Connect, Engage, and Protect: How is Animal Agriculture Allegiance Holding Up to Their Slogan?

The welfare and treatment of animals is an extremely controversial topic that is heavily discussed. Currently, there are 22 different plant and animal-based milks on the grocery store shelf with even more alternatives being made. Beyond Beef sales are skyrocketing, with people longing for more vegan options for their everyday lifestyle. This raises the question of whether people are switching to plant-based items due to health concerns, or from rumors that have been spread worldwide.  With the passing of Proposition 12 regarding confinement cages, there was an uproar of advocacy for the animal production industry. Unless people get to see a production farm first-hand, it is difficult to block out the rumors on social media and the internet. Organizations like Animal Agriculture Alliance work to relay accurate information regarding animal agriculture to the rest of the world that may not have access to the
industry. 

So.. Who Are They?

    The Animal Agriculture Alliance has the slogan to connect, engage, and protect, which reigns true with their mission of bringing farmers, ranchers, veterinarians, animal feed and health companies, processors and others together who get the food from “farm to fork.” This is a non-profit organization that has been around since 1987 in Virginia. They are always open to donations to make the agriculture side of animal production heard. According to their website, the alliance reaches 800 thousand people weekly through their various media channels. They understand the necessity of spreading the truth about agriculture so that people around the world can grow as agricultural communicators and be educated voters.

"We help people understand how the animal agriculture community shares the same values as today’s consumer with its never-ending commitment to animal care, sustainability, responsible antibiotic use, food safety and nutrition while DEBUNKING MYTHS PORTRAYED BY ACTIVIST GROUPS with our Sustainability Impact Report and Meat Matters campaign."

-Animal Agriculture Alliance Website

What Do They Do?

    The Alliance has a myriad of different platforms where they relay factual information. The first way is through their website They have any and all information about current issues that people could not know about. They also discuss initiatives including farm security, and have a whole chart for how a certain media group could be biased against animal agriculture. They also have an extensive resource center, and have a news section with blog posts, guest speakers, and newsletters released every month. Within the initiatives section, you can also find press releases if anything had surfaced about production agriculture. The information found on the website is very exhaustive, and you can spend hours learning more about the industry, regardless of how much you think you know already. 

They also are extremely active on Instagram, boasting about 7500 followers. Each eye-appealing post has a fact about the production side of animals,  and debunks any myths that are commonly believed. For example, one says that “Pig Farmers have decreased their water use by more than 25 percent since 1960.” These small facts may help shift someone’s perspective on the industry. They average around a post per day. Their Instagram also contains a Linktree in their bio, making it easy to find their website, newsletter, sustainability reports, and to donate. 

The Animal Agriculture Alliance seems to have anything and everything you would need to know about production animal agriculture. An idea that I think would help them reach an even wider audience would be to either start a podcast, or be a guest on an already established one. There are so many stories to tell when it comes to advocacy on this topic, and having guest speakers tell the public why they do the things they do would be much more meaningful than just reading it on paper. I also feel like they could reach even more people on Instagram by doing a paid advertisement that shows up on the feeds of millions. I believe that this has the ability to get people thinking once they see it on their main feeds. With this, there would be no “search” necessary, and it would be possible to educate someone without them having to do the work to find you. I also feel like their platform could work well on YouTube as well, if they had an intern or staff member who had knowledge in videography. Then, it would be easy to show the humane side of animal processing firsthand. 

We aim to be THE GO-TO RESOURCE FOR ISSUES AFFECTING ANIMAL AG. We proactively engage food chain influencers like media outlets, bloggers, dietitians, government officials and restaurant/retail/foodservice brands and associations.

-American Agriculture Alliance 

What Can I Do to Get More Involved?

    It is extremely easy to get involved within the Animal Agriculture Alliance! A great avenue for college students is to join their College Aggies Online (CAO) group. This connects students nationwide and shares ideas and information about the industry. It is also a great opportunity to get connected to those already in the industry. The program comes around September, but signups for 2021 are already live. They also have an “Animal AG Allies” initiative, which is a program fo
r anyone interested in learning more about being an advocate. The deadline to apply is February 1st, 2021.  The membership to join Animal Agriculture Alliance is 500 dollars, but you can still choose to just donate (every little bit helps!). They are also holding a virtual summit in May for anyone interested in learning more about production, and are posting information soon about how to register for the event.  They take interns to help write stories about the truth of production, which is an amazing opportunity to learn more about the process yourself. Even by just sharing content from their social media or telling a friend about the blog, you are doing your part of spreading the truth! It is our job to help the general public see the true side of agriculture, and we have the ability to share their stories. 

Brittney Thompson