AgChat Summary

Chuck Zimmerman

AgChatI missed AgChat last night but like you, I can review the discussion via Twitter Search. The subject was animal welfare and what agriculture can do to team up with allied industries and groups to create better understanding in the public and combat misinformation campaigns by extremist animal rights groups. Questions included:

Q1: How can #agriculture work with groups such as @RaisingVoices & collaborate against animal rights activists?
Q2: What specific message can both #agriculture & animal research carry that will make the most impact against misinformation?

I solicited comments from participants since I couldn’t and got responses like:

I was impressed; almost to the point of being overwhelmed. Had Tweetie, Tweetdeck, and Tweetchat all running to keep up!

Our AgChat moderator is Michele Payn-Knoper who did a great job of participating while moderating once again and posted this stats summary from the discussion:

1100+ tweets on #agchat last night with 100+ unique contributors. Great discussion around animal rights & #ag.

I know there’s more to add here but I invite comments from those who did participate to help AgWired readers better understand the discussion.

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Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

    Bakersfield Sunset

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Bakersfield, CA SunsetThis was the scene when I got off the plane in Bakersfield, CA this evening. Pretty cool looking I think. I love sunrises and sunsets. There is an artist who is a lot better than any of us human ones.

    I missed out on #AgChat tonight on Twitter but hope to have a review of it tomorrow morning if my sources come through. I’ve already skimmed over some of the posts and I think you would find them very interesting. I especially like the humor that gets thrown in. We need to laugh even when discussing serious topics. I made it through about 23 pages so far but think it’s time to stop for the day. There’s always tomorrow.

    Uncategorized

    WEPC.com Offers Blog Tips

    Amanda Nolz

    744383034_255a3539eb One of the blogs that I visited daily, okay several times per day, is The Pioneer Woman. Blogger Ree Drummond was a college student going to school in Los Angeles, when she met and fell in love with an Oklahoma cattle rancher. She quickly ditched the black pumps, sushi and Starbucks for cowboy boots, horses and cattle manure when she married her authentic cowboy. Today, she blogs about the adventures of living and working on a cattle ranch, homeschooling her kids and maintaining a very successful blog that includes photos, great writing, recipes, tutorials and prizes. Maybe that’s why WEPC.com asked Ree to write her tips on their site for a successful blog. Here are Ree’s 8 tips…

    1. Photos
    2. Variety
    3. Longterm, get your own Domain
    4. Make it easy for visitors to comment
    5. Steer clear of the F-bombs
    6. Involve readers
    7. Don’t try to be the end authority on any topic
    8. Laugh. And make others laugh

    To read the entire article, link here. In the meantime, I’m wondering what do YOU like about blogs? What makes you stop by and want to read more?

    Uncategorized

    Off to the “Real World”

    Amanda Nolz

    100_0297 Well, as of this past weekend, I’m now a proud graduate of South Dakota State University. It’s a crazy feeling to know that my college years are over, and I’m now making the transition into the “real world.” It’s been said, time and time again, that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. I really think I have found that dream career in my role as an agriculture writer and speaker.

    In the next couple of months, I want to position myself as a person people want to use as a resource for conferences, workshops and events. I’m excited about my speech and workshop topics: global agriculture climate, animal rights activists, consumer and media misconceptions, sharing the agriculture story and utilizing social networking sites as a public relations tool for farmers and ranchers. I’m already booking a few events, but I’m looking to gain some advice on how I can spread the word about my availability as an agriculture speaker. I hope to build a website soon as a reference towards my credentials, but what else can be done to spread the word about my full-time status as an agriculture writer and speaker? I can’t wait to hear your advice? Thanks, everyone! -Amanda Nolz

    Uncategorized

    Irena Sendler

    Amanda Nolz

    The prize doesn’t always go the most deserving, and this was certainly the case with the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. I was emailed this story the other day, and it’s an inspirational tale of a woman who never quite earned the recognition she deserved for her courageous acts. Read this story provided by Snopes, and you’ll see why…

    200px-2005_02_13__irena_sendlerowa_foto_mariusz_kubik_01_zoomThere recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a plumbing/sewer specialist. However, she had an “ulterior motive.” She KNEW what the Nazi’s plans were for the Jews, (being German.) Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the toolbox she carried. She also kept a burlap sack in the back of her truck for larger kids. She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers, of course, wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises. During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and the Nazi’ s broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunite the family. Most of course had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted.

    In 2007, Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize…She was not selected. Al Gore won, for a slide show on Global Warming. LET’S SEND THIS ONE AROUND THE WORLD! GOD BLESS HER! May she rest in Peace.

    Note: Sendler’s story was brought to light in the United States when students in Kansas found it described in a magazine and popularized it through their original play Life in a Jar. On April 19, 2009, The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, a Hallmark Hall of Fame production written and directed by John Kent Harrison and starring Anna Paquin in the title role, was broadcast by CBS.

    Events

    What Is Sustainability?

    Chuck Zimmerman

    That’s a question posed by the National Corn Growers Association President, Rick Tolman. It’s a good question and judging by the social networking comments on this subject I’ve seen in the past few weeks, it’s one that has a multitude of answers depending on who’s defining. Here’s what Rick says from his “Our View” statement today:

    The definition of “sustainability” has become one of the most widely discussed topics in agriculture – and with consumers, too – during the past several years. Many definitions exist for sustainability; some are very good and some have created much confusion for consumers.

    The National Corn Growers Association understands the importance of agricultural sustainability for today’s consumers and wants to help everyone understand its real meaning. Our corn farmers have always worked hard to be good stewards of the land and environment. New technologies and farming practices have made them even better stewards of the land, creating more sustainability for all of us to enjoy and allowing them to produce more corn on less farm land.

    We have an underlying policy at NCGA that officially adopts the definition that was included in the 1990 Farm Bill:

    “The term sustainable agriculture means an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term, satisfy human food and fiber needs; enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends; make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls; and sustain the economic viability of farm operations enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.”

    Sounds like a pretty good definition to me. What’s yours? If you don’t like this one, why?

    I think all of us involved in agriculture are on board with the ideas like enhancing the environment and the other elements of the definition above. However, it seems like the word is being used with some very emotional definitions today to promote a certain lifestyle or to portray groups or individuals in a negative light or even to promote a company’s products or services. As I listened to the radio on the highway today it seemed like most of the commercials contained words like, sustainable, green, environmental. They were mostly for existing companies and products. Do consumers really buy into those claims just because they’re mentioned in a commercial? Is it helping drive sales? And why would anyone use them to try to attack the very people who are helping feed the world while increasing their sustainability practices?

    Ag Groups, Corn

    Telling The South Dakota Ag Story

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Steve DickThe Executive Director of Ag United For South Dakota is Steve Dick, pictured here at the NAFB Washington Watch Issues Forum.

    Steve says that AUSD is a coalition of 5 farm groups that include corn and soybean growers, pork producers, cattlemen and SD Farm Bureau. They were set up to educate the public about agriculture and particularly livestock production in SD. He says they want people to know that farmers have a message to get out to people which is that they’re working everyday to produce a safe, reliable source of protein. He wanted to emphasize that agriculture has changed significantly and in ways that aren’t always easy to see from the highway.

    You can listen to my interview with Steve here: ww-09-ausd.mp3

    NAFB Washington Watch 2009 Photo Album

    Ag Groups, Audio

    Precision Ag Helps Create Marriage Proposal

    Chuck Zimmerman

    I love this story Kurt posted on our Precision Pays site and thought I’d share it with you.

    Give credit to farmers and their creativity. Not only are they saving time, input dollars and the environment thanks to the tools of precision agriculture, some growers find ways to use it to enhance their personal lives.

    Vega, Texas grower Braden Gruhlkey used his John Deere GreenStar GPS-based guidance system to accurately plow the letters of his marriage proposal to his girlfriend Lauren.

    “I just used an A+heading line for the top and bottom of the letters. I used this as a guide to see how big to make my letters. Then I just made ab and a+ heading lines to make the letters. And it worked nice because when I got one letter finished I could use the same lines and just shift track them. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, and I did it all in the field. I thought it turned out pretty neat.”

    Then, on April 18th, Braden took girlfriend Lauren for an airplane ride and popped the question.

    With the help of GreenStar, Braden’s creativity was a huge hit…she became his fiance.

    Agribusiness, Precision Agriculture

    Fresno Drive Green Event

    Chuck Zimmerman

    It’s time to hit the road with the John Deere Drive Green Utility Tractor Show once again. This week I’ll be in Fresno, CA at Fresno Equipment for a day of customer interaction which you’ll find covered on DriveGreenTractors.com.

    This has been a seriously fun project since I’ve been able to meet so many people around the country following the truck to periodic stops to obtain content that I can post in between.

    John Deere Drive Green Utility Tractor Show

    I’m taking the opportunity to spend a day with our web developer too. We’ve got multiple projects in the works and when they’re ready I’ll let you know more about them. It’s a busy time in ag communications. I like it.

    John Deere