The weekend of February 3rd marked the 2024 National Agricultural Communications Symposium (NACS) in Atlanta, GA. Several RPTC members were in attendance conducting paper or professional development presentations and poster presentations, debuting the work being done by the RPTC Communication team.
Elisabeth Ramsey participated in the 2024 NACS research poster session. Her engaging presentation and insightful research earned her the 2024 People’s Choice Research Poster Award. Explore all the fascinating NACS presentations from the RPTC team.
NACS and Its Impact on RPTC Research Goals
NACS marked Elisabeth Ramsey’s first conference and first time presenting RPTC research to a national audience. Her poster, “Talking Pork: Tailored Communication for a Diverse Consumer Landscape,” was selected as the 2024 People’s Choice Research Poster Award.
Elisabeth’s poster delved into the insights gleaned from the Leman Swine Conference listening groups, which were conducted by the RPTC team in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in September 2023. These sessions involved in-depth conversations with industry stakeholders to understand and analyze their perceptions of consumer communication preferences. Find more information on the Leman Swine Conference listening groups here.
Elisabeth's poster explored four key themes: speaker credibility, cultural foodways and rituals, the language surrounding pork, and communication channels. Through these themes, Elisabeth highlighted the importance of adapting communication strategies to specific audiences and the need for tailored approaches to reach diverse groups, particularly minority audiences. This award marks the first of many for the RPTC team.
Collaborations and Networking
Elisabeth's poster not only caught the attention of judges but also attracted numerous conference participants. Initially drawn in by the “talking” pigs on her poster, many stayed to discuss the research gaps she identified and how these gaps would be addressed. Several attendees expressed enthusiasm for her focus on minority groups and the communication gap she identified among industry stakeholders.
Elisabeth also engaged in lively conversations with other conference participants about various cultural dishes that incorporate pork. There was considerable interest among attendees in seeing further research on this topic, particularly regarding the communication gap between minority groups and their cultural foodways concerning pork.
Conclusions & Future Directions
Elisabeth Ramsey's debut at the 2024 National Agricultural Communications Symposium marked a significant milestone, with her poster "Talking Pork: Tailored Communication for a Diverse Consumer Landscape" receiving the 2024 People's Choice Research Poster Award.
The dialogue surrounding the poster and research data underscored the importance of adapting communication strategies to reach diverse audiences, particularly minority groups, within the pork industry. The engaging conversations sparked by her poster highlighted a clear interest in further research on this topic and the potential impact it could have on bridging communication gaps within the industry. Elisabeth's success at NACS is just the beginning, and we encourage our readers to stay tuned for future updates and developments as we continue to explore and expand on these research findings.
Acknowledgments
We extend our sincere gratitude to the National Pork Board (NPB) for funding travel expenses through the RPTC project, enabling our participation in this event. We also thank the event organizers for their efforts in making the symposium a success. Additionally, we acknowledge the valuable contributions of our fellow researchers, collaborators, and attendees, whose engagement and support enriched the discussions and outcomes of the symposium.
Check out the RPTC team’s debut at NACS.