Told ya so mom!

2012 UNL NAMA Presentation Team

There wasn't a blog post last week because I was at the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) conference. In the three years I have been at college, I have never met as many new people, had as much fun, or learned as much from a conference. At every session, I felt surrounded by people who were doing what I want to do once I graduate. Marketing agriculture and sharing the story of the greatest industry on earth. I collected business cards from so many cool places and am actually excited to graduate!

A year ago, that would not have been my sentiments. I was disappointed that I hadn't gotten an internship, and was feeling insecure about my future. After all, if I couldn't get an internship, how was I supposed to get a job? Thankfully God had a plan, and the summer was great. This weekend after telling my mom about the conference, she reminded me of how I got where I am today.

Telling stories has always been my forte. As the middle child, to get any attention I had to be loud, passionate, and interesting. I didn't realize that could become a career until I was a junior in high school. During the summer, I got the opportunity to write for a National Jr. Angus Association publication called "The Scoop." There, I fell in love with telling agriculture stories, and decided my major would be ag communications. My parents were less than thrilled, encouraging me to pair something more "marketable" with my dream. Read here (on the 2nd Page) about how I changed their minds. Long story short, I enrolled in 2009 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with an agricultural journalism major with and advertising and public relations emphasis.

It is great to be able to prove to my parents that my dream is not only feasible, but in demand! I have had to be creative and take positions outside of my field (like bank teller), but knowing there is a future in my area is exciting. Today agriculture is growing, and I am proud to be a part of this industry. If you're a youngster not sure what the future holds, take a good long look at ag careers. In this business dreams CAN come true!
'till the cows come home,

Ellie


A Bit of News: I will be the Public Relations/Communications Intern for the American Angus Association this summer, and couldn't be more excited!

"The Best Day Ever!"

Lauren is pretty pumped about the baby calf!

Today was a great day.  Husker Food Connection happened today.  It was the culmination of hard work by students from a variety of different clubs in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at UNL.  At the beginning of the semester, we decided it was time that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have its own agvocacy event on campus.  After all the planning and promoting, today we took to the aptly named "city campus" to share agriculture's story with students.

I'll admit I wasn't positive that we would attract much attention.  Although a tractor, mechanical bull, giant plastic milk cow, free food, piglets, and a dairy calf are hard to miss, I wasn't sure my fellow students cared.  I was wrong! We served more than 1000 people before 1 p.m.  My day was spent chatting with many fellow students who were excited about all the activities. One person in particular made my day.

My friend Lauren stopped by after the food was gone, but her eyes lit up as soon as I said the words "baby calf."  She practically dragged me over to the exhibit to get the chance to pet the soft Holstein.  She was ecstatic about the calf, and when I mentioned baby pigs, she said, "This is like the best day ever! Two different kinds of baby farm animals!" As I picked up the piglet for her to marvel at the tiny nose, and the bristly hair, I realized I take my experiences for granted.

From a young age I have had some unique experiences.  Working with baby pigs in my grandpa's farrowing barn, pulling a baby calf and helping it nurse for the first time, riding in a combine, and eating beans right from the field.  I never thought about how exciting and important these opportunities were.  Today Lauren reminded me that the simple things I took for granted really were amazing.

As the day wound down, I realized how great it was to have ag students sharing with fellow students the experiences that are part of their everyday lives.  That's how we truly advocate for agriculture, by sharing with each friend and family member what raising food is all about!

'till the cows come home,
Ellie

Culture, Cattle, and Conversations

"The survival of a farmer depends on the cooperation of others in the community.  But a herdsman is off by himself.  Farmers also don't have to worry that their livelihood will be stolen in the night, because crops can't easily be stolen unless, of course, a thief wants to go to the trouble of harvesting an entire field on his own.  A herdsman does have to worry.  He's under constant threat of ruin through the loss of his animals.  So he has to be aggressive: he has to make it clear, through his words and deeds that he is not weak.  He has to be willing to fight in response to even the slightest challenge to his reputation--ant that's what a 'culture of honor' means. It's a world where a man's reputation is at the center of his livelihood and self-worth." -Malcom Gladwell "Outliers"

When I first read that paragraph it was a light bulb moment.  I thought about all the cattlemen I know, and realized that this culture has shaped much of our traditions.  Yes, many cattlemen are very connected to their communities, but culturally, we are proud of our independence and value our reputations.  

Tonight, I attended a meeting at UNL entitled "Bridging the Gap." There we heard from Anne Burkholder and a lady named Linda.  Linda was an HSUS member and came to discuss her view of animal agriculture.  When she began accusing a fellow student of being "brainwashed by your heritage," I got mad.  Not a little upset, but more like Kramer from Seinfeld angry.  

I'm very proud of who I am, and my heritage is very close to my heart.  This creates a roadblock for me and many other people who want to engage in conversations with consumers.  Instead of hearing their concerns, we hear attacks on the way of life we love, and respond with arguments.  It's a part of who we are, but that doesn't mean we can't change.  

Yelling at Linda would not have made her listen.  Being defensive only frustrates both parties.  Anne offered a great solution.  Listen to understand, not to respond.  Begin every conversation with the genuine desire to not just hear their opinions, but to truly appreciate what they believe.  Sometimes moving forward and sharing the story of agriculture means challenging your culture.

'till the cows come home,

Ellie  

P.S. Linda turned out to be an actress, who was actually our state director for Ag In the Classroom, and man she was good.  She had me completely fooled!