Field Notes

Mid-summer, I received a text from Jesse Heimer. We had already produced three videos for Heimer Hampshires and a fourth was in the wings. Jesse's text included a photo of the dashboard of his truck displaying some Mark Chesnutt album artwork. The song playing was titled "There Won't be Another Now."

When Hannah Thompson-Weeman turned 8 years old, a family friend gave her a Brown Swiss heifer named Joy to show in 4-H. From that day, she was hooked. Her passion for dairy cows and communications grew as she participated in 4-H, dairy judging teams and the FFA Agricultural Communication Career Development Event. Those experiences led her to two degrees from the agricultural communication program at Ohio State and now, just a few years later, she is the Vice President of Communications at the Animal Agriculture Alliance.

In a way, I guess you could say I always knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. Well kind of...

It's never easy. In fact, many times, the hardest part is getting started. But for me, I didn't even know what was happening until it was over.Today someone asked, "How did you get started taking creative photos?"

Growing up as the fifth generation on her family’s farm instilled the morals, ambition and passion that led Lyndsey Murphy to become an entrepreneur. Starting her business, The Hive, as a place to bring people together around food and agriculture has been a journey from Mechanicsburg, Ohio to Washington, D.C., and back.

When you’re trying to start a new Facebook page, sometimes the smallest change can make a big difference. Adding one button or ensuring one setting is correct might not seem like a big deal, but if it drives just one more person to your website or to “like” your page, it’s worth it. Here are a few very simple ways to optimize your Facebook page.

Natalina Sents has been to more than 70 farms and seen at least 30 different types of agriculture! The Why I Farm Road Trip blogger has spent the last six months getting to know farmers across the country, learning and sharing their stories, and laughing and crying with them as they tell her those stories. She has six months left to go, but shares what her journey has been like so far.

"If you ate today, thank a farmer." Trust me, I had one of these stickers too. I grew up on a farm and I’m still very proud of the fact my dad helps feed the world. I always loved the feeling of pride I associate with saying “Thank a Farmer.” It always made me feel significant knowing my family was feeding the world. As I’ve worked at understanding consumers and learning to meet people where they are, I’ve realized, if we're not careful, this same sense of pride can also lead us to a mentality of feeling as though others owe us those thanks.

Grab some fresh herbs and spices, and make lamb the star of your next dinner party!

As I was writing scripts last night for an upcoming project I was inspired by these words which, while not suitable for the film, managed to find their way to the end of my pen. Have a great week. - BJE

A photo of dirty barn boots next to a nice pair of heels is a small image on her website about page, but is a powerful visual representation of Michele Payn’s career.  She is an entrepreneur, author, farmer, mother, innovator and science enthusiast, just to name a few of the shoes she fills. As the founder of Cause Matters Corp., a company that aims to connect people to their food from gate to plate, she works hard to address food myths and connect people to their food. Michele also started the #AgChat and #FoodChat Twitter chats that have developed into international programs, a foundation and thriving online communities.

A story with emotion is a story that connects with us, resonates with us and we can feel like we’re a part of it. We feel like “that could be us!”  Not because we see ourselves in that exact scenario, but because we know what those emotions feel like.