Virtual Expert: Sherry Collins

Sherry Collins of The Corn and Soybean Digest won first place in the On-farm Production category in the 2004 AAEA Writing Awards Program.

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? What were your goals when you began to plan the story?

Soybean aphids were a fairly new phenomenon for American soybean growers. After two years there was finally a consensus on threshold levels from many of the major Midwestern universities. The goal of the story was to get out the message of what the threshold levels were, why they were established and what that meant for control in an individual farmer's field.

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 information and good quotes from your sources? How did you determine whom to interview, and when did you know that you had done enough interviewing/researching?

I always use the Internet as a primary fact-gathering tool. It helps me have a better background to ask better interview questions. My philosophy is your source shouldn't have to school you on the basics if you've done your homework.

I chose two leading entomologists, both of whom I've worked with before, as a good starting point for my story. I knew that one of those sources, Ken Ostlie, had been doing extensive threshold work and would be the primary source of information for my story. During phone interviews with the entomologists, I was led to other experts that were doing relevant research on soybean aphids. I followed up with interviews for those secondary sources to check facts and to get more in-depth information. Then I culled through that information to reduce it to the facts that farmers would need to know to establish aphid control. I knew I had the story when I could tell farmers how much damage aphids could cause, how they could fight them and why they should.

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 colleague review your story, offer suggestions, look for holes in your reporting? How do you check facts?

In the summer of 2003, there were so many aphids that they made national news, even in urban areas. Stadiums would be inundated with them, yet they're so tiny they look like specks to the naked eye. I decided that the big damage they cause juxtaposed with their tiny size was the perfect way to get farmers' attention. So I grabbed a ruler and a previous magazine to give myself a sense of size. After that, the lead practically wrote itself.

I find that big numbers without context are hard to comprehend. It's like telling someone the Grand Canyon is 'big.' Without some perspective, it doesn't mean much. So to give relevance to the other number factor in the story -- how quickly aphids can increase in population -- I had to do some additional statistics searching. But it paid off when I could relate the daily population increase of aphids in an 80-acre field to the entire population of the U.S.

This story was a practical piece for insect control and the lack of threshold data had frustrated farmers. The outline of the story was clear from the beginning. I had to set up what the threshold was, how the threshold was determined, how to calculate application timing, what insecticides worked best and if any new research was coming.

As is my custom, I had our managing editor look over my story before sending it out for final fact-check. It's our policy at The Corn And Soybean Digest to check our stories back with our sources for accuracy before they go to print. I never want to lose sight of the fact that farmers rely on me for advice about their business. I take every precaution that I'm giving them the right information.

How did you begin your career? What advice do you have for those just graduating in ag comm? 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?

I started my journalism career in junior high and just kept writing. I've always had an interest in publications. In college I was a writer for the "Old Gold Yearbook" at the University of Northern Iowa and ended up the editor my senior year. After graduation, I put in time at The Fort Dodge Messenger, a regional daily paper in Iowa, before being transplanted to The Digest.

For new graduates, I'd say the best thing they can do besides reading and writing a lot is introduce yourself. The more people you know, the better you'll be at tracking down the story. A writer is only as good as her/his sources. I tell people that I have the best job in the world. I don't have to be an expert, I just have to be able to find the experts and ask them the right questions.

Being a member of AAEA means having a community of peers who are genuinely interested in keeping their industry a noble, professional field. AAEA is full of members who strive to be better communicators, not only for themselves, but also for their whole industry. It's a great group to be a part of; it's a professional organization where the phrase "friendly competition" isn't an oxymoron.

Ethics isn't always easy, but it's usually clear. In writing, it means telling the truth. Farmers believe in my byline and in my magazine because I tell them the truth. I know as a journalist that nothing could ruin not only my career, and my magazine, as not telling the truth or not getting the story right. I just keep in mind that I write for farmers and everything else falls into place.