What is Agricultural Communication?
By book definition agricultural communications is “the exchange of information about the agricultural and natural resources industries through effective and efficient media, such as newspaper, magazines, television, radio, and the Web, to reach appropriate audiences”. We can sit here and read that over and over again, but what is this definition really trying to tell us? Also, why is this even important to what people do in their daily lives? Let me break this down for you.
Why is Agricultural Communication Important?
Agriculture is a part of everyone’s life even if they do not realize it. Communicating to the general public about agriculture is very important. For example, everything that people eat all roots back to agriculture. If there is an outbreak of a disease in certain foods, the general public needs to know about the issue. Some of the agricultural communication that is essential to the public is strongly related to politics. When new policies in agriculture are trying to get passed, people need to be informed of them and how they affect their lives.
Agricultural Communication is also essential when communicating to those within the industry. This can include suppliers, farmers, government agencies, and businesses. Communication plays a vital role in selling the products that producers grow. It is also essential to communicate if an agricultural business wants to be successful. This can range from businesses informing people of their location to promoting their products through advertising.
In today’s society, communicating has become much easier and more available to everyone. There are many ways that the agriculture industry can communicate. With technology being more advanced the industry is able to communicate through the internet, over the phone, through email, and even through social media. Social media has become more well known and the agriculture industry can use this as a big advantage. Reaching out to others within the industry and informing those not in the industry can be one way social media has benefitted the industry. Because of this advanced technology, producers are able to share data straight from their equipment. This is allowing for quicker response times and more accurate data being collected.
What the Future Holds
Communicating within the agriculture industry will only get more advanced with time. Technology is always evolving and something new is always being released. Although this is the case, a face-to-face conversation will never fail when it comes to communicating.