Communication Key to Getting Farmers Through Coronavirus Crisis
August 14, 2020 We didn’t seek this crisis. When it found us, though, members of the Agriculture Communicators of Florida (ACF) demonstrated their value by playing a central role in Florida agriculture’s response.
Florida agriculture needed to allay public fears about food safety, inform policymakers about economic impacts, connect consumers directly to farmers, and spotlight the importance of a reliable domestic food supply. ACF communicators acted quickly to craft and disseminate messages to increase public understanding of COVID-19’s implications on the food supply.
There’s been a lot to communicate to our companies and organizations. Agriculture was designated as critical infrastructure by the Department of Homeland Security. Multiple efforts linked consumers directly to producers whose crops were stopped in the food supply chain. Producers were looking for information about federal emergency funding, increased federal purchases for food banks, and federally backed loans for food producers.
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (FDACS) Marketing and Development Director Jackie Moalli reallocated funds for trade shows that were canceled and channeled them into a substantial media buy. This delivered the messages to both TV outlets and Hulu that Florida farmers are still on the job and to ask the public to stand with Florida farmers by buying local. The department also tapped into public appreciation for front-line workers with a beautifully produced FDACS video tribute to the Florida farmer.
Lisa Lochridge, Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA) Director of Public Affairs and ACF board member, relied on media relationships to explain how the sudden halt of the food service market led to staggering losses to Florida’s produce industry. Her outreach to The New York Times resulted in a front-page story on farmers’ coronavirus-related plight that featured FFVA Chairman Paul Allen of R.C. Hatton Farms. Her thorough briefing of an Orlando Sentinel opinion writer resulted in a revelatory editorial that called for addressing the disconnect between consumers and their food sources. To help farms move some of their product, FFVA Communications Manager and ACF President Alyssa List put out a call to growers around the state to promote their direct farm-to-consumers sales on a webpage she created that would become an exceedingly popular resource for the general public.
ACF board member Chris Moran supported our industry’s thought leaders by assisting in the conception, writing, and pitching of calls to buy local products by then UF/IFAS Senior Vice President Jack Payne that appeared in the Tampa Bay Times and The Palm Beach Post.
Amber Maloney, ACF board member and Marketing Director at Wish Farms, highlighted the company’s donations of 220,000 pounds of fresh strawberries to food banks on the company’s website. These efforts and others exemplify the critical role of agriculture communicators, especially in times of crisis.
ACF members know that communicating the importance of Florida agriculture will be a continuing challenge, but it’s an opportunity to do what we do best: ensure the industry’s voice remains strong.