WI Dairy Gal in MT Ranch Country

As a lifelong Wisconsin resident with roots in the dairy industry, it was clear I wasn’t in dairyland anymore when I came across this sign on a recent trip to Big Sky Country. Growing up on our farm, if the cows were on the road, it meant all hands on deck and scrambling to get them back into pens and pastures.

That recent trip to Montana was on behalf of Merck Animal Health where I had the opportunity to lead a workshop with more than 130 amazing women involved in agriculture. In fact, I could tell it was going to be a great night when I walked into the meeting room of the Women Stepping Forward for Agriculture (WSFA) conference in Billings and the barn board table centerpieces included the words “A good pair of boots can change your life.”

The women attending ranged from those just getting started in their careers to seasoned veterans. They all work in the agriculture industry, some as agribusiness women and others as farmers and ranchers, growing the food and fiber products we all enjoy every day.

The evening’s topic was advocating for agriculture, sharing your story and working with the media to create positive perceptions of agriculture.

We started off by identifying and addressing the questions that consumers have about food today, and how much they trust the men and women growing and raising it. I talked to the group about what consumers are looking for and what’s competing for their attention. To better understand where consumers are coming from, and why they have the questions they do, we talked first about listening and how active listening can be a tool to successfully connect on different topics related to agriculture. And to really sharpen that skill, we did some role-playing exercises using active listening techniques – like how to probe and ask clarifying questions to get to the root of those concerns without being defensive.

Being transparent and accessible means meeting consumers where they are. We talked about the need to engage through social and traditional media to be part of those everyday conversations and how to respond to social media, even when it’s not always positive.

For me, the most rewarding part of the evening was hearing some of their stories and seeing the passion and pride the women have for what they do and the products they send to the marketplace. I know they’ll do a great job in continuing to share their stories with more and more consumers so in the end, everyone will feel like I do and have a special affinity for Montana and its people. It’s not weird to have a crush on a state, right?