Urgency, relevance, accuracy

Panelists from left to right: Patti Hurtgen, David Pelzer, Corey Geiger and Pam Jahnke.

When it comes to communications, dairy producers are not much different than electrical contractors, health care providers, home gardeners or other end users our clients are trying to reach. They all want trustworthy sources of information that are timely, concise and easy to find.

That’s the message I took away from a panel discussion earlier this month that addressed the future of agricultural communications. The venue was the 125th anniversary celebration for Hoard’s Dairyman, one of the leading dairy trade magazines.

Panelists were:

• Patti Hurtgen, Hoard’s Dairyman
• David Pelzer, Dairy Management Inc. 
• Corey Geiger, Hoard’s Dairyman
• The “Fabulous Farm Babe” Pam Jahnke, Wisconsin Farm Report

Their thoughts covered a variety of topics, but revolved around five key themes:

1. Greater urgency – “What we do isn’t changing, but the urgency with which we need to communicate is,” offered Jahnke. With social media offering new channels for information, it’s key for communicators to offer accurate information as quickly as possible.“It used to be that how you responded within the first 24 hours to a crisis was the measurement of success and impact,” added Pelzer. “Now, it’s how you respond within 24 minutes.”
2. Relevant and concise – Text messaging, Twitter, and the array of other available digital media have shortened our attention spans. Agricultural producers are no exception. With more demands on their time than ever before, information needs to be quick and easy-to-read. “Producers are looking for relevant information in a concise package,” Geiger pointed out. 
3. More channels – “We polled dairy producers to determine how we could best communicate the value of the dairy checkoff and the number of different responses we received was really surprising,” Pelzer said. “There is no one or two ways to communicate to producers anymore.” With an historical perspective, Geiger pointed out that early editors at Hoard’s Dairyman relied on citizen journalists to submit information to the magazine. The modern-day editor views this as similar to the use of social media by journalists today.
4. Accuracy still king – While the urgency and speed information is shared may at first appear to trump accuracy, over time that’s not the case. “Correctness is still king and information that is shared needs to be accurate,” said Hurtgen. “Over time, dairy producers will rely on sources of information and people they trust for the right information.”
5. Relationships matter – One thing that hasn’t changed in communications is the importance of relationships. Consumers and producers alike want information from people they know and trust. “Building relationships is key,” Pelzer said. “The time to hand out business cards isn’t in the middle of a crisis.”

Ag producer communications is changing, but its essence is not vastly different. The keys to communicating with your family or neighbors may apply for your target audiences as well.