This past weekend, the Hoosier Ag Today team was honored to be invited to visit and share media experiences with Indiana’s future ag leaders. AgriInstitute’s Class 19 of the Indiana Agricultural Leadership Program met in Shipshewana for one of their final sessions before “graduating” later this year.
“A lot of my coworkers at Farm Credit have gone through the program and shared what a great experience it was,” says Farm Credit Mid-America Regional Vice President Brad Walker on why he decided to apply for the Ag Leadership Program. “And I’ve heard from several other industry leaders just the importance of gaining a deeper understanding of the industry and just how diverse agriculture is, but most importantly, really telling the story of agriculture.”
If you’re interested in learning more about the leadership program from AgriInstitute and how you could be considered for the next class, visit agriinstitute.org.
We often hear about how important it is to tell the story of agriculture, but how do we best do it? We shared with the group that it takes being proactive and creating relationships with journalists to spread that message.
“There is sort of this nervousness about having the opportunity to use media and our journalists as a way to help that story get told, and we’re trying to break down that barrier,” says Beth Archer, Executive Director of AgriInstitute. “There needs to be a partnership with those in the industry who have stories to tell with those of you who have the ability to get that story carried for us to a larger audience. So, developing the kinds of relationships and trust, and working with Hoosier Ag Today to do that, to help our folks see how we can be better storytellers.”
Walker says he plans on being more proactive with news media going forward.
“So, (we learned) the importance of reaching out to you at Hoosier Ag Today and sharing what might be a valuable piece of information to pass along to listeners. And I think just being authentic in our message and keeping it real with those that we’re speaking with about agriculture and all that we do.”
Here at Hoosier Ag Today, we are here to help tell the story of agriculture. If you have a news tip, share it with me by emailing eric@hoosieragtoday.com, or by finding us on social media.