Scary good, not scary bad.

Not monster as in horror-scary, but monster as in transcendent advertising ideas. Ideas that make consumers connect to brands and clients and agencies say, “Damn, I wish I’d thought of that.”

First, it’s clear that Stefan is a story teller – a presenter extraordinaire and someone who’s passionate about the state of advertising. I agree with his thought that now is the best time to be in advertising. Why? Because our ideas are not limited by methods of distribution or other traditional marketing communication constraints. Things have changed a bit from the days of Mad Men, and I’m not just talking about three-martini lunches.

Monster Changes

There was a time when advertising was as simple as presenting a product to an audience, and advertisers limited the information they released. Stranger still, if consumers wanted to know about a new laundry detergent they had to wait to see it in the usual places: newspapers, magazines billboards, TV.

Today, nothing is simple. Consumers have the ability to put more information at their fingertips and to pass judgment on it immediately. The new consumer responds more favorably to an emotional bond with their products – and those bonds are best made by Monster Ideas.

Monster Rules

What makes an idea Monster? Stefan lists these seven great check points.

1. Emotion – does it make an emotional connection?

2. Experiential – can you make the “rules” conform to you?

3. Entertaining – does the communication make me want to watch or share it?

4. Novel – has this been done before?

5. Authentic -don’t pretend to be something you’re not.

6. Story – humans love stories, why do you think movies do so well? Does your idea allow people to immerse themselves in the story?

7. Scary – there is always a leap of faith with truly Monster ideas. There won’t be examples to show, or data to cross reference, to comfort your queasy stomach.

Stefan had plenty of examples of his thinking, including Toyota’s Swagger Wagon, Domino’s delivery and the iconic Halo 3 Believe campaign. From them and many others, I encourage you as he encouraged the Art and Copy Club crowd, “Don’t go chasing dogs, chase monsters.”

What examples of Monster Ideas have you seen?

Shaun Crockett is an art director and builder, in AdFarm’s Kansas City office. He is compared (kindly) to Stephen Holder, from AMC’s The Killing.

Missouri farmer Mark Lehenbauer (l) and AdFarmer Ken Ohlemeyer (r) in conversation

However, gumbo isn’t the only thing that sticks with you when you spend some time with Mark. So too does his enthusiasm for farming with his family and building a profitable and sustainable business using technology and good old-fashioned business acumen.

A first for AdFarm St. Louis

St. Louis AdFarmers were introduced to Mark on our first-ever Farm Day Tour earlier this spring. A fourth-generation farmer, Mark manages the row crop production and marketing of corn, soybeans and wheat for the family business. He also oversees the reproduction and health aspects of their purebred Angus and commercial herds.

His dad Ron manages the cow and haying operations and makes sure the crop side runs smoothly in the spring and fall, filling in where needed.  In addition to her career as a registered nurse, Mark’s mom Michelle is responsible for the accounting and record keeping. Mark’s wife Amy manages the cattle records and assists with the cattle operation, while also pursing an off-farm career.

The Lehenbauers were early adopters of precision agriculture in the 1990s, employing technology such as crop sensing, variable rate applications and auto steer to make multiple passes more efficiently. They have also built cattle feeding facilities that provide animals with better comfort and shelter from Missouri’s heat and humidity during the summer months.

“We use the latest tools to minimize our environmental footprint while maintaining maximum profitability per acre,” explains Mark. “Every step from planting to marketing in our row crop operation is scrutinized, to make sure that it makes sense logically and profitably.”

We’re in the people business

He sees farming in terms of the relationships with his family, neighbors and suppliers. Most of his time is spent either on the phone sharing advice with neighbors, checking market prices or chatting with local extension guys or his agronomist. Mark’s main information sources are found online, rather than in traditional print or broadcast media.

To that end, the Lehenbauer farm maintains a website and Mark uses Twitter to deliver updates on planting progress.

“Traditions tend to die hard but we feel that those who look forward to the future and adapt new practices will be here for many years to come,” he says.

Do you know farmers in your area who are embracing technology like Mark? We’d like to hear about them.

Ron Wall was born in Saskatchewan, lives in Missouri and writes from both sides of the border.

The President has plans for American agriculture.

With the final presidential pairing – Romney vs. incumbent Barack Obama – all but official, now’s a good time to take a similar look at the president’s positions on ag policy over the past four years, as well as what we might expect during a second term.

Passing grades?

As a native Iowan, I’ll admit to obvious bias for my home state, so I hope you’ll forgive me by starting this discussion with the presidential candidate report card that was compiled and released by the Iowa Corn Growers Association prior to the January 3^rd caucuses that started the 2012 presidential marathon.  Each candidate was scored on the areas of energy, farm programs, trade, EPA and transportation. President Obama checked in with an overall B grade. Interestingly, candidate Romney registered exactly the same grade, which perhaps only reinforces conservatives’ concern that Romney isn’t conservative enough for their tastes.

When you look at President Obama’s tenure over the past three-and-a-half years, a key priority has been walking that fine line between supporting so-called “Big Ag” while also promoting and elevating small farmers. If progressives and conservatives alike both find fault, then the administration may indeed be achieving some element of balance, as is indicated in this insightful Politico profile on President Obama’s Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

I See Budget Cuts…

While no one can predict with certainty what a second term would look like, the initial 2013 Federal Budget submitted in February by the Obama administration – including recent discussions over the 2012 Farm Bill – provide some strong clues.

• It’s not surprising that in the year of a general election there is a strong appetite for reducing federal spending., Agriculture, –of course, is an easy target. The initial budget proposed cutting $32 billion over 10 years by eliminating direct payments, reducing crop insurance spending and “better targeting conservation spending.” The initial 2012 Farm Bill legislation approved by a 16 to 5 vote by the Senate Agriculture Committee on April 26^th would reduce this figure to an estimated $23.4 billion over ten years.
• The Obama Administration’s budget includes a recommended investment of $6.1 billion in renewable and clean energy, including support of ethanol and other current and next-generation biofuels.
• The Obama budget also offers an element of support to smaller farmers, through slight increases in funding for the USDA’s Research, Education and Economics mission and the USDA-ARS (Agricultural Research Service).

While those of us in Iowa have been living with presidential politics for more than a year, the race – as they say – has only just begun. As it progresses through the summer and fall, it will be interesting to see if the differences in agricultural policy between the two candidates are real or rhetoric.

Dan Kirkpatrick is an AdFarm PR and business development guy who lives and works in Iowa.

Election campaigns are not known for being the place where substantive discussions about policy occur. After all, why let facts get in the way of a good sound bite, a clever quip or sharp rejoinder?

The same applies to agriculture policy and what will become of the Farm Bill, should one of the contenders be elected President in November. Now that the field has been trimmed to four candidates, here’s a brief overview of where each one stands.

Thanks to the good folks at Harvest Public Media. They did most of the heavy lifting and sifting through the news sources, forums and speeches. I’ve excerpted their findings here. They are presented based on the poll numbers and number of delegates at the time of publication.

Gov. Mitt Romney

When it comes to the Farm Bill, Gov. Romney has said little on crop insurance and conservation. According the Iowa Corn Growers Association’s presidential candidates’ report card, he got a “C” for his support of the ACRE program which provides revenue insurance to commodity crops. However, he did receive an “A” for his stand on supporting free-trade agreements.

He has said that he will put tariffs on imports from China to compensate for the country’s low currency but has not addressed what impact that may have on the Chinese imports of U.S products such as corn, soybeans and pork.

Not a fan of rules and regulations that hold back business, Romney has said that he would take aim at the EPA saying in a December 2011 interview with Fox News, “of all the agencies in Washington, it is the one most being used by this president to try to hold down, crush and insert the federal government into the life of the private sector.”

Sen. Rick Santorum

Sen. Santorum has said that the government’s crop insurance program may need to be scaled back due to budget issues. A supporter of agricultural subsidies in the past, Santorum specifically backed the Milk Income Loss Contract for dairy farmers. However, he does oppose subsidies for ethanol production and prefers a free-market approach to the energy.

“I believe we have to get rid of all tax incentives to all energy industry. I don’t think we should create a heart attack for any industry but we should phase them out over a period of time,” he said at an Iowa candidates forum last November.

Like Romney, Santorum favors overturning EPA regulations put in place during the Obama administration. He, too, is a proponent of expanding free-trade agreements with Columbia, Panama and South Korea.

Newt Gingrich

The Iowa Corn Growers Association awarded former Rep. and Speaker of the House Gingrich with an “A” for his stand on farm programs, the EPA, transportation, trade and energy. A firm believer in free-trade, Gingrich has advocated for tax write-offs of 100 percent for farm equipment made in the U.S. He has proposed a flat tax on income of 15 percent and strongly opposes estate taxes, calling them a “death tax.”

Calling his environmental position “green conservatism,” Gingrich says that conservation on the farm is a “useful way to support farmers while protecting the environment.” He believes that all energy should be sourced domestically and that bio-fuels will be an energy leader in the future.

If elected, Gingrich would replace the EPA with an “environmental solution agency.” He believes that “entrepreneurial environmentalism is a superior approach to bureaucratic, litigious, unrestrained regulation.”

Rep. Ron Paul

Like him or not, there is no doubting where Rep. Ron Paul stands on just about any issue. Here’s what he wrote about the 2008 Farm Bill:

“Those who believe federal farm programs benefit independent farmers should take note that after 70 years of this type of government intervention, small farms continue to struggle while large corporate farms control an ever-increasing share of the agricultural market. Subsidies for agribusiness should be stopped and the free market should be allowed to work.”

Rather than subsidies, Paul would like to see alternative energy technologies such as enthanol produced through tax credits rather than government subsidies. Under a Paul administration, the EPA is gone and polluters face property owners in court instead of going through Washington. He opposes all “unnecessary regulations on small businesses and entrepreneurs” exemplified by his support of raw milk, “I think you should make your own choice on whether you drink raw milk or not.”

In a nutshell, that’s where the four GOP contenders stand on agriculture. Have they told you enough to choose one over another? Is there something you’ve heard lately about where they stand on agriculture, food and farming?

Ron Wall was born in Saskatchewan, lives in Missouri and writes from both sides of the border.

The agricultural community has been engaged in discussions about proposed changes that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has put forward for the regulations governing youth labor in agriculture. While discussion is a good thing, the conversations have in some cases included speculation, and in other cases missed important points entirely.

Partially True Point #1: “My kids won’t be able to help with farm chores that help shape our values, such as a hard work ethic.” This argument is brought forward in opposition to the proposed changes. It is somewhat true and also somewhat false.

A long, hot summer on the Koehler farm.

The truth is that after receiving a strong response from the farming community, the DOL says it has changed its stance on the “parental exemption.” This exemption states that farm owners or operators’ children of any age will still be able to perform any activity otherwise prohibited to workers deemed too young. This exemption is supposed to include a farm organized as a corporation or partnership, as long as the parent has a “substantial interest” in the farm.

The term “substantial interest” remains vague. The farm community will have to monitor how the DOL defines it. Another unknown is whether grandchildren could work on their grandparents’ farms or nieces and nephews on uncles’ or aunts’ farms.

There should be another opportunity for public comment on the parental exemption in a revised DOL proposal, due out in early summer.

Partially True Point #2: “FFA and 4H livestock programs will be outlawed.” This concern is mostly false. The proposed rules apply to farm employees. FFA and 4H students would not be affected if they are performing animal husbandry on volunteer time, i.e., as long as they are not paid for their time working on FFA or 4H projects.

For FFA and 4H students who are interested in animal husbandry and who do not have farming parents, the proposed changes make high-school jobs like caring for livestock very difficult. Anyone younger than 16 years old would not be allowed to be paid for:

• branding, breeding, castrating, dehorning, vaccinating, or treating sick or injured animals;
• working in a yard, pen or stall with an in-tact stallion, boar or bull older than 6 months of age, a sow with suckling pigs, or a cow with a newborn calf;
• catching or cooping poultry;
• or herding animals on horseback, using motorized vehicles including ATVs, or in confined spaces such as feedlots or corrals (so basically any herding).

Remember, farmers’ children will be exempt from these rules. But those grandkids, nieces, nephews and children of parents who own a “less than substantial interest” in a farm corporation or partnership are still TBD.

Missing Point of Discussion: The proposed changes will reduce the maximum height at which hired farm workers under age 16 may work. It reduces the maximum height from the current standard of 20 feet to just 6 feet. This would include work on structures, ladders, vehicles, machines and implements.  So no more working in a haymow or stacking hay on a wagon or climbing to the top of a newer model combine or sitting on top of a detasseler carrier. This rule change could eliminate a large number of summer jobs for high-school kids in rural areas.

The farming community needs to keep focused on the DOL’s proposed rule changes. They could alter the way in which many children grow up in rural America, developing their love and respect for farming. Stay updated by viewing the Department of Labor website dedicated to the subject.

What other proposed changes do you think the farming community should question?

Heather Koehler works on the AdFarm public relations team. She and her brothers grew up working on her family’s eastern Pennsylvania farm that has employed the talents of young adults for years.

America’s farmers were on top of those things, freeing me up to do my thing.

In the course of history, it’s pretty recently that farmers have increased production to a point that frees up the other  97.5 percent of the population for their respective pursuits. Here are a few fun facts:

• The United States is one of the most advanced countries in the world because fewer farmers have continued to produce more and more food for the rest of society.
• In 1790, farmers accounted for 90% of the U.S. labor force.
• Today only 2.5% of the U.S. population produces enough food for everyone else in the country.
• Due to improved farming techniques, modern machinery, and technology, today’s farmer on average produces enough food for 155 people.

March 8th is National Ag Day. The official theme for the day is Agriculture: Affordable, Abundant, Amazing. In recognition of this theme, the talented folks at AdFarm have contributed to a video featuring the reflections of people who don’t work in agriculture but who, as a result of the contribution made by farmers, are free to do more with their lives.

You can watch our video here.

We at AdFarm, and myself personally, are privileged to work with and on behalf of, farmers around the world. Farming isn’t just a job. It’s a lifestyle. The commitment is huge and we are grateful for the work of farmers who feed our rapidly-growing world.

Thanks, farmers.

Sarah is a Minnesota farm kid turned communicator and AdFarm’s Director of Public Relations in the U.S. She tweets about ag, politics and parenting @skprkc

A lot of conversation has been buzzing in the agriculture community, since the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) put forward for suggested changes to its regulations on child labor in agriculture. The DOL is trying to make youth labor regulations in on-farm and non-farm employment more similar. The department’s goal is to improve safety conditions for youth employed in agriculture.

Local teenagers work on the Koehler family farm. Summer, 2010

Of course we all want to provide for the safety of our farm employees, especially youth. But those of us who grew up farming understand that compared to other occupations, farming can be hazardous. So we find ourselves asking the question, “What’s a better way to teach future farmers about those dangers: by alienating them from the dangers, or by showing them how to avoid or work safer around hazards?”

I do believe that work safety continues to improve as we integrate more technology, become more aware of farm safety issues, improve our farm facilities and become better managers. And we need to do our part and continue to improve work safety on our farms.

Instead of more regulations that impose further into our lives, most farmers would prefer continuing the educational programs and farm safety workshops that bring awareness to both adults and youth. Most of all, farmers stand by our ability to work side-by-side with our children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and young employees, providing real-life instruction (at appropriate ages) on how to responsibly avoid the dangers inherent in our hard-working profession.

As the DOL continues to sift through the comments they have received on the proposed changes, the department may alter some of their original proposals. It also appears that the DOL will again open its revisions to public comment. We need to make our voices heard, so youth can still have a place on the farm. In a society where white-collar careers have become the symbols for success, and hard, dirty work can be looked down upon, we should not discourage today’s youth from trying a job in farming.

What do you think? How can we best provide for the safety of young farm workers, while still encouraging them to farm?

Heather Koehler works on the AdFarm public relations team. She and her brothers grew up working on her family’s eastern Pennsylvania farm, where the talents of young adults have been employed for years.

Canada’s Food Freedom Day marked the calendar date by which the average Canadian had earned enough money to pay their entire year’s grocery bill. This year, that date fell on Sunday, February 12, 2012. This year’s calculations once again showed Canada as exhibiting one of the most affordable food systems of all industrialized countries. “As a comparison, Food Freedom Day in Iceland is in late February, while in Mexico it doesn’t come until early March,” Ontario Federation of Agriculture executive member Keith Currie, an AdFarm client, said in a separate statement.

Approximately 12 per cent of our yearly budgets go toward food. Farmers and supply chain dynamics keep food readily available and at a low cost for the vast majority of Canadians.

“Canadians can take pride in having some of the safest and most affordable food in the world. Farmers work hard to ensure the highest quality food is produced with exemplary food safety, animal welfare and environmental standards,” said Canadian Federation of Agriculture president Ron Bonnett.

Just a couple of generations ago, Canadians spent around 40 per cent of their budgets on food. While this decline in food pricing can be attributed to a few things, we know for sure improvements to food chain dynamics were a big part of that.

AdFarm has seen dramatically improved efficiencies in operations through the years – from technology to producers, processors and retail. It is these chain-wide efficiencies that made Food Freedom Day fall only 43 days into the calendar year. Congratulations to us all!

AdFarm’s Calgary staff went out into the city on February 9, with support from Southern Alberta Institute of Technology’s Culinary School, Sunterra Market, Kingsland Farmers’ Market and Bankers Hall, and through the generosity of Calgarians helped to draw in 430 pounds of food donations for the local food bank.

AdFarm’s Guelph staff sourced fresh food from area farmers on February 10 and drove up to Guelph’s local food bank with 200 pounds  of potatoes, 10 bushels of apples, 6 jugs of maple syrup, 6 jars of honey, 27 pounds of cheese, 40 pounds of ground beef and 42 pounds of sausage. A special thank you to Maple Crisp Orchard, Thornloe Cheese and Wellington Country Marketplace for your exceptional product and participation!

Our nation’s less fortunate don’t have the luxury of choice in their diet. Any program that is able to draw in healthy food for those in need is a success, in my mind’s eye!

In addition to the food pulled in for those in need, there was a good stream of social media activity for Food Freedom Day. AdFarm, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture worked to navigate discussion on media platforms, Facebook and Twitter leading up to Food Freedom Day. Our collective efforts appear to have paid off as we saw excellent engagement on the issue.

AdFarm will continue to look for opportunities to engage our audiences in discussion about topics that we feel are instrumental in helping to improve upon a healthy North American food model. If you have ideas for programs/areas of discussion, please share.

For more photos from Food Freedom Day visit www.flickr.com/photos/adfarm.

‘

Wendy is the Director of Public Relations, Canada with AdFarm. You can reach Wendy via email at wendy.ell@adfarmonline.com or follow her on Twitter at @wendy_PRLady.

U.S. Capitol, where complexity reaches a fever pitch.

I’m not sure if it’s because we Americans are in the throes of an election year or because I’ve spent the last few months immersed in agriculture after a time away from the industry, but it seems lately people I encounter are quick to offer their clear and simplistic opinion of subjects that tend to be, well, pretty complex.

Or maybe it’s because we have Facebook and Twitter now, so I know the opinions of more people on more subjects than I ever would have imagined possible a few years ago.

Either way, it seems that some of the most heated debates in politics and agriculture have one thing in common: too many people think there exists a simple “right or wrong” answer.  Rarely are issues of consequence easy to decide. Rarely is an opinion completely black or white.  Can informed, well-meaning people have differing opinions? And not constantly be at one anothers’ throats?

It’s My Way or the Highway

There are certain topics that really seem to galvanize public opinion. In politics in 2011, credit ratings for US treasury bonds were downgraded for the first time in history. The debt ceiling crisis put a microscope on the inability of the two political parties to work together for the good of the nation. Turns out, nothing is more important than party loyalty. Politicians, pundits and regular Joes/Janes all seem to reduce the complex issues into black and white: my way, or no way.

If trying to get a handle on crazy, out-of-control debt and not falling, as a country, into sovereign default isn’t something our elected officials can reach an agreement on, is there anything they’ll put aside special interest-loyalties to accomplish? Can a complex, but correct solution be reached? Nothing about reaching that solution is simple.

The Way I Farm Is Better Than The Way You Farm

In agriculture, some of the galvanizing topics that tend to get tunnel vision treatment are the perceived superiority of organically produced food, and concerns over livestock production. But nothing takes off the blinders more quickly than going right to the source, and learning what’s really involved.

View of Climax, MN from my family’s farm.

During a recent blogger tour for KnowACaliforniaFarmer.com, the group visited a Naturipe strawberry field, where the farm manager visited with bloggers about how organic strawberries are grown and compared that to how conventional strawberries are grown; he grows both. Turns out, both require pesticides (bugs eat strawberries) and both require fertilization. Whether pesticides are made from synthetic or naturally-occurring ingredients, and whether fertilizer is urea or fish meal-based, the takeaway wasn’t a decisive organic or conventional is better than the other.It’s not that simple. Farming is complicated.

Our group of bloggers noted that every question they raised about how conventional produce is grown and every question they raised about how organic produce is grown had intricate answers.  At the end of the tour, I believe that one important takeaway was that farmers need to produce enough food to feed the people who need to eat and no element of how they do that is simple.

The Long and Short

Just like most issues in an election can’t be easily categorized, most aspects of farming are also complex. And that’s OK. Rarely are issues of consequence easy to decide.

It’s easy to become self-protective when you’re deeply involved in an issue. It’s harder to back up and help others understand as many of the elements of a complex issue as are needed to begin creating an informed opinion.

How do you form opinions on complex subjects that are important to you and your family? Do your opinions evolve?  Is it possible, through debate to change your position on an issue?

Sarah is AdFarm’s Director of Public Relations in the U.S. and, her co-workers can attest, talks politics way too much. She tweets about ag, politics and parenting @skprkc.

On December 6-7 in Lethbridge, Alberta farmers, researchers, consultants and ag specialists came together at the Farming Smarter Conference to discuss new market opportunities, branding, industry trends, research findings, innovative practices and on-farm management.

Farming Smarter is the newly formed association and amalgamation of efforts between the Southern Alberta Conservation Association (SACA) and the Southern Applied Research Association (SARA). The new association has committed to continuing on with fall ag conferences in the Alberta areas of Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. The organization plans to soon launch a new website, rich with resource materials and industry information. Their current website outlines their key directives and projects. Look for their new site, set to launch in January of 2012.

This year’s conference discussions included such things as: 2012 grain opportunities and challenges, new commodity markets to watch, recycling on the farm, how best to manage community diseases like the wheat streak mosaic virus and stripe rust (expected to hit Alberta in the spring), good stewardship practices and neighborly actions, the hydrologic response that is showing up from wetlands drainage in Canada, whether the abolition of the Canadian Wheat Board structure will truly bring marketing freedom, and how to use the various social media platforms to your advantage to better build your business. A lot of great discussion!!

Kevin Hursh, writer and ag consultant extraordinaire from Saskatchewan provided a nice statistical look at Canadian Agriculture and did a great job of identifying future opportunities for Alberta area farmers in the audience. He asked guests to take a close look at lentils, biodiesel grains like mustard and to start following along in the R&D process of canaryseed. Programs are currently in process to work with the canaryseed so that it can be made available for human consumption – and moreover, offer a healthy profile to consumers. Those looking for another gluten-free option might want to keep this on their radar. Possible canaryseed uses are sesame seed replacement, specialty starch, and vermicelli noodles.

Tom Droog, a passionate story-teller, gave guests a glimpse into the hurdles and hoops he encountered through the years as he developed his Spitz business into an empire worthy of purchase by one of North America’s most admired snack-food companies, PepsiCo.

Shaun Haney and Gary Chambers, social media participants with media/blog sites http://www.realagriculture.com/ and http://www.tractorview.com/ did a stand-up job of introducing and outlining the primary tools of social media to conference guests. I liked how they started off their presentation outlining the key differences between social media use/adoption (among the ag community) in Canada and the U.S. They explained how the platforms are being used for both animal and environmental activism as well as less intense information sharing about “what is happening on the farm” (marketing, issues, management practices, story sharing). It is successful social media users like Shaun and Gary (and AdFarm, for that matter) that help to shape the online ag discussion in a constructive, rewarding fashion. For those of you on Twitter, you may want to check out hashtag #Agchat, a weekly conversation for folks involved in the business of growing food, fuel, feed and fiber. Discussions take place every Tuesday, 8-10pm ET.

Thanks to Ken Coles and his team at Farming Smarter for a great conference. I look forward to the opportunity of listening in on the discussions again next year!

Wendy is the Director of Public Relations with AdFarm. You can reach Wendy via email at wendy.ell@adfarmonline.com or follow her on Twitter at @wendy_PRLady.