WOMEN IN DAIRY CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON THE ART OF COMMUNICATION

The RABDF’s annual Women in Dairy Conference will take place virtually, on Wednesday 22 September, for the second year running as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The day is principally sponsored by HSBC, and speaker sessions will focus on the art of communication, a topic quite fitting given the circumstances of the past 18 months.

'HSBC UK Agriculture is delighted to support the RADBF Women in Dairy event again this year. As one of the UK’s leading Banks in the agriculture industry we are proud to sponsor the 2021 conference which recognises women in the industry. We wish RABDF a very successful conference and look forward to seeing you there’, said Helen Guy, National Agriculture Support Manager, HSBC UK.

Speakers will highlight the variation of communication involved in a dairy business and explain how this differs depending on the required outcome but is most often of equal importance.

Arla’s Alice Swift, AHDB Dairy’s Susie Stannard and Rachel Knowles from Trink Dairy will come together to form a panel discussion on consumer comms and trends. The session will give an insight into the work being done to positively promote milk to consumers and use a real life case study to explain the implementation of this when it comes to promoting a local brand.

Dr Marina von Keyserlingk will join the conference from Canada and will share her knowledge of dairy cattle welfare explaining how it is closely intertwined with the perceptions of the industry.

Other speakers include Kath Aplin from Women in Dairy national sponsor Boehringer Ingelheim, Emily Norton from Savills and Angela Trotter and Grace O’Dwyer from HSBC. All emphasising the need for efficient communication and how, as an industry, we have a way to go and can do more to ‘shout about’ what we are doing and what benefits dairy can bring.

Women in Dairy coordinator Emily Egan says after the last 15 months it’s so important that we come together, even if it is online, to learn, share and celebrate our industry and the brilliant women who work in it.

“We’re looking forward to a fantastic line up of speakers who will give delegates plenty to take back to their own businesses to improve the communication both on and off farm.”

The presentation of the Dairy Industry Woman of the Year Award will take place as part of the conference and will be presented to the individual who most practises the three Women in Dairy values through their work – connecting with others in the industry and wider public, sharing their knowledge and experience and inspiring their peers.

Further information, tickets and a full programme for the day can be found online at www.womenindairy.co.uk/conference

Tickets start from £25 with a discount for Women in Dairy members.

Please call the office on 02476 639317 or email emilyegan@rabdf.co.uk with any queries.

ARE YOU CAPITALSING ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA USE?

Do you look at social media as an instrumental tool in your business? According to Sheena Hopper, agribusiness marketing consultant, talking at the latest Women in Dairy webinar, we all should be.

Ms Hopper said over the past year global figures show a 13% increase in social media use with Facebook and Instagram being the most popular channels.

“Within our industry Instagram is a growing channel and if used effectively it can have a far greater engagement than other platforms.”

If you’re wondering why you’d want to use social media then there are a whole host of reasons, however, it is important to decide the values of your farm brand so these can act as a framework for your content.

Using social media is a great way of representing your farm which helps with overall business connections and attracting new staff, and, if you share your news and views creatively and accurately, it is a great opportunity to act as an advocate for the industry.

Current Dairy Industry Woman of the Year and dairy farmer, Karen Halton, explained how using social media has helped grow the farms profile and promoted the use of its on-site vending machine to the public.

“We used Facebook to promote our new milk shack and the direct effect it had was really noticeable in terms of people using our vending machine to get their milk. We’ve also found it a really good tool when we have job vacancies as it attracts young applicants, who we are keen to employ, as they are the future of the industry.”

Simply put, a professionally run social media channel reflects a professionally run farm business, so bear this in mind when posting content that a wide platform of users may see.

Inevitably alongside social media use comes trolling and anti-dairy users which is why it is paramount to showcase the good of the industry through your platform.

Ms Hopper explained how antis want a reaction so it is best to ignore their comments and block their accounts as a response can have detrimental effects on your business.

“What a lot of people don’t understand is a lot of ‘trolls’ are paid to make comments on posts with the hope of making the post viral to the detriment of the business, however, whilst we must be aware of the risks the benefits far outweigh the negatives.”

If you’re looking to start building a social platform it’s important to understand each channel and what suits your needs best. To get the most out of your account you must utilise the features on offer, for example, on Instagram using IG Live and stories will help capitalise the effectiveness of your account. Similarly, if you use Twitter, you need to be aware of the ‘shelf life’ of your tweets and post regularly to ensure content is seen.

The full webinar can be viewed online at www.womenindairy.co.uk/online-workshops-1

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR DAIRY INDUSTRY WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD

Nominations are being requested for women working in the dairy industry demonstrating the qualities connect, share and inspire, to be considered for this year’s Dairy Industry Woman of the Year Award.

The award celebrates the achievements of women in the British dairy industry and is run by Women in Dairy, an RABDF initiative. The group is designed to bring women working in the dairy sector together through regional discussion group meetings.

Successful candidates must practice the three Women in Dairy values through their work – connecting with others both in the industry and wider public, sharing their knowledge and experience and inspiring their peers.

Previous award winners include livestock consultant Jude Capper, Mary Quicke of Quicke’s Cheese, dairy farmer and AHDB and NFU board representative Janette Prince and most recently Karen Halton of Halton Farms.

Women in Dairy patron Di Wastenage said: “There are a lot of inspiring women involved in our industry who are fundamental to driving the sector forward. Awards like this are important to recognise and reward their success!  

“Nominees do not need to work on a dairy farm, but they must be involved in the industry. This means as well as farmers we can receive nominations for vets, consultants, technicians and people working right across the dairy supply chain.”

Last year’s winner Karen Halton said it had been an honor and a pleasure to hold the title.

“I am proud to be an ambassador and promote a wonderful industry and this award will forever be at the top of my lifetime achievements list.

“It is important we continue to promote and reward the great women working in dairy and show the next generation there are great things to be achieved in our industry.”

Nominations close on 16 July after which all entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges and the finalists selected. Finalists will then be contacted for a short interview with judges and a member of the steering committee.

The winner of the award, sponsored by HSBC, will be announced at the Women in Dairy Conference, taking place virtually, on Wednesday 22 September 2021.