Virtual Expert: Jennifer Latzke

Jennifer Latzke was awarded first place in the Regular Column category in the 2007 AAEA Writing Awards Program.

How did I choose this topic?

This column was written for Father's Day. Every year I like to write a column about the dads out there just doing their farming and ranching jobs and just how much they mean to their families. Mostly, it's a small tribute to my own father.

This year, I started thinking about all the stuff my dad does around the farm that no one else will do. I just made a list, and then went off on a comic riff from there. Honestly, my own father is a gold mine of comedy-and he's happy to help me out in my professional career. I just have to keep him supplied with brownies and various forms of refined sugar.

Writing stages?

Well, I keep a file of column ideas on my computer. Some I eventually end up fleshing out and using, others just stay as inspiration. Mostly, if I'm writing a humor column I just write until the gags get old. I'm not big into outlining formally, but I do know where I want the column to go in the end. I have people in the office read it and tell me what jokes work and which don't. Or, if I'm getting too flowery in a more tenderhearted column, they tell me and I rein it in a bit. I do like to keep the column under 19 inches (800 words), though, because that's just the right amount to keep people wanting more and hooks them for the next one. Also, I like to have each column offer a lesson. Whether it's comedic or more introspective, I want the reader to walk away from his 5 minutes with me feeling better about himself, his family and his farm, ready to face the challenges of tomorrow.

My background?

I grew up on a farm/ranch in eastern Kansas. Went to K-State and graduated in May 2000 with a B.S. in ag comm. Was active in ACT, and was National Sec/Treas 99-00. Started work at HPJ in fall of 2000, and became a little more active in AAEA and LPC. What drew me to this career were the friendships we all have in the industry-no matter what names are on our mastheads. And, I wanted a writing career where I could help my friends and neighbors on the High Plains be better farmers, ranchers, and overall people.

Advice for students?

Have a blue jeans attitude even when you're wearing a suit. It's not enough that you grew up on a farm and you're now "making something of yourself in the big city." If you don't have a passion for farming and ranching, or if you sneer at the honest men and women who make their daily living bringing in the food, feed, fiber and fuel for our nation, you will not be successful in this business. You'll always be missing the point of your career.

Never forget that the guys in the mud and muck are your bosses. They're your subscribers, and your advertising audience. Remember your roots, and treat everyone you meet as if they're your next door neighbor who will tell your momma if you've been behaving in public or not. Do that, and you'll have a career worth having.

How did I stumble into writing the column?

A few years back I wrote an article on a rancher using cow dogs and it got me thinking about my own family's experience with our Border Collie. I wrote a column, just to get the idea out of my head and to make room for "real" work and my editor at the time ended up seeing it and publishing it. People read it, and liked it, and wrote in, and it sort of took off from there. It became a regular feature about four years ago.

Purpose of the column?

Well, I've always been a big fan of Erma Bombeck and Baxter Black. Two vastly different writers, but with the same sense of irony and humor. I also liked how they both infused their writing with "heart." I wanted to have a column that would make readers laugh one minute, and then inspire the next. After all, my readers aren't just farmers and ranchers and nothing more. They're whole people, and they have hopes and dreams beyond the farm gate too. That's why some of my columns aren't just on farming and ranching humor, but humor that's found in every day life.

Where do I get my ideas?

My family is a huge source of ideas. Laughter was a daily part of our household. We learned to laugh at ourselves more than anything. I couldn't be as creative as I am today without the humor my parents instilled in me.

Life is also a big part of the idea process. Sometimes I'll be driving down the road and a column will come to me. Mostly it's observational humor. Other times I'll be struggling to come up with anything for the week. The creativity ebbs and flows, but I don't panic. That's why I have my file of ideas.

Also, I read, A LOT. I want to be current on the events of the day and how they'll affect farmers and ranchers. It could be a story on the drop in the housing market, or an article on the debate over healthcare, each can have an affect on our readers. I read fiction and non-fiction and books of quotations, and all sorts of news from other news outlets. Basically, I try not to limit my inputs to just the agriculture arena. Instead, I like to expand my horizons and in turn I think that allows me to reach a broader audience.

Words of wisdom (for what they're worth. I'm not even 30 yet, people.)

As communicators, you have a giant power. Words have power. With that power, comes responsibility. You may think you're writing just a fluff piece, but to someone else it's going to appear on their refrigerator door, or be saved in a scrapbook. You have a gift to change people's lives with your writing. It would be easy to take the path of least resistance and be less ethical in your work, but in the end is that really the best use of your talents? Decide if you want to live your life in an ethical manner or not, and then be prepared to live with the benefits or consequences of your actions.