The State of Health and Wellness – #140conf NOW

In the coming days, individuals will be convening upon New York City for the State of Now – #140 Conference. The conference will parade speakers from across the globe on various topics involving health, wellness and food. AgChat Foundation board member, Marie Bowers, will be exploring the use of forums such as ACF’s #FoodChat conversations on Twitter and Facebook as places to gather information and peace of mind.

Screen-shot-2013-06-14-at-9.44.38-AM

Joining Bowers will be numerous speakers including agvocates Carrie Mess (aka Dairy Carrie), Debbie Lyons-Blythe and Janice Person. Additionally, there will be presentations given by physicians, surgeons, morning show personalities, writers, nutritionists, yoga instructors, just to name a few. All of whom will bring different perspectives to the dinner table concerning health, wellness and food.

The conference runs June 18-19th and still has available spaces. Use the code FriendofJeff for a discounted price of $199. For additional information visit the jam packed schedule.

 

Filed Under: #FoodChat, Voices of agriculture Tagged With: ,
June 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Highlighting ‘I Love Farmers…They Feed My Soul’

We love to highlight similar groups and their missions in agvocacy. Today, please welcome I Love Farmers…They Feed My Soul…

I Love Farmers . . . They Feed My Soul, believes in U.S. family farmers and ranchers and works to spark conversations about American agriculture—that’s the mission. The vision? A world where different methods of agricultural production receive respect for the abundance of foods and fibers they I Love Farmersprovide.

ILF appreciates the strength of the emotional bonds customers have with food and fiber. The all-volunteer, grassroots ILF Nation strives to ensure these bonds are not denigrated but celebrated.

The all-volunteer ILF movement began in 2009 in San Luis Obispo, California and spreads love for U.S. farmers and ranchers across the country and beyond. Though ILF targets urban young people aged 14 to 27, anyone is encouraged to jump into the agriculture advocacy efforts and raise awareness. When it comes to dialogue about our agriculture, conversations are neither too short nor unimportant.

The movement began as a response to California Proposition 2, which in November 2008 passed by a large margin (63% voted Yes, 37% voted No). Known also as the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, it requires by January 1, 2015  all farm animals not be confined or tethered in a manner that prevents them from lying down, standing up, turning around or fully extending its limbs without touching another animal or the enclosure. The passing of Prop 2 was a landmark event not only for farmers and ranchers but also customers across the country. Customers were fed misinformation, and farmers did not do an efficient job of sharing their stories about their lifestyle, their livelihood. ILF does not want agriculture’s voices to go unheard again.

That’s why our movement is built on the emotional bonds we have with food and fiber. You’ll find the website to be unique, and it functions as the hub of activity. In addition to information about agriculture, the website has merchandise for everyone, including t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, bumper stickers, and temporary tattoos emblazoned with an in-your-face logo that’s sure to catch someone’s eye: Catch someone’s attention and talk about agriculture—simple. Most ILF apparel is 100% Made in the U.S.A., and all proceeds from sales go back into the organization and fund advocacy efforts.

ILF is a movement and you need no secret password to join. No membership fees either. All you need is a passion for food, for farmers, for agriculture! Be bold, be progressive, be creative . . . and you’re part of the movement. Share information with ILF by posting agriculturally-relevant information on our Facebook page and Twitter stream.

Another way ILF provides a voice for agriculture is hosting Where’s The Food … Without The Farmer? (WTF?) Day. In two years, over 18 universities have participated in this advocacy event. These events and others are put on by ILF’s Catalysts for Conversation, who, being sexy, hip, and cool represents the future of U.S. agriculture.

To help or join the movement that supports family farmers and ranchers, visit ilovefarmers.org or contact scott@ilovefarmers.org. Find I Love Farmers … They Feed My Soul on Facebook and Twitter @ilovefarmersorg. Spread the love!

Filed Under: Voices of agriculture Tagged With: , ,
February 5, 2013 By

Soft, strong bonds of sharing-God Made A Farmer

‘The soft, strong bonds of sharing.’ ~Paul Harvey in God Made A Farmer

As I watched the Dodge Ram “God Made A Farmer,” commercial, these words in particular touched me. So God Made A FarmerIts the soft, strong bonds of sharing which brings the agricultural community together. Its the soft, strong bonds of sharing which helps the 98% of the world understand the origins of their food. The pride felt after the commercial was viewed could be called monumental, if not epic. Whats more, the pride felt as so many of you share your feelings about the commercial.

In case you have missed some of the resulting posts both on blogs and in the media, we’ve shared them below.

Keep on agvocating!

  • My AgVentures.com: http://myagventures.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/so-god-made-a-farmer/
  • The Minnesota Farmer: http://minnesotafarm.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/god-made-a-farmer/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
  • Eatocracy: http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2013/02/04/god-made-a-farmer-dodge-truck-ad/
  • Dairy Carrie: http://dairycarrie.com/2013/02/03/so-god-made-a-farmer-dodge-superbowl-ad/
  • Ryan Goodman: http://agricultureproud.com/2013/02/04/dodge-ram-super-bowl-commercial-tribute-so-god-made-a-farmer/
  • Janice Person: http://janiceperson.com/ag-awareness/so-god-made-a-farmer-we-wait-we-hope-we-pray/
  • Brandi Buzzard: http://buzzardsbeat.blogspot.com/2013/02/dodge-silences-audience-with-god-made.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
  • Prevention.com: http://blogs.prevention.com/inspired-bites/2013/02/04/thoughts-on-truck-ads-and-the-future-of-farming/
  • CropLife.com: http://www.croplife.com/article/32857/super-bowl-farmer-commercial-a-big-hit
  • USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/
  • Red Dirt In My Soul.com: http://reddirtinmysoul.com/2013/02/03/20130203.aspx
  • Brian Scott/The Farmer’s Life: http://thefarmerslife.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/ram-trucks-wins-superbowl-with-so-god-made-a-farmer/
  • Farm ‘n Wife: (video spot) http://www.grafflandandlivestock.com/why-dodges-truck-ad-works/
  • Ray Bowman: http://raybowman.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/so-god-made-a-farmer/
  • Aimee Whetstine: http://everydayepistle.com/2013/02/04/god-made-a-farmer/
  • FourCountryGals: http://fourcountrygals.com/2013/02/04/its-the-year-of-the-farmer

If you have written a post about last night’s commercial, please let us know in the comments!

~Jenny Schweigert

Filed Under: Voices of agriculture Tagged With: , , ,
February 4, 2013 By

1 Voice to Empower Farmers and Ranchers

onevoiceWhat a year it has been for AgChat Foundation! You, our community, have tweeted, posted, blogged, plused, pinned, and danced Farmer Style to connect with our customers. Social media has been abuzz with agvocacy in 2012. The best part is that you didn’t just keep the excitement to yourself. You passed it on and paid it forward. Twenty-five farmers and ranchers formally trained other farmers and rancher through AgChat Foundation’s proven hands-on training programs. Many others of you have spoken at local commodity group meetings, helped your neighbor start a blog or even convinced another farmer to sign up for Twitter.

2012 was a challenging year for Agvocacy. Animal abuse videos continued to be published, new media used scare tactics to try to convince the public that some food products were not safe, and the voices of mistrust of American agriculture seemed to grow.

Yet instead of feeling defeated, you, farmers and ranchers, worked even harder to build relationships with those outside of our industry. In 2012 you

Campaigns like #FoodThanks brought farmers, chefs, home cooks, foodie bloggers, and more together to celebrate the blessing of food in the United States. Our weekly #AgChat and #Foodchat conversations brought farmers, policy makers and customers together to discus tough topics such as school lunch, food safety and the historic drought.

AgChat Foundation is and always will be about the community. ACF was built on the foundation of farmer and rancher volunteers, grass-roots engagement and the diversity of all of agriculture. Our farmer and rancher led board of directors want you to continue your success in 2013. Make sure to subscribe to our blog, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or follow us on Pinterest to get up-to-date agriculture and social media information.

Lastly, help us reach our goal of $10,000 donated from the community to further our mission.  Your generous support will allow us to continue our successful training programs, conferences and customer outreach efforts. All donations are tax deductible.

Thank you for all that you have done for the #AgChat community in 2012! Happy Holidays to you and your own.

Emily Zweber, ACF Executive Director.

Filed Under: Voices of agriculture Tagged With: ,
December 17, 2012 By

How can a farmer get a chance to write for CNN?

by Janice Person, Advisory Board

Recently a lot of us turned on our social media channels one day to find two very familiar names tied together, but the connection of the two probably wasn’t expected. We were excited to see that CNN’s food blog ‘eatocracy’ included a familiar name from the AgChat community writing a guest post!

Yes, our friend the person behind the AgProud blog and Facebook page, Twitter’s @AR_ranchhand, Ryan Goodman wrote a piece for CNN’s food blog “No Bull – what a cattle farmers wants customers to know”! I bet some folks had to wonder how it happened and are wondering if that sort of thing can happen again. When someone asked Ryan if he’d write something up, he thought it may look like he’s bragging and passed. Well I will gladly brag on him with hopes it helps others get that kind of visibility.

What Makes Ryan So Special

Ryan created this opportunity by being himself and being available on a regular basis. Opportunities don’t just happen out of the blue. So if you want to dissect the steps involved, here’s what I see makes Ryan so special:

  • Puts himself out there in conversations and groups — A couple of weeks ago, eatocracy had a post about gestation crates, and I asked some farm friends what they thought of the piece since I am not a livestock person. The discussion about the post helped me think through various ideas from others and in the process, Ryan thought about things, left honest comments and contributed his experience with a really balanced objective.
  • Engaging with people whether or not opportunity knocks – when Ryan participates in a conversation, he does it from a place of honesty never just trying to get the big light to shine. He was making a difference before he caught CNN’s eye and he will continue to do just that.
  • Built an incredible content base – Ryan actively engages with people throughout the week and has been doing that for years. He has multiple venues online and in real life. I have to say if people reading the original post clicked on Ryan’s name, he had linked it back to his website AgricultureProud.com. Doing that, a blog manager or reporter would see an established ability to have conversations on topics about food and farming.
  • Offers expertise, don’t pretend to be an expert – You can tell, Ryan knows his stuff and is interested in talking to others about the topics. He participates in an open honest dialogue without trying to make people think that what he says is right…. he’s just sharing information and having conversations. He offers his expertise without talking down to anyone.
  • Celebrates other’s passions and successes – One of the things that draws people to Ryan is his joy in celebrating the passions and successes of others. Whether its giving people a stage from which to tell their story through guest posts or taking a photo now and then to send a friend (yes, he has done these things for me and lots of other folks!) That builds his network.

You May Be Just as Special

What’s really awesome is when you dissect what Ryan has done that most likely got him the chance to bring a farmer’s perspective to CNN, is it can be replicated. Maybe you can’t duplicate it, but I think the model holds a huge amount of potential for all of us. And of equal importance, it can serve as great motivation!

We can all do the things that Ryan does so well:

  • Create a great base of content — It takes regular blogging, tweeting, Facebook posts, etc to build your audience, draw search engines and clearly illustrate your experience & expertise.
  • Find ways to engage with others — Whether it is by joining chats which are on twitter (here’s a how-to participate and a list of established chats), following & contributing to local hash tags, or creating or finding Facebook pages that relate to your interest, there are lots of ways to find folks who talk about food and who may be interested in reading about your farm.
  • Celebrate successes no matter the size — Maybe you notice a new subscriber to your blog, or a really thoughtful comment, or some hits from a search engine…. Whatever it is celebrate it and keep your motivation up. After lots of successes you will see they add up to major accomplishments!

Janice Person is a city girl who loves cotton and biotechnology. She stumbled into a passion for communications early in life and has never looked back. A colorful adventure is her personal blog and her work in public affairs for Monsanto includes blogging and social media outreach.  Follow her on Twitter (@JPLovesCotton).

Filed Under: Voices of agriculture
June 28, 2012 By
«Older Posts