ACDC Newsletter

ACDC News – Issue 17-10

Posted on by Elizabeth Ray

 

 

At the complex intersection of meatpacking, immigration, and fake news

We recently added to the ACDC collection an interview with journalist Ted Genoways, co-producer of a May 2017 news article about a foiled terror plot last October to bomb an apartment complex in Garden City, Kansas. The complex was home to Somali and other refugees who were working at a nearby meatpacking plant. His responses during the interview included these thoughts about the rise of fake news:

“It’s a strange environment to report in. …  more than ever, it’s important to distinguish real reporting from opinion or speculation or even things that are intentionally misleading, so that we know that what we’re reading is based on reality.

“As a reporter, that means there’s an even higher bar now for establishing what’s factual. … Especially online, there is a growing body of people who are happy to contest observable facts. What a strange thing to argue with someone, not over policy goals or opinion, but over the basic facts that in many cases the reporters have established by witnessing themselves.”

You can read the interview here. You can read his “Terror in the heartland” story here. We added them from the Fern newsletter of the Food and Environment Reporting Network, which is an independent investigative non-profit organization.

The longest-running U.S. daily farm and home television program

Congratulations to Lyn Jarvis, honored recently with the Robert O. Sinclair Cup from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and University of Vermont Extension Service.   He and associates at the University of Vermont have sustained a farm and home television program that has extended for 62 years.  Lyn produced, directed, recruited talent, and constructed sets for 27 of those years (more than 7,000 “Across the Fence” shows) on WCAX-TV, Burlington.  Here are several keys for sustained success, as described in his recognition:

  • His programming balanced the interests of viewers with in-depth, research-based information
  • Program information ranged broadly across agriculture, 4-H, consumer issues, and a host of other topics
  • As a “media mentor,” he helped guests feel comfortable before the camera
  • He coached his colleagues on how to make effective use of television 

You can learn more about “Across the Fence” here.

Eight new research reports in JAC

The second 2017 issue of the Journal of Applied Communications (JAC) includes these articles:

  • “Marketing and more: An in-depth look at relationship marketing with new media in the green industry” by Scott Stebner, Lauri M. Baker, Hikaru Hanawa Peterson, and Cheryl R. Boyer
  • “Using critical thinking styles to inform food safety behavior communication campaigns” by Arthur Leal, Joy N. Rumble, and Alexa J. Lamm
  • “An examination of student development theory in the context of writing instruction” by Holli R. Leggette, Holly Jarvis Whitaker, and Matt Miranda
  • “Communicating about undocumented immigration issues: Is your target audience bilingual?” by Shuyang Qu, Alexa J. Lamm, and Joy N. Rumble
  • “The potential return on investment of the recruitment strategies for an academic unit focused on agricultural sciences” by J. Tanner Robertson, Taylor Hurst, Kevin Williams, and Lance Kieth
  • “What’s in a name? The influence of persuasive communication on Florida consumers’ attitude toward genetically modified food” by Taylor K. Ruth and Joy N. Rumble
  • “Public knowledge and trust of agricultural and natural resources organizations” by Quisto Settle, Joy N. Rumble, Keelee McCarty, and Taylor K. Ruth

JAC, a peer-reviewed journal, is published by the Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Life and Human Sciences (ACE).  You can read these new articles here.

Communications: A key in mapping out Australia’s food future

Thanks to Neil Inall for alerting us to the new “Food and Agribusiness Roadmap” for Australia. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) announced it July 17, charting a course for products, technology, and innovation in this sector.

Effective communications are integral to all five “key enablers” for the Roadmap:

  • Traceability and provenance
  • Food safety and biosecurity
  • Market intelligence and access
  • Collaboration and knowledge sharing
  • Broad-ranging skills of employees

You can read the announcement here.

People of the land as heroes in environmental conflict

Four farmers and indigenous leaders are among six recipients of the 2017 Goldman Environmental Prize. This annual award from the Goldman Environmental Foundation “honors grassroots environmental heroes” from all parts of the world.

  • Uroš Macerl, “an organic farmer from Slovenia, successfully stopped a cement kiln from co-incinerating petcoke with hazardous industrial waste by rallying legal support…”
  • Prafulla Samantara of India “led a historic 12-year legal battle that affirmed the indigenous Dongria Kondh’s land rights and protected the Niyamgiri Hills from a massive, open-pit aluminum ore mine.”
  • Rodrigo Tort, “an indigenous leader in Guatemala’s Agua Caliente, led his community to a landmark court decision that ordered the government to issue land titles to the Q’eqchi people…”
  • Wendy Bowman, of Australia, “stopped a powerful multinational mining company from taking her family farm and protected her community in Hunter Valley from further pollution.”

You can read more about the award and the efforts of recipients here.

Welcome to the ACDC crew

It is a pleasure to welcome Hailley Shaw as a new graduate assistant in the Center. She joined the staff this summer and already has helped expand the Contributed Collections section of the ACDC website. Also, following reviews of documents, she has added nearly 150 citations to the online database.

Hailley is a 2014 graduate of Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and history. She is working on her Master of Library and Information Science degree here at the University of Illinois, focusing on rare books and special collections.  Her previous library experience includes customer service at the Champaign Public Library, Center for Children’s Books, and Urbana Theological Seminary Library. Also, she has worked on organization and schedule coordination for several University of Illinois professors.

Communicator activities approaching

October 20, 2017
Deadline for submitting professional development proposals and posters to be presented at the Agricultural Communications Section of the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists in Jacksonville, Florida, February 4-5, 2018.
Information about professional development proposals: Lauri Baker at lmbaker@ksu.edu
Information about posters: Quisto Settle at quisto.sett.e@gmail.com

October 26-30, 2017
World Conference of Science Journalists, San Francisco, California USA.
Information: http://wcsj2017.org/

November 8-10, 2017
“Focus influence.” Annual convention of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB), Kansas City, Missouri USA.
Information: https://nafb.com/events/nafb-convention

When nature talks

We close this issue of ACDC News with a challenge for those of us who would communicate about nature and the environment. It is from Linda Hogan, quoted in the Book of Green Quotations:

“There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story.”

Best wishes and good searching

Please pass along your reactions, suggestions, and ideas. Feel free to invite our help as you search for information. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @ACDCUIUC. And please suggest (or send) agricultural communications documents we might add to this unique and valuable collection. We welcome them in hard copy (sent to Ag Comm Documentation Center, Room 510, 1101 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801) or in electronic format sent to docctr@library.illinois.edu

ACDC News – Issue 17-09

Posted on by Elizabeth Ray

 

Photovoice – showcasing sustainability across cultures and languages

A participatory action tool termed “photovoice” is showing promise in communications about public health, development, and science. We recently added to the ACDC collection a case study about how photovoice operated in an agri-environmental study abroad course for U.S. students. They took photographs in a rural mountain community in Costa Rica. Their photographs offered structure for feedback from local residents at a special community event, with all using the photos to help interact across cultures and languages.

Researchers observed that the photovoice process helped both students and residents:

  • It allowed for multiple perspectives about complex factors in environmental sustainability (e.g., migrant workers, evolving land conditions, and branding).
  • It connected students to place through interaction with people of the community (e.g., importance and value of local knowledge, leadership, and action).
  • It inspired a cross-cultural dialogue that broadened awareness among all and clarified interpretations (e.g., concepts such as fair trade and social welfare).

You can read the full journal article here.

An appealing trap for agricultural journalists

It’s easy for the agricultural journalist to fall into the idea that “we’re cheerleaders for agriculture,” award-winning agricultural journalist Charles Johnson wrote recently. “We’re not. We are journalists covering agriculture.”  His article, “The Privilege of Ag Journalism,” appeared in a recent issue of The ByLine, published by AAEA The Agricultural Communicators Network. We added it recently to the ACDC collection.

You can read more of his thoughts and suggestions here.

Web 2.0 and social media: stories of life-changing encounters for many

Twenty-five stories offered interesting reading in a recent booklet from the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA). It featured 25 impact assessment studies about use of ICTs to advance food security and nutrition across the developing world. Here are a few examples:

  • Story 6 – Blogging for farmers (Uganda)
  • Story 13 – ICTs pay off for farmers and telecenters (Rwanda)
  • Story 18 – New skills open doors for agricultural journalist (Burkina Faso)

You can read these and other success stories here.

Reducing “the footprint of old work stuff in my home”

Thanks to veteran agricultural journalist John Byrnes for helping preserve U.S. agricultural periodicals for future research and practice. During April he contributed five bound volumes to the University of Illinois Library. They include three years (1981, 1986, and 1987) of Hog Extra, the 1992 issues of Hogs Today, and the 1989 issues of Dairy Today. They enhance a remarkable University Library collection of agricultural periodicals, dating into the early 1800s. The ACDC staff was pleased to help coordinate arrangements.

John is a retired outreach program leader with University of Minnesota Extension. Previously, he worked with Farm Journal Media and The Miller Publishing Company.

Consumer attitudes about eating organic products

Health emerged as the most important influence in a recent study in Iran of consumer attitudes about eating organic products.  For example, it carried more influence than income, age, taste, environmental concerns, knowledge of organic products, or concerns about industrial agriculture.

Researchers found that four factors accounted for nearly one-third of variability in attitudes among the sampled consumers in Tehran:

  • Health awareness
  • Knowledge of organic products
  • Consumers’ motivations
  • Age

You can read the Journal of Agricultural and Food Information article here.

How European farmers view flower strips

A recent review of literature examined the pros and cons of flower strips, from a European farmer’s point of view.  Encouraged by the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, these strips involve sowing a mixture of forb species, with or without grass species. Researchers noted that strips are intended to enhance farmland biodiversity by providing food and shelter for insects and animals, and provide a place for wild plants to grow and reproduce.  They can help crops by delivering pollination and pest control.

Most of the 31 selected studies indicated positive effects of flower strips, from a farmer’s point of view. However, authors noted need for more research involving economics and social recognition as factors in farmers’ consideration of this agri-environmental practice.

You can read the 2016 journal article here.

Communicator activities approaching

September 28-30, 2017
Joint conference of the Canadian Farm Writers Federation (CFWF) and Association des communicateurs et rédacteurs de l’agroalimentaire (ACRA) in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Information: http://www.cfwf17.ca and http://www.acra17.ca

September 29, 2017
Deadline for submitting research papers to be presented at the Agricultural Communications Section of the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists in Jacksonville, Florida, February 4-5, 2018. Information: Abigail Borron at aborron@uga.edu

October 4-8, 2017
“Rivers of change.” Annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA.
Information: http://www.sej.org/initiatives/sej-annual-conferences/AC2017-main

October 20, 2017
Deadline for submitting professional development proposals and posters to be presented at the Agricultural Communications Section of the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists in Jacksonville, Florida, February 4-5, 2018.
Information about professional development proposals: Lauri Baker at lmbaker@ksu.edu
Information about posters: Quisto Settle at quisto.sett.e@gmail.com

October 26-30, 2017
World Conference of Science Journalists, San Francisco, California USA.
Information: http://wcsj2017.org/

November 8-10, 2017
“Focus influence.” Annual convention of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB), Kansas City, Missouri USA.
Information: https://nafb.com/events/nafb-convention

Balm for the compulsive antique collector

We close this issue with a thought that may ease your conscience if you have a habit of collecting antique equipment and parts that interest you. It comes from Aldo Leopold, quoted in the Book of Green Quotations:

“To save every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.”

Best wishes and good searching

Please pass along your reactions, suggestions and ideas. Feel free to invite our help as you search for information. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @ACDCUIUC. And please suggest (or send) agricultural communications documents we might add to this unique and valuable collection. We welcome them in hard copy (sent to Ag Comm Documentation Center, Room 510, 1101 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801) or in electronic format sent to docctr@library.illinois.edu

 

 

ACDC News – Issue 17-08

Posted on by Elizabeth Ray

Highlighting “the yearly death of ag data”

Writing in Precision Ag, Nathan Faleide observed recently, “When you look at all the data that has been somewhat carelessly created by the various machines and controllers out there, it made me think that most of it is wasted and never used for anything.” He called for:

  • Greater effort in using the data
  • Better education about what can be done with data and what the real benefit is

He noted the challenge of data privacy.

You can read his May 2 commentary here.

How Midwest corn farmers are adapting (or not) to climate change

Results of a survey among nearly 5,000 corn farmers across 21 Midwestern watersheds suggest that they are relying primarily on new technologies, crop insurance, and in-field conservation practices to manage their risks from weather and climate. These findings were reported in a 2017 article in Climate Risk Management.

Authors found the results consistent with general arguments that the U.S. crop insurance program may effectively subsidize inaction on the part of farmers.

“U.S. farmers are not implementing longer-term modifications to farming that may be required depending on the severity of future climate change impacts.”

You can read the article here.

Digital dividends in global development?

“World Development Report 2016” from the World Bank Group addresses that topic in a 369-page research document we have added to the ACDC collection.  The analysis tracks rapid spread of digital technologies, globally, and examines the benefits from them.

“Yet their aggregate impact has fallen short and is unevenly distributed. For digital technologies to benefit everyone everywhere requires closing the remaining digital divide, especially in internet access. But greater digital adoption will not be enough.”

The report identifies challenges that countries face in strengthening what it calls the “analog foundation” of the digital revolution.

You can review the report here.

“In Australia it’s not scarcity, it’s a drought!”

Thanks to Australian rural communicator Neil Inall for his response to our recent ACDC News item describing the recent book, The Communication Scarcity in Agriculture.”  Dr. Inall is known throughout Australia as a stimulating rural broadcaster (e.g., “Countrywide” on ABC Television) and respected consultant, commentator, and organization leader.

You may recall that the book authors referred to “communication scarcity” in terms of what information gets shared (or doesn’t get shared) among key stakeholders in food and agriculture — consumers, policymakers, researchers, agribusiness, farmers, and others. That complex task challenges every community, region, and nation. It calls for skilled, wise communicators.

Wineries seeking “green” marketing benefits through new communications tools

Results of recent research in Italy suggest that orientation to sustainability is “taking a central and crucial role in the operational and strategic choices of wineries.” Marketing innovations and communications tools are playing a key role. Researchers surveyed 204 wineries in the Apulia region of southern Italy. They found positive correlation between a “green” orientation of the wineries and their use of innovative marketing tools such as QR codes, websites, newsletters, wine clubs, and training courses.

Full text of this article, “Understanding the relationship between green approach and marketing innovation tools in the wine sector,” is available here. 

Livestock disease – a sensitive subject for producers

Evidence of sensitivity was apparent in results of recent research involving a disease control program in the United Kingdom. A 2016 article in PLoS ONE reported on farmer attitudes and activities associated with two Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) control schemes.

Findings suggested that group helping and information sharing among participating farmers was low in both control schemes.  However, peer to peer monitoring in the form of gossip regarding animal disease was high.”   BVD status remained a sensitive subject.

You can read the journal article, “Farmer attitudes and livestock disease,” here.

Communicator activities approaching

September 28-30, 2017
Joint conference of the Canadian Farm Writers Federation (CFWF) and Association des communicateurs et rédacteurs de l’agroalimentaire (ACRA) in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Information: http://www.cfwf17.ca and http://www.acra17.ca

September 29, 2017
Deadline for submitting research papers to be presented at the Agricultural Communications Section of the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists in Jacksonville, Florida, February 4-5, 2018. Information: Abigail Borron at aborron@uga.edu

October 4-8, 2017
“Rivers of change.” Annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA.
Information: http://www.sej.org/initiatives/sej-annual-conferences/AC2017-main

October 20, 2017
Deadline for submitting professional development proposals and posters to be presented at the Agricultural Communications Section of the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists in Jacksonville, Florida, February 4-5, 2018.
Information about professional development proposals: Lauri Baker at lmbaker@ksu.edu
Information about posters: Quisto Settle at quisto.sett.e@gmail.com

October 26-30, 2017
World Conference of Science Journalists, San Francisco, California USA.
Information: http://wcsj2017.org/

November 8-10, 2017
“Focus influence.” Annual convention of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB), Kansas City, Missouri USA.
Information: https://nafb.com/events/nafb-convention

Impatient with lagging innovation?

We close this issue of ACDC News with a thought from William James:

“Habit is the enormous fly-wheel of society, its most precious conservation agent. … There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision.”

Best wishes and good searching

Please pass along your reactions, suggestions and ideas. Feel free to invite our help as you search for information. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @ACDCUIUC. And please suggest (or send) agricultural communications documents we might add to this unique and valuable collection. We welcome them in hard copy (sent to Ag Comm Documentation Center, Room 510, 1101 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801) or in electronic format sent to docctr@library.illinois.edu

 

ACDC News – Issue 17-07

Posted on by Elizabeth Ray

Transforming the world with big ideas

Results of a 2016 poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation highlight potentials of a growing sector called social entrepreneurship.  It fosters innovation and sustainable business ideas to “solve the world’s most pressing social problems.” Findings suggest it is “disrupting the traditional status quo” and helping women “smash through the glass ceiling as never before.”

Entrepreneurs in this sector seek success not only in financial returns, but also in social impact – improving the lives of the underserved and marginalized communities. Examples cited in Monique Villa’s description involved micro-lending enterprises and marketing products such as solar lamps and smokeless stoves. Nearly 70 percent of the experts polled across the world’s 44 biggest economics said women are well represented in management roles within this fast-growing industry.

Findings suggest strong and growing opportunities for effective rural marketing communications in this arena. You can learn more about the report here.

“Let’s go gender blind”

Honored agricultural journalist Pamela Smith offered that advice recently in the ByLine newsletter of the American Agricultural Editors’ Association.  Approaching her 40th anniversary as a journalist specializing in agricultural topics, she knows the trail of gender challenges in this field.

“No, it hasn’t always been issue,” she explained in her article, “and yes, stereotypical notions still exist. If experience has taught me anything it is that sometimes struggle is an incentive to work harder, even if it is difficult to understand or unfair.”

You can read the article by this crops technology editor of DTN/The Progressive Farmer here.

Student-produced animated video for rural development

Thanks to Chris McGillion, senior lecturer in journalism, for alerting us to an innovative service learning experience for students at Charles Sturt University in Australia. Students in the Animation and Visual Effects degree program produced an animated video for a government-funded agricultural development program in Timor-Leste. It featured Extension-recommended practices for growing maize. A report of the project and responses from rural community showings was published in the April issue of Science Communication  and the final cut can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/109073628.

You can view an abstract of the journal article here.

“An abomination.” Call for help in serving the news needs of smaller communities

What’s happening in smaller communities is being overlooked in discussions about the state of Canadian news media. That message came recently from a panel discussion at the Ryerson School of Journalism, Toronto.  Lack of resources for community-based newsrooms “is an abomination,” said Robert Washburn, professor of journalism at Loyalist College.  “The expectations are ridiculous. There’s lack of staff, there’s poor wages, there’s unpaid overtime. Little or no training and the use of personal equipment. It goes on and on.”  He called for neighborhoods, hamlets, villages, towns and small cities to be involved in future discussions about media policies in Canada.

Panelist Gretchen King, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Ottawa, has experience with volunteer-driven, collaborative community media.  “…people need to acknowledge that volunteer-driven urban and rural media have very different concerns and will not benefit from blanket solutions to the challenges faced by news media in general.”

You can read the article here.

How global open data can benefit agriculture and nutrition 

The February issue of ICT Update featured progress made to use open data for
“better access to accurate, timely information… to shape a more sustainable agriculture future.” The issue reported on topics addressed during the third international workshop of Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN). It took place during February in The Hague, The Netherlands.

These are some of the aspects covered:

  • Impact of open data on smallholder farmers
  • Boosting data innovations and entrepreneurship
  • Translating complex data into accessible articles
  • Gender and open data: is there an app for that?
  • Healthy choices
  • Storytelling through data visualization

You can read the issue here.

A gap: food information sources considered reliable aren’t those used most 

A recent study among young Polish consumers (ages 16-24) revealed a gap between sources they considered reliable and those they actually used. Respondents said they considered nutrition consultants, physicians, and pharmacists among the most reliable sources of food information.  However, most often they relied on recommendations from family members, labels, and acquaintances. Authors of this 2016 article in the British Food Journal called for further educational activities aimed at young consumers.

You can review the publisher’s abstract and purchase details here. You can also check with us for help in gaining full-text access.

Communicator activities approaching

July 22-26, 2017
“Summit on the summit.”  Agricultural Media Summit near Salt Lake City, Utah. Joint meeting of the American Agricultural Editors’ Association, Livestock Publications Council, and the Connectiv Agri-Media Committee. Also site of the national meeting of Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow.
Information: http://agmediasummit.com/

September 9-15, 2017
International conference of the Australasia-Pacific Extension Network, jointly with the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services, in the Hinchinbrook and Townsville Regions of north Queensland, Australia.  Information: http://www.gfrasapenint2017.com/home.html

September 11-14, 2017
Annual meeting of the Communication Officers of State Departments of Agriculture (COSDA), in New Orleans, Louisiana USA. Information: http://www.nasda.org/About/affiliates/cosda/COSDA2017.aspx
September 13-15, 2017
Annual conference of the Association of Food Journalists in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA.
Information: https://www.afjonline.com

September 28-30, 2017
Joint conference of the Canadian Farm Writers Federation (CFWF) and Association des communicateurs et rédacteurs de l’agroalimentaire (ACRA) in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Information: http://www.cfwf17.ca and http://www.acra17.ca

October 4-8, 2017
“Rivers of change.” Annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA.
Information: http://www.sej.org/calendar/sejs-27th-annual-conference-pittsburgh-pa-oct-4-8-2017

October 26-30, 2017
World Conference of Science Journalists, San Francisco, California USA.
Information: http://wcsj2017.org/

November 8-10, 2017
“Focus influence.” Annual convention of the National Association of  Farm Broadcasting (NAFB), Kansas City, Missouri USA.
Information: https://nafb.com/events/nafb-convention

Great fun in spinning a rope

We close this issue of ACDC News with a Will Rogers perspective from his performance days.  It’s one to which agricultural journalists and communicators can relate as they help others address risks and conflicts:

“Spinnin’ a rope is fun, if your neck ain’t in it.”

Best wishes and good searching

Please pass along your reactions, suggestions and ideas. Feel free to invite our help as you search for information. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @ACDCUIUC. And please suggest (or send) agricultural communications documents we might add to this unique and valuable collection. We welcome them in hard copy (sent to Ag Comm Documentation Center, Room 510, 1101 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801) or in electronic format sent to docctr@library.illinois.edu

 

ACDC News – Issue 17-06

Posted on by Nicholas Ferraz de Oliveira

Career advice on getting dirty

“If you don’t get dirty, you haven’t done your job.” That advice from respected art director Tom Sizemore of The Furrow magazine prompted Christy Lee of Cee Lee Communications to share it recently with readers of the American Agricultural Editors’ Association newsletter, AAEA ByLine.

“…often, the best shots come from getting uncomfortable. From going where we’d rather not go. And from emerging covered with mud, dirt and, ahem, manure.  The more I think about it, the more this advice can be carried over to so many aspects of the agricultural communications industry.”

You can read the article here .

Cultivating uncertainty in science reporting.

Yes, you read that correctly. It’s the title of a recent article from the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State University. Conference panelist Janet Raloff asked, “How can we work with journalists to express [the uncertainty of science] when people are always looking for certainty?” She suggested that “the onus is on journalists not to give readers the false sense that something is black and white, true or false. It is our job as journalists, generally, to cultivate uncertainty. … Readers don’t like that. Neither do editors. Too bad. That’s what the world is like.”

You can read the article here .

Six new research articles in JAC

The first 2017 issue of the Journal of Applied Communications features six reports of new communications research related to various sectors and aspects of agriculture.

  • “Poultry production messaging in two national-circulation newspapers” by Leslie D. Edgar, Donald M. Johnson, and Stuart Estes
  • “Water use in Florida: examining perceptions of water use based on visual images” by Joshua M. Epstein, Lisa K. Lundy, and Alexa J. Lamm
  • “Poultry production messaging: frames and emergent themes in three national newspapers, 1994-2014” by Stuart Estes, Leslie D. Edgar, and Donald M. Johnson
  • “Community-based grazing marketing: barriers and benefits related to the adoption of best management practices in grazing systems” by Audrey E. H. King, Lauri M. Baker, and Peter J. Tomlinson
  • “A case study of using metacognitive reflections to enhance writing skills and strategies in an agricultural media writing course” by Tobin Redwine, Holli R. Leggette, and Brooke Prather
  • “Exploring perspectives of students studying communication toward media access and use: a Q methodological study” by Angel Riggs, Diane Montgomery, and Cindy Blackwell

You can read them here .

“Spillover” effects of ICT – agriculture lagging?

Extensive research on the effects of new information and communication technologies has documented positive effects on productivity. However, a 2016 article in the journal, Economics of Innovation and New Technology, explored “spillover” effects in Canada.

Analysis (1981-2008) by researcher Saeed Moshiri showed that ICT had a positive impact on labor productivity. However, effects varied significantly across provinces, industries and time.

“Specifically, while provinces with higher shares of manufacturing and services in their GDB have reaped the benefits of ICT investment, other provinces primarily dependent on natural resources and agriculture are lagging behind. The industry-level analysis also reveals that manufacturing and services industries have benefited from ICT investment much more than primary sector industries.”

You can read the abstract of this article here . Check with us at docctr@library.illinois.edu for help in gaining full-text access.

Drone governance in 79 African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries

This recent addition to the ACDC collection was published as a working paper in October 2016 by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA).  It may hold special interest for rural communicators and others in terms of policies, laws, and regulations about (a) permission to conduct aerial work and (b) respecting privacy and property.

Only 15 (19 percent) of the 79 countries had rules or regulations specific to operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Six other countries had announced soon-to-be-drafted legislation. The other 58 countries (73 percent) had neither dedicated rules nor pending legislative action regarding UAVs. The existing drone rules varied in content, documentation, and formats in the absence of an international standard.

You can read the report here .

Recent book on communication scarcity in agriculture

A new book, The communication scarcity in agriculture, offers a timely review and roadmap. In it, authors Jessica Eise and Whitney Hodde are not talking about lack of agricultural coverage by media.  Instead, their “communication scarcity” refers to what gets shared (or doesn’t get shared) among key stakeholders in food and agriculture: consumers, policymakers, researchers, agribusiness, and farmers.

Introductory chapters present case examples – “a stark, no-nonsense picture of today’s agricultural conversation in its entirety.” Part 2 features viewpoints and outlooks of guest voices from these stakeholder groups. Authors close by emphasizing the importance of communication and the strengths in diversity of perspectives. They suggest two communication tools for dealing with it: (1) finding common ground and (2) finding areas for compromise in these complex matters of food and agriculture.

You can read the publisher’s abstract and description here . Check with us at docctr@illinois.edu for help in gaining access to full text.

Communicator activities approaching

June 13-16, 2017
“ReNEWal ORLEANS” Annual conference of the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) in New Orleans, Louisiana. Information: http://conferences.k-state.edu/ace2017

June 20-22, 2017
“Setting the gold standard in agricultural public relations.” Annual meeting of the Agricultural Relations Council in Sacramento, California.
Information: https://www.agrelationscouncil.org/events/

July 22-26, 2017
“Summit on the summit.”  Agricultural Media Summit near Salt Lake City, Utah. Joint meeting of the American Agricultural Editors’ Association, Livestock Publications Council, and the Connectiv Agri-Media Committee. Also site of the national meeting of Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow.
Information: http://agmediasummit.com/

Expert agricultural reporting

Thanks to sharp-eyed Fred Myers for sharing an example of skilled equine reporting.  It seems a fitting close to this issue of ACDC News.

He reported that AOL filled the screen with this headline several minutes after the running of the Kentucky Derby on May 6:
“Horse Wins 143rd Running of the Kentucky Derby — After a rainy day in Churchill Downs, one horse emerged victorious after completing the race in just over two minutes.”
Pondering that insightful news, Fred observed that “today’s journalism may not be informative but it sure is entertaining.” Maybe an ostrich – or two horses – will win next year.

Best wishes and good searching

Please pass along your reactions, suggestions and ideas. Feel free to invite our help as you search for information. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @ACDCUIUC . And please suggest (or send) agricultural communications documents we might add to this unique and valuable collection. We welcome them in hard copy (sent to Ag Comm Documentation Center, Room 510, 1101 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801) or in electronic format sent to docctr@library.illinois.edu

ACDC News – Issue 17-05

Posted on by Nicholas Ferraz de Oliveira

2017 Pulitzer Prize to a rural community journalist

We are adding to the ACDC collection recent announcement of a rural community journalist who has been selected the 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner in Editorial Writing. He is Art Cullen, co-owner of The Storm Lake Times newspaper, published twice-weekly at Storm Lake, Iowa. His series during 2016 was honored “for editorials fueled by tenacious reporting, impressive expertise and engaging writing that successfully challenged powerful corporate agricultural interests in Iowa.” You can learn more about it and read Cullen’s 10 editorials here .

The award prompted agricultural columnist Alan Guebert to write “Courting courage and foresight.” He shared thoughts about Cullen’s prize-winning coverage of that contentious water controversy. You can read the column here .

15 emerging issues for global conservation and biological diversity

An international team of expert “horizon scanners” recently published a list of “emerging issues likely to affect global biological diversity, the environment, and conservation efforts in the future. “ It’s a wide-ranging list, including issues as diverse as:

  • blockchain technology
  • use of robotics to combat invasive species
  • use of bacteria and fungi to manage agricultural pests
  • development of floating wind farms
  • creation of fuel from bionic leaves and reverse photosynthesis

These and other emerging issues offer special opportunities for agricultural journalists, communicators, and others The article, “2017 horizon scan of emerging issues…,” was published in Trends in Ecology and Evolution .  You can view it online here .

25 stories reflect a passion for videos about farmer innovations

You may brighten your day by learning how many organizations are making, translating, sharing, and using videos about farmer innovations in eight countries of Africa and Asia. A 2016 report, “A passion for video,” features 25 stories from a Writeshop organized by the international NGO, Access Agriculture.

Here are the titles of several stories written:

  • Ready, set, bureaucracy: kick-starting  farmer training videos in Egypt
  • My father taught me to open my eyes (Kenya)
  • The video tricycle (Ghana)
  • No laughing matter: videos blending humor, drama and machinery in Bangladesh
  • Becoming a journalist farmer (Benin)
  • Videos on the radio (Malawi)

You can read these 25 stories here .

New John L. Woods Collection

Hearty thanks to Dr. John L. Woods for contributing his globe-spanning collection of agricultural communications literature to ACDC. This recent contribution added 121 documents to the ACDC collection.

  • They range across 40 years (from 1965-2005).
  • They include communications related to agricultural development and environmental quality in Asia, Pacific Region, Africa, Middle East, Latin America, and the U.S.
  • They consist of books, handbooks, guides, project reports, presentations, research reports, and other formats.
  • They feature strategic communications plans and management, campaign guides, training workshops, cinematography, field worker training and other topics of enduring value for practitioners, researchers, teachers, students, and others.
  • General search engines do not identify most of these materials.

During his career Dr. Woods served on the University of Illinois faculty, as director of Development Training and Communication Planning (DTCP) in the Asia and Pacific Programme of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and as strategic communicator with Chemonics International Inc. To see citations for his contributions, visit the ACDC website http://library.illinois.edu/funkaces/acdc , click on “Start your Search,” and enter “John L. Woods Collection” in the Search box.

Connecting cooking and feminism

A 2015 article in the Australian Journal of Environmental Education picked up on that gap. Researchers noted that in popularized feminist discourse daily cooking has been implicitly defined as second-class status. By examining two local food activist groups, they observed a strong connection between feminism and cooking sustainable foods.

“…it is time to conceptualise a new discourse on the kitchen for a feminist-environmental theory of cooking.”

You can read the abstract here . Check with us at docctr@library.illinois.edu for help in gaining full-text access.

Digging for farm press freedom in Cuba

That is the title of a report we added recently to the ACDC collection from the American Agricultural Editors’ Association newsletter, AAEA ByLine . Owen Roberts of the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, wrote it following an AAEA press trip to Cuba. He explored some of the changes and challenges in the flow of information needed by farmers throughout that country.

You can read the report here .

 Where we are finding agricultural communications literature these days

Our search efforts for the ACDC collection continue to take us to interesting new scholarly territory.  You may be interested in some recent examples of journals in which we have found articles featuring agricultural communications in its great breadth:

  • Trends in Ecology and Evolution
  • Journal of Cleaner Production
  • Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research
  • International Journal of Online Engineering
  • Environmental Policy and Governance
  • Telematics and Informatics
  • Water Resources Research
  • Perspectives on Psychological Science

Communicator activities approaching

May 25-29, 2017
“Interventions: Communication Research and Practice.” Annual conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) in San Diego, California.
Information: http://www.icahdq.org/page/conference

June 13-16, 2017
“ReNEWal ORLEANS” Annual conference of the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) in New Orleans, Louisiana. Information: https://www.aceweb.org/page-1854417

June 20-22, 2017
“Setting the gold standard in agricultural public relations.” Annual meeting of the Agricultural Relations Council in Sacramento, California.
Information: https://www.agrelationscouncil.org/events/2017-arc-meeting-sacramento-ca

July 22-26, 2017
“Summit on the summit.”  Agricultural Media Summit near Salt Lake City, Utah. Joint meeting of the American Agricultural Editors’ Association, Livestock Publications Council, and the Connectiv Agri-Media Committee. Also site of the national meeting of Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow.
Information: http://agmediasummit.com/

 You know how newspaper people are

We close this issue of ACDC News with a thought expressed in a 1990 issue of the National Association of Agricultural Journalists Newsletter. The article explored why ag writers have left newspapers.

“You know how newspaper people are. They have that great sense of humor and they’re always up to something wacky.”

 Best wishes and good searching

Please pass along your reactions, suggestions and ideas. Feel free to invite our help as you search for information. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @ACDCUIUC . And please suggest (or send) agricultural communications documents we might add to this unique and valuable collection. We welcome them in hard copy (sent to Ag Comm Documentation Center, Room 510, 1101 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801) or in electronic format sent to docctr@library.illinois.edu

ACDC News – Issue 17-04

Posted on by Nicholas Ferraz de Oliveira

Warning signals to journalists about “balanced coverage” of environmental issues

Research reported in Environmental Research Letters sends warning signals to journalists who may feel inclined to cover a complex issue by featuring two scientists, one who is convinced of X and one who is not. This search for editorial balance may mislead and confuse because it may not reflect the weight of evidence.

For example, C. Shearer and associates analyzed public concern about the existence of a “secret large-scale atmospheric program” (SLAP) – a concern shared by as much as 17% of the adult population in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They showed the evidence to 77 domain experts and asked them about each of the claims made by SLAP theorists. Experts expressed near-unanimous consensus (76/77) that there was no evidence to support the existence of SLAP.

Authors called for increased assessment and reporting of existing levels of scientific consensus regarding complex, socially-contested environmental issues. (Note: The need would seem to extend beyond environmental issues. Also, while consensus is not science, awareness of consensus levels may add to understanding and improve media reporting.)

You can read a follow-up summary and perspective by E. Maibach and S. van der Linden reported in Environmental Research Letters here .

Innovative project by the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists

Recently we added to the ACDC collection a report in the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) newsletter about a pioneering project by members of the British Guild. They are seeing results of their efforts to help form the first school-based agricultural training centre in Nepal. Their fund-raising efforts also are supporting a project focused on microcredit for a rural women’s group in Nepal.

Congratulations to the British Guild, partnering with the British charitable organization, Global Action Nepal, in these development efforts.  You can read the IFAJ article here .

Five recent articles in the Journal of Applied Communications

Here are the titles and authors of five articles in the fourth 2016 issue of JAC . It is published by the Association for Communication Excellence in Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACE):

  • “Viewer perceptions and preferences for Farmweek” by McKayla Brubaker, Quisto Settle, and Elizabeth Gregory North
  • “Making a case for McDonald’s: a qualitative case study examining the McDonald’s ‘Our Food Your Questions’ campaign” by Laura M. Gorham, Courtney Gibson, and Erica Irlbeck
  • “Promoting commodities through comic books: a framing analysis of the Captain Citrus campaign” by Tiffany M. Rogers, Joy N. Rumble, and Lisa K. Lundy
  • “Tweeting with authority: identifying influential participants in agriculture-related water quality Twitter conversations” by Ashlan E. Wickstrom and Annie R. Specht
  • “Exploring perspectives of the student competencies needed to advocate for agriculture” by Garrett M. Steede, Laura M. Gorham, and Erica Irlbeck

You can read them here .

How to tap into the archives of ACE

Eighty-five years of historical records involving a pioneering agricultural communicator organization in the U.S. are archived in the National Agricultural Library of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They involve ACE – known today as the Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Life and Human Sciences. Earlier titles included the American Association of Agricultural College Editors and Agricultural Communicators in Education.

The collection contains 50 boxes of organizational records dating back to the first gathering of land-grant college editors in 1913 at the University of Illinois. Records span the years from 1913 to 1998. They provide a first-hand view of development in this professional and scholarly field.

You can review a description and finding aid for these materials here .

Negative views of GM food – reflecting more than low levels of science education

Decisions about GM food are rarely about one issue and notably not just (or even mainly) about “the science.” Those perspectives emerged recently in the journal, New Genetics and Society. Liz Harfull, ACDC associate in South Australia, alerted us to the 2017 report of research by Heather Bray and Rachel Ankeny, University of Adelaide. The highly educated women in their qualitative research had many questions that they viewed as unanswered and looked for a higher level of discussion about their concerns.

“…it may be time for more sophisticated and broader engagement about genetic modification, against the backdrop of more complex considerations of values including those associated with food choice.”

You can read the journal article here .

Role of local TV weather forecasters in climate change education

An article in PLOS ONE (November 2015) offered evidence that local television weathercasters can play an important role in educating the public about climate change. Researchers used a telephone survey of 2,000 Virginia residents. Findings revealed that “exposure to local TV weather forecasts can increase viewers’ perceptions of extreme local weather events, which in time can increase their awareness about the impacts and reality of climate change.”

Results highlighted the importance of trust. Authors emphasized that it will be important for climate change communicators, including TV weathercasters, to display and maintain good, scientific credibility.

You can read the article, “Local climate experts,” here .

Communicator activities approaching

April 22-29, 2017
33rd Annual Conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education (AIAEE) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Information: http://www.aiaee.org

April 26-28, 2017
“Go big” 2017 Agri-Marketing Conference of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) in Dallas, Texas.
Information: http://nama.org/amc/home-2017

May 25-29, 2017
“Interventions: Communication Research and Practice.” Annual conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) in San Diego, California.
Information: http://www.icahdq.org/page/conference

June 13-16, 2017
“Renewal” Annual conference of the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) in New Orleans, Louisiana. Information: https://www.aceweb.org/page-1854417

June 20-22, 2017
“Setting the gold standard in agricultural public relations.” Annual meeting of the Agricultural Relations Council in Sacramento, California.
Information: https://www.agrelationscouncil.org/events/2017-arc-meeting-sacramento-ca

July 22-26, 2017
“Summit on the summit.”  Agricultural Media Summit near Salt Lake City, Utah. Joint meeting of the American Agricultural Editors’ Association, Livestock Publications Council, and the Connectiv Agri-Media Committee. Also site of the national meeting of Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow.
Information: http://agmediasummit.com/

Have you ever felt this?

We close this issue of ACDC News with an insight from John Muir about writing:

“Writing is like a glacier, grinding every inch of the way.”

Best wishes and good searching

Please pass along your reactions, suggestions and ideas. Feel free to invite our help as you search for information. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @ACDCUIUC . And please suggest (or send) agricultural communications documents we might add to this unique and valuable collection. We welcome them in hard copy (sent to Ag Comm Documentation Center, Room 510, 1101 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801) or in electronic format sent to docctr@library.illinois.edu

ACDC News – Issue 17-03

Posted on by Nicholas Ferraz de Oliveira

 

Artists can scream – scientists can’t

Recently we added to the ACDC collection an article in Yale Climate Connections reporting how visual artists are advancing dialog on climate. Author Lisa Palmer reported how artists have begun to:

  1. Address the nuances of science, making the story both scientifically rigorous and yet accessible
  2. Make climate change issues tangible to a public that tends to think the issue is remote from them in time and space

Palmer cited examples and observed that artists and scientists, working together, may provide new and innovative outlets for authoritative climate science and policy education.

You can read the article here .

Thirteen new agricultural communications research papers

We are adding these conference papers to the ACDC collection from the Agricultural Communications Section of the recent Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists (SAAS) conference in Mobile, Alabama. Topics range from local food messaging and Twitter discourse about food waste to branding in Extension and consumer response to animal slaughter videos.

You can read them here .

Wow — 175 years of agricultural publishing

A new digital exhibit on the ACDC website features the recent 175 th anniversary of Prairie Farmer , America’s oldest farm magazine. It has served Illinois readers continuously since early 1841. Caeli Cleary, agricultural communications senior and ACDC student assistant, developed the 13-slide exhibit. It highlights a few of the dramatic changes in agriculture and rural life which Prairie Farmer has covered (and influenced) across those years. We hope you may enjoy viewing it, as part of our digital exhibit series.

You can view it here .

Rural journalism can still be mighty risky

For years, ACDC has tracked freedom of information issues related to rural areas and the lives of residents. Covering agriculture can be mighty risky, even life threatening. News from the independent non-governmental organization, Reporters Without Borders, offers recent examples:

  • In southern Chad, a community radio station was closed by local authorities for covering disputes between herders and cultivators regarding land use. The station manager was detained.
  • Journalist Mae Azongo in Liberia received threats and was forced into hiding for reporting about female genital mutilation in rural areas, the plight of small farmers, and local development issues.
  • Three journalists were among eight persons lynched during a health team visit to a remote part of Guinea to inform people about dangers of the Ebola virus.
  • An indigenous Mayan community radio station was closed by local authorities. Community representatives and journalists were threatened and roughed up for defending ancestral land.

You can learn more about these incidents and read other examples here .

What the public and local decision makers want to know about water use

Recent survey research in Florida measured general public interest in 12 water subject areas. Priorities ranged from fertilizer and pesticide management (most interest – 39%) to landscape buffers (16%). City and county officials ranked their areas of interest from community actions concerning water issues (23%) to forest management (3%).

Authors of this article in the Journal of Agricultural Education found that decision makers had a significantly less positive attitude towards agricultural water use than did the general public.

You can read the 2016 article here .

Peace, conflict and other themes in communicating about development

Agriculture, health, women and children, environment, and population serve as major themes in reference to development throughout the world. A 2016 analysis of development themes in Mindanao expanded that list considerably. Researcher Nef Luczon analyzed development themes of independent films and videos (2010-2014) produced in that region of the Philippines.

Findings identified prominent themes anchored on:

  • Peace and conflict situations
  • Human rights
  • Indigenous peoples and their ancestral domains

You can read the abstract of the Media Watch journal article here . Check with us at docctr@library.illinois.edu for help in gaining full-text access.

Viewing farmland prices – echoes from a century ago

In a manuscript we added recently to the ACDC collection long-time agricultural editor Donald Murphy reported this view expressed by a farm reader of Wallaces Farmer (serving Iowa) in about 1907. More than a century later, it carries a familiar ring.

The reader recalled that raw, unimproved land in his section of northwestern Iowa in 1875 was selling for $4.50 per acre.  By 1880 it had risen to $7.00.  Then there was the prospect of a railroad and in 1882 the price of raw land jumped to $12.50. And by 1883 to $25 an acre.  He said he believed this advance is all more or less by speculation and that present prices of farm produce did not warrant the present prices of these lands.

Communicator activities approaching

April 2-8, 2017
2017 World Congress of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) in Gauteng and the West Cape, South Africa.

Information: http://www.ifaj-congress.org

April 22-29, 2017
33rd Annual Conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education (AIAEE) in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA.
Information: http://www.aiaee.org

April 26-28, 2017
“Go big” 2017 Agri-Marketing Conference of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) in Dallas, Texas USA.
Information: http://nama.org

May 25-29, 2017
“Interventions: Communication Research and Practice.” Annual conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) in San Diego, California.
Information: http://www.icahdq.org/page/conference

June 20-22, 2017
Annual meeting of the Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) in Sacramento, California USA.
Information: http://www.agrelationscouncil.org/events/2017-arc-meeting-sacramento-ca

I’d better repeat that

We close this issue of ACDC News with a reminder from novelist and philosopher André Gide who, decades ago, opened a lecture by noting:

“All of this has been said before, but since nobody listened, it must be said again.”

Best wishes and good searching

Please pass along your reactions, suggestions and ideas. Feel free to invite our help as you search for information. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @ACDCUIUC . And please suggest (or send) agricultural communications documents we might add to this unique and valuable collection. We welcome them in hard copy (sent to Ag Comm Documentation Center, Room 510, 1101 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801) or in electronic format sent to docctr@library.illinois.edu

ACDC News – Issue 17-02

Posted on by Nicholas Ferraz de Oliveira

What drives consumer purchase of green products

A recent article in the International Journal of Communication reported on beliefs and objectives that underlie green purchasing by Americans. Researchers used the term “green purchasing” to refer to the purchase and use of products that are less harmful to the natural environment or climate. Examples cited included solar panels, organic foods, and organic nonfood products. The study involved a structural model of climate change consumer activism.

Results supported the perspective that people who are motivated to take action on climate change believe it is real, human caused, dangerous, and solvable.” Findings suggested that these same beliefs underlie consumer activism. “Communication that creates concern about global warming and enhances beliefs about the power of consumer action is likely to stimulate green consumption.”

You can read the article here

Tracking consumers as promiscuous grocery shoppers

Undergraduate students at the University of Georgia got a first-hand look at food stores and shopping patterns in a recent class research project. A study reported in the Journal of Food Distribution Research (March 2016) described how class members gathered information from more than 3,000 food shoppers. Among the findings and conclusions:

  • “Food shoppers are promiscuous in their willingness to try many different grocers”
  • “For overall shopping experience, regional chains scored the highest CSI [consumer satisfaction index] and convenience stores the lowest CSI.”
  • “The significance of the survey is for students to learn smarter shopping and understand how goods are priced and marketed.”

You can read the abstract of this journal article (“Is being big better?”) here

Finding balance in society

Thanks to Hugh Maynard of Qu’anglo Communications and Consulting, Quebec, Canada, for this insight. It comes from a French extension movie on fertilizing walnut trees:

“Except for the whiz bang of technology, things haven’t changed much in a century.”

It fits a broader perspective that any sustainable society needs two dimensions. One involves experimentation and innovation. They help the society adapt to change. The other (just as important) involves a foundation of “what’s known and been found to work,” for stability over time.

“Five ways to cover the honey industry as a business reporter”

That is the title of a recent article by Debbi G. McCullough in the National Center for Business Journalism website. Citing information from the National Honey Board, the author touches on where most honey is produced in the U.S., varied uses of honey, crops dependent on honey, trends in honey importing and instances of honey fraud.

You can read the article here

When women weren’t broadcasting about agriculture

A useful professional reminder came to our attention recently when Colleen Callahan – first woman president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (2002) – was recognized in Illinois as one of 10 pioneering women. She explained:

“I was lucky enough to get an interview at Channel 3 in Champaign, even though the job was in Peoria. During the interview, I was asked one question I’d anticipated : ‘What will farmers think when they hear a woman talking about agriculture?’ I said I’d use my dad as a model listener. I already know what he expects – if I can present the material in a clear, concise manner, it shouldn’t make any difference whether it’s a man, a woman, or a dog barking out the information. They took a chance and it worked out for Midwest Television and me for 32 years.”

A decade of service: ICT in Agriculture

Congratulations to co-editors Ehud Gelb and Andy Offer, authors, and sponsors who are observing a remarkably-successful decade for their public domain e-book, ICT in Agriculture .

“Our e-Book’s ultimate goal was and remains an encouraging reference tool specifically geared for would-be ICT in Agriculture policy-makers, hands on and conceptual developers, extension, agents of change, disseminators, ICT producers, and their product’s end users,” explains Dr. Gelb of Hebrew University, Rehovot, Israel.

You can see 10-year statistics of the continuing use of this resource throughout the world here

Communicator activities approaching

February 15-18, 2017
“Innovative approaches to Extension for upliftment of poor and tribal farmers.” 6th International Conference of the International Society of Extension Education (INSEE) in Dawn, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Information: http://www.inseeworld.com/seminars.htm

April 2-8, 2017
2017 World Congress of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) in Gauteng and the West Cape, South Africa.
Information: http://www.ifaj-congress.org

April 22-29, 2017
33rd Annual Conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education (AIAEE) in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA.
Information: http://www.aiaee.org

April 26-28, 2017
“Go big” 2017 Agri-Marketing Conference of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) in Dallas, Texas USA.
Information: http://nama.org/amc/schedule

June 20-22, 2017
Annual meeting of the Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) in Sacramento, California USA.
Information: http://www.agrelationscouncil.org/events/2017-arc-meeting-sacramento-ca

Another example of “missed signals” in communicating

We close this issue of ACDC News with an example of “missed signals” in rural travel:

Customer:  “I want a ticket to New York City.”
Airline agent:  “By Buffalo?”
Customer:  “I guess that’s OK, if the saddle is comfortable.”

Best wishes and good searching

Please pass along your reactions, suggestions and ideas. Feel free to invite our help as you search for information. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @ACDCUIUC . And please suggest (or send) agricultural communications documents we might add to this unique and valuable collection. We welcome them in hard copy (sent to Ag Comm Documentation Center, Room 510, 1101 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801) or in electronic format sent to docctr@library.illinois.edu

ACDC News – Issue 17-01

Posted on by Nicholas Ferraz de Oliveira

A New Year thought

We introduce this “Welcome, 2017” issue of ACDC News with a thought from Ralph Waldo Emerson about the key role of mindsets and communicating with one’s self. His perspective resonates here in ACDC as we gather what is known about communicating well (or poorly) in the huge and vital food and agriculture enterprise – within and among nations – local to global:

“What lies behind us
and what lies before us
are small matters
compared to what lies within us.”

Using data mining and social media analysis to monitor food crises

A research team in Germany explored how information from public-accessible internet sources, like Twitter and Wikipedia, can be harnessed for food crisis communication. They monitored messaging about the outbreak of Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli 0104:H4 (EHEC) in Germany and neighboring countries starting in 2011.

Researchers found, for example, how they could measure public interest in the topic and gain early warning from online resources, detecting food safety issues that represent potential threats. Findings also shed light on methods for managing these complex tasks.

You can read the article in the International Journal of Food System Dynamics here .

Do food firms advertise and price to maximize profits?

No, they may deviate significantly from profit maximization. That finding is reported in a 2016 research report we have added to the ACDC collection. Two University of Connecticut economists studied advertising and pricing strategies in four food industries: beer, carbonated soft drinks, ready-to-eat cereal, and yogurt during 2005-2011. Findings suggested that entry-deterrence can account for deviation from short-term profit maximization. For example:

  • When potential entrants are extremely uncompetitive or extremely competitive, incumbent firms may reduce advertising and raise prices to signal their strength.
  • Incumbent firms’ use of lower prices and higher advertising may encourage entrance by signaling that there is great potential for profits.

You can read the conference research paper here .

Congratulations – 175 th anniversary of Prairie Farmer

Congratulations to Prairie Farmer (serving farmers of Illinois) on 175 years of continuous publishing, “making it the oldest magazine in America.” It stands as an amazing story of service, impact, and resilience.

You can read a news release about the achievement here .

Also, we would report that the ACDC collection includes more than 125 books, articles, reports, and other literature about Prairie Farmer , dating back to 1885. These resources involve, for example:

  • Special issues
  • Features involving the editorial staff
  • Content analyses
  • Readership reports
  • Reports of publishing innovations and ownership changes
  • Impact and contributions
  • Articles about communicating rural-urban issues

You can view the full list of citations at http://library.illinois.edu/funkaces/acdc . Go to “Start your Search” and enter “Prairie Farmer” in the search box.

What a scattered body of literature

We have often expressed our amazement at the wide scatter of literature about communications related to agriculture. The challenge is not due to lack of organization or focus; the challenge is simply broad and huge. Communications scholar Steven Chaffee caught the essence of it more than 30 years ago:

“Communication is just too central to all human activity not to attract the interests of economists, psychologists, sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists, and historians.”

His list is incomplete, of course, in terms of agricultural communications

This subject area extends far beyond human interactions in the social sciences and humanities. Communications is also central in the entire food complex, natural and physical sciences, engineering and technology, and all other fields of human activity. Here are a few sample journals in which we have found agricultural communications literature recently:

Biological Conservation
Trends in Plant Science
New Genetics and Society
Ecological Informatics
Food Chemistry
Nature Biotechnology
Global Environmental Change

This is why we scout so broadly for literature that can serve the interests of agricultural communications practitioners, researchers, teachers, students, and others. Human communicating is at the heart of agriculture.

Earliest Gallup report on consumer interest in organic foods

Forty-five percent of Americans were trying to include organic foods in their diets during 2014 when Gallup, Inc., first included them in the annual Consumption Habits survey. We recently added that benchmark report to the ACDC collection.  Among the findings:

  • Fifteen percent said they actively tried to avoid organic foods.
  • Organic foods ranked in the middle of the list of 12 others measured – trailing fruits and vegetables by a wide margin, but well ahead of fat, soda and sugar.
  • Americans who reported living in a big or small city were more likely to eat organic foods than those in towns or rural areas (50 percent versus 37 percent).
  • Inclusion of organic foods was highest in the West (54 percent) and lowest in the East (39 percent)

You can read that baseline summary here .

Communicator activities approaching

January 27, 2017
Deadline for research papers to be presented at the 2017 meeting of the Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Life and Human Sciences (ACE) on June 12-15, 2017, in New Orleans, Louisiana USA. At least one author must be an ACE member.
Information: Research Director Courtney Gibson at Courtney.d.gibson@ttu.edu

February 15-18, 2017
“Innovative approaches to Extension for upliftment of poor and tribal farmers.” 6th International Conference of the International Society of Extension Education (INSEE) in Dawn, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Information: http://www.inseeworld.com/seminars.htm

April 2-8, 2017
2017 World Congress of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) in Gauteng and the West Cape, South Africa.
Information: http://www.ifaj-congress.org

April 22-29, 2017
33rd Annual Conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education (AIAEE) in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA.
Information: http://www.aiaee.org

April 26-28, 2017
“Go big” 2017 Agri-Marketing Conference of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) in Dallas, Texas USA.
Information: http://name.org/amc/home-2017

As the 35 th anniversary of ACDC passes

How many languages are represented in the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center?

Most material in the ACDC collection involves English language. However, 82 languages are represented currently in the literature of this collection. Huge needs and potentials remain.

Best wishes and good searching

Please pass along your reactions, suggestions and ideas. Feel free to invite our help as you search for information. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @ACDCUIUC . And please suggest (or send) agricultural communications documents we might add to this unique and valuable collection. We welcome them in hard copy (sent to Ag Comm Documentation Center, Room 510, 1101 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801) or in electronic format sent to docctr@library.illinois.edu