Midlands NAMA chapter members and guests held their November meeting at the Nebraska Farm Bureau office in Lincoln, Nebraska.  The topic for the meeting was the changing face of agriculture public relations.  A panel discussion uncovered how public relations methods and practices have evolved in recent years.  Panelists included Jason Ellis, Ph.D., assistant professor of agricultural journalism in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln; Dave Buchholz, president of David & Associates, a marketing communications firm headquartered in Hastings, Nebraska; and Cheryl Stubbendieck, vice president/public relations for Nebraska Farm Bureau.

The panelists discussed the most evident changes they have witnessed in recent years including the ability to engage with consumers via social media websites.  Agricultural businesses are willing to make that connection to the general public to raise awareness about agriculture.  One of the hardest challenges with the increase of social media tools and viral information is that bad information can spread rather quickly.  There is an increase for bad sources of information with the internet.  This makes it extremely important for agriculture public relations candidates to be technologically savvy and to help advocate the message for agriculture so it doesn’t get lost in the clutter.

A special thanks to Jason Ellis, Dave Buchholz and Cheryl Stubbendieck for sharing their insights into the changing face of agriculture public relations.