Every culture has a unique lingo, and agriculture is no exception. When so much time is spent within one industry or culture, it can become easy to forget that the outside world may have no idea why a pioneer would be relevant in a conversation about planting corn or what an “eighty” is. People want to know what’s going on in the world of farming and to find their own connection to the industry and the people in it. A sure way to make someone feel like they belong is to let them in on all the inside jokes and language. Translating farm lingo is a skill in and of itself, and it’s one that may be more important today than ever. Not only do farmers have to talk the talk face-to-face, but also screen-to-screen.
Illinois Farm Bureau’s consumer engagement efforts are centered on the goal of building trust between non-ag consumers and modern farming practices. People outside of agriculture are curious about farming and are interested in learning more about what farmers do, the challenges farmers face, and where their food comes from, especially when it comes directly from farmers. Learning a whole new vocabulary along the way can feel daunting.
Building trust in farmers, farming, and modern farming practices is important in a world where it is easy to get lost in all the negative voices. Agriculturalists and farmers carry the responsibility of being experts in their fields and knowing how to communicate with diverse audiences. In a time when the outside world is searching for its own connection to farming and agriculture, we must make sure we share everything in a way that people can understand and relate to. Knowing how to communicate about big and small things is important but be sure not to overlook the connection that comes from sharing what the little things mean to you, too. Little things often make up our everyday lives, and getting a glimpse into the everyday is a way that non-ag audiences can start to see farmers as trustworthy.
Follow along for this new series all about how to translate farm vocabulary for non-ag audiences: Talk the Talk. Today I present Talk the Talk: Fall’s Version.
Harvest Time
Fall is a significant time in the farming world because it brings harvest. As anyone involved in farming or agriculture knows, corn and soybeans are planted in late spring, grow over the summer, and are ready to harvest in the fall. Harvest time is prominent around Illinois, with combines and semis found in fields and on roads in abundance, but most people have little knowledge of what it takes to get those corn and soybeans harvested and where they go next. As farmers and agriculturalists, harvest provides an abundance of topics we can engage in. Harvest also allows farmers to provide consumers with a tangible glimpse into farming, as they probably recognize at least some aspects of harvest. At its core, harvest takes place once the crops have reached maturity and have had time to dry naturally to protect the crop as it is stored. This often translates to corn and soybeans that look dry and golden brown. Yes, this means the plant material itself has died, which confuses those who do not know the corn or soybean itself is in its prime.
The Equipment
An important thing to keep in mind is that most consumers outside of the ag industry probably see any piece of farm equipment as a tractor. This audience likely doesn’t want or need to know the ins and outs of a combine, but instead what a combine does and why that matters for farmers. Sure, we can get into the specifics your dad made you learn so you can provide basic maintenance when needed, but when engaging with consumers, take a step back and look at the whole picture. Combines (KOM-bine), actually combine (kom-BINE) 3 steps in the harvesting process. These steps are, reaping (to cut the crop), threshing (separating the edible part of the grain from the plant), and winnowing (separating the grain from the husk or hull). We can even take it a step further and share that combines can have different heads. Corn heads and bean heads attach to the front of a combine because corn and soybeans are different plants and require different mechanics to efficiently harvest them. This is another easy association for people to make and understand because it’s something they can easily see and identify. Of course, you would need something different for different plants!
Then we have to get the corn and soybeans out of the field. The combine is designed to store a small amount of corn or soybeans, so it does not need to constantly dump them elsewhere. Even stopping the combine for a minute or getting it off course takes a significant amount of time. Enter the auger wagon (or grain cart). The combine has an auger that swings out like a big arm that moves the corn or soybeans from where they’re held in the combine and uses a conveyor belt to deposit them into an auger wagon. The wagon is pulled behind a tractor and can drive alongside the combine as the conveyor belt transfers the corn or soybeans to the wagon, so the combine does not need to stop at all. The tractor and wagon then take the crop to a semi or truck to be transported to a storage facility.
When building trust with non-ag audiences, it’s important to talk about what they can see and what’s right in front of them. Knowing that you are willing to walk them through what is, to you, a mundane process signals to them that you care. Once they connect that you care, this opens the door to more conversations about things they can’t easily see, but they’ll come to you first because you’ve built that trust and have established yourself as someone who wants to share part of their world with them.
After the Field
Once the harvested crops leave the field, semis and other trucks take the corn and soybeans to a storage facility, or back to the farmer’s own farm if they have grain bins. Some farmers own their own grain bins, which are large, cylindrical storage facilities that hold large amounts of corn or soybeans. Now, I know that you know these are not the same as the thinner blue silos also visible along the countryside, but others may not. This is another great engagement opportunity to share that grain bins and silos have different purposes. Grain bins are designed to hold large amounts of corn and soybeans, while silos can also store grain but are more commonly used to store forages that will be used as food for livestock. This is also a great chance to share that silos are often seen near livestock farms. As farmers, you get to share that the corn and soybeans you just harvested serve many purposes, including animal feed that will eventually go into the silos. Let’s not forget elevators. Farmers know that when talking about elevators in the fall, it’s not the machine that takes you up and down between floors in buildings. But non-ag audiences may give you baffled looks once you say you have to get to the elevator before it closes. Instead of looking baffled right back, you get the chance to explain that a grain elevator is simply a facility used to store grain for farmers who do not have the means to hold it themselves and also serves as a point of sale for those who choose to store on-farm. The term “grain elevator” came into play because of the inner conveyor belts that function as elevators to move grain throughout the facility.
Harvest seems like the end when it comes to growing food, and in some ways it is, but in others it isn’t. Once the crops are harvested and stored, they move on to become ingredients in our food, feed for animals, ingredients in beauty products and household supplies, and so much more. Sharing all of the uses of corn and soybeans provides yet more ways to engage in thoughtful conversation with audiences seeking to know more about what farmers do and where all of those corn and soybeans go.
Why should non-ag consumers care about harvest?
This is a question that you, the expert, can best answer. Why do you think consumers should care about harvest, the equipment used, and the storage of the crops? Whatever your answer to this is, share it openly when given the opportunity. Talking about what happens during harvest and why farmers work such long hours provides an inside look into the very beginning of our modern food system. It affects the pricing of things later, the availability of their favorite products, and more. Finding a way to connect what you love with what consumers love is not always the impossible task it seems. Show them the innovation in technology and machinery you can use during harvest, and how these things protect the environment. Or teach them the difference between a grain bin and a silo. I guarantee they’ll use that as their next fun fact on a road trip and will remember the care you took to explain it.
How you say it
The moral of this story is that general audiences are curious about what’s going on in the fall, and you, the expert, get to engage them in a way that is understood on all sides. You may find that there will be less pushback on certain topics when you relate what is going on to areas that people care about or find relatable. The examples shared above are not a comprehensive list, but rather points to help put you into the minds of non-ag audiences. Whether you share in person or online, how you say it and connect is key to engaging in conversations about farming this fall.
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