Why we create things like MP2.ag

Guest Post By Mark Vierthaler, Director MP2 Communications

My background isn’t in agriculture.


My grandparents had a small bit of land in western Kansas, but long before I was even in a glimmer in my father’s eye, they entered the MP2FrontPagejournalism/publishing business. My dad is a doctor; my mom is a schoolteacher.


Newspapers, radio, and TV were my home. I received my Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Kansas and worked as an investigative reporter for the first bit of my professional life. Agriculture never really was part of the equation.




I was born and raised in the Queen of the Cowtowns, and yet my knowledge of modern agriculture was nothing. Precision agriculture. Low-input, high-yield varieties and hybrids. More efficient fertilizer. You may as well have been speaking Greek.




I had, I’m ashamed to admit, started to buy into the popular notion that modern agriculture was environmentally negative. There was nowhere for me to easily access information about modern agricultural practices and see how deep and how technologically advanced we’d become.




As such, the loudest voices rose to the top. Think all farmers are evil faceless corporations destroying the land. Think farmers enjoy torturing their animals for profit. Think PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk’s recent Huffington Post column claiming “there’s no such thing as ethical meat.” Think all the times you’ve heard that ALL chemicals and ALL fertilizers are destroying the earth and leaving it a husk.




Then, three years ago, I came to work for Servi-Tech.




I was taken on a tour of the laboratory and saw the sci-fi-level of data being extrapolated from soil, plants, etc. I saw how that was used in the field to not only improve yields and decrease costs, but also become better stewards of the environment.


I had an epiphany. I signed on.


They gave me one simple, but mind-bogglingly complex task – tell the story of agriculture.


That’s the entire reason we launched MP2 (mp2.ag) earlier this year– short for Making the Planet More Productive.


It serves several purposes.


First – It’s an agricultural news hub, providing feeds from over two dozen agricultural news organizations. These are automatically pushed on to the MP2 home page. This way, instead of scouring the Internet for the most recent ag news, visitors just have to visit one page and get a quick overview of everything going on in agriculture.




Second – It’s an educational tool. The tabs across the top of the site link to pages about different areas of agriculture. This gives consumers a better understanding of what exactly their food is, and how it’s produced. You will also see a “Featured Partners” tab and lists.




Publicity does not come easy for people who are more focused on bushels per acre than explaining the process. Farmers and ranchers tend to stay in the background and, for a long time, felt they could not share their processes.




Those days have passed. Our generation is hungry for information about where their food is coming from and how it’s produced. In the absence of someone telling the story, we’ve allowed others to fill that vacuum.




The time for agriculture to tell its story goes beyond traditional marketing and into dispelling misinformation for the future of the industry.




All areas of agriculture, including organic and traditional, small and large, need to put aside their differences and come together, united in the knowledge that we’re working towards the same goal – providing a safe and reliable source for food, fiber, and energy.

		

		
Filed Under: Guest Perspective  Tagged With: ,  
April 11, 2013  By   
 


 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 
 

 





	

		


				
Social Media Time Management for Farmers and Ranchers
 
		
				

			


Guest Post by Becky McCray


How you spend your time tells everyone what is important to you. When you are your own boss, and maybe even the only one in the outfit, no one Time managementtells you when to or how to focus on the most important things. Focus is a do-it-yourself project.


It takes time to develop this skill. It takes all alone, no interruption time. An hour a week would make a huge difference. But an hour a week sounds hard, when you already are working 50 to 60 hours a week, like many farmers and ranchers.


Where can you find the time? Pick one day per week, and


    

  • Use your lunch break,
    • 

  • Use your windshield time in the tractor or pickup
    • 

  • Hire or bribe someone to stand in for you for an hour, or
    • 

  • Give up an hour of evening TV or internet
    • 



How do you spend the time? Here are five tasks you can work on during your precious focus time.


    

  1. Set a clear vision. Know what results you want from your operation. How so you want it to look in 1 year, 5 years, or 10 years?
    2. 

  2. Pick one skill to improve. What’s one thing, that if you were better at it, would definitely improve your bottom line? Spend your hour reading and studying. Not surfing the internet looking for something about it. Do the surfing and searching in advance. Spend your focus hour studying.
    3. 

  3. Take a hard look at the numbers. Most farms and ranches keep good numbers, but seldom review them. Take this time to ask those hard questions.
    4. 

  4. Decide which tasks you should do personally, which you can delegate. What do you do that uses your unique talents and assets? These are the ones for you to keep and focus on. Delegate some of the other tasks. It takes time to set up effective delegation. If you have other people in your operation, invest the time to make it possible for them to take on more of the “other” tasks.
    5. 

  5. Stop doing some tasks. Spend some of your thinking time to make some careful choices. Ask, “what would happen if I just didn’t do this?” Think through the consequences, and give up some things.
    6. 



If what’s important to you is revealed by your calendar, then isn’t improving your operation’s business worth on hour of focused time per week?


Becky McCray shares more lessons useful for rural business in the new book, Small Town Rules, written with Chicago entrepreneur Barry Moltz. Becky McCrayShe also owns a liquor store and cattle ranch in Northwest Oklahoma, and is a recognized expert in small business and social media. She publishes the popular website Small Biz Survival, on small town business, and she and Sheila Scarborough co-founded Tourism Currents to teach tourism professionals new ways of marketing their destination. Her professional life is clearly an example of Small Town Rule #3: Multiply Your Lines of Income. 

		

		
Filed Under: Guest Perspective, Social Media Tips  Tagged With: , ,  
March 4, 2013  By   
 


 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 
 

 





	

		


				
Farmers deserve #FoodThanks this season
 
		
				

			


Autumn is my favorite time of year. From football games to piles of leaves, and all the jack-o-lanterns in between, the signs of the season are as far as the eye can see.  And as the cool crisp breeze begins to blow, the harvest moon is in full glow.


Like many of our neighboring states, the harvest here in south-central Kansas wasn’t quite as bountiful this year. Extreme drought, coupled with excessive heat for the greater part of the summer, took both an emotional and physical toll on farmers here in the heartland.


The sad truth is that, with the large disconnect between consumers and farms, most of these hardships go unnoticed by the general public. At work, many of the questions I’m confronted with are questions like, What can I eat to lower my cholesterol? How does processed food fit into a healthy diet? or My doctor says I should eat healthier – what does that mean?  Very few have asked how our multi-generational family farm has survived the extreme drought, rising fuel costs or how increased energy costs have impacted the price we pay for feeding and caring for our animals, the environment and the people who work on our farms.


With that in mind, November is often known as the month of giving thanks. Family, friends, and food are often things that we are most thankful for. It’s important I do not forget, my family and I are consumers too. I purchase food from my local grocer to create balanced meals for my family. I know that behind every apple, pear, green bean, potato, pork chop or steak we eat – a farmer or rancher worked hard to produce it.


As I sit down to feast this Thanksgiving, I’ll be sure and give a special thanks to the farmers and ranchers who work endless hours to provide safe, wholesome and nutritious foods to nourish our bodies. I’m asking you to keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they travel down the tough road of recovery from the hardships endured this past year. Also, I’m asking you to share with me your #FoodThanks in the comments below, send out a tweet or take a second to share your #FoodThanks in a Facebook post. You just might be amazed by how many #FoodThanks you can come up with.


Consulting dietitian by day, dairy farmer’s wife and graduate student by night – Heidi Wells, RD, CSSD, LD incorporates her passion for agriculture, nutrition and fitness into everything she does. She currently represents the state as the president of the Kansas Dietetic Association, was the Recognized Young Dietitian of Kansas in 2008, and most recently the Distinguished Dietitian of Kansas in 2010.  Join her conversation on Twitter @HWellsRD.

		

		
Filed Under: Guest Perspective  Tagged With: , , , , , ,  
November 18, 2011  By   
 


 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 
 

 





	

		


				
Swing batter, batter!
 
		
				

			


It’s no secret that farmers and others in agriculture are some of the  biggest, most dedicated sports fans around. Whether it’s  football, baseball or basketball, we like rooting for our teams  whenever the opportunity presents itself!


It’s also no secret that farmers love sharing their own farm stories  and showing how they’re doing their part to provide safe, wholesome food  for all of us. Recently, Missouri hog farmer Chris Chinn had the  opportunity to tell her story and draw on her family’s love of baseball  at the same time. Read her story, in her own words.


 [Read more...]

		

		
Filed Under: Guest Perspective  Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  
October 17, 2011  By   
 


 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 
 

 





	

		


				
Dust off those cameras!
 
		
				

			


Quick question for the crowd: how many of you like to take photos? I can easily answer that question. Photography has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and, as the photographer for Iowa Farm Bureau for the past 10 years, I’ve photographed farmers in fields, barns, farmsteads and along the dusty roads that make up rural Iowa.


If there is one thing that I learned over those years it is that farmers and agriculture professionals are some of the best people to photograph. The hard work ethic, richness of life and exuberance of families always shines through, regardless of the story. Here are some of my favorite photos from my travels.


I’m not the only one who has learned that secret. Paul Mobley, an award-winning photographer, traveled across our great country photographing farmers for a successful book called “American Farmer: Portraits of the Heartland.” I had the pleasure of working with him, identifying several farmers in Iowa who were included in his book. Now, he is offering the opportunity for farmers like yourselves and others to submit photos to a contest that celebrates your way of life.


The contest is called “Your American Farmer Photo Contest.” Mobley would like you to share your experiences with the country’s beautiful agriculture, farm, farmers’ market and garden world. Capturing your favorite fall harvest scene, summer fruit stand, farmer’s market or road-side stand, share your view of this country’s beautiful landscape, agriculture and harvest. The contest is open to both amateur and professional photographers from across the country.


So, my next question is just as straightforward as the first. Who do you think are the best people to tell your story? Obviously, with the success of and participation in #AgChat and other social media platforms, the answer is you. That’s right. Don’t look over your shoulder while you read this. I’m talking to you. It’s time for you to dust off your camera, dig through your photos and find an entry for this unique photo contest. You can share an intimate look at your life as a farming professional. I know you had to capture at least one early morning photo with the sun cresting the horizon while you did your chores. Or maybe there was the photo during harvest when the family met you in the field for a quick dinner. Any photo that is special to you has already won an award with your family, so now it is time to share it with the world and tell your story through pictures.


I am honored to be one of the judges for this photo contest and I look forward to seeing all the excellent entries that celebrate the fabric of America that is agriculture. So, with that, find your best photo or grab your camera and take your best photo today. Then submit your photo to this great contest. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to let me know either through Twitter, my Google+ profile or by email at jmurphix@gmail.com.


Can’t wait to see your photos!


Joe Murphy serves as a photographer and writer with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. In this position, he is responsible for the photography assignments of the weekly Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman, the monthly Family Living, marketing photos as well as the website iowafarmbureau.com. He also writes news and feature stories, provides creative input, and publication pagination. Additionally, his work has been featured in  National Geographic Television, Time, New York Times, Atlanta Journal Constitution, United Press International, Associated Press, Liaison and the Chronicle of Higher Education.

		

		
Filed Under: Guest Perspective  Tagged With: , , , , , , ,  
October 13, 2011  By   
 


 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 
 

 





	

	
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