REMINDER: Upper Midwest Regional Conference Registration Is Open

Katie Pinke joins us as the opening Keynote Speaker as she discusses being a mommy blogger, marketing & information director of the ND USDA and sharing her journey through social media.

Farmers & ranchers friends: Be sure to register now for the ACF Upper Midwest Regional Conference to be held Feb. 23rd, in Rochester,  MN, sponsored by Minnesota Corn Growers Association & Minnesota Farm Bureau. Farmer & rancher priority will end on Nov. 30th with the conference registration opening to the public on Dec. 1st.

Join us for fantastic speakers such as Katie Pinke, Jenny Dewey, Carrie Mess, Emily & Tim Zweber, Larry Sailer, Lara Durben, Alec Winmill, Jenny Schweigert, Heidi & Brian Latsky and more! This is a conference you do not want to miss!

Visit our Eventbrite site for more information about the sessions and conference in general!

Filed Under: Regional Conferences, Training Tagged With: , , ,
November 27, 2012 By

Announcing ACF Upper Midwest Regional Conf. – Feb. 23, 2013

********REGISTRATION CLOSES FEB. 1ST – REGISTER NOW*********

by Carrie Mess

For the last two years, towards the end of August, I have packed up my cow print suitcase, a bunch of cheese, my husband and hopped a plane bound towards the city that was hosting one of the greatest groups of people that I know, the people of AgChat. For three years now, (I missed the first one) the Agchat Foundation has hosted a conference aimed to teach farmers and other agriculture professionals how to use social media as a tool to reconnect people to their food. Each year there are more people that apply than what the conference can hold and many more that never apply because the location is too far or the timing isn’t right. Taking all of that into consideration and pairing it with the foundation’s goal to reach as many people as we can, the idea to hold regional conferences was born.

Thanks to a partnership with the Minnesota Corn Growers and the Minnesota Farm Bureau, the Agchat Foundation is excited to announce that the first regional Agchat conference will be held Saturday, February 23rd at the DoubleTree Hotel in Rochester, Minnesota!

So why should you plan on attending?

Well first of all, us Mid-Westerners know that by the time the end of February rolls around we are all desperate for just about anything that will get us out of the house. The regional training committee was certain to book a hotel with many modern conveniences such as heat and unfrozen water lines. A luxury for many of us that will be battling the elements all winter. And if you are uncertain that even the heat of a forced air furnace cranked all the way up to high is enough to warm you up, we are certain that a full day of learning about how YOU can use the internet to change opinions, educate and connect with people from all walks of life will light a spark for agvocacy inside of you that will defrost even the most frozen among us. And the friendships and connections you will make learning with your fellow agvocates? That’s like the marshmallows on the hot cocoa, the best part!

So what’s different at the regional conference from ACFC 2.0?

  • The regional conference is held in one day. This allows folks who aren’t able to get away from the farm for the full time of ACFC 2.0 to still come and learn.
  • Because we have so much ground to cover in one day the regional conference’s schedule is designed with many breakout sessions that allow you to pick what areas of social media you are most interested in and focus on those topics. This is in addition to our opening and closing sessions that everyone will benefit from.
  • Our regional conference is the on-ramp for people who really want to be part of the agvocacy action online but don’t know where to start or have a foothold in one or two areas of social media but want to explore other venues of conversation and improve the skills they already have.
  • The regional conference is open to people from anywhere, however with the location it is going to draw folks in driving distance of Rochester. This means you will be learning with your neighbors and friends, in fact you should probably forward this link to them right now!

So it’s time to get fired up about agvocacy and make your plans to attend the very first AgChat Foundation regional conference! Leave the long underwear at home because it’s sure to be a hot time in Rochester!

Farmers & ranchers, visit our Eventbrite page to register beginning Fri., Nov. 9th!

Carrie Mess is a city girl turned Wisconsin Dairy farmer. Her interest in sharing her story turned into a love for AgVocating. You can follow The Adventures of Dairy Carrie on her blog WWW.dairycarrie.com, facebook WWW.facebook.com/dairycarrie or @dairycarrie on twitter.

Filed Under: Foundation Programs, Training Tagged With: , , ,
November 7, 2012 By

Alltech Sponsors 2012 Agvocacy 2.0 Training Student

An elite group of students have converged upon Kansas City for AgChat Foundation’s annual Agvoacy 2.0 Training conference which lasts Aug. 23-24. The two-day training session is for farmers and ranchers who using social media, share their story with customers. In recent years, social media has created a historic movement among farmers and ranchers. The goal of the conference is to better equip farmers and ranchers with necessary social media tools, ideas and concepts to be successful in their story telling.

For the second year in a row Alltech is sponsoring the event by offering a scholarship to one future Agvocate. Registration fees for one student will be covered by Alltech, but they need your help to select the winner.

Visit Alltech’s website where you can read more about the four finalists and what they hope to get out of Agvocacy 2.0. Vote for the most promising future agvocate by clicking their vote button on Alltech’s post. You can vote once an hour.

Spread the word and help your favorite agvocate.

Filed Under: Agvocacy 2.0 National Conference, Training Tagged With: , , ,
August 23, 2012 By

Dr. Raines Scholarship Inspires Young Meat Scientists

The agriculture community tragically lost a leader in social media and meat science earlier this year. Dr. Chris Raines had the unique ability to see both sides of an issue and the skill to bring opposing sides to the conversation table. Dr. Raines, or Chris as we all knew him, always had a characteristic way of providing much needed perspective on emotional issues.

To continue his legacy, an anonymous donor is sponsoring one AgChat 2.0 Training Conference Attendee with a $500 scholarship to cover their registration and travel. The selection committee reviewed all applications and chose the winner based on the applicant’s ability to embody all that Chris stood for.

This year’s winner is David Hayden. Here David tells us a little about himself.

Tell us about yourself

I’m originally from KY and was raised on a commercial cow/calf and poultry operation. Agriculture has been a

David Hayden, 2012 Chris Raines Scholarship recipient

number one priority for my family since I was a small child.  Growing up, I was actively involved in 4-H and FFA. As I grew older, so did my passion for the industry.  I attended Murray State University where I majored in animal science. After attending MSU, I moved to Oklahoma to start my masters at Oklahoma State in meat science. I now work for Wolf-Tec inc. as an Applications Specialist assisting customers with the implementation of meat marination and portioning equipment. My job with Wolf-Tec exposes me to all realms of the meat industry both nationally and internationally.

How did you become involved in the meat science industry?

As an undergrad I participated in an exchange program where I was able to attend OSU for a semester.  This is where the door to meat science was opened to me. I knew at that point the meat industry was where I wanted/needed to be. With my background in live animal production I felt a meat science degree was imperative to understanding the industry as a whole.

How do you use social media to connect with agriculture’s customers?

I try to connect through Facebook, Twitter and blogging. I’ll admit I don’t have the time to dedicate as I would like but these realms of social media have allowed me to connect with customers, producers and processors from across the country. I have a blog called Farming America where I discuss food and agriculture related issues that arise in the media and are of concern to the industries producers and customers. My Farming America Facebook page has also allowed me to share my blog and other industry related articles which engage conversation among producers and consumers alike. Twitter has also been a great avenue for sharing information as it arises.  I tweet under the handle @davidhayden7 sharing information that surrounds our industry with a few occasional tweets through the eyes of a “Meat Geek”.

How did Dr. Raines inspire you?

I was fortunate enough to meet Dr. Raines about 3 years ago at the Reciprocal Meats Conference (RMC) in Lubbock, TX.  Because he was a fellow OSU meat science Alum, I was finally able to put a face to the name “Chris Raines” that many of my fellow grad students and professors talk so highly about. While at the RMC, I was able to discuss the realm of social media with Chris. He was my number one inspiration for starting my blog and Twitter presence. From that day on we continued communication through social media and he continues to be an inspiration every time I start and publish a blog.

Filed Under: Scholarships, Training Tagged With: , , ,
August 22, 2012 By

Agvocacy 2.0 Sessions

Come to Kansas City for Agvocacy 2.0Agvocacy 2.0 Deadline is 11:59pm ET June 4th, 2012!



The third-annual Agvocacy 2.0 application for the 2012 social media training conference is now available. The deadline to apply is 11:59pm ET June 4th, 2012.

The two-day event will explore how farmers can effectively share agriculture’s message using social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, blogs and mobile applications.

The Agvocacy 2.0 conference will be held August 23 – 24, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

Here is a list of some of the sessions:
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Agvocacy 2.0 National Conference, Training Tagged With: , , ,
May 29, 2012 By
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