Beyond the echo chamber

CEO commentary by Kelly Somerville

Last month, Alltech hosted the first-ever Canadian screening of its documentary A World Without Cows in Guelph. The film provides an unbiased, global perspective on the relationship between cows and the environment. In a film full of compelling statistics and powerful imagery, one quote stood out: “Farmers are the world’s worst communicators.”

We hear it all the time—agriculture needs to do a better job of telling its story. Alltech is leading by example, using this documentary to push the conversation beyond the usual echo chambers. By engaging both the agricultural community and consumers, they are fostering an important dialogue about livestock’s role in our world.

At LRIC, while we may not be directly public facing, we play a critical role in supporting those shaping agriculture’s narrative, ensuring that sound science is available and accessible to inform public discussions about livestock and the environment. Research that benchmarks environmental performance and highlights the continual improvements by Canadian livestock producers is essential to providing a full and balanced picture. 

Ontario is home to some world-class research on the environmental impacts of livestock, and we are fortunate to have access to cutting edge facilities at the Agricultural Research and Innovation Ontario (ARIO) research stations. Getting Research Into Practice (GRIP) isn’t just about on-farm adoption of innovations and best practices – it’s also about sharing the progress our industry has made with a broader audience and maximizing the fantastic resources available.

This raises an important question for all of us who operate on the periphery of consumer communication: How do we help our customers and clients engage in that dialogue? It’s a challenge we must embrace to ensure that agriculture’s story is not just told but truly heard.