Removing our blinders to a global agricultural intensity

It’s so easy to look inward and focus on the issues we have going on in our lives: our work or business, family, responsibilities, volunteering – not to mention the economy and political environment in our country. We have demands drawing our attention in as many ways as cat to a laser pointer.

But let’s look at the bigger picture. Are our issues really that illustrious in the grand scheme of life when you look at everything going on around the globe?

It’s easy to look at the issues that face our agricultural economy domestically. But thinking bigger – globally – really brings a perspective that there is more to our industry and gives us a glimmer of hope. So many countries are experiencing food insecurity and we have the ability to provide food security.

With USDA’s recent crop production report showing a nearly 10 percent increase in corn production from last year, we are looking to have a record corn crop, if realized. This is huge for farmers – and a challenge albeit – but it means they are doing all they can, putting heart and soul and resources and technology into growing more food. It means abundant supplies and an even greater need for more markets on a global intensity.

So many people and organizations are expanding and empowering agriculture on a global level. The World Economic Forum has gathered and organized the Global Agenda Council to bring individuals and corporations together to address challenges like food security, sustainable consumption, and health and wellness.

Banks are offering special financing programs to help create jobs and boost agribusinesses across the globe.

The Gates Foundation is helping farming families all over the world produce more food and increase their income, while preserving the land for future generations.

The list goes on and on.

The middle classes of the world’s countries with the largest populations – India, China, Indonesia - are increasing. And as more their population rises to middle class, they can afford more protein. Just this fall, China removed a ban on shipments of some U.S. beef products, opening up the trade for the first time since 2003 as the country sees a surge in imports of the meat. This is excellent for our growing beef supply, but also our large corn supply. The more cattle we can feed here, the more beef we can export to places like China, Japan and South Korea. Beef exports had tremendous year-over-year growth in Japan (up 49 percent year-over-year) and South Korea (up 75 percent), according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

As U.S. farmers and ranchers, we have a challenge to meet the needs of our growing population. Thinking globally does not end with opening markets for U.S. agricultural products. It means collaborating with agribusinesses and food companies all over the world. Helping developing nations. Teaching new technology to farmers young and old. These opportunities are optimistic. Let’s remove our blinders, focus our attention outward, and think globally.

Fear-Based Food Marketing; Not Only for the Rich & Famous

Recently at a food blogging conference, I conversed with several foodie’s who repeatedly asked me production questions about my farm, how we raise our livestock and what we feed them. Then proceeded to question my family's production decisions, “Are you really telling me the truth?”.

“But Whole Foods only has meat that is grass-fed and organic – so that is what you should be raising, right?” said a food blogger.

We proceeded to have a conversation about the “fear-based marketing” that retailers like Whole Foods has, merely to increase prices. It’s their business model. Making money based on fear. I proceeded to tell her that the beef my family raises could likely end up in Whole Foods or Safeway or a local grocery store and each store/chain will label it how they want – even though I raised it all the same here on my ranch.

This idea of fear-based marketing is not new to me, or probably to you. Retailers, restaurants and certain “self-proclaimed” know-it-alls…ahem, Food Babe, have been labeling and marketing their products in a way to make a certain production practices seem more humane or better for your health, while also jacking up the price.

But what I found interesting was that it is not just the upper (or even middle) class who are falling for these marketing ploys anymore. The Illinois Institute of Technology’s Center for Nutrition Research recently performed a research study, surveying 510 low-income shoppers about what types of information influences their shopping decisions regarding fruits and vegetables. The results concluded that in general, participants preferred organic fruits and vegetables; however, cost was a significant barrier to purchase them. Informational statements about organic and conventional fruits and vegetables did not increase participants' likelihood to purchase more.

Here’s the kicker -- in contrast, messages naming specific fruits and vegetables with pesticides shifted participants toward “less likely” to purchase any type of fruits and vegetables regardless whether organically or conventionally grown. The results provide insight about how low-income people view fruits and vegetables and how communications may influence their future purchase intentions.

Another study that focused on low-income consumers was performed at John Hopkins University’s Center for a Livable Future in January of 2015. The respondents in this study included organic--or common characteristics of organic food--in their definition of healthy food, even though many of them did not have access to organic foods due to poor availability and affordability.

Now, even though this is just fruits and vegetables, I’m pretty confident that a follow-up survey about meats, grains and GMOs would produce similar results. We can’t just claim that the top 10% of consumers – namely Whole Foods customers – are the only ones drinking the Kool-Aid and wanting certain production practices based on fear of that practice because it’s deemed ‘healthier’ for them and they can afford it. It’s all up and down the socio-economic pipeline.

This should be a wake-up call for those of us raising food. We can’t just keep doing what we’re doing. We need to talk about it. And share it. Then share it again. Different people will see what we are doing, why we are raising food that way and start a revolution that should happen when people are making choices about something that is so personal and emotional to them.

To wrap-up my time at the food blog conference, I had several, meaningful conversations with the bloggers about how food is really raised. Most of them had never been on farms and had just relied on their friends, family or ‘Whole Foods’ to tell them how food was - and should - be raised. Just a simple conversation changed their perspective – and likely their friends, family and most importantly, their blog following – about modern food production.

What are you doing today to defend your right to raise food the way you do?

Ag Champions: Helping students become Advocates for Agriculture

Most will agree, American farmers are in the minority when it comes to our nation’s population. At the same time, the rest of the country is three or four generations removed from the farm. That means the average American lacks the general understanding about where their food comes from and the important role agriculture plays in all of our lives and our country. In many cases, these consumers are unfortunately exposed to an endless flow of misinformation in the media and on the Internet. So our challenge as an agricultural industry, is to give them the information to make educated choices.The Nebraska Corn Board realizes FFA students identify and understand agricultural issues. Our intent, by offering the Ag Champions Program, is to encourage FFA students to “agvocate” (agricultural advocates) for agriculture by sharing their story with consumers and accurately representing agriculture.

 The Nebraska Corn Board and Nebraska FFA are partnering to offer the newly revised 3rd Annual Ag Champions Program where FFA students can be champions for agriculture and accurately represent their industry online! The purpose of the Ag Champions Program is to help FFA students find their voice and become agvocates by building their own social media platform online to tell their story. The use of today’s technology and social media has taken the opportunity to share agriculture to a whole new level and as the future of agriculture, we need FFA members to lead this conversation. Our hope is that the platform the students build will become a foundation that they can build on for the rest of their ag-loving life!

How do I get started? 
It is up to the students to make their own unique online presence. They can create an ag-focused website, blog, or vlog (video blog). These platforms must be visible to the public and must feature a minimum of six entries, including the topics outlined in the “contest rules” on page 2. The top six students, judged to have the strongest agvocating platform, will each receive a $500 scholarship.

Click here to download a copy of the complete overview

How to talk about Sustainability

In our culture’s evolving society, more communication avenues are emerging, allowing food-eaters to share about their food and desiring to know how it was raised. The ‘sustainability movement’ amongst consumers has caused a myriad of definitions of the term that farmers and ranchers have been ‘sustaining’ since the beginning of time.

The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) has been conducting research on consumers’ perceptions of agriculture since 2011 in an effort to earn consumer trust in American food and agriculture. Along with conducting annual research, they aim to ensure the voices of farmers and ranchers are presented in influential conversations about food and agriculture where they can make a positive impact.

Sustainability and Consumer Perceptions

Most recently, USFRA’s research focused specifically about sustainability and consumer perceptions; conducting online interviews, surveying a total of 1,000 consumers. This perception survey provided benchmark results and explored opinions on farming and ranching based on two key types of consumers: general consumers and consumer food connectors. General consumers included: millennials; parents; non-parents; or general consumer population. Consumer food connectors included: educated consumers with a strong interest in politics and government policy; highly-engaged food influencer that others turn to for information about their food; make all household decisions and purchases related to food; or engaged in food advocacy activities.

When it comes to specifically talking about sustainability, USFRA found that terms like, “water, soil, air and habitat” resonate the most with both general consumers and consumer food connectors.

The 2016 Food and Health Survey, conducted by the International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC), found that consumers consider sustainability more in their decisions to buy food and beverages than just a year ago, and seven in ten consumers think it is important that the food products are produced in a sustainable way. Both USFRA and IFIC’s surveys showed that agriculture’s impact on humans is always top of mind for consumers. They want to improve their health, as well as their families, through access to safe, nutritious food and want to have a positive impact on their local community.

But are consumers equating “producing nutritious, safe and high-quality food” to “sustainability”? Obvious enough, sustainability can mean different things to different people. USFRA found that consumers define sustainability with terms such as: environmentally responsible, integrity, ethical, accountable for actions, trustworthy, supporting local communities and social responsibility.

Even more interesting, half of the consumers polled with USFRA could not state what sustainability meant to them, although they say it is important. It needs to be farmers and ranchers responsibility to define sustainability for them.

Defining What We Do As Sustainable

Farmers and ranchers keep future generations top of mind. We love talking about being a third or fourth-generation farmer while bringing in the fifth generation. Doing more with less is part of being good stewards of the land. We talk about our sustainable practices, but we don’t always convey or define what we are doing is actually sustainability. Consumers, food connectors and media alike are hijacking this concept that food producers have been doing for hundreds of years and making it their own. Much of the language the agriculture industry uses today gives consumers unnecessary anxiety, simply because they don’t understand what it means. We have an opportunity to turn terms and phrases that are perceived as negative, into positives.

For example, when we talk about pesticides, explain that they prevent bugs and other pests from eating crops – that’s sustainable. By taking time to explain the term from our perspective, we will be squelching the negative perception in the food-eaters’ eyes.

Transparency Leads to Sustainability

Based on consumer perceptions, transparency is king when it comes to making food-purchasing decisions. Food connectors find it extremely important to know about where the food was grown or raised where price was the number one importance for general consumers.

To help tell this agriculture-sustainability story, USFRA recommends that farmers and ranchers:

• Keep in mind that sustainability is an inherent part of your business. Keep the future generations top of mind and communicate that doing more with less is part of being good stewards of the land. Sustainability means smart business practices.
• Make sustainability relatable. Communicate that you are making it better for the future versus defining success of the past. Connect your audience to who you are and not just what you do, and associate with shared values.
• Use language that resonates. Water, soil, air and habitat; improving the environment around my farm; limiting impact; improving human health; access to safe and nutritious food; efficient use of land; more with less; using new technologies – equipment and software; making business more profitable through sustainability; sustainable food is affordable food.

More than ever, now is the time to be transparent about what you do. People don’t need a checklist on each “hot issue.” But they do want relevant and true pieces of information about where their food comes from and where it was raised. Take advantage of opportunities to deliver factual information about how food was grown and raised across the supply chain, and share information whether it’s superior or not. Coffee shop conversations, church lunches, social media interactions – all of these venues will make an impact if you start telling your story and most importantly, relating it to sustainability.

Social Soil: The Power of Social Media in Agriculture

*Welcome to Social Soil - a series of social media posts for farmers. Whether you're a seasoned social media veteran or just trying to start, we want to help farmers with their "ag+advocacy" skills ("AGvocacy") so together we can promote Nebraska corn and agriculture.*

In our Social Soil series, we’ve talked about how farmers and ranchers can use Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogging, videos and 2016 social media trends to help our whole industry tell its story.

So how does the power of social media really share the story of what farmers and rancher do?

Social media is all about people. It is a way to build relationships, share information and connect with diverse audience of people you may never meet in real life. So, interacting on social media, whether it is Facebook, YouTube or Instagram, allows you to develop a community and share your story in a way that was never possible before. The general public still has faith in farmers and ranchers, but some are still wary of modern farm practices. It is important that agriculture unites and it has a chance to tell its side of the story. Social media is one way to make your voice heard in the 98% of the population that don’t raise food.

A great example proving the power of social media in agriculture is the AgChat Foundation. Started with engaged conversations on Twitter with the #AgChat hashtag, it has grown into a community where agriculture works together to touch millions of people only connected with farms because they eat. The Foundation is designed to serve as a conduit for those farmers and ranchers as it empowers them to become agvocates.

#AgChat is a moderated conversation that is hosted weekly on Twitter that covers topics from animal welfare to perceptions of farming to communications to agronomy to USDA programs, etc. The goal is to have an open dialogue where everyone is included who uses the hashtag. #AgChat has a sister chat - #FoodChat - a monthly conversation tailored more specifically to the interests of consumers, nutrition professionals, foodies and influencers of food choices.

The best way to utilize the power of social media as a farmer/rancher is to share about and have conversations about what you know best. Maybe you are a guru with using drones, or know every weed there is known to man in your head, or you can easily talk about why you use antibiotics with your cattle. Whatever it is, try to focus in on using your skills and knowledge of this topic to your advantage.

One agvocate, Dr. Channa Prakash, took home the Borlaug CAST Communication Award at the World Food Prize for his use of social media to share agriculture facts. He is a guru on ag biotechnology, so he manages a reputable Twitter account under the name of @agbioworld and focus on those messages.

“You’ll be surprised as to how quickly you’ll become well known or popular in a way,” Prakash said in an agriculture.com interview. “It depends on the messaging, your passion, and your knowledge of the issues.”

Prakash’s tips for social media success:

1. Jump right into it! Begin posting about what concerns and excites you.
2. Begin developing a like-minded audience.
3. Take note of what issues consistently come up.
4. Create a hashtag to help others connect to your platform.
5. Enjoy popularity.

Prakash’s tips can easily be transferred to creating videos to share on YouTube or Facebook, or pictures to put on Instagram or Pinterest.

How will you utilize the power of social media? Learn more here: Power of Social Media in Agriculture.

The Voice: agriculture-style

Any “The Voice” fans out there?

Photo from NBC.com

The Voice is a two-time Emmy Award-winning vocal competition show in its 10th season on NBC. In this show, celebrity judges - Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Pharrell Williams and Adam Levine - choose the contestants they feel would fit best on their team then coach them throughout the season with a series of battle rounds, knockouts, live playoffs and the finals. To get on a celebrity judge’s team initially, the contestant must have a “blind audition” where the judges cannot see the person singing, only judging on their voice.

This “blind audition” reminds me how people often identify with farmers and ranchers.

On the show, the judges can’t see who is making the sound until they choose to turn around. Much like that with food production today, food-eaters don’t know much about where their food comes from unless they “choose” to know.

Sure, they hear about certain production practices from their neighbor or fellow MOPS mom or maybe a relative. But until they really choose to know and look up the facts for themselves, they are just in a blind audition.

Farmer and ranchers are just as much involved in the “blind” part of this. Part of it is our fault. For a long time, we didn’t do a good job of sharing about what we were doing or how we were doing it. It’s our own business, right?

Photo from NYDailyNews.com

Right, but it is also the food-eater’s business. They want to know about their food – who raised it, where it came from, what was put on it, how it was processed. They don’t want to come in blindly and just assume it is safe. And unfortunately, some groups in agriculture try to pit one form of production over another – which really confuses the food-eater.

So – let’s come together and make it easy for the food-eater to choose to learn more about modern food production. Here’s how we can learn from The Voice and use a few of their tactics:

• Blind Auditions: sometimes food-eaters haven’t heard both sides of the story. They are coming in blind to a situation where they know little about an issue involving modern food production, yet they feel passionate because of who told them about it. Explain to them where you are coming from and how you know what you know. While face-to-face conversations are ideal, social media is a great place for this. You can get personal while sharing on blogs, Facebook, Instagram, videos, Twitter, etc., but it also allows for one-on-one conversations and questions. (see our blog series, Social Soil, about how to use these social media tools!)
• Battle Rounds: conversations around food can get heated. It’s a very personal issue that EVERYONE is affected by. Try not to get into a debate with someone, but simply give them the educated-information for them to make their own choice.
• Knockouts: you know you’ve knocked it out of the park when you’ve been able to open up someone’s perspective towards modern agriculture so they can see why you do what you do, and become a champion for you. To help achieve this knockout, make sure you are prepared with personal stories about your farm and ranch. Hitting that emotional string is a powerful and relatable one.
  
• Live Playoffs: get in front of a live audience. Many civic groups, schools, moms groups and more need speakers for their events. So speak up and volunteer to share about what you do to raise food. You’ll be surprised at how rewarding it is.
• The Finals: our end goal in advocating for agriculture is to share what we do and why we do it so that we are known for what we do – not what others say we do (or don’t do). This needs to be a part of every food-producers business plan. You won’t have a business if you sit around and wait for someone else to share your story. The truth is, it is already being shared and not by the right people. Keep the sustainability of your farm or ranch in mind with this issue: step up, get out and share your story.

Animal Advocacy: Articulating Your Story

Today’s livestock producers take what they do very seriously. The legacy and knowledge of raising animals merits a great pride in farmers and ranchers. They are deeply rooted in their values whether that be in their community, the environment or raising a calf crop each year. With the rearing of animals for meat comes the charge to compassionately care for that animal, become accountable for how they provide for their livestock and positively promote what and why they do what they do.

Animal Welfare

Much of the pride that livestock producers have from raising animals comes from responsibility. Today more than ever, cattle ranchers, pork producers, dairy farmers and poultry producers take the responsibility of raising healthy cattle for high-quality, nutritious beef very genuinely. Much of that responsibility is stewardship which leads to following animal welfare guidelines.

Much of the way livestock and poultry are handled is traditionally passed down from generation to generation on family operations, or comes from personal experience and training. Yet, as industry standards change, producers also want to change to make sure they are doing the best to take care of their animals. Practices of production such as de-horning, castration, use of vaccines and antibiotics, etc., all have their purpose in the industry, but the way they are handled can be skewed by the public eye.

Accountability

Farmers and ranchers must be responsible for the way they handle their animals. One form of accountability for beef producers is the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program, a national program that provides guidelines for beef cattle production. This is not new to the industry; cattlemen and women have been practicing stewardship and proper handling for years.

The cattle industry formalized its first quality program in the late 1970s when it was called the “Beef Safety Assurance” program, designed to help cattle farmers and ranchers ensure their production practices were safe and met consumer expectations. The BQA program, the first of its kind in the world, soon followed and was officially established in 1987.

BQA raises consumer confidence through offering proper management techniques and a commitment to quality within every segment of the beef industry. Cattlemen and women have embraced BQA because it is the right thing to do. It is an educating program that has evolved to include best practices around good record keeping and protecting herd health. The pork industry offers similar programs, including Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus) and Transport Quality Assurance (TQA), to support animal well-being and maintain a safe, high-quality supply of pork. Their “We Care” initiative ties everything together to help the public view the pork industry as a self-regulated business that earns the trust of others.

The poultry and dairy industries provide similar quality assurance programs, as well.

Advocacy

Along with programs like BQA and PQA Plus, cattle producers are encouraged to practice advocacy techniques while they are in the public eye. Unfortunately, those that do not understand agriculture have misguided ideas and sometimes share erroneous information, pictures and video about the treatment of food animals. In our country, rural communities have declined and consumers are generally two or more generations removed from having meaningful ties with the people and places where their food is raised. Without those ties to agriculture, consumers don’t know about modern food production. And some might not care. Until a video or picture comes across their Facebook news feed and suddenly they are brought into a social license dilemma.

Social media has drastically changed how agriculture is viewed and how people talk about their food. While it has brought negative views and questions to livestock production, the two-way street allows livestock producers to have a voice as well as a listening audience that is focused on where they intersect and can relate with one another. And that intersection is something we all enjoy: food.

When consumers are concerned about how their food is raised, it gives producers an opportunity to talk about their animal welfare and is a good wake-up call to all livestock producers that others are watching. This is especially true at livestock shows. There is a critical eye watching every move and producers need to be ready to share their story with emphasis on why and how.

Articulate Your Story

Are you prepared to answer critical questions on production practices that come naturally to you? Why do you use clippers on your animal? What are you feeding them? Where do you keep your animals? These questions might be something you’ve never thought about. Our industry needs to take time to stand in our consumers’ shoes and have a good working knowledge of the industry, as well as use terminology that most people will understand.

It’s an especially good reminder to be proactive. Help consumers connect the dots by reaching out to them and asking if they have any questions.

Winners of Inaugural Ag Champions Contest Announced

Nebraska Corn Board, Nebraska FFA Association announce winners of community “agvocate” program

The Nebraska Corn Board (NCB) and Nebraska FFA, with the help of Curt Tomasevicz, spokesman for NCB, are pleased to announce that three Nebraska FFA chapters have proven to be “agvocates” (agricultural advocates) in their local communities and have been selected as winners of the 2015 Inaugural Ag Champions Program.

S-E-M FFA chapter

Amherst FFA Chapter

The 2015 Ag Champions Program Grand Champion was awarded to the Amherst and S-E-M (Sumner-Eddyville-Miller) FFA chapters. The two FFA chapters submitted an advocacy plan together, addressing the concerns consumers have about the beef industry. The schools plan to agvocate for the beef industry through cooking demonstrations at large grocery stores in Kearney and Lexington, Nebraska. They plan to create conversations with urban and non-farm consumers that are removed from the production cycle and help them understand the benefits of beef and the safe production practices that are associated with raising it.

“Between the two FFA chapters, we bring everything from strong production agriculture backgrounds, to non-farm backgrounds,” said Marissa Kegley, student from Amherst FFA Chapter. “Together we will be able to offer all perspectives of agriculture, and hope to bridge the gap between producer and consumers, while educating them about the positive aspects of the beef industry.”

“Our FFA chapter has been trained in the Masters of Beef Advocacy program and many of us also have beef SAE (supervised agricultural experience) projects,” said Jason Line, a student from S-E-M FFA Chapter.  “We have a strong understanding for our industry and are excited to have the opportunity to share our knowledge with those consumers that are asking questions and wonder what goes into beef production.” 

“We are excited to be part of the Ag Champions Program and to having Curt Tomasevicz help us carry out our plan,” added Mekenzie Beattie, a student from S-E-M FFA Chapter. “I look forward to the opportunity to work with Curt and share the many positive aspects of the beef industry to consumers, including the nutritional benefits and the proper management practices that beef producers use.”

Tekamah-Herman FFA chapter. 

The 2015 Ag Champions Program Runner-up was awarded to the Tekamah-Herman FFA chapter. The FFA chapter submitted an advocacy plan that will help create a larger understanding of agriculture in the younger demographic of their local communities.  They plan to start a FFA program / agricultural educational program for the 5^th and 6^th grade students in their school.

“As our chapter worked to identify an agricultural issue in our local communities, it became clear that over the last few years, we have seen a huge decline of involvement in FFA among the incoming freshman classes,” said Katheryn Gregerson, a student from Tekamah-Herman FFA Chapter. “Since there is no agriculture education available to these students until they enter high-school, we think our agvocacy program will be a great way to introduce the topic to them and build excitement and interest about joining FFA as they enter high school.”

“I think our agvocacy program will be a great way to educate younger students about agriculture and eliminate any misconceptions and myths they might have heard about it,” said Thomas Henning, student from Tekamah-Herman FFA Chapter.  “I’m excited to show the 5^th and 6^th graders that you don’t have to grow up on a farm to be involved in agriculture and FFA and agvocate for the industry.”

“Once our agvocacy plan takes off and we begin to revitalize our FFA program, we will have the ability to get more involved in our school’s “Teach Ag Day” in the elementary. As a bigger chapter, we will have the capability to help expand the elementary Ag Day beyond the classroom to the farm,” added Gregerson.

Based off the budget of their agvocacy plan, Amherst and S-E-M  FFA chapters will be awarded a $500 grant from the Nebraska Corn Board to complete their agvocacy plan, as well as the opportunity to work with Olympic Gold Medalist, Curt Tomasevicz. Tekamah-Herman FFA Chapter will be awarded a $1,000 grant to complete their plan in their community.

“The Nebraska Corn Board is pleased to provide these schools with the monetary resources needed to implement their advocacy plans in their local communities,” said Emily Thornburg, director of communications at the Nebraska Corn Board. “We look forward to helping these students become engaged as advocates for agriculture in their communities and among their peers and are anxious to see the results of their hard work.”

All Nebraska FFA chapters will be receiving information about the 2016 contest details from the Nebraska State FFA Officers during the fall District EDGE Conferences, but more information will be available here. Deadline for the 2016 Ag Champions Program is December 1, 2015.


More photos of the FFA Chapters are available online (Click here).

Talking ag with a vegan

I had an opportunity with CommonGround recently to attend a dinner with media, dietitians, nutritionists and bloggers. It was a great event to reach influencers who have day-to-day interaction with consumers who have questions about food and what farmers and ranchers do.

At my table were three dietitians: one was a pro-GMO spokesperson, one was in administration and one was ---- a vegan. I was really nervous when I first met him hoping that he didn't immediately ram down my throat about modern ag production practices. And I also hoped I could keep my cool and not let him dominate the conversation.

The conversation started well with the table being open to hearing what I do as a farm woman, mom and blogger, as well as learning about what each of them do in their field of practice. It was interesting to me that what we do on our farm was (for the most-part) okay, but when the words "environment", "GMO", "climate change", "economics" and more were brought up, things got a little more heated. In all of the research that my "new friend" had done, I had known of a study that refuted his information and was peer-reviewed and backed by sound-science. He rattled off numbers (I later found out this is what he does in his spare time - research!) and I was pretty impressed by the passion that he had for wanting to change the world to be meat-free and all organic - but he had his facts all wrong because he simply hasn't seen it done, been to a farm or ranch, and had a very naive view of the rest of the world.

We had a healthy debate on how unrealistic it is for the WHOLE world to turn meat-free and all organic. There is a place for these markets and I totally support that (I told him I even supported him being vegan - the sentiment was not returned). The biggest point that I wanted to get across to him was the availability of CHOICE that we have here in the U.S. I was grateful for the GMO-supporter-dietitian that was also at our table because she has done work all over the world and agreed that we have the safest, most affordable food supply in the world with the most choices.

While a little disappointed I wasn't able to "change" my vegan-friend's mind about modern agriculture, it was a good reminder that he is in the 10% of the population whose mind cannot be changed on a matter they think they know all about (I'm not saying all vegans are this way). While I came away from the dinner disheartened over what I "should have said" to try to change his mind, I realized that there were two other sets of ears at the table who were more likely in the "move-able middle", 80% of the population that we should really be focusing our efforts on who we can give information to for them to make an educated decision. The remaining 10% are those of us in agriculture and consumers we already have "on board" and supporting our cause.

It is an exciting time in agriculture to be able to share our story with a wide-consumer base of people who are truly interested in how their food is raised. What are you doing to reach out and share your story to the "move-able middle"?

Social Soil: Twitter

*Welcome to Social Soil - a series of social media posts for farmers. Whether you're a seasoned social media veteran or just trying to start, we want to help farmers with their "ag+advocacy" skills ("AGvocacy") so together we can promote Nebraska corn and agriculture.*

Twitter is a funny beast. When it first came out, people said, “It’s just a fad.” Today, however, Twitter is a different story. It is becoming more popular than Facebook for many demographics, especially youth and millennials. As of the second quarter of 2015, the microblogging service averaged at 304 million monthly active users. At the beginning of the 2014, Twitter had surpassed 255 MAU per quarter.

Many ag groups and individuals are doing a great job on Twitter, using its 140-character limit by maximizing the potential with hashtags, photos and links. “Hashtag??”, you ask?

Yes, a hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by a hash or pound sign (#) and used to identify messages on a specific topic. When you put a # in front of a word, that word becomes linkable and searchable. So you can click directly on that word and it takes you to what everyone else is saying about that topic. For example, if you put a # in front of the word, “water” like #water, it shows you what the Twitterverse (aka, everyone on Twitter) is saying about water. So you might want to get more specific and put #wateruse or #waterefficiency if you’re going to talk about irrigation and the efficiencies you’re seeing.

This allows for short, concise content and the ability to grasp a person’s very short attention span.

CropLife came out with a great list of the 20 must-follow Twitter accounts for agriculture, so if you want valuable agronomic advice, practical tips or breaking news, they’ve got you covered – check them out here. When you see a person's name - or handle - on Twitter, it will start with "@".

A couple of important points to know with Twitter is that any Tweet that you see from someone you follow, you can Retweet. This is basically like forwarding on a message to all of your followers. So whatever you Retweet, the people that follow you will see. You can also Direct Message (or DM) someone that you follow if you wanted to send them a personal message that no one else can see - much like an email. But this too has to be 140 characters.

If you're just getting started with Twitter, we recommend you following the great people on the CropLife list. Then of course follow the Nebraska Corn Board, @NECornBoard, and Nebraska Corn Growers Association, @NeCGA! Then try using Twitter to share what you're doing on your farm or issues that are important to you. Nebraska Corn Board member and Tweeter-Extraordinaire, Brandon Hunnicutt is a great example, be sure to follow him at @cornfedfarmer.

Read other Social Soil posts here!

Social Soil: Facebook

*Welcome to Social Soil - a series of social media posts for farmers. Whether you're a seasoned social media veteran or just trying to start, we want to help farmers with their "ag+advocacy" skills ("AGvocacy") so together we can promote Nebraska corn and agriculture.*

Facebook is probably the most popular when it comes to social media. It allows for easy interaction among friends, colleagues, businesses, brands, companies, organizations, and more. For agriculture, Facebook gives us a voice and a platform to many people (and consumers) who we otherwise wouldn't be able to reach. Here are a few fun Facebook user stats from the most updated Digital Marketing Report.

• 1.44 billion monthly active users 
• 72% of online adults visit Facebook at least once a month 
• 936 million people are daily active Facebook users 
• 21 minutes is the average time each user spends on Facebook per day

That's a lot of people and a lot of time spent on Facebook! All the more reason that farmers and ag industry organizations alike need to be engaged on the Facebook platform sharing educational information, pictures, video, memes, and more.

There are different ways to interact or be involved on Facebook. You can have a personal page that describes who you are and you can post whatever you want. There are "fan" pages or company/business/brand pages that allow you to create a page that corresponds with your business - say a family farm page. There are also groups - they can be private or pubic - that you can start or join. Groups encourage more interaction where discussions are started and more information is shared.  

Here are a few great examples of how people in agriculture are doing a great job on Facebook agvocating. 

Most websites have a corresponding Facebook page that they can route info to from their website and reach different demographics. Agriculture.com (among many) is one of those who does a good job at posting pictures and directing Facebook users back to their website.

Family farm pages are perfect for sharing what you do on the farm and allowing people outside of your "friends" to see what you do on your farm. Two great Nebraska examples are Schwarz Family Farms and Weeks Family Farms.

Schwarz Family Farms raises organic crops and produce in Gosper County. Their family has been farming for over 100 years and they have a great story to tell.

Weeks Family Farms is in South Central Nebraska raising popcorn, white corn, yellow corn, soybeans, alfalfa, prairie hay and their kids.

A public group on Facebook that is popular with women in farming and ranching is the "Women in Agriculture" group. This group is public meaning anyone can request to join (private groups only allow you to join with an invitation). The goal of the Women in Ag group page is to help connect and uphold farm women in all dimensions of their farm and family life. Here, you'll find useful information for all of your jobs on the farm, from managing the business to raising kids, plus a place to talk with other farm women.

Lastly is a no-brainer: be sure to follow the Nebraska Corn Board and Nebraska Corn Growers Association Facebook Pages! 

So your challenge for this next week: if you're not already on Facebook, consider getting an account and sharing what you do as a farmer. It may seem mundane to you, but you'll be surprised how many people will really find it interesting and possibly change their misconceptions about agriculture.

If you are on Facebook, how can you engage with your consumer? Try posting a short video clip from your phone (we're talking simple!) when you're out checking the irrigation pivots, getting machinery ready for harvest, or feeding your cattle. Explain what you're doing - it's simple, educational, and people get to see you (a farmer) on a farm working hard to raise food!

Read other Social Soil posts here!

Social Soil: Pinterest

*Welcome to Social Soil - a series of social media posts for farmers. Whether you're a seasoned social media veteran or just trying to start, we want to help farmers with their "ag+advocacy" skills ("AGvocacy") so together we can promote Nebraska corn and agriculture.*

What do you think of when I say Pinterest? Probably craft projects that you, your spouse or friend has mentioned they "saw on Pinterest" and they want to DIY (do-it-yourself).

Well, lucky for farmers, Pinterest is not just for sharing recipes and crafty ideas. It's a great place to agvocate! Pinterest is all about pictures. While people's attention span on the Internet is so small - it's great to capture them with a eye-appealing picture where they can click to learn/see more. Each individual on Pinterest has a "page" where they allocate different "boards" that categorizes topics or ideas.

Here are some great boards to follow and get inspiration from so you have ideas on what types of agricultural-related posts consumers are interested in.

Begins with a Farmer from Monsanto's Pinterest page. Monsanto has a great variety of boards ranging from recipes to GMOs.

Ask the Farmers has a farm-focused Pinterest page, and one of their boards is Farm Life. A simple way to show what you do is to post pictures of everyday life on the farm. 

Nebraska farmer Doug Saathoff has done a great job with his boards on Pinterest gearing towards consumers, those who like to cook and families. 

Lastly, don't forget to check out the Nebraska Corn Board's Pinterest page!

Dude, Where’s My Consumer?

In Rabobank’s new report, “Dude, Where’s My Consumer?”, many of America’s largest food and beverage companies are in trouble. Iconic brands are increasingly out of favor with U.S. consumers, where their mark is still set at reaching baby boomers. But how will they reach the up & coming consumers: millennials?

The report gives 5 ways that America’s big brands can reconnect with the U.S. consumer. (read more here…)

In today’s agriculture, people often think about farmers markets as the best place for farmers to connect with consumers. But for farmers growing commodity crops (like corn, soybeans, cattle….) that aren’t marketed at farmers markets, how can they connect with their consumers?

They need to do what their farmer friends are doing at farmers markets. One-on-one human connection. What, how?

In today's time of information overload, people need to connect face-to-face. This is why farmers markets are so successful and popular. But for corn farmers who do not market their products at farmers markets, how can they do this?

Social media plays a big role, but it’s not just about social media. This one-on-one, face-to-face communication can happen on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram but also by shaking hands with someone at church or your kids’ ballgames. There are several ways to have productive, civil conversation.

Farmers are already trusted. But by being positive, inclusive and real, methods of farming and uses for commodity agriculture will begin to build more trust.

A great idea to go along with face-to-face connections and social media that doesn’t take much time or effort are pictures. People love pictures. So by simply “showing” what they are doing, farmers will earn trust by being positive, inclusive and real. Visuals aren’t limited to social media. Invite influencers and media (that you trust) to your farm to take pictures and share what you do and why you do it.

Dude, are you my consumer? Let me show you what farming is all about….

Celebrate your food, while ending food insecurity

While we are thankful for our food everyday, today is the one day of the year where agriculture, farmers and ranchers are celebrated for producing what we all love...food!

Agriculture is essential to everyday life. This entire week is dedicated as National Ag Week, with today being Ag Day. As only 2% of our population in the U.S. produces food, some of us may not know a farmer or rancher. However we all can relate to food - which makes this a great day to celebrate sustaining future generations of farmers and eaters.

Why is the future of farming so important?

Why is the future of our children so important?

Both of these issues are mutually important. We need future farmers to raise food and we need future children to be eaters and consume the food we raise. We know that our world population is increasing – which is an important challenge to farmers.

That’s why farmers are dedicated to raising more on less. Growing more food on less land, with less chemicals and more sustainability. That’s what Sustaining Innovation is all about.

However, we know that food insecurity is also a big issue and not everyone gets the food they need or can afford. In 2013, 45.3 million people were in poverty and 14.7 million were children under the age of 18 in poverty. About 20% of children in Nebraska and western Iowa are at-risk for hunger.

That’s why important programs like the Food Bank of Lincoln are aiming to sustain food and eliminate hunger. They are helping with the future of our children by supporting the BackPack Program, which provides food-filled backpacks to students in need of food over the weekend, as well as other programs.

Let’s celebrate being an “eater” today by not only celebrating the individuals who dedicate their lives to feeding the world on Ag Day, but becoming aware of food insecurity issues in your area. Follow more at #agday2015.