Tyson Foods CEO urges FFA members to tell agriculture's story

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  Tyson Foods

  Tyson Foods CEO Donnie Smith urged FFA members to use social media to tell agriculture's story.

  From WATTAgNet:
  Tyson Foods CEO and President Donnie Smith urged FFA members to tell the story of agriculture, using social media as a way to get that story out to the masses. Smith delivered a keynote address during the third session of the 87th annual National FFA Convention, held October 29 through November 1 in Louisville, Kentucky.
  He began his talk by requesting audience members pull out their phone send out the hashtag, #MyAgStory, on social media, reported AgriNews.
  “Every time you put out something on social media you’re telling a story, so how about telling the story of agriculture,” he said. “The fact you know agriculture and have the ability to communicate, it means you have an awesome responsibility to protect the future of agriculture.”
  Smith told FFA members that they will be faced with helping to solve perhaps the biggest challenge of the next generation: feeding two billion more people by 2050. By using their voices to tell the story of agriculture, the problem can be fixed, he said.
  The challenge is not how to grow more food, Smith said, but how to grow consumer confidence in a country when consumers are so far removed from the farm. It is challenging because people who don’t necessarily understand agriculture are in the conversation, he added.
  Smith urged students to do their part in stopping the story of agriculture from being told by people who don’t understand it or might have an agenda to harm it.
  “I want to inspire you to use your voice to take back the story of agriculture,” he said.
  Smith explained that Tyson Foods wants to stay connected with young people through social media. “And we get connected to them, then we all get it … we get their passion, we get their ag stories and we get to help continue to tell those stories over and over again.”