Oh sweet blog how I've missed you, but I've been busy enjoying this:
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
Building my Agvocacy Arsenal with the AgChat Foundation
It was exactly this time last year that I was feeling incredibly excited about agvocacy and the role that my blog could play. After the release of Dodge's 2013 Superbowl commercial, I felt even more energized to continue to reach out to the general public through my writing and social media. Well my energy this year hasn't come from the superbowl, but from attending the AgChat Foundation's 2014 Northwest Regional Agvocacy Conference.
I had seen the conference promoted earlier before Christmas, but then had forgotten about it. After Christmas in the Country, my new friend Jenny from The Magic Farmhouse, who happened to be presenting at the conference, encouraged me to attend. This year's regional conference was held in Portland, and being so close to home I couldn't pass up the opportunity. A huge thank you to Jenny for reminding me, I am so glad I participated!
The AgChat Foundation's mission is "Empowering a connected community of Agvocates", how great to see that alive and thriving. The conference welcomed people from across the country with all backgrounds of ag and levels of social media use. To see the connections forming and ideas and energy flowing was truly inspiring. Agvocacy is in good hands!
The conference opened with Greg Satrum of Willamette Egg Farms, a thrid genereation family owned egg farm, talking of their proactive use of the media. This switch to transparency in the egg world was something that had never been opened to the public before. But they have used this to manage and protect their company's image and promote the industry's practices during a time when the spot light was brightly shown on hen-welfare. I think that this rings true to all sectors of agriculture; Farmer's are now only 2% of the population, and the other 98% is sometimes up to 6 generations removed from any kind of farming. With that kind of gap there are bound to be questions, it is now just a part of our jobs to offer that transparency to the public.
My next stop on the conference was a trip to Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center. There the goal is to Advance Northwest Foods. And they are doing just that, through research, exports, product development they help local food companies. One interesting research area they are currently involved in is the development of RFID labels for products. Radio Frequency Identification is the same technology that is being used in the cattle world for id tags. It all comes down to traceability in the cattle world, but in the world of labeling it is opening a whole new window to efficiency. Radio Frequency can be read by a wand merely waved through the air, think of the speed a task like inventory could be increased with this technology. That side was exciting, but I found most interesting the support and services they can offer to start up companies. From batch measurement conversions, nutrition labeling, packaging, shelf life testing and ingredient supplier connections they are the perfect go to for anyone developing a new product. If our dream ever comes to light, they may very well be a resource we utilize! One other interesting part of the center was their sensory lab where they do research and product testing for larger companies. They are always looking for taste testers, which I think would be a fun endeavor, I might have to sign up!
We finished up the first day with dinner at Meriwether's Restaurant; a farm to fork in Portland's northwest industrial district. This quint and cozy restaurant was full of good food, but the highlight for me was connecting with many of the other attendees. The conversations flowed as easily as the great beer and wine and I now have a connection to many new sectors of agriculture. We can always learn from each other and I find it invaluable to have sources I can ask my questions from. That is the whole point of this agvocacy world, to have reliable sources you can come to with your questions.
The next day provided break out sessions to build our skills. The first one I attended was put on by my new friend Jenny who is also a part of the Agchat Foundation about building your online community. It's all about connections and using other areas of your life to connect and promote your work. By using your interests outside of your ag world you can connect to a larger audience. These commonalities with this different group of people can help to bring them in as followers and readers of your work that is agvocacy related. I feel like I have a somewhat good handle on this as I also blog about my life as a mom and my passions within that area as well. But I definitely could use more promotion in these groups through myself and my social media platforms.
Next up was Personal Branding by Mark Gale of Charleston|Orwig who is a weatlth of communications knowledge. His message was making a "brand" for yourself, making yourself identifiable to your followers in just a couple of words. His session has left me with the biggest questions of how I would brand myself in a couple of words. As a blogger I really am "selling myself", don't take that the wrong way, but as a reader you are here to read my work. I feel I need to work on packaging myself and my message a little better so it's easy to promote! Again it comes back to being genuine and true to myself, my values and my other interests that can play into developing my brand.
Lastly I acquired some amazing tools to measure the numbers and if this is really reaching anyone in What is MY Impact put on by one of ag's "expert" agvocate's Ryan Goodman of Agriculture Proud. I have so many new tools to help aid in writing my posts, promoting my posts and measuring who it's reaching and where they came from. All of these new tools were things I had never heard of, and as I consider myself pretty technology challenged, I was excited to have help in these areas. Ryan really is an expert blogger and has done the whole world of agriculture a favor by doing what he does. If you haven't, you really should check out his blog.
In closing KayDee Gilkey spoke over lunch about building a relationship with your local media. I missed most of her message, but it came across as don't be afraid to open yourself, your message and your farm to the media as well. Whether it be in print, radio or television they can be a huge asset in telling our story. Which can make a huge difference when falsities need to be put to rest. KayDee also offered herself as a resource to help in dealing with media situations, I can see her as a huge asset and great name to have. I know I have enjoyed reaching out to our local media in the last couple of years and should work harder on building those relationships.
The whole two days could come down to building relationships. I had a chance to talk some more with Ryan and the "dairy blogger expert" Carrie, better known as Dairy Carrie that morning during breakfast. Their reach and the number of followers they both have astounds me. They do such a great job of promoting their areas of agriculture and truly do all farmers credit with their work. And they were more then happy and willing to answer my questions about their success. And that's what it all comes down to, supporting each other in this "job" to connect to the average person. We all have a story to tell to by supporting and helping each other we can have even greater success. The AgChat Foundation is a huge asset to this community of agvocates and an invaluable resource. I look forward to keeping up with all the new people I met and supporting each other!
As I side note I did all this with my 3week old new little farmer in tow! Luckily he was a good sport and I don't even think too disruptive! I was a little hesitant about attending with him, but I am so glad I did. It was a wonderful conference!
I had seen the conference promoted earlier before Christmas, but then had forgotten about it. After Christmas in the Country, my new friend Jenny from The Magic Farmhouse, who happened to be presenting at the conference, encouraged me to attend. This year's regional conference was held in Portland, and being so close to home I couldn't pass up the opportunity. A huge thank you to Jenny for reminding me, I am so glad I participated!
The AgChat Foundation's mission is "Empowering a connected community of Agvocates", how great to see that alive and thriving. The conference welcomed people from across the country with all backgrounds of ag and levels of social media use. To see the connections forming and ideas and energy flowing was truly inspiring. Agvocacy is in good hands!
The conference opened with Greg Satrum of Willamette Egg Farms, a thrid genereation family owned egg farm, talking of their proactive use of the media. This switch to transparency in the egg world was something that had never been opened to the public before. But they have used this to manage and protect their company's image and promote the industry's practices during a time when the spot light was brightly shown on hen-welfare. I think that this rings true to all sectors of agriculture; Farmer's are now only 2% of the population, and the other 98% is sometimes up to 6 generations removed from any kind of farming. With that kind of gap there are bound to be questions, it is now just a part of our jobs to offer that transparency to the public.
We finished up the first day with dinner at Meriwether's Restaurant; a farm to fork in Portland's northwest industrial district. This quint and cozy restaurant was full of good food, but the highlight for me was connecting with many of the other attendees. The conversations flowed as easily as the great beer and wine and I now have a connection to many new sectors of agriculture. We can always learn from each other and I find it invaluable to have sources I can ask my questions from. That is the whole point of this agvocacy world, to have reliable sources you can come to with your questions.
The next day provided break out sessions to build our skills. The first one I attended was put on by my new friend Jenny who is also a part of the Agchat Foundation about building your online community. It's all about connections and using other areas of your life to connect and promote your work. By using your interests outside of your ag world you can connect to a larger audience. These commonalities with this different group of people can help to bring them in as followers and readers of your work that is agvocacy related. I feel like I have a somewhat good handle on this as I also blog about my life as a mom and my passions within that area as well. But I definitely could use more promotion in these groups through myself and my social media platforms.
Next up was Personal Branding by Mark Gale of Charleston|Orwig who is a weatlth of communications knowledge. His message was making a "brand" for yourself, making yourself identifiable to your followers in just a couple of words. His session has left me with the biggest questions of how I would brand myself in a couple of words. As a blogger I really am "selling myself", don't take that the wrong way, but as a reader you are here to read my work. I feel I need to work on packaging myself and my message a little better so it's easy to promote! Again it comes back to being genuine and true to myself, my values and my other interests that can play into developing my brand.
Lastly I acquired some amazing tools to measure the numbers and if this is really reaching anyone in What is MY Impact put on by one of ag's "expert" agvocate's Ryan Goodman of Agriculture Proud. I have so many new tools to help aid in writing my posts, promoting my posts and measuring who it's reaching and where they came from. All of these new tools were things I had never heard of, and as I consider myself pretty technology challenged, I was excited to have help in these areas. Ryan really is an expert blogger and has done the whole world of agriculture a favor by doing what he does. If you haven't, you really should check out his blog.
In closing KayDee Gilkey spoke over lunch about building a relationship with your local media. I missed most of her message, but it came across as don't be afraid to open yourself, your message and your farm to the media as well. Whether it be in print, radio or television they can be a huge asset in telling our story. Which can make a huge difference when falsities need to be put to rest. KayDee also offered herself as a resource to help in dealing with media situations, I can see her as a huge asset and great name to have. I know I have enjoyed reaching out to our local media in the last couple of years and should work harder on building those relationships.
 |
| Myself and the famous Dairy Carrie |
As I side note I did all this with my 3week old new little farmer in tow! Luckily he was a good sport and I don't even think too disruptive! I was a little hesitant about attending with him, but I am so glad I did. It was a wonderful conference!
 |
| AgChat's youngest Conference Attendee |
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Christmas in the Country
Better late then never, but with a good excuse, having a baby counts right?!? I am finally getting around to my link up post from Christmas in the Country. Don't let my tardiness diminish the
fun and excitement I had with this experience. A huge Thank you goes out
to Jamie and Laurie for setting this all up. Truly was the highlight of
the holidays for me!
I love getting
packages in the mail, even more fun when they are filled with a
surprise!! So when my package arrived on Christmas Eve, I was so giddy
my husband was making fun of me! I torn I to the box to find this:
A whole box full of goodies all wrapped up and numbered! Felt like a scavenger hunt in a box, I love stuff like that so I was super excited! Included was a read first note to open the numbers in order!
First up, #1, a Blake Shelton Christmas CD! It immediately went into my cd player in the kitchen and with Blake's smooth voice in the background I proceeded to open!
#2 a bag of local popcorn from a member of my secret country pal's son's 4H club! It is awesome popcorn, great flavor and pop! The whole family has enjoyed it for movie time.
I got a really good laugh out of number three and it couldn't have arrived at a more perfect time. A new cool drink cup for my love of Coffee. In my favorite color too! :-)
Now I'm sure my secret country gifter had no idea, but I have quite the history with fun cool drink cups. It's kind of a running joke between me and my husband. I have a thing for fun drink cups and I also really enjoy a good iced coffee. Especially when I am milking in the summer, our parlor gets super hot and it's nice to have a good drink to help me keep my cool, quite literally. Well I also find it fun to take my cool cups into the parlor cause they make me happy. Well they also seem to make the cows happy.......there's no really good cup holder place in the parlor that accessible for quick walk by sips between putting on milkers. So my cups always end of sitting within cows reach, and the Ladies always want to check out my new cups. A little too enthusiastically, so far I've had 5 cups get broken in the parlor. You'd think I'd learn! This one is so fun it might just have to be my house cup. Sorry Ladies! ;-)
#4 Pumpkin! My sender lives about 15 miles from the Pumpkin Capital of the World, Morton, IL!
#5 was for my love of Photography, a calendar from her Farm Credit Services that host a photography contest every year to be included. It's full of some fantastic and fun agriculture pictures from around Illinois. I have it hanging up in my office already! And am enjoying a snapshot of IL!
#6 a super fun cookbook that was put together by my country Santa for their grade school. Some of the recipes sound great and I can't wait to try them out. I always love finding new favorite dishes!
Boosting my Christmas spirit #7 was a delicious mini-tea ring. I had to try a bite right away, I have a weakness for bread! Yum, it was great! Sharing was optional, but we did dig into it as the whole family was at our house for Christmas morning! It was a great addition to our usual fair of cinnamon rolls and enjoyed by all!
And lastly #8 was a generous offer to put together a farmed collage of photos of one of my favorite cows, Mercedes, that we just lost! Super touching and personal, excited to get some sent off to be put together!
Wow! 8 awesome surprises and I didn't yet know who my country Santa was. A die-hard Jersey girl (I'll forgive her that!) with Illinois dairy in her background: Jenny from TheMagicFarmHouse! Jenny also included a great letter with insight into her country life. I had so much fun receiving Jenny's gift and love all the thought and planning that went into making it personal for me! A huge Thank You to her. Jenny is also the Communications Director at the AgChat Foundation, whose regional conference is being held in my neck of the woods in a week. I had seen the conference earlier and totally forgotten about it, but at Jenny's reminder I signed up and am looking forward to not only meeting her, but also expanding my blogging skills and knowledge! Watch out 2014!!
Christmas in the Country was a super fun event full of great people. Make sure to stop by the link up to read about everyone else's gifts and gifters. My gift traveled to Jamie at This Uncharted Rhoade, besides a set back, I had so much fun gathering hers together as well! Seriously what an awesome group of people! I am thoroughly looking forward to participating next time!
Boosting my Christmas spirit #7 was a delicious mini-tea ring. I had to try a bite right away, I have a weakness for bread! Yum, it was great! Sharing was optional, but we did dig into it as the whole family was at our house for Christmas morning! It was a great addition to our usual fair of cinnamon rolls and enjoyed by all!
And lastly #8 was a generous offer to put together a farmed collage of photos of one of my favorite cows, Mercedes, that we just lost! Super touching and personal, excited to get some sent off to be put together!
Wow! 8 awesome surprises and I didn't yet know who my country Santa was. A die-hard Jersey girl (I'll forgive her that!) with Illinois dairy in her background: Jenny from TheMagicFarmHouse! Jenny also included a great letter with insight into her country life. I had so much fun receiving Jenny's gift and love all the thought and planning that went into making it personal for me! A huge Thank You to her. Jenny is also the Communications Director at the AgChat Foundation, whose regional conference is being held in my neck of the woods in a week. I had seen the conference earlier and totally forgotten about it, but at Jenny's reminder I signed up and am looking forward to not only meeting her, but also expanding my blogging skills and knowledge! Watch out 2014!!
Christmas in the Country was a super fun event full of great people. Make sure to stop by the link up to read about everyone else's gifts and gifters. My gift traveled to Jamie at This Uncharted Rhoade, besides a set back, I had so much fun gathering hers together as well! Seriously what an awesome group of people! I am thoroughly looking forward to participating next time!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Living the Present
In October I won the ticket lottery to attend a Jack Johnson concert. He is my absolute favorite and I never win anything, so I was beyond ecstatic. Me and three close friends shared the tickets, and embarked on a fun filled night in the big city (I don't get out much!) After a delicious dinner we arrived just in time for the main act to begin.
I settled into our seats and as the lights dimmed and Jack Johnsons smooth voice enveloped the auditorium............I was blown away. All across the seats and pretty much every other person was accompanied by a blue screen. Smart phones held high, they were "capturing the moment". Blessed by my rural location, I don't have a smart phone, no carriers have good enough service to justify the cost. I felt like the only person in the whole audience that wasn't virally sharing this awesome experience. For a minute I felt left out, but then I merely felt sad for humanity.
We've replaced immediate human interaction for online worldwide sharing. I think we've made the wrong choice. I thoroughly enjoyed the concert screen free; singing along, taking in the lighting and atmosphere, dancing.......living in the moment. And I vividly remember that night, it is a great memory.
Everywhere you go it's the same, I'm sure you've seen it too, people on their phones, iPods, tablets; out at dinner, in a movie, at the park; digitally sharing their current experience with the world. Don't get me wrong, I fully enjoy the world of social media, sometimes too much.
I'm not one for "New Years Resolutions", but this year I am making a conscience decision to live in the moment. It stems from having a newborn and realizing that each moment, every experience, every day is so fleeting. It's here, it's the now, it's the present. A gift to you to take and make it what you will.
So next time your out to dinner, enjoying a beautiful sunset, watching your kids play. Don't update your status about it, don't pin it, don't Instagram it: Live it! Take it in, take a mental picture and enjoy it!! It'll be gone before you know it. I challenge you to live in the present.
That age old saying, sleep when your baby sleeps, I found impossible to do today. All I wanted to do was stare at my newborn son. His forehead wrinkled, his eyes fluttered in sweet baby dream land. He slowly opened and closed his fingers, his bed head of dark hair was sticking up at the top of his head. His lips gave off a soft sleepy smile.
Today was a present and I lived it, did you?
Friday, December 27, 2013
Merry Christmas!
Sometimes your heart is so full it's hard to put into words how you are feeling. This year I am feeling overly blessed! Sometimes it's so easy to look at all the hard and difficult, stressful and consuming things in your life and lose sight of what really matters. When you let go of all that, and just live in the moment soaking up the little details..............it's so rewarding!
I hope this finds you all with full and happy hearts after the Christmas Season!
From me to you I am wishing you all the best!!
 | |
| Merry Christmas! From me and the Ladies! |
Thursday, December 19, 2013
FarmHer Dilemma #42
FarmHer Dilemma #42: Work wear does not come in maternity sizes. Somewhat of an issue when your big preggo during the nice cold winter months!
Dear Carhartt,
You need a maternity line!
You need a maternity line!
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
FarmHer Dilemmas
This morning I felt like I waddled through morning chores 38 weeks pregnant, and the real eye opener came when I realized I couldn't squeeze through the people walk way in the parlor. Yes it was comical, luckily I didn't get stuck! ;-)
I realized that we as women face numerous "dilemmas" as farmers, things that are unique to us as females. And well it's a part of our everyday glamorous life. From awesome work outfits, to amazing hair days, creative bathroom stops, fashionable footwear, hazardous laundry duty, literal child mud wrangling, the array and extent of these dilemmas is vast! And with the number of women counted as U.S. farm operators growing, I thought quite a few of you out there could relate.
From the comical to the somewhat irritating I'll bring you things that I might find I run into as a FarmHer.
So what have you found is one of your FarmHer Dilemmas?
P.S. I get no credit for the term FarmHer. Seen it floating around facebook and blogs for some time and think whoever came up with it is a creative genius!
I realized that we as women face numerous "dilemmas" as farmers, things that are unique to us as females. And well it's a part of our everyday glamorous life. From awesome work outfits, to amazing hair days, creative bathroom stops, fashionable footwear, hazardous laundry duty, literal child mud wrangling, the array and extent of these dilemmas is vast! And with the number of women counted as U.S. farm operators growing, I thought quite a few of you out there could relate.
So Welcome to a new series..........FarmHer Dilemmas
From the comical to the somewhat irritating I'll bring you things that I might find I run into as a FarmHer.
So what have you found is one of your FarmHer Dilemmas?
P.S. I get no credit for the term FarmHer. Seen it floating around facebook and blogs for some time and think whoever came up with it is a creative genius!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)