It is rare that I meet a person who looks forward with excitement for the time when a crisis occurs.  Despite this, everyone faces crisis situations at some point in their lives.  Due to the nature of agritourism, our industry is at a higher risk of having crisis situations than most.

Preparation is Key

As with many things in life, navigating a crisis well boils down to preparation.  For any farm who has spent the time considering how to manage a fire, treat an injury, or recover from a major storm, the plans they envisioned can be quickly enacted and mitigation strategies implemented quickly.  Do you have an emergency plan for your farm?  Have you trained your staff on the actions to take if a situation arises?  Have you invited your local emergency services staff to the farm so they are prepared if they are needed on site?

Crisis PR

As we all know, our world now seems to run on a 24 hour news cycle.  If/when those crisis situations occur on your farm, you will likely also be called to provide information to a member of the news media or your local community.  Do you know what to say when that occurs?  NAFDMA knows that when you are struggling to manage a situation, finding the right messaging can be difficult, if not impossible.  A few years ago, we added a member benefit to our Premium Membership to assist.  We have partnered with a professional PR company, trained in agritourism, to provide a private consultation to any member who finds themselves in a crisis situation.  Since it has been implemented, several farms have used this benefit, and found assistance to ensure they said the right things, and avoided anything that might make the situation worse. 

Sleep Peacefully

Knowing you have a good emergency plan helps everyone sleep better at night.  Knowing you have the right words to build your trust and community care in those situations helps you to sleep even better.  To learn more about benefits for both Standard and Premium membership, visit our membership page.