There is an animal welfare issue at your farm and the local media is criticizing your working conditions. A nitrogen spill has impacted your community’s water supply. A worker was injured while handling livestock and activists take action. 

In food and agriculture, these moments happen unexpectedly and all too often. Once it starts, there’s no pause button. What leaders do in the first hours of a crisis often shapes trust, credibility and outcomes for years to come. 

Understanding crisis communications matters. When pressure is high, emotions are heightened and information is incomplete, leaders must rise to the occasion. The difference between organizations that weather crises and those that spiral often isn’t resources or size. It’s whether leaders have done the work before something goes wrong.