It is important that people in the agriculture industry tell their stories. Our nation’s ability to produce its own food supply efficiently, safely, and profitably depends on the preservation of the American Farm Family and the Rural way of life. Let’s take a closer look at why we need to tell the story, how to tell the story, and here some examples from some of the MFU Ambassadors.
Step 1- Who are you
What is your name, What do your do, What is your farm name,what do you grow? Be prepared with the basics.
Step 2--Finding Your Why
Developing and finding your WHY. Depending on the role you are developing this for, your WHY can look different for different roles. You might use the answer the following questions to establish your why
· What moves you (emotionally, into action, etc.)? · What stories move you?
· What gets you moving and in action
· What makes you jump out of bed every morning
· What has moved you and when, to act on this WHY before?
Step 3 finding the US to establish your audience
Step 4 What is your call to Action
· What do you want to do about your WHY?
· What are you asking others (US) to do?
From these examples, you can see we all have a story. How we use that story can help build forward momentum and paint a real picture of Agriculture. Whether you are like Skylar and know that if you eat, agriculture concerns you, or maybe you can relate to one of our multi-generational farm families like Rachel, Carissa, Mary, or Samantha, you have a story to tell. There are many Montanans, especially women, who fell in love with the Montana lifestyle and married into agriculture like Alice or you fell in love with the Montana Communities like Eleanor and have very different but equally as impactful story to tell. Formulate your Elevator Pitch, develop the key points to your story, and use your voice to advocate for agriculture. It truly is all about being in that Brave Space!
There will be an opportunity at the Montana Farmers Unions Convention October 17-19 in Whitefish to tell our Montana Farmers Union Family Story. This story is a tapestry of stories over multiple generations, families, and lifestyles. I have added a story writing worksheet to the show notes that you can use to help write your story and bring it to convention.