Agvocating: Quick, Short & to the Point

Posts Tagged ‘Advocacy’

Agvocating: Quick, Short & to the Point

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

~ guest blog post by Wayne Black

Just over a year ago my wife (@JenniLeeBlack) convinced me I should be involved with social media. Not being a fan of Facebook, I was skeptical. For me it had to be quick, short and to the point. Then I read about Twitter. A limit of 140 characters it suited my style.

I spent about two weeks reading up on Twitter before starting. I would encourage everyone to do the same thing. Since then I have found many websites that have it summed up on one page or in one picture. A great example of this is one developed by Ogilvy’s 360 Degree Digital Influence group: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27132029@N06/3022781883/

Wayne is an avid agvocate for agriculture through both social media and with his involvement with various agriculture groups.

I have learned a lot from being on Twitter. The first is that we, as farmers, have to be involved with social media. It doesn’t really matter whether it is Facebook, YouTube, Twitter or whatever the platform of the day is. There is a conversation going on. We must be involved.

The second thing I’ve learned is no matter what you do, each message is more effective if you “market” that message to the right people. I do that by using hashtags or #.

Hashtags are a sales pitch for each tweet I send and the most effective for getting noticed. People search out tweets of interest by searching hashtags. One that got me involved with a lot of new followers and finding new people to follow was #agchat. Since then I have discovered other hashtags that interest me such as #food, #moo, #corn and other #agriculture identifiers. Locally we have developed #HuronCty (for our Huron County), #Ontag (Ontario Agriculture) and #GGA (a part of Huron County termed Greater Goderich Area). There are no limits to hashtags; they can be whatever you’d like and can help you find the conversations you need to be involved with.

And finally, the biggest reason to be on Twitter or any type of Social Media is for advocating (or in my case, agvocating). Twitter has offered me an excellent venue for agvocating for Ontario Agriculture. It has generated a lot of discussion with politicos, foodies, urbanites and also fellow farmers. My personal use has generated media articles that promote the positive aspects of agriculture and farming in Rural Ontario. People who read my tweets can place a name to a person which adds value to the message.

The joy of Twitter is that it gives the opportunity to get engaged in a conversation if an issue comes up. You have the opportunity to learn why they have created the negative or positive thought about agriculture. You can walk through a process with the person on the other side to get them engaged in conversation, rather than preaching or appearing to sell the idea. A lot of times people just want to hear from a farmer. They want to hear what my farm practices are. Understanding why I do what I do gives them further depth to knowing and the ability to question the negative aspects.

Social media allows me as a farmer to become engaged with non-farmers and politicos. We need to become engaged in conversation to get our story out, make it believable and to be truthful. Twitter allows me to do that from where ever I am, in the field, in the barn, in the Boardroom or in my home. People are engaged on the go, even in Rural Ontario.

You may think social media is not for you, but I encourage you to look around. Most likely you’ll find a conversation going on that you’ll want to weigh in on. Pick a platform and speak up. Let your voice be heard.

Who is @waynekblack?

Wayne is a cash crop farmer with a passion for agriculture. He also works with his father on the original farm that has been in the family since before 1867. He is on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and Agricultural Adaptation Council. Locally he is engaged with various Committees working on Economic Development opportunities and sustainability efforts. In his spare time, he enjoys life with his wonderful wife & 3 amazing children (http://abearaladybugandapeanut.wordpress.com).

Tags: Advocacy, Agriculture, agvocacy, Facebook, Farmer, Social Media, Technology, Twitter
Posted in Advocacy, Agriculture, Social Media, Technology | 1 Comment »

Small Farmer Talks Rabbits & Chickens on Social Media

Friday, April 15th, 2011

~ guest blog post by Jan Hoadley, Slow Money Farm

Most people wouldn’t consider social media a part of their agricultural venture. Technology maybe, but Twitter or Facebook? It’s vital for my operation because there’s a whole world who hasn’t heard about our animals.

You see, many have chickens or rabbits. Many will sell eggs or other products from the farm. As a small operation, we’re dependent on larger operations for our feed and keeping that feed affordable. We’re also dependent to a large degree on social media not just for agriculture but for our choices in breeds.

Many people have never seen a giant chinchilla rabbit, although rabbits are common with lop ears or white or small pets. Our Dominiques trace to those hardy birds of 100 years ago when they were the bird of choice on American farms. They could forage, lay enough eggs for a family and excess males were large enough for Sunday dinner. Today they, like many rare breeds, are kept alive in those smaller conditions. They aren’t adapted as a commercial bird.

You see, it’s rare breeds that balance the commercial production animals in giving food choices. They’re also a living link to the past. The giant chinchilla has the moniker “the million dollar rabbit” and are gentle enough to be handled by a novice pre-teen, despite their larger size.

Our animals have function and beauty but that isn’t enough in today’s agricultural diversity. Without exposure – without people learning about them and generating demand for them – they may well become extinct. Gone forever, such as some in the past that were so good at producing crossbred production animals no one kept the purebred lines alive.

Social media allows us to provide a little history and a little present day mixed together with function and memories. Social media allows photos, stories and videos to cross wires and be viewed by people far away. It allows those far from their food source to see options in agriculture and in how their food is grown.

It allows viewing something besides horrific videos that don’t represent agriculture as a whole, but it does so in color. From the Rhode Island Reds and Dominiques to the black Australorps it allows showing the birds from the comfort of their home to those in the comfort of theirs.

Agriculture is diverse! From aquaculture to herbs to thousands of products we deal with every day, agriculture is a part. Beyond that no two poultry operations are the same. In using social media to tell our story it is about more than just us – it highlights some colorful, beautiful and functional animals that others can support from afar or use to produce their own food.

As a small operation it’s difficult to get away for long and each bird or rabbit is an individual. Our crops are much smaller and more diverse than what is produced on large farms or found in the local grocery. Social media takes promotion to new levels with convenience. You can “visit” from anywhere…and we hope you will! Extinction is forever – in farms and in livestock. We all offer choice.

Jan Hoadley grew up in the Midwest, but currently lives in northwest Alabama with a variety of unusual looking creatures. She is a proud graduate of the AgChat Foundation’s Agvocacy 2.0 training and has recently added video blogging to her use of social media tools, though she prefers to be behind the camera rather than in front of it. Jan is known for bringing a unique perspective to the conversation about our food. You can find her on Twitter, Linkedin or the farm’s website is http://www.slowmoneyfarm.com.

Tags: Advocacy, Agriculture, agvocacy, animal agriculture, chicken, Farmer, Farming, Food, food production, organic, poultry, rabbits, Social Media
Posted in Advocacy, Agriculture, Farming, Food, Social Media | 1 Comment »

Farmer Grows Agritourism & Winery Through Social Media

Friday, April 8th, 2011

~ guest blog post by Bill Bakan, Maize Valley Farms

“If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything” by Alexander Hamilton and “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds” by Woody Hayes are quotes describe the balancing act that I think life is mostly about.

Saying that, we are involved in social media as an effort to balance and control our online image. You see, I don’t live to farm – I farm for a living. I also say I must be unemployed because I love my “job” so it must not be work! I use our web site, blog, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter accounts, to sell our “stuff.” It also helps with search engine optimization; I just try and put enough content out that I generate inbound links as much as possible from as many angles as possible.

We currently raise about 52 different crops on approximately 700 acres. Our farm market/winery is open year round. We attended 10 farmers markets a week during the summer of 2010 and one in the winter. We also focus on special event marketing in addition to “traditional corn maze/fall pumpkin” attraction destination activities. We do all of this to sell what we grow and make.

What message are you sending?

As a “traditional farmer” I got tired of buying retail and selling wholesale as they say. We wanted more control. We needed to vertically integrate our product line yes, but our marketing message even more. Social media allows for direct real time interactive communication with our markets/people. You have to spend the time and money somehow to market and social media is better than most of the “professionals” I have found out there.

It is about the “Balance”, and conversions in the end are what makes “$Bank$”. Social media is not a total answer - it is a tool to be used as part of a plan. Part of that plan revolves around an authentic message and an image development that reinforces the true reality that is a farm life. That IS marketable in itself! Social networking is the best tool for this job. For example: I remember “back in the day” mowing hay before bolt on knife sections, and diskbines. If you ever tried to change a knife section on a cutter bar without that “rivet tool thingy” – you know what I mean? You had to use a ball-peen hammer a cold chisel, center punch and a “smash hammer”, (which usually involved a knuckle sooner or later). Sure makes reaching for your pocket knife later a whole lot easier if your knuckle isn’t busted!

Content like THAT is what I mean, it “connects” or at least relays an experience that other people trust as coming from a true legit source without any “filters”. It is a special message and treatment that people want – true customer service.

Zingerman’s of Ann Arbor, Michigan says it best.

Figure out what the customer wants,
Give it to them,
Go the extra mile.

It’s really that simple – and communicating, especially social media helps to do this very well. Even if you don’t direct market, other people have an increasing say in how you operate and that translates into your cost of production. History shows the low cost producer usually succeeds. Profit comes two ways, increased sales or reduced costs.

Social media allows you to listen, so you can act effectively, which provides an opportunity to exceed expectations. Do this well and you multiply “agvocates” beyond yourself in the form of third party validation, which are today’s most valuable ambassadors.

Everyone is your customer, everyone is your boss, but tell your story well and they are your friend too! Outcomes we’ve seen include:

Touching our customers: a certain portion of our guests they tell me in person often how much they like our posts etc.
Listening: you learn the most when you close your mouth and open your ears I was told. Social media allows me to keep a good eye on trends and the “vibe” of the day, market, demographic, etc.
Growing our business: I hope we can keep up and continue to “exceed” expectations.

Social media has made me a better person; it’s “softened” my edges a bit, while increasing my awareness of the world around me and what other people find important in their lives. I suggest you try social media before someone does it for you and you don’t like but can’t do anything about it. At least “show up” and see what happens. Species that fail to adapt perish.

Farmer turns to SM for winery & agrotourism

Bill is a husband, father, farmer, entertainer entrepreneur trying to keep it real AND profitable down on the farm. “At Maize Valley We Make Great Wine…FUN!”

You can learn more about their farm at http://www.maizevalleywinery.com, on Facebook, on Twitter, or their blog at http://www.ohiowineandmore.com.

Tags: Advocacy, Agriculture, agritourism, agvocacy, Facebook, Farmer, farmer's markets, Farming, Food, Social Media, Twitter, Winery, YouTube
Posted in Advocacy, Agriculture, Consumer Trust, Farming, Food, Social Media | 1 Comment »

Science Fair, Agriculture’s Story & Human Connections

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

Speaking out for agriculture doesn’t require a massive strategic plan. And frankly, you’re likely not the only one capable of advocating. I’ve recently observed commentary that farmers and ranchers are the only ones who can tell agriculture’s story. I don’t buy that. Each person has a right – and dare I say – a responsibility to tell their own story in agriculture. That story is different for a meat scientist in Pennsylvania, a seed salesman in Alberta, a rancher in Texas, a dairy woman in Michigan, a college student in Kansas – or a little person at a science fair.

Life events are great places to humanize agriculture.

Case in point: our “little tweep” loves science, along with dairy cattle. Those loves were combined this year for the long-awaited science fair project, which led to the little tweep telling people about both. The topic was “Do cows like corn or hay better?” She hangs out in in the milking parlor and feeds heifers enough to know that they are wild for grain and hypothesized that cows would like corn better because it was sweeter.

Cows definitely like corn better, as a barn trial confirmed during sleet after a very cold dairy judging practice. 50 grams of hay and 250 grams of cracked corn were measured in separate buckets on a gram scale (which froze during the last measuring while parental toes were numb). Little tweep offered the feed to each cows at the same time, timed the consumption on my iPhone and conversed with the bovines while recording results. The corn was inhaled, the hay ignored. Unanimously. Not a surprise to those who know cattle, but perhaps news who laud grass-fed as the only way to go.

Research taught the little scientist that corn has more starch and total digestible nutrients while hay has more protein and sugar. Further exploration with human foods showed that hay is like green beans and corn is like oatmeal, which she drew pictures of on the display. Corn was painstakingly glued around the edges, the results carefully written up (for hours!) and she noted the need for a mix of feed. Her favorite journal page was the picture with the cow she helped show at age 1 1/2, captioned “This is my cow Panera, who turns corn and hay into milk, which gives us ice cream, cheese and yogurt. Yum!” She then had an interview with the judges to explain all she learned about her cow experiment. I didn’t personally witness it, but have been told she’s pretty clear in telling her story.

This proud mom will tell you the little tweep brought home a trophy (and a huge smile) – but that’s not what was important. It was about the effort and education. The little tweep was able to take something she loves, turn it into a learning opportunity and share it with others. When was the last time you’ve done that? The display was seen by hundreds at an open house – the cow (stuffed) was a magnet. Hopefully this provided a glimpse into the science of dairy cattle nutrition – and that it’s perfectly natural for cows to eat corn as part of a well-balanced diet. It’s amazing how few people understand that – even in a rural community.

I’m thankful that the little tweep is happy to tell her story – and that she thinks cows are cool. And I’m pretty sure that in her environment, she’s far more effective than any farmer, hardcore agvocate, agribusiness excecutive or even her professional speaker mother. Connecting farm to food is about human connections. At the end of the day, the only way agriculture wins is to have as many people as possible sharing their passion for – and firsthand knowledge of agriculture. Does it really matter what title you claim or what segment of agrifood you represent? I think not – it’s simply about finding places to connect with humans, whether it’s the science fair, Facebook, church meals, visits with elected officials or letters to the editor. How can you use simple events to share your story?

Tags: Advocacy, Agriculture, farmers, Food, ranchers, science fair
Posted in Advocacy, Agriculture, Farm Life, Farmer, Motivation | 2 Comments »

Communicating with Impact & Influence

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

The Lost Art of Face-to-Face Communications

~ guest blog post by Stacey Hanke

Face to face communications vs. electronic

Are you losing the ability to connect in real life?

Communicating meaningfully is becoming more difficult than ever before. While technology has created an ever increasing number of ways to communicate, many people are now insulated and protected. Consequently we’re losing the skills and abilities to communicating in the most influential way – face to face.

There’s a real danger to the maintenance of meaningful communications and personal and professional relationships. If you become overly dependent on email or text messages, you focus on the object, not the person. If you can’t keep the attention of your listener for them to understand your message, you won’t influence them to take action. (*note from MPK – this means that ag folks can’t dump science and ag lingo on our listeners)

Failure to communicate effectively face to face has a phenomenal impact on business and success.

Miscommunication and understanding.
Wasted time.
Loss in profits.
Minimize ability to effectively project trust, confidence, credibility to build relationships.

Communicating face to face with impact and influence requires discipline, and self-awareness. Begin with these eight must-have steps.

Make your conversation count. Everyone has the right to speak. Earn the right to be heard. Think about what you want to say before you say it. Every word counts. Tailor what you say to meet your listener’s needs.
Pay attention by listening for the unspoken emotions. Do not let your eyes dart away since that signals you’re no longer paying attention. Wait to speak only when the person has finished what they want to say. Listen and read their expressions to gain maximum understanding of the why behind their words.
Honor the other person’s time. Prepare and get to the point quickly by speaking in short and concise sentences. Replace your non-words (“uh,” “um,” “so,” “you know … “) with a pause to find your thought. Avoid rambling and cluttering your message with unnecessary points. Ask for a clear and specific action. Don’t take 20 minutes when you only asked for ten.
Prepare for your face-to-face conversation with K.N.O.W.
- K – What does your listener know about your topic?
- N – What does your listener need to know to take the action you want them to take in the time frame you have?
- O – What’s your listener’s opinion about your topic?
- W – Who is your listener? What additional information do you know to tailor your message?
Avoid non-verbal abuse. Your behavior and non-verbal cues are as important as the words you say. Don’t fidget, act nervous or allow your posture to convey uncertainty, insincerity, or dismay.
Be sincere and authentic. Speak in your authentic voice. Be genuine and allow others to see the real you.
Maintain control of the conversation. Be interesting. If you see the signs that you’re no longer the center of attention:
- Your listener begins working on their Blackberry, iPad, IPhone, etc.
- Your listener begins to have side conversations.
- Your listener interrupts you.

Stop. Break the flow. Earn their attention. Get back on track.

Ask for specific feedback about your key points, the manner in which you presented and the way you responded. Ask for balanced feedback about how to improve and immediately begin applying this feedback.

Technology-driven communication will improve if you first focus on improving the most important method first – face-to-face communication.

Stacey Hanke is co-author of the book; Yes You Can! Everything You Need From A To Z To Influence Others To Take Action. She is also the founder of 1^st Impression Consulting, Inc. She helps individuals communicate with impact and influence. Her client list is vast from Coca-Cola, Kohl’s, United States Army, Navy and Air Force, Leo Burnett and the FDA. She has been a featured guest on media outlets including; SmartMoney magazine, Business Week, Lifetime Network, Chicago WGN and WLS-AM. Stacey grew up on a farm in Wisconsin and cherishes the time with her family when she returns to her rural roots. You can find her on Twitter.