Communicate more effectively about farming and food, workshop July 18-19

Do you want to have productive conversations about farming practices – sustainable, organic, conventional, regenerative, ecological – rather than arguing with people? Are you hungry for effective ways to convey the complexities of farming with people who have little experience with agriculture? Attend a workshop on July 18-19 in Pacific Grove to learn and practice using exciting new communication tools that can help you address the questions above and more.

This 1.5-day workshop is for agricultural professionals, farmers, communicators, advocates, and policymakers who regularly engage with the public on food and farm issues. It is part of a research and education grant funded by Western Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education.

Speakers will share practices grounded in social-science research (conducted by FrameWorks Institute and The Farming and Food Narrative Project) that explored the public's understanding of agriculture and effective ways to create understanding about unfamiliar farming topics.

You will be able to share your most pressing communication challenges, engage with communication strategies that ‘reframe' the conversation about good farming practices, and practice on your own materials. You will meet and connect with colleagues facing similar challenges and can choose to join a follow-up community of learning. The goal is that participants leave feeling confident to employ new communications tools in their work.

When: Tuesday, July 18, 1 p.m. – Wednesday, July 19, 4 p.m.

Where: Asilomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove

Speakers:

• Jessica Moyer, FrameWorks Institute
• Michael Rozyne and Kelsey Gosch, Red Tomato
• Clare Sullivan, Oregon State University professor of crop and soil science
• Jim Farrar, UC Integrated Pest Management Program director

Registration costs $100 and includes one night's lodging and meals. Apply at https://forms.gle/JsJAXjrtZN27Hvyy5. Workshop space is limited so please apply by May 15.

For financial assistance, please contact kgosch@redtomato.org.

For more information about the agricultural communication workshop and the "Reframing in the West" project, see https://www.farmingandfoodnarrative.org/western-sare.

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