Happy Cows

Good, funny commercials always strike a chord with me and make them memorable. Here's a great one from California Cheese. And, it's always interesting to see what different sectors of agriculture are doing to promote themselves.

Cattle Breeding Explained

Great video that explains the basics of cattle breeding -- well done, National Geographic!

Stay safe

Accidents happen -- on and off the farm.

Here's a video of some chilling farm accidents. The music that accompanies the video is horrible, in my opinion, but the pictures tell the story.

Stay safe.

What's it Worth?

The Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture recently released a report called Are Nova Scotians Eating Local. The answer? Not so much.

Despite "buy local" campaigns, Nova Scotians spend only about 13 per cent of their food dollars on local food, the same amount they were spending in 2008 and a drop from 17 per cent in 1997.

The Nova Scotia study found that over 60 products on average travel nearly 4,000 kilometres before they land on the plates of residents in this eastern Canadian province.

One reason for the lack of local food support may be the price.
 
Last week while camping in Nova Scotia, a fellow camper commented that her first corn feast of the season rang in at $9 a dozen -- pretty steep compared to what roadside stands and farm markets have charged in past years (however, I realized later, if you do the math, it is only 75 cents an ear).

Sticker shock may be working against "buy local" campaigns. At the same time, large grocery store chains, notorious for not supporting local farmers, likely aren't helping either. And if that's the case, I bet you six dozen corn that New Brunswickers spend even less on local food.

Roadside markets are a dime a dozen in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In Metro Moncton -- New Brunswick's largest municipal region -- unless you're at the Saturday morning farm markets, there are very few places to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. The alternative? Heading to the grocery store, driving many kilometres to find a roadside stand or waiting until the next time the market is open. Summer is too short for that!

Promoting what's ours

I'm not sure if it's lack of pride, enthusiasm or money, but something is lacking in New Brunswick with agriculture promotion.

I'm spending a few weeks travelling in Maritime Canada and currently, I'm in Prince Edward Island.

Fruit and vegetable stands are around every turn and maps at every tourist bureau point to the flavour routes... highlighting agri-tourism or agriculture experiences, farm markets and restaurants. Local food is highlighted in every restaurant.

Many of the promotional steps are simple and cost effective. A map with farm markets, pick-your-own farms and other agriculture activities has advertisements -- it's a promo tool that likely paid for itself. With thousands of tourists through visitor information centres each summer in PEI, the spin-off of promoting themselves is invaluable.

Personally, with this handy map highlighting local foods, I'm using it to plan my meals, whether I'm doing the cooking or eating out.

So why isn't this happening in New Brunswick? I know farmers are proud of the product they produce, but are their energies too tapped out to do the promotion? What role does the federal an provincial government play?

Reprise: How to make love to your editor (figuratively speaking, of course)

Originally posted a couple of months ago, I was thinking about this list again the other day and decided to repost.

Is there anything I forgot? Send me a comment with additions. ~A

(disclaimer: I have a great crew of writers and every week, I'm thankful that I have them as part of my team. What lies below are general comments and most certainly not directed at any of them. If I was referring to my writers, we'd be talking in person, not here.)

Early in my career, I met a few editors who made my life hell. They were mean. They were nasty. I think some even had green skin and horns.

Now 20 years into my career, I realize that those editors taught me rock solid, core journalism values. (And for the record, many more editors were patient. A special few were also a lot of fun to be around and were wonderful mentors).

Now that I've "crossed over" to the editor's side, I sometimes wonder if I may be growing my own set of horns.

Good freelance writers are hard to find so when we find you, we want to keep you. To keep our horns from growing, here's a Top 10 List of how to make love to your editor (figuratively speaking, of course):

10. File on time. Stuff happens, I know that. I have family and friends and pets too. Sources go on vacation, get tied up in meetings, don't return calls -- it happens. If you're working on an assignment for me and something comes up, let me know as soon as you can. Don't wait until deadline.

9. Check your facts. We're human and we all make mistakes, but it's your job as a journalist to get the facts and figures in your story right. Your reputation, my reputation and the publication's reputation is on the line.

8. Ask me for my style guide. If I don't have one, I'll let you know if there are specific rules for you to follow.

7. Stick to the word count. I only have so much space and I assigned you a specific word count for a reason. If I ask for 800 words, don’t file 873 words -- or 542 words. And if you do file a story that's 873, don't add a note like, "I've trimmed as much as I can, maybe you can do something more…"

6. Do suggest a sidebar. If you have some quick facts that can easily be made into a sidebar, I'm open to suggestions.

5. Every story should be your best story. I know some topics actually hurt when you're writing the story. I've written them too. But I've assigned this story to you because it's a topic I want to publish -- and you accepted. I expect your best work.

4. Check your spelling. 'Nuff said.

3. Follow up, but don't pester. Many editors get hundreds of email a day and, I'm sorry, but I sometimes lose your pitch. Check with me, I don't mind.

2. Tell me how to reach you. Add a signature on your email. You should do this anyways if you're a freelance writer, but if I have a question for you, I don't want to go sifting through business cards to find your phone number. And make sure you have voice mail.

1. Send a real pitch. Don't send me a three day conference agenda and ask if I'm interested in a story. Focus. Craft. Sell.

Getting it done

Not that I'm one to hold back, but I realized earlier this year that there were several things I've always wanted to do, but had never gotten around to doing.

When summer plans started to take shape, I decided I would work in as many of these "you-know-what-I-should-do" events and activities as possible.

Last week, I went to Ottawa and celebrated Canada Day on Parliament Hill -- I've always wanted to do that. Great feeling to stand among 100,000 people and heard spontaneous rounds of O Canada break out. Not so great feeling to be in a gridlock with 100,000 people, all of us trying to leave at the same time and all going in different directions.

This week, I'm working from a campsite that's within view of the ocean. I've been getting up early to do a bit of work (I've scaled back this week), then walking down to the sandbars, settling in with a book and watching the waves roll in. A late afternoon drive to the local vegetable stand, maybe a stop for some fresh seafood -- I could easily settle into a whole summer of working like this.

I'll continue on this path as the summer goes on. Some of the plans actually do include work goals, too!

Colbert takes up farmworker's cause

It seems like on-farm labour is an issue that frequently draws attention, sometime from the most unlikely sources.

A shortage of workers throughout North America is cause for concern from farmers. Meanwhile, working conditions are often called into question.

American comedian Stephen Colbert is wading into the issue now.

Colbert takes up farmworker's cause

Canada gets underfoot at the World Cup

Canada may not have a team playing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but that doesn't mean we don't have a presence at the competition.

The grass comes from seed produced by Canadian farmers in Manitoba.

Here's a story printed in one of the country's national newspapers.

Grass greener thanks to Manitoba farmers

We've come a long way, Baby

I received my 10 year pin from the Professional Writers Association of Canada today. It's pretty hard to reach any milestone with out a bit of reminiscing, so here are my Top 10 PWAC lessons/thoughts.

10. A decade ago, I had no idea how to write an invoice, what to charge a publication or how to write a query.

9. It's been 10 years since I met many of my PWAC pals. Do I dare name anyone in particular? Kate Merlin and I use to meet at the local park during the summer. Her kids played and I nursed my daughter. Then there was my first AGM in Montreal, when Trudy Kelly Forsythe, Tracey Carr and I -- strangers at the time -- drove together. Nothing like spending eight hours in a car with someone to get to know them!

8. Over the years, PWAC has taught me to be a confident entrepreneur. As an optimist who believes anything is possible if you work hard, giving me the tools to be successful in business helped fuel my optimism.

7. PWAC helped me to think big -- outside my town, outside my province, outside my country -- there are publications around the world seeking good writers. We just need let them know we're here.

6. The best chocolate of my life -- so far. A large group of us, including Doreen Pendgracs (and is anyone surprised that Doreen was involved?), were in a restaurant in Edmonton on the Sunday night, after the AGM had wrapped up. The chocolate crepe dessert we had that night was, dare I say, orgasmic.

5. It was through PWAC that I heard about a publishing company looking for writers for this series called Amazing Stories.

4. It was through PWAC that I learned a bit about how to fight book publishers that go under.

3. PWAC taught me how to read a contract. Trudy Kelly Forsythe and I, under a committee headed by Kevin Yarr, sifted through writing contracts that PWAC members from across the country sent in. The final report discussed what publishers are seeking in contracts, but the lesson for me was learning the language of contracts.

2. As the current moderator of PWAC's biz list, I've learned that I can't make everyone happy. I always suspected it, but the moderator's job has cemented it.

1. Without PWAC's never ending inspiration and idea-generating vitality, I'd probably be stuck in an office somewhere.

Canadian farmers using SM, but not to promote ag

A survey released this week by Farm Credit Canada shows 54 per cent of Canadian farmers is using social media -- but mostly for personal use.

54 per cent of producers use SM for personal business, while only 30 per cent use it to promote their business, connect with customers and speak out about agriculture.

"There are opportunities to incorporate social media into a number of areas -- such as research, making business connections and promoting agriculture as an important part of society and the economy,” says Kellie Garrett, FCC Senior Vice-President, Strategy, Knowledge and Reputation.

Four in 10 producers who are online, or 44 per cent, state they spent more time using SM this year compared to last year, while 43 per cent of non-users say they don’t have the time or they don’t see value in using social media (30 per cent).

Age also appears to matter.

Producers under 40 are more likely to use Facebook for both personal (56 per cent) and business (11 per cent) compared to producers over 40 (34 per cent and 4 per cent respectively).

When putting SM to work for business, 44 per cent of producers are doing research and looking for information, while 19 per cent are reading up on industry news and 13 per cent are networking with other producers. Only nine per cent are advertising their products via SM and seven per cent building their network of customers. Four per cent are using SM to network with current or potential supplies and a meager three per cent are using social media to promote agriculture.

Use of social media is expected to grow among producers who are currently online and already using social media; four in ten (39 per cent) believe they will spend more time using social media in the upcoming years. Producers under 40 (45 per cent) are more likely to agree with this statement than producers over 40 (34 per cent).

43 per cent of non-users say they're too busy to use social media and 30 per cent stated they don't see the value of social media. Half of non-users told say they're unlikely to start using social media for personal use.

No matter what their age, two thirds of online producers are unlikely to use social media for business use (65 per cent).

The survey was sent to 1,636 FCC Vision panelists, including both primary producers and agriculture-related businesses. Of these, 883 completed the survey, translating to a 54 per cent response rate.

Full results of the survey are at www.fccvision.ca/research.

Looking ahead

In 2011, the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists (IFAJ)comes to Canada. The main gathering will be in Ontario, but a post conference tour to Atlantic Canada is planned.

I've been to most stops on our Atlantic Canada tour, but this summer, I plan to visit the other places... so over the next few months, I'll be heading out on a buffalo safari, horse back riding and a few cultural shows that highlight some of Atlantic Canada's history. I'm also going to take the chance to revisit favourite places along the way.

Thanks!

Lots of well wishes have come to me about the formation of the Atlantic Canada Farm Writers' Assocation. Thank you.

Here's a link to Owen Roberts' blog, Urban Cowboy, where he kindly gives us some ink. http://www.urbancowboy.ca/.

Brewing passion

It's hard to remember sometimes where our passion comes from. Do I truly love this here and now or do I love this because I always have?

I was feeling a bit of that when I set off for Belgium in April for the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists annual congress.

See, the idea of forming an Atlantic chapter of the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation was something that some of us in this part of Canada had been talking about for several years. Four of us had been talking prior to IFAJ and decided to get the ball rolling with an event at the end of April. But as for planning the details, we decided to wait until I returned from IFAJ in Belgium.

In the weeks leading to up to IFAJ in Belgium, I had worked on several additional contracts. In fact, after several consecutive 18 hour days, I calculated that I had written 10,000 words in seven days. By the time I reached Belgium, I was exhausted and feeling quite burnt out.

When I thought about continuing the push to form the Atlantic Canada Farm Writers Association, I was overwhelmed. So much work to, was it worth it? Is it a worthwhile project to put my time into? Why is it worthwhile? And whose big idea was this, anyways?!

But attending IFAJ just prior to the first meeting of the Atlantic Canada Farm Writers couldn't have been any more perfect. My passion was reignited.

I don't know exactly when it happened.

Maybe it was at the beginning or end of each day, when Janet and I caught up with what was going on in our respective lives. Or maybe it was hearing Billy's Facebook updates about his crazy travels to reach the congress, or when Rodney and I shared the joys of working from a home office, or when Markus blocked the bathroom door for me at the farm, or when many of us stared with disbelief at the Belgium blue cattle, or when Adrian told me about his recent trip to Africa, or one of the many times Joe cracked a joke, or when Marc let me try on his wooden shoes, or when Kelly, Lilian, Joanne and I piled into the clown car. Or, or, or, or....

All of the reasons, none of the reasons, each one individually, none of them in particular, all of them put together and so many more brought the passion back for me. It was never far away anyways, but you know, sometimes we just need reminding.

In Belgium, I was reminded of exactly why it was important to have a local farm writers' group: Farmers and agriculture -- around the world, throughout our country or in our own back yard -- have important stories to tell and we need to help them. It isn't any more complicated than that and it certainly isn't any simpler. And as writers who help tell these stories, we need to gather together so share our experiences about what works and what doesn’t work when we tell these stories. We need to learn about the new practices farmers are adopting and how they're working on the farm. We need to stay informed and up-to-date with the latest communication methods. We need to polish our photography skills and sharpen our reporting proficiency. We need to network with each other.

So zeal renewed, I came home and caught up with Wayne, Andy and Heather to plan our June 4 Atlantic Canada Farm Writers' Association meeting.

I have always been confident that we had the potential in Atlantic Canada to have a good size group, but how many would I actually see on June 4? Nine had contacted us and expressed an interest, so with that number in mind, I set off for Charlottetown. By the time I started my presentation talking about what CFWF and IFAJ have to offer to those of us in Atlantic Canada, there were 12 of us. Twelve!

I. Knew. We. Could. Do. It.

And do you know what the best part of whole experience was? I didn't have to "sell" them on the advantages of regional, national and international farm writers' groups. They already knew. They could feel the energy in the room and see the potential of what broader groups can offer. We're already brewing our very own passion, right here in Atlantic Canada.

Allison's Follow Friday Twitter List

Here's my Follow Friday list for this week... and some of the reasons why these are great folks to follow.

@KimEagles - for her organizing tips
@upmagazine - for seeking out freelance writers
@AaronBillard - for the love of Star Wars
@LtoG - for her hard work at freelance writing
@briancormier - for his brilliant idea of buying two coffees at once at Tim's
@rebeccahannam - for her curiosity about all things ag
@SteakPerfection - come on... steak. Perfection. What more do I need to say?
@JPlovesCotton - for our shared love of making an entrance
@FredMarcoux - for hot news tips
@Tamara_Stecyk - for helping feed Edmonton's hungry

Details settled for first meeting of Atlantic Canada Farm Writers' Assoc.

A tour of Prince Edward Island's Institute for Nutrisciences and Health and the Atlantic Vet College will highlight the inaugural meeting of a new regional professional farm and food writers' organization.

The Atlantic Farm Writers' Association will meet in Charlottetown, P.E.I. on June 4 at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Centre. The tours of NCI and the vet college will be held after a networking event and lunch. Reporters, editors, broadcasters focused on food and farming, as well as communication professional for agri-food business and government are invited -- everyone involved in telling the story of food and farming within industry and to the general public.

At the Institute for Nutrisciences and Health, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Dr. Chris Kirby and his research team will show how a state-of-the-art piece of equipment called a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer is changing the way scientists look at agriculture and its potential for human and animal health.

The Atlantic Veterinary College is one of five vet colleges in Canada. The farm service program contributes to the health and well-being of thousands more animals off-site at farms around the region. The college has 14 centres of expertise, like the Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre, Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research, Atlantic Swine Research Partnership, Atlantic Centre for Comparative Biomedical Research and Maritime Quality Milk. The group will tour a portion of the facility.

Registration for the event, which includes a one year membership to the Atlantic Canada Farm Writers' Association (ACFWA), is $40. That also includes, among other benefits, membership to the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation (CFWF) and the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists (IFAJ), which will hold its next annual meeting in Ontario in September 2011. Both organizations, as well as ACFWA, are non-political, professional associations serving the common interests of those in the agriculture communications field.

A regional organization is an opportunity to link media and industry at a local level.

Island Farmer Editor Andy Walker of Prince Edward Island, Farm Credit Canada Express Editor and freelancer Allison Finnamore of New Brunswick, Farm Focus Editor Heather Jones of Nova Scotia and Wayne Riley of Prince Edward Island, Senior Atlantic Communications Advisor with AAFC will be on hand.

The meeting starts at 10:30 a.m. in Conference Room B at the AAFC Research Centre, 440 University Ave. Charlottetown, PEI.

For more information, visit our Facebook group, Atlantic Canada Farm Writers' Association or contact Allison Finnamore at 506-860-7761 or allison@finnamore.ca.

Atlantic Farm Writers plan inaugural meeting

Charlottetown, P.E.I. -- The inaugural meeting of a new regional farm and food writers' organization will be held June 4 at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Centre in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

After a brief presentation about the organization and lunch, participants will head to tour local research facilities and farms on a learning and networking expedition.

Reporters, editors, broadcasters focused on farming and food, as well as communication professionals for agriculture and agri-food business, industry, associations and government are invited.

This new organization will be part of the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation (CFWF) and the International Federation of Agriculture Journalist (IFAJ). Both are non-political, professional associations serving the common interests of those in the agriculture field. A regional organization is a chance to link media and agriculture and agri-food industry communicators at a local level and provide professional development opportunities related to agriculture and food.

Island Farmer Editor Andy Walker, Farm Credit Canada Express Editor Allison Finnamore, Farm Focus Editor Heather Jones and Wayne Riley, Senior Atlantic Communications Advisor with AAFC are organizing this event.

The meeting starts at 10 a.m. Contact Allison Finnamore at 506-860-7761 or allison@finnamore.ca for details.

How to make love to your editor (figuratively speaking, of course)

(disclaimer: I have a great crew of writers and every week, I'm thankful that I have them as part of my team. What lies below are general comments and most certainly not directed at any of them. If I was referring to my writers, we'd be talking in person, not here.)


Early in my career, I met a few editors who made my life hell. They were mean. They were nasty. I think some even had green skin and horns.


Now 20 years into my career, I realize that those editors taught me rock solid, core journalism values. (And for the record, many more editors were patient. A special few were also a lot of fun to be around and were wonderful mentors).


Now that I've "crossed over" to the editor's side, I sometimes wonder if I may be growing my own set of horns.


Good freelance writers are hard to find so when we find you, we want to keep you. To keep our horns from growing, here's a Top 10 List of how to make love to your editor (figuratively speaking, of course):


10. File on time. Stuff happens, I know that. I have family and friends and pets too. Sources go on vacation, get tied up in meetings, don't return calls -- it happens. If you're working on an assignment for me and something comes up, let me know as soon as you can. Don't wait until deadline.


9. Check your facts. We're human and we all make mistakes, but it's your job as a journalist to get the facts and figures in your story right. Your reputation, my reputation and the publication's reputation is on the line.


8. Ask me for my style guide. If I don't have one, I'll let you know if there are specific rules for you to follow.


7. Stick to the word count. I only have so much space and I assigned you a specific word count for a reason. If I ask for 800 words, don’t file 873 words -- or 542 words. And if you do file a story that's 873, don't add a note like, "I've trimmed as much as I can, maybe you can do something more…"


6. Do suggest a sidebar. If you have some quick facts that can easily be made into a sidebar, I'm open to suggestions.


5. Every story should be your best story. I know some topics actually hurt when you're writing the story. I've written them too. But I've assigned this story to you because it's a topic I want to publish -- and you accepted. I expect your best work.


4. Check your spelling. 'Nuff said.


3. Follow up, but don't pester. Many editors get hundreds of email a day and, I'm sorry, but I sometimes lose your pitch. Check with me, I don't mind.


2. Tell me how to reach you. Add a signature on your email. You should do this anyways if you're a freelance writer, but if I have a question for you, I don't want to go sifting through business cards to find your phone number. And make sure you have voice mail.


1. Send a real pitch. Don't send me a three day conference agenda and ask if I'm interested in a story. Focus. Craft. Sell.

Farm Writers in Atlantic Canada

Have you ever had the experience of working with people who are so excited and enthused about a project that it rubs off on you? I love that feeling.

I had that experience earlier this week when I had a conference call meeting with three people from Atlantic Canada. Together, we're working to start a regional branch of our national farm writers' guild, the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation (CFWF).

Up front, I have to say that the desire to start our own group is in no way a reflection of the branch we currently belong to, the Eastern Canadian Farm Writers' Federation (ECFWA). The simple vastness of Canada and the geographic divide between the majority of our current ECFWA members means farm writers in Atlantic Canada feel disconnected.

Personally, the desire to gather together with some of our own is inspired by ECFWA, as well as CFWF and our international group, the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists (IFAJ). Once I experienced gatherings with like-minded individuals, I felt the aspiration to do it more often with those closer to me.

Not all farm writers in Atlantic Canada are onboard with the formation of a regional group. Some have said they want to maintain connections with former colleagues within ECFWA, while others may not be interested in the work involved in setting up a new organization (not that anyone has said that to me, I'm just speculating). I hope they'll reconsider.

The folks I met with earlier this week are keen and ready to get a local group formed. We're pooling our talents to host a day of farm and research centre tours on June 4.

Early in my career when I wrote for daily newspapers from rural New Brunswick, I kept hearing the untold stories of farmers and opted to help be one of their voices. From that, I found out about CFWF and that connection eventually led me to focus my career on agriculture writing.

Through CFWF, I've toured farms across the country, met agriculture experts and associates, gained writing and editing jobs and met hundreds of Canadian farmers. I've also met a lot of great people and developed some very good friendships.

Cumulatively, what the organizations have given me inspire me to help create like opportunities for farm writers in Atlantic Canada. I hope we'll create a network, come to count on each other and grow opportunities for ourselves.

Then together, we can help farmers tell their stories about the food they grow for us.

M-m-m-maple syrup
from Agriculture and AgriFood Canada

In the culinary imagination of the world, maple products are associated with Canada, the world’s leading producer and exporter of maple products since the early 20th century.

For Aboriginal peoples living in the Maple Belt, and for the settlers who followed, the trade and supplementary income generated by these products were important. To a degree, these products represent, both at home and abroad, the national identity and way of life of Canadians and are a symbol of the end of the Canadian winter.

There are more than 150 species of maple trees in the world, but only a few of the 13species native to North America produce sap that can be used to manufacture maple products.


In Canada, the six species with sap that is sweet enough to produce maple sugar and syrup are found in eight of the 10 provinces. However, only Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have enough sugar maples for a real maple industry. These trees offer a sap that is high in sucrose and produce the best yield of syrup through tapping. These four provinces are part of a larger maple region known as the Maple Belt, which also includes some parts of the north-eastern United States and the Midwest.

The Aboriginal peoples who inhabited this vast region before the arrival of the Europeans were very knowledgeable about maple sugar. They knew how to extract the sap in the spring and the products they made from the sap were used for trade. Later on, the colonists who came to settle in this region learned to boil down the maple sap into syrup and sugar and acquired a taste for it. This activity became a yearly ritual to mark the transition from winter to spring and it was a time of celebration for friends and families. Maple products were used for domestic consumption as well as trade.

Over the years, they have provided a significant off-farm income for family businesses, and, by the late 19th century, maple products had become a valuable export resource. During this time, however, the United States was the world’s leading producer of maple products, a position it maintained for several decades.