AgWired

Without a doubt, those of us in agriculture have science backing us up to defend our food production practices. We can spout off the latest studies, nutrition facts or university research to give credit to our feed rations, grazing methods, and the reasons to include meat and dairy in a healthy diet. However, these studies never seem to resonate with our consumers. I wonder why? Animal rights activists are effective because they use emotion to capture the hearts of their consumers. So, why don’t we do the same?

I found an article on The Beef Site that talks about this subject. The article is titled, “Connecting with Consumers on an Emotional Level,” and it encourages livestock producers to start sharing their stories. Now, I read a lot of blogs, and I think blogging is one of the most simplistic ways to share our food production stories with others.

Need an example of somebody that is doing a fantastic job? Check out the Elkton Farmer Blog, written by Thomas Peters. Although it is simple and the entries are never longer than a few sentences, Thomas does an incredible job of telling a story with photos. He highlights his neighbors, friends and area activities to tell the story of the American farmer.

What do you think of this marketing idea? Is your company utilizing blogs to get a message across to your intended audience? Where do you see the era of blogs moving in the future?

Have you heard of BAGnewsNotes? It’s a website I recently discovered that dissects and unveils the hidden meanings behind photographs. Probably like many of you, I’m a photograhy junky, and I love to learn anything and everything about the art of taking quality, meaningful photos. I truly believe that a good photograph can take the place of an article if it includes key messages to tell the story. That’s why it’s so important that we focus on capturing the crucial elements on a given subject when the opportunity arises.

Anyway, I think you should check out BAGnewsNotes. This website focuses on accuracy in photojournalism through the analysis of political photos. It’s certainly an interesting change of pace for someone like me that looks at cattle photos all day long. Plus, the writer digs right in to try to understand why the photographer snapped the image at a particular angle to give the photograph more significance. There is definitely a trick or two to learn at this site. Check it out, and let me know what you think.

This was the morning moon that was staring me in the face when I went outside a while ago. Pretty cool view to start the day so I thought I’d share it.

So, what’s new in your world? Cindy will be heading to Louisville, KY today for the National Farm Machinery Show and I’ll be finishing preparations for my presentation at the Weed Science Society of America convention which will be taking place in Orlando. How come I got snow and ice in Louisville the last two years and Cindy gets a little rain, maybe this year? Probably because I’m going to Orlando (in the 80’s).