For people who work in agriculture, it’s important to be able to communicate about how we produce food in Canada. As farmers, ranchers, industry representatives and researchers, we must be transparent, authentic and relatable, especially when tough questions or inaccurate claims are raised.
The Speak Up! workshop describes the average Canadian consumer, what they know about farming and how they think about food. It gives participants the ability to tell their stories in an easy-to-understand and compelling manner and explains how to have a positive, meaningful conversation about food and farming, and provides pointers on handling difficult subjects. This is valuable for media interviews, farm tours, council meetings, service clubs, school groups and other situations where you are tasked with answering hard consumer questions about how food is produced.
Individual Online Speak Up Training
*Please note Canadian Certified Crop Advisers (CCAs) qualify for 3 professional development CEUs upon completion of the online course.
Includes five modules (approximately 3 hours in total length):
- Introduction: Why speaking up about agriculture is important
- What is the biggest threat to agriculture?
- The disconnect between food production and consumers
- What are the issues?
- How to Speak Up
- Perspective on who’s buying food
- Finding your own passion about agriculture
- Practicing speaking about you
- Communications 101
- Identifying your goals through conversations
- Connecting on shared values
- Tough Questions
- Dealing with difficult questions, such as GMOs, pesticides, antibiotics, hormones
- Mental health aspects: dealing with difficult social media posts
- Transparent answers that build on meaningful engagement
- Summary and Action Plan
- An overview of what we’ve learned and your personal call to action
Get started on improving your communications with non-farmers!
Please note Canadian Certified Crop Advisers (CCAs) qualify for 3 professional development CEUs upon completion of the online course.
In-Person Workshops
Suitable for up to 50 people, this 4-hour workshop is a great professional development opportunity for anyone who works in agriculture. An in-person workshop offers the opportunity for both group and one-on-one discussions and allows for networking with others.
Fee for Members*: $3,000 per workshop
Fee for Non-Members*: $4,000 per workshop
+ travel expenses**
Speak Up Workshop Request Form
Please fill out this form to book an in-person Speak Up workshop. Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan will be in touch soon to discuss fees and details of the Speak Up presentation for your group.