| ByLine: March 2008
Ten Opinions About AAEA By John Walter, AAEA president Timothy Egan, who won the National Book Award last year for his book about the Dust Bowl, "The Worst Hard Time," recently started blogging for The New York Times' Web site. Egan says there is a conventional wisdom, at least among his friends, that everyone has 10 opinions. Reading this and having a column due, I thought, heck, I bet even I have 10 opinions about AAEA. Well, anyway, I'll try: 1. The ethics committee's work in revising the code of ethics in 2006 is one of the major milestones in recent AAEA history. We need to keep circling back to ensure we're all still on the same path. 2. Working with your colleagues who are in some cases your competitors in the industry is a gratifying experience. 3. You should recruit one member this year. Join the One Club. You'll feel like you gave something back to our organization, and you'll get to join the party in Florida. 4. You should add attendance at an IFAJ Congress to your list of X things to do before you die. And if you're anywhere near as old as me, you might want to think about going to the Congress in Austria and Slovenia this year. 5. We should have an AAEA blog. Maybe we could pass it around. Who wants to go first? 6. AAEA is doing a good job of helping us keep up with communications technologies. Witness the recent work of the membership services committee with planning Webinars, and the upcoming regional workshop in Des Moines. 7. We have a world-class professional staff, making our work as volunteers so much easier. Den, Kenna, Barb, Liz, please take a bow. 8. The awards programs are the sticky glue of membership. What better incentive to renew your membership than winning an award or aspiring to win one? Plaudits for the ongoing fine work of that committee. 9. PIF is cool. You feel good making a contribution to a fund that helps take care of our profession. And, there are ways you can be awarded a grant from the AAEA Professional Improvement Foundation, if you pay attention. 10. The Agricultural Media Summit should be on your list of 10 things to do this year. If you haven't been in a while, you'll see that this thing has grown into one of ag's premiere events. See you in Florida. John Walter is director of multimedia at Successful Farming/Agriculture Online. You can reach him at 515-284-2802 or john.walter@meredith.com.
Agricultural Media Summit Preview Registration materials will be coming out soon. But in the meantime, here are a few notes about our 2008 "Family Reunion" in Florida -- the 10th anniversary of AMS! July 27-30, 2008 (tours on the 26th) Saddlebrook Resort Wesley Chapel, Florida (near Tampa) Check out the great Web site for our resort, www.saddlebrook.com, complete with an aerial photo of the beautiful, expansive, four-leaf-clover style massive outdoor swimming pool! And as some of you may remember from the last time we visited this resort, watch out for alligators on the grounds! Here's our general, tentative schedule: SATURDAY, JULY 26 SUNDAY, JULY 27 MONDAY, JULY 28 TUESDAY, JULY 29 WEDNESDAY, JULY 30 EARLY REGISTRATION FEES (ON/BEFORE JUNE 30) INFOEXPO BOOTH SPACE HOTEL RATES
2008 AAEA Award Entries are Due April 15 Enter the 2008 AAEA awards programs! The new entry forms for Writing, Design, Photography and MarComm are available here. The deadline for photography is a bit earlier this year - Christine McClintic must RECEIVE your photo entries by April 15, 2008, in order for them to be considered. For the other three programs, the POSTMARK deadline is April 15. Please read the entry rules on the forms carefully. We're going digital with Design this year - except for the overall issue and special publication categories, all entries will consist of a PDF file of the design plus one tear sheet. See the entry form for specs and how to name your files. For MarComm, we've simplified the entry process and reduced the number of sets you need to send for each entry. As always, you need to be a current AAEA member in order to enter. That means renewing your dues and/or joining as a new member by the entry deadline if your dues are not up to date. Let us know if you have questions: Andy Markwart Horizon Award AAEA and its Professional Improvement Foundation (PIF) are pleased to announce year two of the Andy Markwart Horizon Award program. We are now accepting applications (form is here) on the AAEA Web site, which are due April 15, 2008. The program is provided through a grant from John Deere and PIF. It honors Andy Markwart, a member and leader of AAEA who died suddenly from heart complications in 2005. Our first winner in 2007 was Jamie Cole of The Progressive Farmer magazine. The program is being funded with a $25,000 grant over five years by John Deere (Andy's employer for many years prior to his death) and matching funds to be raised by PIF. The winner will be an AAEA member 35 and younger (affiliate or active). The winner will be named at the 2008 Agricultural Media Summit in Florida. The winner will receive a $2,500 stipend. The stipend can be used for attending the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists annual meeting, the AMS meeting or a special class, seminar, workshop, etc., that will be approved by AAEA and John Deere. This stipend will be awarded to an AAEA member who exemplifies the youthful vigor, energy, passion, dedication and creativity shown by Andy in his volunteer work for AAEA for many years. "Our first winner, Jamie Cole, was a terrific example of just the kind of person eligible for this award," says Den Gardner, AAEA executive director. "Andy's tireless efforts and enthusiasm will always be remembered and the AAEA member selected each year will typify Andy's volunteerism and spirit." The AAEA Board of Directors and PIF Trustees encourage members eligible to apply for the award. If you are older than 35, encourage a younger member to apply! DSA Nominations Due April 30 Deadline for nominating someone for the AAEA Distinguished Service Award is April 30, 2008. Click here for the 2008 nomination form. Send nominations to: Contact Larry with questions: (785) 628-1117; ldreiling@aol.com
Become a Master Blogger By Linda Smith, Member Services Committee chair You don't have to wait for the Agricultural Media Summit to boost your knowledge. The Member Services Committee is offering a one-hour Webinar on editorial blogs - benefit to publications, how to make them valuable to readers, and the ins and outs of blogging. We have lined up two experienced bloggers as presenters - John Phipps of Farm Journal Media and Chuck Zimmerman of ZimmComm. It will take place 1:30 Central Standard Time, March 11; cost, $30. If you have specific questions on these topics - or ideas for other Webinars - please send them to Linda Smith! Sign up today at the AAEA Web site by clicking here. Linda Smith, executive editor, Top Producer, can be reached at 215-557-8960 or lsmith@farmjournal.com if you have any questions. Two Good Things at Once: By Gene Johnston, Future Ag Communicators Committee chair We're all really lucky to have found our way into this profession. If you're like me, it took some special help along the way to get you here. Please, indulge me for a minute with my personal story - it probably reads something like your own. I honestly don't know how I got off of that Guthrie County tenant farm and found my way to Iowa State University. There was no history or culture of higher education on either side of my family. My dad was one of the smartest people I've ever known, but he got no encouragement when it came to schooling. He dropped out of high school after one year and started farming. My older brother never considered college. My older sister did, but that didn't start well and it ended worse after just five weeks. (Long story, I won't ask you to indulge me that much, except to say that Linda rebounded nicely, bless her heart.) So when I think about it now, 40 years later, it does seem like a minor miracle that I went off to college to become a farm reporter, stuck it out for a degree in ag journalism, and have spent every working day since as a farm magazine editor. My personal miracle started with my folks who, despite their own lack of schooling, gave their encouragement to my continuing education and wrote some tuition checks they couldn't afford. It must have been particularly difficult for my dad. For one, the milk cows had to go. And, he always thought that real work involved pitch forks, corn knives, and hay hooks. Could it be an honest living if your only tools were a pencil and a notebook? And does it take four years to learn how to use them? My folks are gone now, 10 years this summer for my dad. I have no regrets about things unsaid with either of them, except maybe this one: I never told them "thanks" for my career. Without them, it wouldn't have happened. Well, in a manner, I'm fixing that now. Some kid is going to get a scholarship in ag communications in memory of Bill and Betty Johnston, thanks to a brand new AAEA Memorial Scholarship. It's a way to honor them for what they gave me. If you're so inclined, you can join me and honor someone who nudged you along the way, and is now gone. The Future Ag Communicators Committee, with approval from the AAEA Board of Directors, has put in place this program that will memorialize deceased colleagues or loved ones, and support an aspiring ag communicator with a scholarship; two very good things for the price of one. The Memorial Scholarship will work within the framework of the scholarship program that AAEA has supported for several years through the Ag Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT). We've been growing this AAEA/ACT Scholarship Program during that time with some generous and increasing support from the Professional Improvement Foundation (PIF). Last year, PIF Trustees provided $4,000 from general funds for scholarships, split among five students. And they've approved that amount again for this year's scholarships, to be awarded at the Agricultural Media Summit (AMS). At the urging of AAEA leadership, we're expanding it beyond that with this new AAEA/ACT Memorial Scholarship. Like me, you can make an earmarked donation to PIF, to be applied to the Memorial Scholarship in the name of the person you'd like to memorialize - a parent or other relative, a college professor or mentor, or a deceased colleague - who was really special to you. It's simple: Write a check out to the AAEA Professional Improvement Foundation with a note that says "For the Memorial Scholarship in memory of [include name]." Send it to AAEA headquarters. All the money given for this will be pooled, and when we award the AAEA/ACT scholarships at AMS, the top scholarship winner by vote of the Future Ag Communicators committee will be awarded the Memorial Scholarship. That recipient will get the regular scholarship amount ($1,000 this year) plus whatever amount is collectively given towards the Memorial Scholarship (up to a maximum of $2,000). Every name being memorialized will be attached to the scholarship and publicly acknowledged at AMS. The cutoff date for Memorial Scholarship donations will be March 31, 2008, the same deadline that ACT students have to apply for a scholarship. Send your donation before that date, and it will go towards the scholarship given this summer at AMS, and the person(s) you are memorializing will be honored then. Donations after that date will be applied towards the Memorial Scholarship next year. There's no minimum or maximum amount you can give for the Memorial Scholarship. And of course, the amount of any donation will not be made public. Your donation will be pooled with mine and all others and added on top of the regular scholarship amount. If you choose to participate and send a check, please drop me a note (gene.johnston@meredith.com) and tell me about the person or persons you're remembering. I'd like to hear the story. And I'll see that they get appropriate recognition at AMS and/or in The Byline. I'll also see that the student recipient of the Memorial Scholarship knows about those special people who made it possible. I can't think of a better way for you to remember someone who helped you get to where you are in this incredible profession. Send your donation and note to: Gene Johnston, managing editor, Successful Farming and Agriculture Online, can be reached at 515-284-2826 or Gene.johnston@meredith.com. Virtual Experts Now Online With the help of the Future Ag Communicators Committee, several winners of the 2007 AAEA Writing Awards were tapped to provide insight into how their winning entries came to be. Both students and professionals are encouraged to review these writers' thoughts on the planning stage, fact-gathering, writing tips, plus a little background on their writing careers. Click here to view the new Virtual Experts. Registration deadline is March 31 for the Click here for details.
IFAJ More Vibrant Than Ever The IFAJ Executive Committee met in January in Berlin during Green Week, and JoAnn Alumbaugh attended as AAEA's representative. Here is her report from the meeting. The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) bears little resemblance to an organization that might have been called "stodgy" just a few short years ago, thanks to a progressive and dedicated presidium led by President David Markey (Ireland). David, along with Senior Vice President Mike Wilson, Treasurer Markus Rediger, and General Secretary Ulla-Mari Sundelin-Ryytty, has done an outstanding job of challenging IFAJ Executive Committee members to take the organization to a higher level of professional improvement and relevancy, while continuing to create more value for members. Here are just a few of the positive changes that have occurred in recent years: - Through the support of sponsors, IFAJ has made attendance to the annual Congress available to young journalists - An additional meeting of the Executive Committee has provided for more continuity - The Star Prizes for writing and photography attract some of the best talent in the world - The IFAJ Congresses offer more in-depth tours and educational sessions than ever before, making the experience truly valuable for attendees - A greatly improved newsletter, featuring important world issues with perspectives from many countries - The friendships and networking opportunities are invaluable, both personally and professionally - The leadership is constantly working to improve the organization (see Mike Wilson's report below) This year, the IFAJ Congress will be held in Austria and Slovenia. Through the generous support of the AAEA Professional Improvement Foundation, 10 stipends are being made available to AAEA members to attend the Congress. This is a tremendous opportunity to see the diverse agriculture in this part of Europe and network with journalists from all over the world. We hope to have a large delegation of AAEA members to offer the official welcome to Fort Worth in 2009, when we will host the Congress in the United States. I can't stress enough the value of being directly involved in IFAJ, and see this as one of the important benefits of being an AAEA member. I strongly encourage you to take an active role - first, by applying for one of the stipends, and second, by volunteering to help with the 2009 IFAJ Congress in Fort Worth. A Strategy to Move IFAJ Forward Following is a report by Mike Wilson, senior vice president of IFAJ, on the 10-point plan that was presented in Berlin. Please read through the plan and send your comments to either Mike mwilson@farmprogress.com or JoAnn joann.alumbaugh@farms.com. We urge you to learn more about IFAJ and take advantage of this membership benefit. The IFAJ Presidium unveiled a new 10-point plan to move IFAJ forward at the recent business meeting held in Berlin during Green Week. The plan includes a new redesign of the IFAJ Web site, a new part-time executive secretary and a global member database. The presidium presented its plan to the executive committee (EC), which discussed and approved the basic principles behind the plan. The presidium asked the EC to discuss the plan with members of each guild. It presented a timetable for implementing the plan. "The organization is now more active and dynamic in serving member needs, but we need to continue to find new ways to serve the needs of members," says Vice President Mike Wilson (USA). President David Markey (Ireland) noted that IFAJ is experiencing growth in new regions of the world, such as Argentina in South America, and sees potential growth in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. "As new countries join IFAJ, they will bring new needs for our organization to serve," he says. "We must also serve the changing needs of current members. Globalization means members will have changing needs and new technology, such as Internet, email, e-newsletter and an electronic database, gives us new ways to solve these issues." Managing a global, yet all-volunteer organization such as IFAJ is no simple task. That was one reason why the presidium plan provides funding for a part-time executive secretary to handle member needs such as press cards and dues payments, answer queries from members, meet with sponsors, and maintain a global member database to facilitate more efficient communication with members. The executive secretary will also update country contact lists, organize regular meetings, and meet with Messe Berlin (sponsors of the Green Week IFAJ business meeting) and host country organizers. "Some of the 10 points are achievable in the next year and some are aspirational - in other words, they are things we would like to achieve soon but are not sure if we have the resources now to develop them," says Markey. Timeframe for completion The timeframe for completion of the 10-point plan is ambitious. A job description and application for the part-time executive secretary has been developed and will be sent to executive committee members within the next week. An adhoc committee, including the presidium and Norway's Rasmus Lang-Ree and Czech Republic's Dana Vecerová, has been assigned to interview and hire for the position. "We hope to hire the new executive secretary by April," says Wilson. Meanwhile a Web site briefing paper has been developed and sent out for bidding among Web site designers. "The project will be assigned by mid February, we hope to have a completed redesigned Web site by May 1, 2008," says Wilson. IFAJ has already received sponsorship through Delaval for new brochures and their translation. Those are expected to be designed and printed by May 1 as well. The new Star Prize for Broadcast will be organized in coming months by the Professional Development committee with leadership from Great Britain's Don Gomery. The IFAJ hopes to lock in a sponsor for this new award program. The first contest and award will be given in 2009. The plan also includes a new mission statement for IFAJ: The purpose of IFAJ is to serve its individual members and offer a platform for professional development and international networking for agricultural journalists and communicators all over the world. Ten-point plan to move IFAJ forward 1. Presidium individuals assigned as ex-officio roles in committees: President- host country liaison; vice president - communications; general secretary - membership; treasurer - finance; past president - sponsorship strategy. 2. Maintain the committee structure; executive committee continues to serve in leadership role and is given job descriptions (i.e. must attend and participate twice annual IFAJ meetings, must encourage members to attend Congress, etc.). 3. Hire part-time secretary to take on some existing work, handle new activities we could not do before, support the presidium and committee chairs, work with sponsors and country association secretaries. 4. Membership committee expanded and renamed "membership outreach and benefits" committee to address not only membership recruitment and freedom-of-press strategy but also manage ongoing benefits like press cards, etc. Membership committee to identify target countries for expansion. Finance committee dropped with responsibilities given to IFAJ treasurer who will organize small subcommittee to focus on sponsorship/revenue. 5. Modernize the Web site to better satisfy the needs of a global membership including basic information on home page (only) in multiple languages and downloadable brochures. Include a photo section with freelance/pay option and useful contacts for ag journalists. 6. Finance committee dissolved with responsibilities given to IFAJ treasurer who will organize three-person subcommittee to focus on sponsorship/revenue; past-president to develop long-term sponsorship strategy. 7. Expand awards program based on member feedback, including new Star Prize for Broadcast and new Alltech Animal Agriculture Journalist contest 8. Explore pros and cons of holding IFAJ press tours, including mini Professional Development workshops.
9. New promotional brochures in multiple languages promoting IFAJ, part of a package of materials (including DVD) to be made available to new sponsors or potential member countries (English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Russian) 10. Develop an ongoing database of members to better communicate IFAJ member benefits and make sub/membership fee billing more efficient. As the database includes privacy issues it would have to first be discussed and ratified by individual guilds.
What Goes Around Note: This is a commentary JoAnn Alumbaugh wrote for Farms.com while she was in Berlin for the IFAJ meeting in January: I am in Berlin for a meeting of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists and today we heard from the EU Commissioner of Agriculture, Mariann Fischer-Boel, who gave a very different message from the one I heard two years ago. The countries that make up the European Union have some of the same challenges we face in North America: Production of biofuels is tightening the availability of feed grains for livestock producers and food manufacturers. That means the EU needs to import more grains, but because officials there have taken such a strong stand against genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), they are now forced to back-track a bit. Two years ago, Fisher-Boel came out strongly against GMOs. At that time, she said European consumers didn't want these products. Now, however, she says if GMOs are approved by the EU's Food Safety Administration (FSA), then it means those products have proven they are not damaging to human health or the environment. "We have food authorities in the FSA with the best scientific knowledge available," she told us in a press conference this afternoon. "GMO products will be labeled as GMO, or as having GMO ingredients, so consumers can decide. "The increase in food prices is cause for consternation," Fischer-Boel continued, "but the commission acted quickly by abolishing set-aside. This will put another 6 to 7 percent of land into production. The reasons for the increase are structural: There is increased consumption of white meat (pork and chicken) in India and China, and more feed grains are being used in the United States to produce ethanol (though only about 2 percent of cereal production in the EU is used for ethanol). "We need the first generation of biofuels, but we need to invest heavily in second generation research." Basically, this was a subtle way of letting us know that the earlier denial of GMO products was nothing more than a trade barrier, because now that the EU needs more grain, it's all right to import these products. The problem will be persuading European consumers that GMOs are safe, when the government has denied this fact in the past. Fischer-Boel admitted that GMOs are a political hot potato, but she hopes future decisions are based on science. That is a big step forward from the EU politics of the past, and represents a more open approach to trade. The EU recognizes the importance of continuing the World Trade Organization talks, and Fischer-Boel sounds ready to come to the table regarding fewer subsidies. However, she believes that even without a WTO agreement, "it would be possible" to extend trade promotion authority, which is just as important. No doubt about it, the EU is fortunate to have someone like Fischer-Boel as its representative. She is intelligent, articulate and truly has the best interest of EU farmers in mind. In fact, her husband is a farmer, so any initiatives she might suggest will likely need to pass muster at home as well.
The One Club is Planning a Party! By Betsy Freese, Membership Committee chair Join the One Club! We are planning one hot party during the Agricultural Media Summit in Florida. All One Club recruiters and their new members will be invited. All you have to do is sign up one new AAEA member by July 31 at the bargain rate of $100. For each new member you recruit and sign, you will receive a $25 Visa gift card. What a deal! These folks will be coming to the party so far: Harlen Persinger, Lisa Adams, Dan Binder, Betsy Freese, Justin Davey, Jodi Henke, Erin Hull, Edith Munro, JoAnn Alumbaugh, Cheryl Oxley, Julie Pospech, Jana Rieker, John Walter, Christina Roth, Jeri Omemik, Lilian Schaer, Dan Zinkand, Brittany Steuer, Lyle Orwig, Kimberly Stuhr, Kylee Swyers, Karen Simon, LeAnn Strother and Kenna Rathai. If we get 20 more new recruits, I will dress as Amy Winehouse. How's that for an incentive (or disincentive)? Anyway, it should be fun. Betsy Freese is editor in chief for Living the Country Life. She can be contacted at 515-284-2184, betsy.freese@meredith.com. New Members Cheryl Oxley Oxley supervises and coordinates activity relevant to Angus Productions, Inc., (API) business activity, primarily supervising the production of all API published materials, including the Angus Journal, Angus Beef Bulletin, and Special Services promotional products. She is also responsible for scheduling, personnel supervision and office management. Oxley has been active in the Livestock Publications Council (LPC) for several years, serving as president in 1995-1996; honored in 1998 for Distinguished Service and received its Hall of Fame award in 2003. Hobbies include photography, gardening, golf and travel. She and her husband, John, especially enjoy spending time with their young granddaughters, Emily and Erin. LeAnn Strother Strother writes feature stories and press releases about the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA), the Coalition to Support Iowa Farmers, Soy Transportation Coalition and the North Central Soybean Research Project. She produces the Gold Standard and e-Gold Standard newsletters, as well as writing articles for the Iowa Soybean Review and providing timely information for ISA's Web sites. She prepares scripts for presentations and assists with speech writing. Mindy Ward Carrie Myers
Catching Up With Jim Evans By Karen Bernick Last fall, my husband, Dan, and daughter, Hope, and I spent an afternoon catching up with Dr. James Evans and his wife, Marlene, at their home near Philo, Ill. One thing is for sure: Even though Jim retired in 1995 as the head of the University of Illinois' (U of I) Office of Agricultural Communications and Education, he hasn't lost an ounce of enthusiasm for our industry. Jim pours several hours each week into volunteering for the U of I's Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC), which he co-founded in 1981. The ACDC holds a special collection of literature pertaining to issues and happenings in agricultural communications. Currently, the collection has more than 31,000 documents representing 170 countries. Documents are gathered by volunteer "eyes and ears" throughout the world: from trade magazines, academic periodicals, newsletters, books and other media. Several personal collections, contributed by researchers, journalists and others, are also included. All ACDC documents have two distinct dimensions, explains Jim. First, they are tied to some aspect of agriculture. "The agriculture side is very broad - and includes anything along the food, fiber, natural resources continuum," he says. The other component is human communications. "It can deal with face-to-face, group, mass media or the latest information technologies, such as blogging," Jim says. "A lot of the material deals with decision-making, attitudes, interest levels, intentions - all those things that go on in our minds to guide what we do and how we interact." Jim edits a semi-monthly newsletter to highlight new additions to the collection. "A lot of people are finding literature in there they are not finding anywhere else," he says. Although the exact number of users is hard to pinpoint, ACDC had 2 million Web page requests from 90 countries in 2006. To learn more, visit http://web.library.uiuc.edu/asp/agx/acdc/newsfeed.html. Note: Besides collecting literature, Jim has also been creating it. At Marlene's insistence, Jim showed us a copy of "Marking the Land," a book he co-edited with an Australian colleague. The book, colorfully illustrated by photographs, is filled with one-liners, stories and bits of wisdom reflecting Australian bush life. "Marking the Land" earned five stars from the Midwest Book Review and is available on Amazon.com. We also learned first hand why Jim is an Illinois popcorn champion, carrying on his dad's tradition of growing popcorn. With help from friends and relatives, including daughter Dena Schumacher's nearby family, the Evanses raise and market white, yellow and red varieties, planting about a half acre each year. Their Walker's Prairie Harvest brand is yummy and it routinely earns top marks at the Illinois State Fair. Excerpts from "Marking the Land: A collection of Australian Bush Wisdom and Humour" edited by Brian Dibble and Jim Evans, with photography by Richard Woldendorp. (hardcover, November 2005, University of Western Australia Press, on sale on Amazon.com $16.17) The right to poke a man's camp-fire is only earned after close friendship. The wider the brim, the smaller the property. You can't sit on a fence forever. Fate is only waiting to do the right thing. Karen Bernick is a freelance writer based in Long Grove, Iowa. She frequently contributes to National Hog Farmer, Corn and Soybean Digest and Living the Country Life magazines. Her husband, Dan, is a fellow AAEAer and senior writer in corporate communications at John Deere.
On The Way To Serendipity By Fred Myers I hope you saw Steve Croft's recent interview with Will Smith on CBS's "60 Minutes." As you might expect, it covered the highlights of Smith's rise from the beginning as an unknown rapper to becoming one of Hollywood's most valuable properties. Smith handled the interview comfortably, confidently and always with a light touch. Clearly, he was enjoying himself. Oh sure, any viewer could rationalize his attitude by saying it wouldn't be difficult for them either if they had Smith's money, his professional market value and a mansion in the rolling countryside within easy reach of Los Angeles. Not only that, Smith has a beautiful and talented wife and two children. Indeed, his marriage is considered one of the most solid and potentially enduring in an environment long recognized as a cesspool of social instability. No one, however, could honestly wave it all away with the usual claim that luck has been responsible for Smith "having it all." Smith began with talent. Lots of it. Despite that, he could have easily been run over by a fast moving train of some kind, not at all uncommon in Hollywood. Yet, he was able to sprint fast enough to hop aboard and was strong enough to hold on. That train didn't come down the music track, either. Rather, it suddenly barreled out of nowhere in the form of a new, untried and untested TV sitcom series. Smith didn't know if he could act. Neither did anyone else. But he plunged into the challenge with amazing intensity and enthusiasm firmly backstopped with long hours and unrelenting hard work. And as they say, the rest is history. All of that did much to explain how Smith has been able to make all of this come about. After all, the Universal Law doesn't provide for such goodies without just cause. Yet, I felt sure there had to be something else, something subtle yet vital to Smith's achievements that had yet to be revealed. And I was right. During the interview's final moments, Smith said with a smile, "I'm having a great time with my life." And I could tell it was coming straight from the heart. Everyone watching was hearing the real Will Smith, someone with attributes potentially no different from yours and mine. That's when I realized I had just received an early Christmas present, a launching pad for my New Year thoughts about how we all might improve ourselves through new and different ways. I don't mean attempting the generally unsuccessful ritual of making and attempting to keep New Years' resolutions. Rather, something disarmingly simple we can wrap our arms around to tweak, overhaul or maybe completely change what we are doing or have always done. How Smith views his life could very well be that something. It's easy for you to accept this as the usual old-year-ending and new-year-beginning time when you are most likely to beat yourself up with everything you believe you have done wrong. The job you didn't take. The person you should have married. The big opportunity you missed. The money you should have received. The kind of life you surely deserve. That's the rationale many people use to band-aid their wounds or to hide the scars of things gone wrong while attempting to lurch unsteadily into another year. But it's not that simple. Nor should it be. Back in 1982, I thought it might be helpful to assess how we as journalists in agriculture were viewing what was happening to us in terms of our jobs, our future and our profession. Agriculture was going through unprecedented convulsions and everyone including we in the ag press were hoping we somehow could manage to pull through. Every question on the survey I conducted among all AAEA members was of the essay type because I believed it was important to uncover the why as well as the what. More than half the members bared their souls, vented their frustrations and laid blame on whomever or whatever they believed was responsible. I shared their often desperate and gut wrenching remarks with everyone through The ByLine and at the annual meeting. Bringing all that negativity into the open could have made things worse. Instead, it served as a turning point, a good time to shake loose of the past and begin looking to the future. In the 25 years since then, we have become more wizened and hardened to business realities. It's no longer nearly as much a matter of claiming violated innocence or things gone wrong. Rather, the landscape has tilted in the direction of knowing when and how to grab the fast moving train of opportunity. And there is one in agriculture just as there is in all the world of information and communication. As has been the case with Will Smith, you may set yourself up to be forced to do something you have never done before, to reach into the most distant recesses of your being to make it happen or to discover talent you didn't know you had. Remember: Smith was in music before he was in acting. He was in acting before he became the success he has become. And he became a success because he defined life as he believes it should be. It makes no difference where you find yourself in this new year of 2008, with a magazine, in an advertising / public relations agency, disseminating information for an organization or serving as a freelance provider. Wherever you are and no matter what you are doing, you are in the best position you have ever been in your life to take chances, to latch onto something larger than your talent can seemingly accommodate, to do more for others and to learn more about yourself. Although doing these things may well take you into alien territory, it's there you will find your reward, discovering you have caused the reason you can say with a smile, "I'm having a great time with my life." Fred Myers, an AAEA member for more than 45 years, lives in Florence, AL. Fred has had a lifelong interest in professional development. He can be reached at writerfred@aol.com.
Inspiring Leading-edge Communications through Practical Training By Joanne Falk The world of communications is filled with reporters, photographers, writers, spokespeople, columnists, editors, and others working in various mediums. Committing to any one of these jobs requires dedication, training and hard work. But can you imagine tackling all of these roles at once? Well, nine students at the University of Guelph have chosen to do just that. We are the first group to enroll in the Graduate-level Diploma program in Agricultural Communications. This distance education program is the first of its kind in North America, and we're learning more than we ever could have imagined from a team of world-class instructors. Despite concerns about the investment of time and energy, when combined with our full-time jobs, we knew the return on our investment would be significant. Although we each work in different areas of the agricultural sector (three of us are famers, three are involved in business and marketing and three are professional communicators), we are all driven by a common goal - to more effectively communicate with our audience. This program is designed to help us achieve that goal. Our 16-month journey began in September 2007, when we met for the first time and were put to work right away by our lead instructor and the program's academic coordinator, Owen Roberts. As a long-time agricultural communications instructor and administrator at the University of Guelph, Owen was instrumental in designing and implementing the program, with guidance from his academic, communication and journalism colleagues in Canada and abroad, in the agri-food sector and elsewhere. Our initial task was to pitch a story to Ed Cassavoy, senior news editor at the The Toronto Star, who joined us in Guelph for part of the one-week residential session that kicked off the program. Trying to convince him, in a 30-second proposal, to print an agricultural story in an urban newspaper was a big challenge. His feedback was candid, creative and crucial to our understanding of the way messages are positioned to reach target audiences. What we say or, more importantly, how we say it changes depending on whether we're focusing on industry organizations, government agencies, special interest groups or consumers. Environmental and health concerns are becoming more important than ever to the public, and agricultural communicators need to be mindful of whether or not our messages are meaningful to those we're trying to reach. This was made clear again during a session in which Ed taught us writing for the Web. Next on the list was the realm of the professional photographer, and we couldn't have asked for a better instructor than Kyle Rodriguez for day two of our residency. I have a much greater appreciation for the skill involved in taking a print-worthy photo after spending time with Kyle on a photojournalism field trip to Canada's Outdoor Farm Show. Approaching strangers and asking permission to photograph their activities at the show was a daunting task, but also a significant confidence-building exercise. With no rest for the weary, on our third day of residency we entered the blogging world. In an on-campus computer lab, we created our own blogs and committed to posting at least twice a week for the duration of the program. Chuck Zimmerman of ZimmComm New Media in the United States is a premiere blogger, working with a long list of international clients, including Pioneer Hi-Bred Ltd., Fleishman-Hillard and Farm Credit Canada, to promote interest in agricultural issues and events. His guidance in designing and launching our sites was the key to our success as bloggers. We may have been skeptics at the start, but I think we all appreciate the power of the Internet for communications, and see the value in being able to express opinions or report on issues in real time. Although there are always topics to write about, we are challenged with keeping things fresh and finding new angles for our stories. In addition to hands-on training with experts in various mediums, the online portion of the program focuses on different types of writing, including news releases, columns, op-ed pieces and ghost-writing. We've interviewed industry stakeholders for profiles and news stories, and faced the challenge of capturing their thoughts and creating objective, yet interesting, pieces. As well, we've had the chance to review the work of classmates, allowing us a glimpse into the life of an editor, meeting deadlines, ensuring quality and providing valuable feedback. Ethics in agricultural communications is a key component of the program and, although we haven't reached this study area yet, I am really happy that it is included. The importance of maintaining a high standard for ourselves and our work should always be first and foremost in our minds. In a broader sense, the program is teaching us to think in new ways, to view things from different perspectives, and to turn communication challenges into opportunities. I can't think of a better way for communication professionals to hone their skills, and strengthen their ability to convey the issues and opportunities in agriculture to a broader audience. Joanne Falk is director of communications for the George Morris Centre, Canada's independent agri-food think tank. Her blog is http://agwords.wordpress.com/. Deadline for 2008-2009 Guelph Program is April 30 The deadline for applying for the next Agricultural Communications Diploma Program at the University of Guelph is April 30. For more information, visit www.agcommunications.ca. "Americans, and others outside of Canada, are most welcome in the program," says Owen Roberts, academic coordinator of the diploma program and long-time member of AAEA. In fact, the program has a strong U.S. component. Two of the four instructors are Americans, Drs. Ricky Telg and Tracy Irani from the University of Florida. Dr. Kris Boone, head of agricultural communications at Kansas State University (and an AAEA member), is on Guelph's advisory committee. And Roberts himself is halfway through a doctoral program in agricultural education and communication, offered jointly through Texas A&M and Texas Tech. "There is indeed a strong cross-border influence in this program," says Roberts. Structurally, the Guelph program has three, one-week residency requirements, during the 16-month program. "We had only scheduled two originally, but after the first session last September, the students were anxious to get back together again," says Roberts. "So, we're putting on another at the end of March." If you have more questions, contact Roberts at: Celebrate National Ag Day! Celebrate National Agriculture Day on March 20, 2008, and support the row crop farmers, fruit and vegetable producers, food scientists, livestock ranchers, equipment manufacturers and others who will take our country's agriculture industry into the future. National Agriculture Day is organized by the Agriculture Council of America (ACA). ACA is a nonprofit organization composed of leaders in the agricultural, food and fiber community, dedicating its efforts to increasing the public's awareness of agriculture's role in modern society. For more information visit www.agday.org, call (913) 491-1895, or e-mail info@agday.org. Meister Media Worldwide Realigns Meister Media Worldwide announced a structural reorganization in management to more effectively leverage its strengths and capitalize on growth opportunities: Michael L. DeLuca, becomes Vice President of Sales and Integrated Marketing, with management responsibility across Meister's business teams, including Cotton, CropLife, Fruit and Vegetable, Ornamental and Latin America. DeLuca was formerly handling digital media developments for Meister and before that held roles at Advanstar and Priceline. Joe Monahan takes on the role of Director, XChange events, and also Group Publisher for Meister's Fruit and Vegetable Group, with media brands including American Fruit Grower, American Vegetable Grower, Florida Grower and two live events: Indian River Citrus Show and Florida Ag Expo. Jim Sulecki becomes Director of E-media for Meister Media Worldwide, overseeing the company's 15 regular e-newsletters, some 21 Web sites, and other new digital ventures. Sulecki formerly directed activities for Cotton and CropLife media groups at Meister. Stewart Doan Joins Agri-Pulse Veteran journalist and broadcaster Stewart Doan has joined the Agri-Pulse editorial team. He will contribute to the e-newsletter as well as provide audio coverage for the Web site. Click here for more background: http://www.agri-pulse.com/uploaded/020608.pdf Top Producer Seminar Sets Record A record number of the nation's most profitable farmers got a view of Ag's New Sizzle at Top Producer's annual seminar in January. The 521 participants discussed and were challenged on topics ranging from commodity marketing to business planning, as well as investment opportunities in the agricultural industry. "Ag's New Sizzle was our theme for this year's conference, and the new sizzle was evident in the number and the professionalism of producers at the event," said Greg Vincent, editor of Top Producer and the architect of this year's event. "It was clear they want to get a handle on the hot opportunities the farm economy provides them, but they also want help managing the greater risks in these unprecedented times." A recap of the event and many of the presentations are available on the Top Producer Web site at www.toproducer.com
Many a Slip . . . By Cheri Zagurski, The ByLine Committee "Inter caesa et porrecta" - Latin translation of an ancient Greek proverb (There's many a slip twixt cup and lip.) Those ancient Greeks - they knew some things. Like wine. They knew a lot about wine. Though there is much less drinking (in our collective cups) than there used to be in DTN's neck of the journalistic woods, this proverb still contains a lesson for us all. Shall we turn to the valuable writer's tool of paraphrase? There's many a slip twixt lip and backlit computer screen. Not very lyrical. How about: There's many a slip twixt lip and typing fingertip? Better. When you handle as much copy as the DTN editing staff does, you're bound to run across some gems that demonstrate that slip twixt lip (or cerebral cortex) and the typing fingertip. Here are a few examples we've collected over the years. Being a market news service, one of our consistent topics is grain markets. And a slip that turns up time and time again is "market sediment." I wonder what market sediment would look like? Is market flotsam and jetsam gray and pebble-like? Or is it a more papery-kind of detritus? What is the market sentiment about market sediment? Also in the market analysis category of slips, is the Small Widow of Opportunity. Ah, yes. The Tiny Widow. Everybody loves her. Everybody wants to be successful with the Small Widow of Market Opportunity. And when you miss the Small Widow of Opportunity, it's often heartbreaking. Sometimes the slips occur in email communications. It's so easy to get lazy in emails. I myself slip into an e.e.cummings type existence in email, eschewing the use of capital letters. It's so exhausting to move that second finger to achieve the capital, don't you think? Several people who email me regularly respond affirmatively to a request or order with "We'll do." Hmm.... you and who else will do? The mouse in your pocket? Or maybe the cockroach? (Twenty bonus points for those who can identify the e.e.cummings cockroach reference.) Also in emails, we get tripped up by words we know how to SAY but apparently don't know how to SPELL. "Geese, what a pessimist," was included in an email I received recently. Geese? As opposed to ducks? I might spell it Geez. Words that are just one little letter away from each other offer problems. A cutline that accompanied an Associated Press photo of an astronaut and space vehicle once calmly proclaimed: ". . .As the astronaut works outside the space sh_t. . ." The newsroom would not have been calm had we let this one slip by. Then there is the DTN staffer who in a previous life worked as a civic employee for a Nebraska town. She was preparing a sign to be posted on property that might be re-zoned and admits, "I had it nearly completed and looked at it and it said we were having a pubic hearing." I've been to a lot of county board meetings in my day, but I've never been to a hearing of THAT type. Of course, some slips are simply evidence of cultural or literary ignorance. A recent piece contained this sentence: "Times are NOT a'changin as Bob Dillon sang. They have changed!" The slips here are twofold - the misplaced apostrophe in a-changin', and the spelling of the troubadour's name, Dylan. Like the famous Irish author or famous Minnesotan folk singer. Not Dillon, like the tire company in Omaha, Neb. Or how about this one: "Nevada is mixed on the use of nuclear power but the residents are attimate about not using the Yucca Mountain as a dump site for nuclear waste." Attimate, perhaps a cross between adamant and animated? If I were adamant about something, I might be animated on the subject. Why use two words when one hybrid will do? Even our technology can trip us up in this manner. When first learning to use spellcheck, I neglected to notice that spellcheck did not like the spelling of our livestock analyst's name - John Harrington. I published the file, and imagine my (and John's) surprise when DTN proudly displayed: Midday Livestock Comments by John Herringbone. John Herringbone. I heard he's a snappy dresser. If you have any hilarious examples to share, email me at cheri.zagurski@dtn.com. Cheri Zagurski is managing editor at DTN, Omaha, Neb. She can be reached at (402) 399-6402 or cheri.zagurski@dtn.com
Looking for New Opportunities? Check the Job Bank Check the AAEA Job Bank on the AAEA Web site regularly for the latest job opportunities in the agricultural communications industry. |
