~ guest blog post by Laura Nelson (first of two)

When you’re passionate about being an agvocate, it’s easy to get bogged down in negative news about our industry. We monitor vegan ballot initiatives, watch atrocious caught-in-the-act videos and respond to soapbox-preaching food bloggers.

All noble causes, but also ones that can leave us feeling like it’s “us” versus “them;” ag versus consumers.

I got a great reminder of how untrue that is last month. I traveled to the Big Apple to work at The James Beard Foundation LTD pop-up store, sampling Certified Angus Beef ® steak to New Yorkers. I was prepared for some really tough consumer questions: hormones, CAFOs, animal welfare, beef nutrition, antibiotics, etc. (photo)

Instead of reciting sound bite after sound bite in defense of the beef industry, I re-discovered how much people love great steak and a simple story. People would casually grab a sample as they walked by; stop dead in their tracks to oooooh and ahhhhhh, then walk back to our booth and say, “That was the best steak I’ve ever had!”

A quality product attracts a captive audience. But a captive audience doesn’t mean an open door for a sales pitch. Rather, a good opportunity to visit with that person about a common interest – great steak, in my case!

Taking ag to NYC!

I learned that New Yorkers don’t typically have yards, so it’s frivolous to share grilling tips. Some folks weren’t familiar with the “tenderloin” cut. New Yorkers eat out a lot and restaurant menus call it Filet Mignon. Being in New York doesn’t mean you’re a New Yorker… the city attracts a lot of tourists (duh!) from many places, backgrounds and culinary tastes.

Learning these things changed the course of my conversations, allowing me to better connect with our audience. I could share my message: Certified Angus Beef ® is some of the best beef you can buy, raised by caring, dedicated Angus ranchers across America. The product quality is all about its marbling; look for our logo to make sure you’re consistently getting the best.

That was my story, but each time I told it in a different way that met the needs and expectations of that individual.

Of course, I heard several “No thanks, I’m not a big meat eater…” Not a good time to get defensive, regardless of the sinking feeling that brought on.

In Part II of this post, I’ll share some of the objections and questions I got to discuss with my not-so-captive audience and how we can all avoid being put on the defense. Hopefully these examples resonate with everyone in agriculture as a way you can agvocate with a quality story.*

Laura a Cornhusker by birth; Wyomingite at heart; Ohian by career choice. She’s a writer, farm girl, amateur photographer, agvocate, cook, red-dirt and classic rock music junkie and meatitarian (it’s a personal choice). As a Certified Angus Beef LLC industry information specialist, she travels, writes, spends time interviewing cattlemen and planning events and marketing materials, all with the goal of building supply for the world’s largest branded beef company. The CAB team blogs about our travels and observations in and around the cattle industry at www.blackinkwithcab.com and has a Facebook page.

*Note from Michele:  After getting to know Certified Angus Beef through social media and reading about their market position in a recent Meatingplace article, I invited them to write how they’re connecting with consumers. While the brand represents only a part of the beef business, they offer lessons to learn from when trying to reach beyond the choir – regardless of your sector of agriculture.