Cute Kittens, Playful Puppies & HSUS Lies

Like many pet lovers, it’s hard for me to resist a fuzzy little kitten or puppy dog playing. I was the official kitten rescuer on our farm and saved the lives of several by bottle feeding them. Many of my childhood memories center around animals – trying to persuade the Saint Bernard to pull me on a sled, hours in the hay mow with cats and fun with calves. I also remember going to local animal shelters and feeling terrible for the animals who had no home. So I “get” the attraction to campaigns run by the Humane Society of the United States – after all, who wants to see these cute little creatures suffer?

The reality is that the Humane Society of the United States is falsely advertising to attract animal lovers’ dollars.  Many great people and organizations have unknowingly contributed because they wanted to help animals. Just this week, Yellow Tail wines announced they were contributing $100,000 to HSUS – and subsequently have found  wrath on Facebook and Twitter with hundreds asking how an agricultural company could come to such a decision.

Why? Take a look at a law school article that outlines “The Myth of the Humane Society of the United States” and illustrates how the bulk of HSUS balance was spent on fundraising, campaigns and lawsuits. “There is one minor detail left out of these commercials. The Humane Society of the United States is not a large network of animal shelters, as it would have you to believe. In fact, the HSUS does not own, operate, or lease a single animal shelter in our country.”

2008 HSUS Expenditures

Before you chalk this up to another farm person who doesn’t value animals as much as you do, consider this.  I have shed thousands of tears about my cows dying, held them in my arms while they took their last breath, gave them I.V.s with more love than most nurses show, supported baby calves who could not stand, nurtured kittens from near death, watched my 4-H animals be loaded on the trailer for slaughter and still remember the heartbreak my first cat getting run over by a UPS truck. I’ve also had my body implanted into the side of a truck by an irate show heifer (yes, I left a dent), been cornered in a box stall by a protective mother cow and had a cow flip me up over a free stall, slammed on to my back.

I “get” animals. I love animals, even when they’re rotten. I believe they should receive the best possible care and be treated with respect. However, I know animals are not human and should not be valued the same as humans.  Farm animals, as much as we may love them, serve a purpose. That purpose is to provide food for humans.  Our society, generations removed from the farm, doesn’t talk about that without getting squeamish. This makes us susceptible to falling prey to false advertising by groups such as HSUS that ARE working to end farm animal production in the States, funded by the campaigns of cats and kittens. As Mike Rowe says “I happen to believe that using emotion to manipulate voters is just plain unethical and wrong.”

In a recent article questioning the campaigns of animal rights groups such as HSUS and PETA, Rowe goes on to say “Who wouldn’t get choked up to see a mistreated animal? And look, I’m sure that some farmers use methods that are not humane.  I’m equally sure that there are many who don’t.  Just like all blondes aren’t dumb and all polish people aren’t stupid, the few bad eggs shouldn’t represent the many good ones (sorry – I just couldn’t resist saying that).   Should we put every good citizen in prison and let the prisoners run free?  Just like you can’t say that every person who owns a puppy is going to treat it like the bozo down the street that runs a puppy mill, you can’t say that all farm animals are abused and all farmers are to blame.  I don’t believe that keeping a chicken in a cage, free from bad weather or predators and feeding them well and making sure they stay healthy is a bad thing.”

Support your local animal shelter if you want to help companion animals. As this article points out, “local donations will result in aid reaching animals.” Get involved and volunteer if you love animals and are concerned with their welfare. But please know there is a substantial difference between your local humane society and the Humane Society of the United States who spends less than 5% of nearly $200 million in assets on local shelters. And, if you are concerned about what farmers are doing to animals, go to a farm (not a petting zoo) and ASK A FARMER. I’ll be glad to help you find one to visit if you’re at a loss of where to get started.

If you’re a farmer,  share some of these facts with your friends – and while you’re at it, tell them about your farm. Who knows, you might help someone understand that your cow is not their dog.

 

Unsung Heroes

Yesterday I flew back to Indianapolis on a high from the Kansas Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Annual Meeting.  I consider airplanes to be a refuge to either get a lot of work done or sleep, so I’m not always in tune with my fellow passengers. However, I  did notice  a soldier in first class when I got on the plane. I usually stop to say thanks to soldiers, but he was trying to read a book and his legs were visibly shaking – so I didn’t bother him.

During our approach to IND, the flight attendant announced that our plane was carrying 21 soldiers returning home from the Middle East. More of their story is here. As the plane broke out in applause, I realized the soldier with shaking legs had likely experienced trauma that I could only imagine.  It was a moving reminder that we often forget about people serving in military. And I’m as guilty of  ’out of sight, out of mind’ as the next person.

It seemed like the plane should have let all of the soldiers off first, but that didn’t happen. By the time I was up the jetway, there was a handful of soldiers waiting for the rest of their unit. I did manage to get out an emotional ‘thank you’ to the small group and went on my way.  As I exited the security area into the main concourse, the energy level was fervent with families awaiting their loved ones.  There were little children jumping excitedly about, wives who had held down the home fronts, parents with relief clearly etched into their face and friends anticipating the soldiers.  I had never seen a full military homecoming, but didn’t want to interfere, so I continued toward the exit. I should have stayed.  While still on the escalator, I was moved to tears by the heartwarming round of cheers that rose over the airport – a glimpse at the very human sacrifices of service.

It hit me then that we often don’t truly appreciate the sacrifices made for our country and well-being unless those circumstances have directly affected our own life. I’ve never had an immediate family member be in the military, but I’ve interfaced with enough soldiers at airports to get a sense of why they do what they do. Their sacrifice of life, family and home is something we should all keep in mind – and thank every solider we see. I believe it’s about honoring the people – regardless of your position on military activities around the world.

The same can be said for honoring people who produce our food, regardless of your political position or viewpoints on conventional vs. organic, biotechnology or not, small vs. large. Farmers are providing a service that is vital to our national security (don’t eat for a day to learn how we’d do without food). While I’d never suggest farming is as traumatic as warfare or even that the risks are as great, I do see a lot of parallels.

• Taken for granted; out of sight, out of mind.
• Under-appreciated unless directly involved in your life
• Scrutinized for actions out of their control
• Reported with great bias in the mainstream media

Please don’t forget the unsung heroes in your life. Our society relies deeply on forgotten sectors interwoven into our fabric, such as soldiers and farmers. I’d like to thank  those people today and hope that you’ll join me in gratitude.

 

Inspiration

People often ask me where my passion for agriculture originates. After seeing me gladly stand up against pundits pointing fingers at farmers, many likely think it’s the anti-ag groups that fuel my fire. While it’s true that each piece of misinformation fans the flame, it’s really the people behind the food plate that give me the greatest inspiration.

Farmers and ranchers inspire me to keep up the good fight – though many of them likely never realize it. For example, Brand Farms were at a social media advocacy workshop I gave a couple of weeks ago in Indiana. They’ve gotten engaged in Twitter to the point of having a productive dialogue about why they support rBST as an effective tool on their dairy with an urban person. I find it inspiring that they’ve invested the time to learn Twitter – and are now building their fan page on Facebook, complete with pictures captioned to tell their farm’s story and pride in solid pedigrees.

Or, my mom friend, Chris Chinn, in Missouri. She’s sassy, she’s worried about her kids’ future, she likes fun clothes - just like most of my girlfriends.  She just happens to be  a pig farmer. Not just any hog farmer, but one who is fighting like mad to keep her family farm alive for future generations. And she does it incredibly well, even when faced with the financial destruction that the hog business saw in 2009. She has no high-speed internet service, yet makes a daily effort to engage in conversation about agriculture online – and speaks regularly at ag meetings. I’m inspired by her ability to reach out to moms and farmers alike to tell her story in a way that resonates  across the country.

Young Dairy Leaders Institute Class 5

My greatest inspiration comes from those I’ve seen grow over time. For example, Ray Prock, a dairyman in California. I met Ray when I was coaching the Young Dairy Leaders Institute and he was always one of those participants who questioned everything. However, the effort to give answers paid off as Ray has consistently stepped into leadership roles. Five years later he serves as a daily source of inspiration as I watch him help rally the troops using social media, with efforts such as Farm2U on Facebook.

Sharing agriculture’s story isn’t rocket science – it’s relationships. And I’m very thankful to have an array of wonderful people who inspire me daily with the relationships they’re developing to put a face on the food plate. Like it or not, agriculture is a people business. In a time when we hear of a farmer shooting his animals and then taking his own life, something is broken in our agrifood system. I consider it my responsibility to put inspiration from farmers like these to use and hopefully effect change.

A good friend (who also farms) pointed out to me last weekend that I make a living off of worrying about how consumer’s accept or don’t accept agriculture. That’s true enough. However, it’s also true that I’d be perfectly happy if I talked myself out of a job. That’s only going to happen if we find a world where people have enough of a relationship with a farmer to question the misinformation campaigns by groups like HSUS, PETA and Sierra Club.

If you are a farmer or rancher, what are you doing TODAY to build connections with people who aren’t on your farm every day? Who knows – you might just be the next source of inspiration to someone in agriculture. Or, conversely, you may just be the next source inspiration for an activist group that are more than happy to tell your story for you.

And, if you are a consumer, please visit a real farm –  firsthand.  Don’t trust people on ABC or other mainstream media outlets who have done very little to get a real taste of modern food production on family farms. There are many wonderful farmers like the three above who really want you to know their story – and you’ll likely find them as inspiring as I do.  Just let me know if I can help connect you!

 

Cooking Up the Right SM Recipe

What’s the perfect recipe for chili? Some like it with corn, others put in chickpeas, yet others crave spaghetti noodles in it. Personally I add herb cornbread biscuits on top of my chili. Different recipes fit different tastes. The same is true for social media; some will love the spice and fast pace of Twitter, while others enjoy the sweetness of Facebook. Yet others find YouTube to be the special sauce – and even go so far as to shoot video from the tractor and upload from their phone since they have no high speed internet.

Some of these folks have become ‘master chefs’ of the different tools – I encourage you to listen and learn. First off, the recently retired president of Indiana Pork, Randy Curless. Randy is a master on Facebook and the shining example of how a farmer can utilize Facebook as a business tool. Check out http://facebook.com/libertyswine and be sure to look at his photos.

The next two ‘chefs’ are found on my Facebook page at http://facebook.com/causematters.  Brent Pohlman of Midwest Laboratories brings insight on how an agribusiness can benefit from social media. Brent enjoys tracking new technology and offers ideas on what’s coming, such as Google Wave.  See my conversation with Brent.

Liz Woodruff of Milk Promotion Services of Indiana is the final chef , talking about both social media and how Indiana ag organizations collaborated to produce the first Livestock, Grain and Forage Forum. Click here for Liz’s video. Her recipe is really about adapting a strategic hub to help further the message of Indiana’s dairy farmers, who now have a presence on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, the blogosphere and Linkedin.

Social media isn’t a completely different kitchen to cook in. You just have to find the right recipe for your tastes, as you can see from these three conversations. Shouldn’t you get cooking?

 

Social Media Metrics in Agriculture

MPK Note ~ Darin Grimm, a family farmer in northeast Kansas, grows corn, soybeans, wheat, sunflowers on 2000 acres with 1100 head of beef cattle.  Darin loves technology, particularly data related to improving the decision-making ability for agriculturists, having been involved with precision ag tools for a number of years. In the last year, his interest in technology has attracted him to analytics of social media.  He wrote this guest post in response to a question posted on #AgChat, a weekly streaming moderated conversation on Twitter.  I applaud him for taking the initiative!

“How do you measure the number of people reached or the success of #agvocacy through social media?”  @debbieLB (another farmer on Twitter) asked this question and it  gets my personal vote as the best #agchat question of the year.  (MPK note: “#agvocacy” is a ‘hashtag’ used on twitter to talk about agricultural advocacy –  see the archive of this Jan. 5 chat that had more than 1000 messages over two hours.)

First, I want to touch on the idea that “we don’t need data/metrics this is “social media”.  While true that success is far more than a numbers game, I will argue that there is significant value in having some type of measurement system to judge performance and identify the best areas to focus improvements.  If you are part of an organization that requires measured results to justify a budget or time commitment this is even more true. A few of my favorite tools include:

Bit.ly A nice place to start looking at data and metrics.  You can create an account, link it to your twitter account, and than when you add a link and tell bitly to “shorten it” it creates a link that is much easier to share on Twitter.  The important thing is you can view data on how many people clicked on your link in real time, as well as over the past week/month or overall.  Bit.ly stores all the links you shorten with the service so you can see the click results of various links over time.  One unique way I use Bit.ly, often times I will want to gauge popularity of a webpage link I see on Twitter that I am not interested in tweeting myself.  You can easily go to the webpage, copy the address to Bit.ly, shorten it, and watch traffic.

Google Analytics If Bit.ly is a nice place to start, Google Analytics is the power hitter.  Unfortunately, with all that power comes what can be a steep learning curve.  Google Analytics measures traffic to your website, and can tell you a lot about how people are using your website, how they are finding your site, even down to the specific search terms they may be using to get there.  One challenge for some in using Google Analytics, you must insert a bit of code on each of your web pages, which can be intimidating.  There are many good resources around the web for learning the tool, but I recommend this  very useful piece on Google Analytics.

Twitter Tools So many tools, focus on a few that benefit, such as Tweetdeck, Tweetstats, and follow an account such as @twitter_tips.  Or, you can take a look at this list of over 50 tools.

The first step is learning to integrate these tools into your routine and decision-making process, using the data appropriately. The second step is even more difficult;  understanding that most often the data only fine tunes and focuses your personal passion/work.  It would be a mistake to let the data drive too much of what you do.  I will use Bit.ly and a small personal example here.

When I first started on Twitter with only a handful of followers, I tweeted out a link to a new ag video site.  I was shocked as I got several re-tweets (forwards) of the video resulting in a total of over 90 clicks (tracked on Bit.ly) at a time when most of my posts would get 2-3 clicks at best.  From that, I could summarize that I should focus on providing links to video content like this.  But if that is the take home message I am using the data VERY incorrectly.  It is not my personal goal on Twitter to get large numbers of clicks around topics that really don’t interest me that much.  My passion is numbers/data, and even though the audience may always be small, it is where I want to personally focus.   Now that doesn’t mean that there was nothing to be learned by the high interest in the video link.  As an example, it might indicate that there is more interest than I expected in something like a training video on how to put Google Analytics on your site.

Key points for you to take home:

1)  Know there is a plethora of tools regarding tracking and measuring results
2)  Start slow, don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to do it all at once
3)  Don’t let the data take away from your enjoyment of social media.
4)  Take advantage of the social network you have, ask questions, look for advice, share!

Just remember “Data gives good managers the tools they need to succeed”, it alone will never do the managing for you. Hopefully this helps you take advantage of the opportunity social media offers farmers to tell their story.

 

Humility

In the past 8 years of speaking, I have stood on a ‘bully pulpit’ and likely asked more than 100,000 people to stand up and speak out for agriculture. In order for this to happen, I encouraged farm folks to overcome their natural modesty. After all, it’s impossible to put a face on the plate if there aren’t any faces willing to step forward or voices to go with them.

 

Farmers Share Social Media Success

Ever had a cow lick your video camera? Wonder why a farmer tweets? Want to know how the agricultural community is REALLY using tools such as Twitter, Facebook and blogs?  Take a look at any of these quick videos on the Cause Matters Corp. Facebook Fan page – I can’t say it any better than these farmers and agribusiness folks do.

 

Reflections in Your Thanksgiving Plate

As Americans sit down to the gluttonous feast known as Thanksgiving, I hope that you’ll reflect on your plate before it’s loaded with food.  Look closely and you may even see reflections of the faces behind your food.  The people engaged in the 1.5% of the U.S. population raising food deserve gratitude as we celebrate the heritage of our country. While most Americans have lost sight of our agrarian roots, I believe it’s only fitting to say thank you to each person who grows enough to feed 155 people.

 

Agriculture & Hollywood on the Same List?

A Brazilian popstar, Hollywood celebrities and an agricultural speaker are side-by-side in the race for an internationally-recognized social media award. Mashable, The Social Media Guide, announced the nominees for the 2009 Open Web Awards today and Certified Speaking Professional Michele Payn-Knoper was one of the top five nominees for Twitter User of the Year. There are over two million “tweets” sent daily on the micro-blogging site Twitter and celebrities attract the largest number of followers, so agriculture’s representation on this list is an exciting opportunity for the agrifood business. Payn-Knoper was nominated by members of an agricultural community, “#AgChat”, which Payn-Knoper founded in April.

 

Twitter Empowers Farmer

One of the greatest personal advantages to social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube is the ability to really connect with people, rather than just see them when I’m speaking. Relationships, built through shared experiences, have been growing through hundreds of conversations online.