is pretty consistent for hundreds of miles -rolling hills punctuated by farmland as far as the eye can see. Every now and then, the California Aqueduct will travel parallel to the highway; the vast water delivery system that was, and still is, a central part of the State Water Project undertaken in 1960.
On this particular drive our attention was caught by a large gathering of California Highway Patrol cars parked alongside the road. Our initial reaction was that a horrendous accident had just occurred. As we got closer to the site though, we realized it wasn’t a scene of twisted metal and tires, but a peaceful protest of farmers, laborers and concerned citizens. Actually, the latter information I later learned from a press release. In the moment, what appeared as we drove by were dozens upon dozens of individuals raising signs and chanting into television cameras.
The demonstration was grassroots action orchestrated by the agricultural community in an effort to bring noticeable attention to the current water woes of this great state. Farmers, ranchers, laborers and concerned citizens alike were traveling from Mendota, California to the San Luis Reservoir to highlight the impact of reduced water delivery to this section of the state.
The efforts, at least as we drove by and I later researched, seemed to have the surface-level desired effect. At least half-a-dozen television vans sat along the dirt frontage road filming the demonstration. Talk radio, newspapers and the internet were buzzing with discussions on the merits of peaceful protests during this day and age. As a passer-by, I became curious to know more. How many others driving that same stretch of I-5 had their curiosity piqued and as a result, became self-informed on the water crisis plaguing agriculture in California?
The chain of events got me thinking. How often do we in agriculture effectively find our voice? How frequently do we come together and use simple, effective, tried and true measures to make our point heard? The jaded, political skeptic in me says “not often enough.” And yet, here was a textbook example of a cross-section of our industry coming together with a simple, effective message using simple, effective techniques. It just goes to show that the old dog can learn an old trick and make it work again.
The old tricks, though, will they be enough? The demonstrations of the 1960s served that time and that generation, but what about today? What can be done in this technology-driven era that cuts through the clutter and the noise, still having the needed, weighty effect? It just so happens that on that trip to Central Coast, I learned how.
A collaborative effort is gaining moment at my alma mater, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Students, faculty and the agricultural community have come together to create the I Love Farmers campaign (www.ilovefarmers.org). The mission is simple – to target 14-24 year olds and stimulate a dialog about the food they eat and where it comes from. The campaign, designed by this next generation for the next generation, is making use of all the social media tools at their fingertips – Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, IMing – you name it, they are using it. Launched simultaneously in mid-April at the Cal Poly Open House and the 2009 California State FFA Leadership Conference, the campaign hopes to leverage what teens and adults younger-than-I do best – go viral!
For those not hip to the kids’ lingo, going viral really is what it sounds like. Just like a virus that spreads quickly, viral campaigns are meant to move fast, connect to a large audience and be easy to communicate. The creators of I Love Farmers is hoping that college students, prospective Cal Poly kids and the thousands currently participating in California’s FFA program will take their message and make it spread like wildfire. Enough distribution in everyone’s network and the I Love Farmers campaign will quickly spread well beyond the farming community.
Soon, your grandson’s best friend’s mother’s boss’s daughter studying abroad in Madrid, Spain will know about the I Love Farmers campaign launched in San Luis Obispo, California. Such is the effectiveness of finding one’s voice in the 21st century.
Whatever your passion – whether it be water, connecting consumers to agriculture or preserving your way of life – find your voice. Find others who share your cause. Get innovative or re-work the tried and true. In either case, stop sitting and waiting for others to take up the cause. If not you, then who? If not now, then when? Find your voice and take action, before it’s too late.
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