Plan B Forum

Big Agriculture wants to reach millennials, but it started a food fight in the process

By Lydia DePillis
May 14 at 11:14 am

The poster accompanying the Animal Agriculture Alliance's summit. (Lydia DePillis/The Washington Post)

The poster accompanying the Animal Agriculture Alliance's summit. (Lydia DePillis/The Washington Post)

Late last week, hundreds of farmers -- or at least their representative trade groups -- gathered in a yawning Crystal City ballroom in Northern Virginia to figure out what to do about Kids These Days. "Cracking the Millennial Code," the Animal Agriculture Alliance had titled its 2014 conference. And speakers really took the mission to heart.

"Going to get a quick selfie in before the speech," chirped millennial marketing consultant Jeff Fromm, snapping a picture of himself at the podium. "Want to make sure we keep trending! Go ahead, we're at a millennial conference!" In the ensuing presentation, he tried to communicate that this generation is…different.

"You do not have a target audience with millennials!" he exhorted the room full of protein purveyors. "You have a consumer as a partner!"

But wait: Does the livestock industry really have a problem with the 20-something demographic? Are more of them becoming vegetarian than their parents? Do they eat fewer hamburgers and chicken sandwiches?

Probably not, according to recent polls. Young people like their steaks as much as their parents do, it seems.

"This is a generation that, studies would indicate, loves to grill," said John Sticka, president of Certified Angus Beef, which manages a brand supplied by 25,000 cattle breeders. "This could be the generation that solidifies the grill as a year-round cooking appliance."

However, they do want to know more about their food, now that the average person grows up with almost no understanding of how it's grown. ... "

rubato wrote:

Late last week, hundreds of farmers -- or at least their representative trade groups -- gathered in a yawning Crystal City ballroom in Northern Virginia

yawning also refers to a wide open interior space