Helping farmers connect from the heart with the consumer – that is the goal of the Farmer Voices program hosted by American Farmers for the Advancement and Conservation of Technology (AFACT). The first phase of Farmer Voices was held July 20-22, 2010, in Owatonna, MN.

“Farmers have the knowledge and a great story to tell,” said Monty Miller, co-leader of the Farmer Voices training. “Our program provides the skills, practice and introspection to effectively communicate in both public speaking forums and by using social media tools.”

Agriculturists from Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Colorado and Kansas gathered for the three day personal development and intensive presentation training program. Participants learned how to harness eye contact, vocal and body energy, as well as other communication tools to be most effective while presenting. The most unique part of the training was that each member of the group could practice these tools and receive immediate constructive feedback from professional coaches.

“It pushed me to operate outside of my comfort zone,” said Mike Bodenhausen, participant and President of the Kansas Dairy Association. “You learn the most when you get to that point.”

Besides developing the skills to effectively present, attendees also developed their own message based on their personal values. Everyone started this process with an introspection exercise to create a coat of arms, similar to a mission statement.

“Recognizing our passion and shared values is exactly what the consumer needs to see,” said Carrol Campbell, participant, and crop and livestock farmer.

The next phase of the Farmer Voices program will include placement of trained speakers in front of consumer audiences. “Consumers want to know that food is produced by people who care about the same things they do – family, food and the faith that our animals, land and water will be preserved for future generations,” said Daphne Holterman, Wisconsin dairy farmer.

The Farmer Voices communications workshop will be offered again in November. AFACT is willing to invest in farmers, and the impact they can have on consumers and the entire food chain. The group seeks to educate, equip and empower all participants in the food chain to understand the benefits of technology and encourage consumers to demand access to high quality, affordable food with a minimal impact on the environment. 

Download PDF Version of News Release.

BY LOUIS BERGERON

Advances in high-yield agriculture over the latter part of the 20th century have prevented massive amounts of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere – the equivalent of 590 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide – according to a new study led by two Stanford Earth scientists.

The yield improvements reduced the need to convert forests to farmland, a process that typically involves burning of trees and other plants, which generates carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

The researchers estimate that if not for increased yields, additional greenhouse gas emissions from clearing land for farming would have been equal to as much as a third of the world’s total output of greenhouse gases since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in 1850.

The researchers also calculated that for every dollar spent on agricultural research and development since 1961, emissions of the three principal greenhouse gases – methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide – were reduced by the equivalent of about a quarter of a ton of carbon dioxide – a high rate of financial return compared to other approaches to reducing the gases…

Read full article at: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/june/agriculture-global-warming-061410.html

The Future of Farming

By Mike Rowe, Creator and Exectuive Producer of Discovery Channel’s Emmy-nominated series Dirty Jobs With Mike Rowe

The last time I was in Indianapolis was the summer of 2003. I remember it pretty well because I was still sulking about The Colts being moved there without my permission and not quite over their inglorious departure from my hometown of Baltimore twenty years earlier. My bitterness melted away however in nearby Plainfield at The National Chimney Sweep Training School, the site of my very first Dirty Job. There, I was instructed in the fine art of “flue maintenance,” and engulfed in flames while attempting to extinguish a raging creosote fire from the top of a rickety demonstration platform. Things went downhill after that and by the time I finally left town I was unrecognizable, concealed under a thick layer of ash and soot, with no plans of ever returning to The Crossroads of America.

Of course, in those days I was unrecognizable on a daily basis. Dirty Jobs would not debut for another six months, and I had no reason to think that anyone would watch when it did. I was wrong about that, and I’ve been wrong about a great many things ever since. A few months ago in fact - proving once again that my plans and my life have little in common – I returned to Indianapolis a lot cleaner, and a lot less anonymous, to deliver the keynote address at The 82nd National Convention of The Future Farmers of America (10/21/09).

For those of you who don’t know, The FFA is an organization of 500,000 teenagers, most of who look like they fell off the front of a Wheaties box. Wholesome, polite, and impossibly well mannered, these are the kids you wish you had, diligently pursuing an adolescence of agricultural acumen. Unfortunately, I arrived at their annual convention with the same level of planning and forethought I brought on my last visit, (i.e., none,) and found myself pacing in the wings twenty minutes before my appearance, trying to arrange my thoughts into an “inspirational and G-Rated message.” Luckily, I happened to glance down at the “FFA Briefing Packet,” recently handed to me by one of the organizers, and found some inspiration on page 4.

“The FFA currently faces an image and perception problem. The previous name of the organization, “Future Farmers of America,” lends itself to stereotyping by the public. The FFA faces a continuing battle to redefine itself against narrow perceptions of “agriculture,” “vocational” and “farmers.” The name “FFA” is now used instead of “Future Farmers of America.”

Incredible. Have we really become so disconnected from our food that farmers no longer wish to be called farmers? Apparently, yes. The FFA has determined that most Americans think of farmers like those actors in Colonial Williamsburg – smiling caricatures from Hee Haw and Green Acres, laboring quaintly in flannel and denim. From what I’ve seen, they’re right. Over and over I hear the same thing from farmers I’ve met on Dirty Jobs. Technical advances in modern agriculture now rival those of Silicon Valley, and today’s farms are more efficient than ever, but no one seems to have gotten the memo. No one seems to care…

Read full article at: http://www.mikeroweworks.com/2010/05/the-future-of-farming/

Wisconsin dairy farmer Laura Daniels

Back then, visitors seemed open-minded and appreciative, amazed at what we did as a family. They were in awe of our cows, too, and maybe even envious that we got to be with them every day. They didn’t think about farms as diversified, conventional, sustainable, factory or family.

Today, I farm with my family and our herd of Jersey cows, and these new descriptions break my heart because none of them accurately describe our farms today. They are marketing labels, not an indicator of quality or animal care.

I don’t think agriculture is as broken as the “food thinkers” would have you believe. At the base of it, we all want the same things - healthy people, healthy communities, healthy animals and healthy soil and water.

Today I fear some visitors would come to our farm thinking they already knew more than we do about caring for our soil and our cows. Would they come to tell us how to farm? I fear that a real conversation with the already-righteous would be impossible.

Please don’t get me wrong. I don’t know everything about this very complex natural business. While I have been in dairy farming my entire life and have a degree in dairy science, I still have much to learn. I am open-minded because I must be able to do what is right for my land and animals. My business depends on it…

Daniels (lauradaniels@uwalumni.com) is a dairy farmer whose family operates Heartwood Farm in Cobb, about 60 miles west of Madison in Iowa County.

Her full editorial is available at: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/opinion/column/guest/article_eac0d8b2-59e8-11df-a2f0-001cc4c002e0.html

Liz Doornink

 
For the fourth consecutive year, the 2010 honoree of World Dairy Expo’s Dairy Woman of the Year Award comes from the Dairy State. Liz Doornink of Baldwin will be recognized at the show for her dedication to the industry. The award is one of four top honors that World Dairy Expo presents annually. 

Jon-De Farm participates in the Wisconsin voluntary environmental stewardship program, thanks to Liz’s leadership.

Other top individuals to be honored at WDE include Donald Bennink, Bell, Florida, Dairyman of the Year; Horace Backus, Mexico, New York, Industry Person of the Yea; and Tadanaga Komori, Hokkaido, Japan, International Person of the Year.

The four recipients will be honored during World Dairy Expo at a special banquet held on September 29.

Courtesy Wisconsin Ag Connection