Virtual Expert: Dale Miller

Dale Miller of National Hog Farmer magazine was awarded first place in the Humorous Article category in the 2006 AAEA Writing Awards Program.

The planning stage: Why/how did you choose the topic? What were your goals going into the story?

"Pork Tour-A-Rama," published May 15, 2005, was positioned as "a factual, fun-filled travelogue featuring cool and amazing places, historical landmarks and particularly-important-to-pig-people events across 23 states in the U.S. pigdom."

The idea for the article was generated during a planning session of the editorial content for the 50th Anniversary Commemorative Edition of National Hog Farmer magazine. Most of the editorial content for this issue focused on the key people and events that played a role in the evolution of the U.S. pork industry and National Hog Farmer over a half century. A substantial portion of editorial space was also allocated to offering the thoughts of industry visionaries about the major challenges and opportunities facing the industry in the next 10-20 years. Pretty heady stuff.

Giving credit where credit is due, during the planning meeting, Senior Vice President Bob Moraczewski declared: "You guys are too serious! You need something fun in this issue." We wrestled with several "lighter" ideas, then settled on the Pork Tour-A-Rama concept.

Fact-gathering: How did you find/choose sources? Did you interview face-to-face, phone, e-mail, and which works best? Do you record interviews? Any tips for getting good quotes? When do you know it's time to stop researching?

A self-proclaimed "hogaholic" and a hog history buff, I have spent my 33-year tenure at National Hog Farmer clipping and stuffing tidbits of information and fun facts about pigs into files I affectionately labeled my "pig paraphernalia" files. Truth is, I rarely wade into the half-dozen, hefty manila folders I have tucked away, but they sure came in handy for this project. In addition, I have a well-stocked bookcase of swine/hog/pork reference books in my home. These all served me well, but one of the most valuable resources for finding cool and amazing pig places and events was provided by the search capabilities of Google.com. I knew it was time to stop researching when the deadline loomed and I had places and events spanning across the U.S. map.

Writing stage: Any tricks to conceiving/writing leads? Do you outline before you start writing? What about writing style? Do you do a lot of re-writes? Do you like sidebars? Do you write at home, office, away from distractions? Do you have a "sounding board" or editor for critique/advice? How do you fact-check?

The Pork Tour-A-Rama was a huge step away from the typical, in-depth, production-based feature stories I normally write. It was fun and challenging. The biggest challenge was whittling the list down to 23 stops in our coast-to-coast tour and condensing the information about each stop. I began by writing several paragraphs about each tour stop, then edited each entry back to it the bare minimum without losing the significance or flavor. The four-page feature included two pages for a numbered route on the U.S. map and two pages of explanations about each stop. There is no significance to the 23 chosen entries. Using my staff as a sounding board, they helped me trim the list to fit our two-page limit.

Give a little background about your professional career, value of AAEA involvement, networking with colleagues.

I've spent my entire journalistic career with National Hog Farmer. I arrived with a newly acquired bachelor's degree in animal science and a solid background and interest in pork production, but with some apprehensions about my writing abilities. My first vote of confidence came from my first boss, Neal Black, who stated matter-of-factly: "I can teach you to write, but I can't teach you the hog business." Neal was a died-in-the-wool newspaperman. Neal, Bill Fleming and several others helped me develop my interviewing, writing and photography skills. AAEA writing and photo workshops have been valuable in advancing these skills, too, offering new perspectives and motivation for professional improvement.

Any other advice for students; for instance, your views on maintaining ethical standards?

My advice to students and anyone working in this profession is to hold tight to your core values and the ethical standards of the agricultural journalism profession. Find two or three mentors that can guide you in the development of your writing/editing and photography skills. Ask for honest feedback. Study good works. Again, Neal Black gave me some very good advice early in my career: "If you want to become a better writer, read good writing," he said. "It will broaden your thinking, your vocabulary, and help refine your writing style."

My closing thought: "Enjoy the ride." Agriculture is a dynamic, fascinating industry with the best people you will ever meet. Enjoy them. They are generous beyond your wildest imagination.