People — and in this case animals — can become celebrities on social media in a matter of hours. Just ask Stacy Sosinsky, calf manager at Ocooch Dairy in Hillsboro, Wis.
Stacy had no idea what was about to happen when she used her cellphone to record a video of a heifer calf catching snowflakes on her tongue while enjoying her first snowfall. Stacy posted the 10-second clip on her personal Facebook page and waited to see her friends’ reactions.
In less than a day, her friends and more than 3 million other people watched the video, and thousands of people commented on it. The video had gone viral. The responses were all over the board. Lots of people found the innocent and playful moment to be heart-warming. Some, however, took the opportunity to lash out at dairy farmers and make accusations about the treatment of cows.
It became clear that the sight of a happy and healthy cow had put anti-livestock farming extremists into a panic. These are the ones who constantly clamor for farmers to be transparent, to let the public see what really happens on the farm. Well, Stacy’s direct, unfiltered view of farm life most definitely did not fit the extremists’ storyline.
So they pounced to try to squelch it. Hundreds of nasty comments came from fake Facebook accounts (speaking of transparency!), and commenters who shared kind words were belittled or worse.
Stacy was feeling overwhelmed. At DBA, we were happy to answer a call for help from a member.
“I am so grateful for the assistance of those in the ag industry, particularly DBA, for stepping in and helping to sort through and manage the comments coming in,” Stacy told me. “Their support and technical interventions made it much easier to focus on the positive message the video was sending and not get lost in the criticisms of it.”
In the end, she succeeded and the extremists failed. Stacy said she learned a valuable lesson — that a seemingly insignificant social media post can generate countless opportunities to connect with people who are unfamiliar with dairy farming. That young calf, and Stacy’s attentiveness and commitment to transparency, virtually brought people from around the globe onto her family farm. She stresses the importance of highlighting these everyday special moments.
“We need to share these experiences with the world and let people from all walks of life see agriculture through our eyes, even if only for mere seconds. We need to give chances to ask questions and create a space in which respectful conversations can take place,” she said.
Even as the minority, we need to realize the impact our voices can have, and to recognize our collective power. Stacy’s advice for others who find themselves in her social media situation is this: “Lean on fellow farmers and agribusiness people for support and encouragement and try to set a respectful tone by responding with facts and links to other resources.”
Member support, through a variety of services, is our top priority at DBA. We are only a phone call away.
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