Sharing our story and growing our community

We’re only two months into 2024, and the Animal Agriculture Alliance team has been hard at work safeguarding the future of animal agriculture and bridging the communication gap between farm and food communities.?

The Alliance has hit the ground running this year. Our team has given more than 12 presentations already and had representatives at several conferences and tradeshows including American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention, National Cattlemen's Beef Association Cattle Industry Convention, and National Turkey Federation Annual Convention. We also exhibited at the always-impressive International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta, and I was honored to deliver the Dendy Keynote during the International Poultry Scientific Forum on securing the future of poultry.?

I shared the Alliance’s core principles of connecting, engaging, and protecting the future of animal agriculture. It was a pleasure to brief IPPE participants on the Alliance’s proactive, positive engagement, as well as how we monitor challenges presented by extreme animal rights activism and support crisis management, farm security, and more.

In January, we also released our analysis of trends in the animal rights movement. Extremists continue to put animals and farmers at risk by trespassing, damaging property, stealing animals, and using other tactics they claim are justified to support their goal of eliminating animal agriculture. It is crucial that we remain vigilant and take proactive measures to make yourself a harder target against potential animal rights threats.?

Abby Kornegay, our manager, issues and engagement, recently discussed these extreme actions with Hoosier Ag Today (listen here), sharing how extreme groups recruit and train people to disrupt farms and are actively lobbying legislators, portraying themselves as the go-to experts and pushing legislation that is not friendly to animal agriculture.

That’s why it’s critical for the Alliance and our partners to be equally active and present with communities and decision-makers, reaffirming that our community shares the same values as consumers: an enduring commitment to animal care, protecting natural resources, and producing safe, wholesome, nutrient-dense food.

Continuing to build our community’s communication skills and support network is one of our top priorities. Our 2024 College Aggies Online program is open for registration now (learn more here). Animal Ag Allies is another program that helps empower farmers, ranchers, veterinarians, and food and ag professionals to be outspoken advocates for agriculture online and within their communities. Thanks to support from @United Soybean Board, we’re waiving the sponsorship fee for participants this year. New classes kick off every quarter – apply for the next class today!

Looking ahead, we can now share more information about our 2024 Stakeholders Summit, themed "Ready, Set, Solve! Advancing Animal Agriculture.” We’ll be in Kansas City May 8-9 with stakeholders from across the animal agriculture food chain and a stellar lineup of speakers.

The latest updates are available on the Summit website, where you can also find details about registration (early registration discounts end March 8) and sponsorship opportunities.

You won’t want to miss the agenda of engaging and dynamic sessions, including:

• Teeing Off: Driving Trust in Farmers, Trust in Food with Kansas Farm Bureau Chief Strategy Officer Joel Leftwich
• Passing the Baton Around the World: Animal Ag on the Global Stage with Meat Institute Chief Strategy Officer Eric Mittenthal and U.S. Dairy Export Council Senior Vice President for Sustainability and Multilateral Affairs Nick Gardner
• Whose Team Are They On? How Employees Can Make or Break Your Brand with Inspire PR Group President and Founder Hinda Mitchell

If you’ve already joined one of our events or initiatives, we look forward to welcoming you back; and if not, we hope to see you in 2024! Meanwhile, join us on Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to keep the conversation going.