Farmers Speak Up — Perspectives on the #farm365 Activist Backlash

What started out as a commitment to agvocacy has quickly turned into a social media frenzy of a very nasty kind — animal rights activists have highjacked the #farm365 hashtag and are posting memes, pro-vegan slogans and calling out farmers as, well, murderers.

Of course, there’s also a hefty dose of other farmers following Andrew Campbell’s lead on the #farm365 project, and posting real world images of what it’s like to live and work on a farm. Still, any livestock producer would have to be a stone not to be irritated, angered, hurt or upset by the activists’ language and actions on Twitter. There’s a real danger of those extremist views taking over the hashtag feed and drowning out this incredible opportunity for consumers to openly ask questions directly of farmers.

Undaunted as we knew they would be, several farmers, Campbell included, have handled the challenge well, and a few blog posts have gone up in response to the Twitterstorm that has ensued. Read on for some surprisingly positive interactions that have occurred and for advice and discussion on how to react when faced with harsh and opposite views to your own. (Please let us know if you’ve found other helpful blog posts or links that we could add here.)

Andrew Campbell’s response: The highs and lows of week one on #farm365

Jen Christie’s take: The Power of Words — Use them Wisely

Brent Royce’s post: Stay Positive When Responding to Critics on Social Media

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