Virtual Expert: Clint Peck

Senior Editor

BEEF magazine

Clint is a recognized authority on Western issues, particularly land and water issues, property rights, endangered species and public lands grazing. He's also written extensively on border relations.

Clint was born on a farming and ranching operation near Pompey's Pillar, Montana ­ about 30 miles east of Billings ­ and was raised in the Yellowstone Valley. He's a Montana State University graduate with a BS in Agricultural Production. Clint's work experience includes a stint as foreman of a large ranch near Cascade, Montana. He also served for six years as a county Extension agent for Judith Basin County in central Montana.

Clint served as editor of Montana Farmer-Stockman and Western Beef Producer before joining BEEF in 2000. In addition to other writing duties, he's in charge of the BEEF Feeder, a six time/year supplement in BEEF for high-end cattle feeders. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his children, Sarah and Ellen.

Clint's phone: 406-896-9068

E-mail: cpeck@primediabusiness.com

Clint won first place in the 2003 AAEA Writing Awards Program in the Issues category with a story in BEEF magazine titled, "Brazil Looks North." Clint's story was chosen as the 2003 AAEA Story of the Year.

Q&A with Clint Peck

The planning stage: Please give some background on why you chose the story topic that won your award. What gave you the idea for that topic? Why now? What were your goals when you began to plan the story?

Clint: I've always been interested in the global aspect of the beef business ­ especially the competitive factors that American producers have to deal with in global beef markets. I've been to Brazil several times and have developed a significant background with regard to Brazil's place in global markets. Brazil is a country that holds a lot of interest and concern for American beef producers ­ probably as much if not more than any country in the world. My goals were to help American beef producers learn more about Brazil's place in global beef markets and give them some insight into the competitive factors and challenges Brazil offers today and tomorrow.

The fact gathering stage: How did you choose the people to interview for your story? What were your primary sources of information? Did you use the Web? How and where did you conduct interviews? Did you do the interviews face-to-face, phone, or email, and which is best? How did you get good information and good quotes from your sources? How did you determine who to interview, and when did you know you'd done enough interviews?

Clint: I didn't intentionally "choose" any individuals for the story ­ nor did I have any plans or preconceived intentions of what I was going to write or how I was going to write it. I went to Brazil to learn and listen. The personalities selected for use in the stories were among many others that I encountered while in Brazil. These are people who I talked to informally and formally in their professional or personal environments. After I returned from Brazil they "sifted out" as being representative of the various pieces of the story I wanted to tell.

I liken the process of writing this story to going into your woodworking shop with some idea of what you want to build, then constructing it out materials (boards, glue, screws) you have on hand ­ as opposed to going to Home Depot with a blueprint and a list of the things you need to complete the project. The trick is to "stock" your workshop with enough material before you ever start writing in order to craft the story into a well-rounded, informative finished product. In fact, by working this way ­ a person often has enough "material" left over to build other projects (sidebars, follow-up stories, series, etc.).

The writing stage: Why or how did you choose the story lead? Did you outline the story or organize the general flow ahead of time, before you began to write? What writing style did you choose, and why? How many re-writes did you do? How did you choose sidebar stories? Did you have an editor or a colleague review your story, offer suggestions, look for "holes" in your reporting? How do you check facts?

Clint: Most often before I write a major story I talk to people (family, friends, colleagues) about the general aspects of what I want to write about. I try to listen to myself ­ especially in introducing the story ­ and transform these conversations into the lead and opening paragraphs. Or, I might imagine that I'm sitting at a kitchen table with my audience and telling them the story ­ and use those imaginary conversations to craft the initial pieces of the story.

I never use an outline ­ rather try to have a few points in mind that I'd like to make and begin writing reinforcements or explanatory paragraphs from there. The magic of cut-and-paste helps immensely in putting the pieces of the puzzle together. I always lay my photos out before me and work from them. The pics really help me go back to the scene and regain a sense of context and perspective.

I let the principals tell the story. When the subject offers the opportunity ­ like in the Brazil series ­ I make it a "people" story as opposed to a "thing" story. I try to vary the length of sentences and paragraphs ­ breaking the story with "subheads" especially where I just cannot come up with a good transition.

I try to edit the stories two or three times ­ but don't over-edit. And, I cut, cut, cut ­ with special attention to redundancy. I also proof my work heavily for "authority" and increasingly use the Internet to verify facts, dates, place names, etc. A colleague always reviews my stories.

One note ­ and this may sound condescending ­ but I try to challenge my readers and write just a hair above what I perceive their education level to be. In doing so I will introduce what I think might be a "new" word, a foreign phrase, etc. Or, sometimes I will use an eloquent or famous quote, provocative statement or offbeat phrase. I try not to spoon-feed my readers ­ rather challenge them to pick up the dictionary or go to the encyclopedia or almanac once in a while. There is danger in doing this as it can be overdone ­ one such challenge per article is plenty. This not only raises their level, it raises my level.

How did you begin your career? What advice do you have for those graduating? What does it mean to be a member of AAEA? How do you maintain a high standard of ethics in your writing and your career?

Clint: I began my "writing" career as a country Extension agent ­ where I had to write news releases and a news column. It was training under fire. Advice for graduates: READ, READ, READ; WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. And, until you develop your own style, and as you're sharpening your skills, use what you read as a template for your own writing.

I admit that I don't use AAEA as much as I could or should. I'm not a graduate of any journalism school (I have a degree in Agricultural Production/Agricultural Engineering). I don't exactly fit the mold of most AAEA members and at times feel a bit of an AAEA outcast ­ maybe that's more my fault than AAEA's though.

I was once told by a mentor that in the end, "credibility" is the only thing we have to sell in this business. I don't know if I could write for BEEF if I had not lived the life my readers lead or aspire to return to that way of life. I don't always tell my readers what they want to hear. I keep in mind that "people" are the audience and that they have a passion for this industry.