I’ve got questions. So do 70 million others.

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I’ve got questions. So do 70 million others.

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

Generation Y has left quite the mark on our society – haven’t we?

For those of you who just clicked on the link above- yes, I just cited Wikipedia. And yes, I can do that because I am Generation Y. I’m independent. I make my own rules. Sometimes I follow the rules of those that I respect highly. Furthermore, I’m both “high-performance and high-maintenance,” as this USA Today article put it.

If you aren’t one of us, we’re easy to spot. Harry Potter was our Peter Pan. Eminem is our comeback kid and the names Blink-182, Britney Spears and Creed all have a special place in our hearts.

But that’s all in the past now. What does a Gen Yer like me do now that Britney’s back at the gym and Harry Potter has come to an end? I do just what everyone else does. I juggle a career in agriculture, a husband, a house, time at the gym, volunteering, spending time online and whatever else I need to do.

While I don’t spend every second online like some of our youngest Gen Yers, it’s a part of my life I couldn’t live without and it has hugely impacted my “agvocacy”, advocating for agriculture. Aside from agvocacy, it’s my direct link to answering questions, a lip-smacking recipe for dinner and a community of people who care about me. I explore topics that interest me on blogs, Google, Facebook and Twitter. I’m always looking for new ways, like Pinterest or Google+, to organize my overload of information. But to be honest, I don’t have the time to get to know technology or every topic as good as I should.

So what do I do? I rely on an online network of people I’ve built to provide me with trustworthy information. I seek out blogs that I trust, people on Twitter I’ve had meaningful conversations with, and webpages or Facebook pages that give me a glimpse into things I don’t understand.

Most recently, I became involved with a group of Rockin’ Rural Women that are on both Twitter and Facebook. There are about 800 of us nationwide. We come together to celebrate all things are rural- our livelihoods, our dreams, our values. Simply put, you don’t need to be a cowgirl but do you need to love dirt under your fingernails. Last week we had a chat on Facebook and Twitter about holiday stress and how we (as women) de-stress. It’s always a great time. Such good people. Such good prizes.

So what does this mean to you? To me? To agvocacy?

We need to consider taking time to break out of our everyday routines and to be a part of online relationships- not just conversations. The relationships need to be honest, transparent and meaningful, just like offline relationships are.

Twitter is a great place to do this type of online relationship building. While there millions of more people still on MySpace compared to those of us on Twitter, I have found Twitter to be a highly influential and engaged place to build relationships. Pick a TV show, hobby or interest you enjoy and follow the Twitter hashtag. Connect with a few new people every week and grow those relationships. This will allow you to go “beyond the choir” that you engage with daily or weekly and truly reach people outside of agriculture circle you already know well.

Do you blog? Find a new blog or two that shares a common interest or hobby and comment on those blogs. Establish a relationship with the blogger and invite them to read your blog. It’s amazing how these connections can go so deep.

I tend to find, when a non-agriculture person I have built a relationship with online has a question about food or farming, they often will think of me as a resource to go to with their question. It’s just one way my agvocacy impacts the online relationships I have built.

Take it from a Gen Yer, I understand it’s easy to get caught in our own world and our own circles- days are long, time is short, and even the lowest maintenance, “high-maintenance Gen Yer” has too many things to do. But there are 70 million of us Gen Yers out there and we all have questions about everything from fashion to food. Do you want to help answer?

Jodi Oleen is a thirty-something Floridian-turned-Kansan. She is recently married and works for a farmer led organization in The Little Apple. She has a undergraduate degree in Animal Science with an Equine Option and a Master’s degree in Food and Resource Economics, both from University of Florida. Find her on Twitter or Facebook, or check out mycousinisvegan.wordpress.com.

Tags: Advocacy, Agriculture, agvocacy, Facebook, Food, Generation Y, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Advocacy, Agriculture, Social Media, Technology | 2 Comments »

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 »

Savvy Chicken Suits: Defining the Food Story

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

~ guest post by Lara Durben

In 1995, three months into my new job at the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, a rock was thrown through our office window on Thanksgiving Day, handpainted with the initials A.L.F. – Animal Liberation Front – on it. That was my “Hello and welcome to the world of animal agriculture.”

Since that time, we’ve had such “memorable” experiences as animal activists sneaking into our annual convention and chaining themselves to an exhibit, and the perfectly timed release of undercover video of a Minnesota turkey farm that very nearly upstaged Thanksgiving in 1999.

Each time, we scrambled to put together a well-crafted response and then wished for the entire incident to go away. Only, as we in animal agriculture have learned all too well, it may quiet down but with the advent of Google and YouTube, it doesn’t really go away. Ever.

A decade ago, I think our industry wanted to believe that if we’re quiet and go about our daily business, surely people will simply be happy we provide them with poultry for their dinner tables. Times have changed – and the way people view their food purchases and the food industry have changed. It’s no longer about those crazy, whacked-out PETA people wearing chicken suits on the sidewalk; animal activists – groups such as the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) – are much more savvy today.

But guess what? Farmers and the agricultural organizations that represent them are just as savvy too. And we have a lot to tell people about our commitment to our animals while also providing the world with a safe, healthy, affordable food supply. In the organizations I work for, we’re doing this in a number of different ways – from Web banner ads that are edgier than anything we’ve put out before, to working closely with farmers to participate in our speaker’s bureau. We’re also embracing Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as key components within our overall communications plan and we’re encouraging our farmers to do the same.

It’s not always easy – not everyone is comfortable giving presentations in front of groups, and social media tools can be intimidating – but our organization is committed to helping our members learn how to make these and other tools work for them.

After several years on Facebook and more recently trying to wrap my head around Twitter, here’s what I know for sure:

Social media tools offer us a tremendous opportunity to tell our stories on a daily basis – it’s a no brainer to use them.
It’s all about daily interaction. We monitor social media sites like Facebook or Twitter at least a few minutes each day because there are always opportunities to share an interesting link, debunk a myth, or spread a positive message about agriculture.
Blur your work and personal life if you really want to make an impact. Trust me on this. Some of my “non-work” people I am friends with on Facebook are exactly the people who need to hear my positive messages about farmers and agriculture. And I rely on my “work” friends to help me share news, links and messages.

Earlier this year I participated in a meeting with the communications director of HSUS’s Factory Farming Campaign in Washington D.C. Did she seem crazy? No. Did she come off as confrontational? Just the opposite. She was friendly, smart, young, enthusiastic and – surprise! – she came from a farm background in Illinois, with experience in 4-H as a kid. This meeting left me wondering – among many things – how does someone like that go from being a farm kid and a 4-H’er to a card-carrying HSUS employee?

I can’t answer that, but I can tell you that the organization I work for has realized that we must not let HSUS or other animal activists groups define our story. We must be willing to put ourselves out there – and talk to people in a compelling, emotional way about farm life, raising food animals and feeding the world ethically and responsibly. We must make connections wherever and whenever we can.

In the most recent Animal Agriculture Alliance e-newsletter, the Alliance’s Executive Vice President Kay Johnson Smith said it best: “This new wave of agriculture advocacy has had an effect. Each time that someone – whether it be a farmer or Miss America – talks about the importance of agriculture, it helps close the urban-rural divide. If we each do our part to educate our communities about food production, we are sure to find agriculture allies in our own backyard.” So what is your part?

Lara Durben is a wife, mother, Minnesota farm girl and lover of all things poultry, thanks to her awesome job with the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, Broiler and Egg Association of Minnesota and Midwest Poultry Federation. You can find her tweeting as @minnesotaturkey or @LaraDurbenMN.When she’s not on Facebook or Twitter, she loves golfing, gardening, running, traveling and is a bit obsessed with catching reruns of BRAVO-TV’s Housewives’ series.

Tags: Agriculture, agvocacy, animal agriculture, Facebook, farm, Food, food production, HSUS, PETA, poultry, Turkeys
Posted in Advocacy, Agriculture, Animal Rights, Farmer, Social Media | 2 Comments »

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 »

Growing Educated Opinions in FFA Leaders

Friday, February 25th, 2011

If someone had told me – oh, two years ago, let’s say – that social media would play a huge role in my professional career, I probably would have had a good chuckle. You see, I’m going to school to become a teacher. And not just any teacher, of course.

An agriculture education teacher.

Who would think that an ag teacher would use Facebook, Twitter, Skype and YouTube to help their students learn? I mean, come on, ag teachers help kids learn about tractors and soil and plants and animals, right? Not the Internet.

Well, sorry to break it to you, but this future ag teacher is going to shake thing up a bit!

Over the past two years, using social media has reminded me how much I can learn from others inside and outside of the agriculture industry. I never knew organic dairy farmers from Minnesota before social media. I’d never met any type of rancher prior to Twitter. I didn’t know the impact you could have through YouTube. Simply put, I’ve learned that social media is an unbelievably valuable part of the necessary relationships surrounding our food – from the farm to the plate.

So why shouldn’t our students learn about it and learn from it?

As we celebrate National FFA Week, it’s a great time to reflect on the experiences we had as FFA members, how our lives have been impacted by an FFA member or how we can continue to help current FFA members “develop their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success”. Social media fits in perfectly with that mission. I want my students to be able to become leaders who have an educated opinion and voice in online conversations about our food system. I want them to grow in their beliefs and opinions by interacting with others from across the country. I also want them to advance professionally because of the strong connections they were able to make with others through social media.

Those are all opportunities that these technologies have afforded me, and I can only hope that social media will enrich the lives of my students as well – exactly as the FFA mission says.

There’s still a bit of time until I have my own class, though, so for now I’ll continue to work hard to encourage FFA members, alumni and supporters from all over to ‘agvocate’ through social media and hope that you will too. Consider conducting a social media workshop with your local FFA chapter officers or maybe help an advisor get their FFA chapter Facebook page up and running. For many agriculture programs, they’d love to be involved in social media, but are just looking for some assistance. Can you be the one to bring social media to an agriculture program and FFA chapter in your area?

Amanda Sollman is a student at Michigan State University, majoring in Agriscience with concentrations in Education and Communication. Amanda is a former member of the Sanilac FFA Chapter and currently co-moderates #AgEduChat, a bi-weekly Twitter chat focused on agricultural education. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and at her blog!

MPK sidenote: As a product of the Michigan FFA program, it gives me great pride to have a Spartan student here who once wore the same FFA jacket I did as as state officer. And, before I forget – Go Green! Go White!

Tags: Advocacy, Ag teacher, Agriculture, Facebook, FFA, National FFA Week, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Advocacy, Agriculture, Farming, Social Media, Technology | 2 Comments »