A Brazilian popstar, Hollywood celebrities and an agricultural speaker are side-by-side in the race for an internationally-recognized social media award. Mashable, The Social Media Guide, announced the nominees for the 2009 Open Web Awards today and Certified Speaking Professional Michele Payn-Knoper was one of the top five nominees for Twitter User of the Year. There are over two million “tweets” sent daily on the micro-blogging site Twitter and celebrities attract the largest number of followers, so agriculture’s representation on this list is an exciting opportunity for the agrifood business. Payn-Knoper was nominated by members of an agricultural community, “#AgChat”, which Payn-Knoper founded in April. Read More »
Archive for the ‘Celebrities’ Category
Agriculture in Prime Time
Monday, September 21st, 2009
Thousands have lost their jobs to water in an area known as the U.S. breadbasket
Last week agriculture saw a rare opportunity; a major farm issue was showcased during prime time, complete with celebrities sharing food and farm facts. I asked Barbara Borges Martin, one of the thousands of farms impacted by California’s environmental over-regulations, to share her experience at the live filming of the Hannity on Fox show on September 17. This is important regardless of your state or residency; these types of environmental over-regulations may be precedent setting, people standing in food lines were receiving carrots from China and nearly 12% of U.S. food production comes from the San Joaquin Valley. Read More »
Misconception & Work Ethic
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009In today’s world of information overload, it’s rare that a piece captures my complete attention. Even rarer is video footage that’s worth 20 minutes of viewing. This presentation by Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs held my attention multiple times – and I think it’s worthy of yours.
He clearly outlines the need for correcting misconceptions, overcoming complacency and building work ethic based upon his experiences as an “apprentice” with manual laborers. Rowe describes working with a rancher to castrate lambs and finding firsthand that “humane” techniques aren’t necessarily the “right thing to do” as compared the practical application learned by people who have decades experience with animals – and knows what is best for the animals. He learned firsthand that misconceptions can cause pain, literally and figuratively. Read More »
Oprah Cleanses Animal Agriculture
Friday, May 23rd, 2008“Well, I feel like I got baptized in Vegan Land today.” said Oprah on her May 20 show, according to Farm Sanctuary who reports this show featured Kathy Freston, author of Quantum Wellness. Oprah announced that she has embarked on a 21-day cleanse that includes removing all animal products from her diet in her quest to be a “conscious eater.” Farm Sanctuary reports through its newsletter “This is BIG. So BIG, in fact, that we need you to show your support of Oprah’s choice to try an animal-free diet. Please join the discussion, or share your story on Oprah’s site.” There’s also a blog about Oprah’s experience. Read More »
