Kevin Folta, a professor of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida, is Kevin Folta. He’s been communicating about science, biotechnology, and agriculture for more than 20 years, encouraging farmers to join him in sharing about their jobs.
Next week he’s taking a day of vacation to present at the 2022 Land Expo to explain the lessons he’s learned the hard way.
SF: Over the past two decades, work has changed for many people working in offices and classrooms. What does your work look today?
KF. The biggest change was catering to an online audience who chooses to not be present for course content. It’s a challenge because I never think of myself as a teacher as much as a facilitator. I like to encourage them thinking and discovering on their own. That’s hard when they’re not in front of you. It’s very difficult to read the room, but we’re still doing it. We’re still getting by.
SF: How about the research aspect of your job? Is that any different?
KF: The research aspect has been a challenge for many different reasons. The lack of funding for exploratory work is the most significant reason. It’s been difficult to keep a laboratory staffed, progress going, and discovery exciting. Which is a shame because that’s really where my heart is.
SF: You’ve done a lot of public outreach and communications in the past, too. How has this changed?
KF: That’s been a difficult change for me. In November 2019, just before COVID, I received a directive to stop all science communication efforts. I was supposed to appear at the Land Expo in 2020 and had to cancel because of the University’s demand. It was a heartbreaking experience for me. I also had to close a podcast that was extremely successful.
I was eventually able negotiate the ability to do these types of activities on my own. I’m doing it as outside work, consulting, and hobby. It’s sad because it’s something I’m passionate about, but I can’t do as part of my job.
I will be attending Land Expo this year on vacation, speaking as a private citizen and not as an agent of University of Florida.
SF: Social media is the topic of your talk at this year’s Land Expo. That’s changed in recent years, too. Tell me about the changes you see there.
KF: The COVID crisis has really illuminated what a liability social media can become and how perception of any situation can be tarnished or manipulated because of immediate access to bad information that confirms the bias of the reader. You’re able to confirm some rumor you heard and make it seem like it’s legitimate.
This is just a small example of the changes we’ve seen in agriculture since the internet was invented. We’ve seen a constant assault on agriculture, agriculture technology, food, and farming. The internet is the conduit that brought all this together. Only a few voices have been heard and control the conversation.
Scientists and farmers have not intervened. And when we did, it was usually wrong. Now, we’re correcting that. We need more people to join the conversation and do it correctly.
SF: Which social media platform is better at promoting miscommunication and false information than the others?
KF: They’re all guilty. That means it’s a bigger challenge for us, because we have to learn how to tailor the message to fit each platform. This is a problem, as the bad guys have full-time experts to discredit what we do in agriculture and farming. To equal that effort, we all need to take a few minutes every now and again. It’s about mobilizing the people who are friendly to agriculture and get them involved in the conversations.
SF: What’s the first step to getting started on that?
KF: The first step is to share information you find compelling with your network and audience. It’s very simple. Find credible voices, and share what they create. Share good podcasts. Share great stories. Share great videos. It only takes five minutes per week to amplify the positive messages of others.
SF: How can people make the amplification they find compelling more powerful that the rumors and untruths others find compelling?
KF: I’ve got a couple of tips here. First, don’t turn off your potential audience. Anger or bitterness towards those who disagree with your views will only make it worse. Disgust can be very damaging. People are more likely to turn away from people who react in an offensive way.
Give people a hug. The person who reaches out with kindness in a room full of insults really stands out.
SF: Misinformation about agriculture can be very upsetting for our readers. How can you calm down and be able to reach out with kindness?
KF: It is important to recognize that you are on the side with the angels. Being an angry voice in the internet’s void does nothing but alienate those you are trying to capture. Starting with “help me understand,” listening to other people, and understanding how they got to where they are helps you formulate a better, empathetic, and deescalated response. That’s attractive to everybody who’s watching.
SF. You mentioned that there are some people who do this well. But we need more. Who is an example?
KF: Look at Millennial Farmer. He’s a corn and soybean farmer in Minnesota who does fantastic media and YouTube. While it may seem dull to some ag people it is very valuable to anyone who doesn’t know anything about food or farming.
It is important to remember that people want to know about your work as a farmer or other agricultural worker. They want to learn about what you do. They want to know the origin of their food. Show them the things you do. That kind of transparency, while you may feel it’s unnecessary, it’s something they want.
SF: Some of our readers do not want to be photographed or recorded. How can they help the farmers who are already successful?
KF: There’s two ways to get involved. The first is content preparation. Podcasts, writing and video are all examples. Make use of all the emerging media people are using and the places they go to get information.
If you don’t want to create content, amplify the content of others. We can go back to the idea: find good media and share it with your networks. We would have a better perception of agriculture if every farmer and person associated with it, 1.5% of the country amplified their messages, which would be a huge improvement in the public’s eyes.
SF: What words can you give the people who create content when it gets discouraging or activists attack?
KF: You can’t stop. You must do the right things, no mater how painful, no mater how much it will change your life or impact your plans. Certainly, my personal and professional lives have been changed, and not always in a good way, but it’s the right thing to do.
When my head touches the pillow at the end of the day I am proud that I stood up for what was most important. That is what you will need to eat. It can be overwhelming to dwell on the negative.
SF: What can Land Expo attendees expect to leave with after listening to your talk?
KF: Scientists and farmers believe that the best way to solve a problem, according to nature, is to bury it with facts, logic, and information. It doesn’t work in a world driven by emotion and sensationalism. We must advance conversations in different ways. I’ve explored this with boots on the ground activity for 20 years. I can see all the mistakes that I made.
At Land Expo you’ll hear about all the mistakes I made and how I learned to be more effective. I’ll give you strategies that you can adopt so that we can all work together to enhance the perception of agriculture.
SF: What would you like to share with Land Expo’s readers?
KF: In farming, there are too many things we can’t control – weather, international pressures, prices. This is one thing we can control, and we don’t do it. We don’t have enough control. This is something we can control and something I would like to see more people in agriculture do. We’re a tiny part of the population, but a really important population. It’s important that agriculture’s voice is being heard from legitimate sources.
Source: Successful Farming
