Summer's gone

Did ya miss me or just wonder where I went??  

Well - I'm back.... seems like I just stepped away but it's been most of the summer.  I decided that summer is just too busy and I'm too crazy or unorganized or something.  Anyway - we are just ramping up and getting ready for our fall season of doing cattle work.  Now that is a blog post in itself.... I'm much too excited to share about the Ag Chat Foundation Conference that I attended in Chicago, August 30th & 31st.  Let me start.....
     I have a story.... that's all it takes.  Tell others about the wonderful, full and sometimes stressful life of agriculture.  It doesn't matter what aspect of ag you are involved in - 'you have a story' - most people on this planet are jealous or envious of your being able to do what you do as a profession.  OR they don't understand the care and effort that we in agriculture take to bring them the best food, feed, fuel and fiber on the planet.  We in agriculture are passionate about what we do.  It isn't just a job or something we do to pay the bills, it's our love of the land and heritage that have us doing what we do.  We in agriculture are a shrinking industry down to 1.5% of the population.  We need to find new ways of being able to "tell our story" to as many as will listen or want to understand what we do.  hence the beginning of #AgChat on Twitter (every Tuesday at 6 - 8 pm MDT).  What had started as an avenue to bring consumers and producers closer together has turned in a Foundation with a committed board and a group of individuals passionate about helping others reach out to those consumers.  
     What did I gain from the conference....I found an entire group of ag producers that are as nerdy or geeky - (sorry all) - as I am!!  :)  perhaps that it's just that we love to play with new technology.  The other thing I noticed is that we love to talk.  Now this group not only can visit up a storm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0j2leftzmQ (Yep-that's me talking to Jeff Fowle, the guy in the hat) but we are also pretty quick with our fingers.  Hence the ability to tweet during sessions and have it all make good sense.  We were encouraged to not only open Facebook and Twitter accounts but get busy with your camcorder and create a vlog or a clip or something from your ag operation. I also found that these folks want us all to succeed, they will have our back and encourage each one of us every step or typeset along the way.  Each one of us as ag producers needs to find those folks who know nothing about the products we work hard to deliver to them in the best condition and safest condition we can.  
     Remember - 'I have a story' - it's the best place to start......