A record crowd attended the April Delegate meeting where the program revolved around the topic of Public Perceptions of Modern Agriculture and included a viewing of Food, Inc. After viewing the movie, the audience was surveyed - using PowerPoint and clicker technology providing immediate data on audience responses - answering three questions on multiple issues raised in the movie (example: food safety, animal welfare, environmental performance, etc.)
The questions asked audience members to give their perception of: 1. Public perception of industry performance around each area. 2. Industry's actual performance in that area. 3. If there is a perceived gap between public perception and industry performance how could it best be addressed - with the choices being: communications, improved practices, research/technology, or policy. This data was then used by break-out groups over lunch that reported out on suggestions to address each issue. The program included a panel of experts for an afternoon discussion and Q & A session.
The program received outstanding reviews, and the survey results and the break-out reports from the meeting can be found on the Penn State Ag Council Website.
