Wrappin' It All Up

Well, it's now to wrap up the school year. Summer is now fast approaching and it couldn't be coming at a better time!

First and foremost I want to say that I have really enjoyed this year. I have especially enjoyed my agricultural communications class. I have come away with a better look on the ag world. I have a lot of cool facts about the different industries. I have also learned some of the nitty gritty facts about the agricultural communications industry. One that I want to share- DO NOT use agricultural communications and agricultural journalism as the same! I think my teacher has definitely made that one clear!

This class has made me even more excited to pursue my career in agriculture!

Flooding= No Bueno

The Mississippi River's flooding is not coming with cheers from the agriculture industry. The flooding is affecting trucking firms, shippers, and farmers/growers. Yes, we are in California so why should you care. But start caring NOW! 

Here's why you need to care. The floods have caused major closures and detours on the freeways and highways. This means fresh produce getting to us late. It will also drive the price up of that fresh produce. 

So what fresh produce will we maybe see less of? The two big crops from the area are corn and rice. Only 1% of the summer corn crops have been planted in Mississippi. Thanks to the flooding there will be late planting in all the affected states. The flooding has affected about 900, 000 acres of farmland! 

Sadly, everything will not return to normally after the water recedes. When farmland is affected by flooding, the nutrients and soil is destroyed. The flooding takes away the nutrients and the top soil that farmers need to grow successful crops. 

So when you go to buy some fresh corn in the up coming days, think about where it came from. It didn't have to come from Mississippi, but if it did I'm sure the price is going to be pretty high! 

P.S. For all you music junkies (like me), the music landmarks in Nashville and Memphis haven't been affected. 

Crisis Communication

So being I am an Agricultural Communications major, I'm going to blog about some poor communication skills of a cattle ranch.

Basically, a cattle ranch was mistreating calves and they weren't being properly euthanized. A video was taken of these acts, which made its way to the internet for the rest of the world to see and know. The owner of the ranch was oblivious to what was going on. But bad move on his part, he never released a comment about the situation.

So what should he have done in that situation? Hide under the bed like a baby? No. He needed to address the public and apologize for the workers' actions. He needed to explained that he was unaware of it. Also the owner needed to mention the future measures he's going to take so it won't happen again.

If the owner was to do all this effectively and in a timely manner, he could have avoided some negative media. He still is going to have it, but by addressing the situation correctly, he can quickly put out some of the fires.

Where Is Your Food From?

So have you stopped to think where your fresh fruits or vegetables are from? Or even what dairy your milk came from? And how about those eggs? Do you know where in the U.S they were grown? Were they even grown in the U.S?

Today so many people are unaware of where their fresh produce came from. No one ever stops to think where it comes from. It's a important question/topic that's not being addressed.

I think its important to buy fresh produce from the U.S. (Its not even that hard to find U.S grown produce.) But more importantly, we need to buy locally grown produce. This helps the local farmers. It creates a growing economy in the agriculture industry, too.

I just ask that the next time you go out to buy some fresh produce, stop and think where was it grown. Or maybe skip the grocery store vegetables, and go to your farmers market and buy straight from the source!

Lots & Lots of Green Fields

This past weekend I decided to hike the legendary mountain of SLO, Bishop's Peak. During my hike I came to realized that not only was I getting an amazing workout but that there are so many fields in the area. It made me appreciate living in this beautiful Central Californian Coastal area.

I had to also think to myself that only in Ca do we have vast amounts of land set aside for agriculture. I would love someone to beg to differ this- but that is true beauty. And to think that the Earth (with some extra help from us) can give such nutrient rich and vital crops, wow!

Today, I had the opportunity to listen to a sustainable farmer speak/lecture. (I won't mention any names). I loved what he had to say about the whole idea of sustainable practices and how to better the Earth and soil and air, and the list can go on and on 'till I turn blue... But then he started to ramble and babble about farmers being careless with the land. He had the nerve to continue that our society has been the best at destroying the soil. Yes, this man is trying to sell his idea of sustainability, but Mr. Sustainability, puh-lease don't go bashing the farmers that aren't. I think that is the one misconception I can't stand.

For the future, I want people to understand that farmers are not careless with the soil. I mean think about it... without that nutrient rich soil they have no crops and therefore have no job, and eventually the rest of us have no food. So DUH these guys are going to take of the soil! If only the rest of the population could understand this simple logic. (I'm sure there is more involved than what I said, but for this blogging purpose I'll leave it at that.)

Don't Blink, You Might Miss Out on Some Technology

Holy moly, technology is becoming better and better these days. Can you remember your family's first computer? Or how about your first cell phone or iPod? It's one of those memories that you will never forget. I like to compare it to our parents' memories of their first colored tv's.

I think that my generation has been the most influenced by the ever-changing technology. Like my Jour 205 professor said that there's going to be jobs and careers that never existed 5 years ago thanks to technology advances.

I remember when my dad first got a company cell phone. It was one of those chunky Nokia's. It had the 20 ft antenna (well not 20ft but you what I mean) and was way too big to put in your pocket. The damn thing took like 20 minutes to turn on, too!

I also remember my first Ipod, it was a generation one Shuffle. It was compared to a stick of gum. It was such a big deal to be able to listen to my music without luggin' around my CD case or some spare batteries for my janky CD player/walkman.

Can't forget the internet! Think how much that has changed! No more dial up, no more super slow loading times. Its all about high speed and wireless. The internet holds so much power too! It can reach anyone in the world (as long as they have internet.) Things can be done instantly with it. Thanks to the internet we have Facebook, Youtube, Itunes Store, this Blogger.com site, and so much more!

Think to yourself, what would you do without technology today. You would have no cell phone, no iPod, no computer, no internet... Wow life would be pretty rough! I mean we go into a panic when one of these things, god-forbid, breaks or stops working.

But look at us now, we have iPhones, iPods, super small laptops and desktop computers, touch screen cell phones, Bluetooth, and the list can go on and on. Let's just be thankful for all those super smart nerds that can come up with all this.(Us aggies can use this technology to inform the rest of the world.)

First Impressions

Today I started my first day in my Agricultural Communications class, Jour 205. Of course, like any new experience, we have initial feelings or impressions towards the experience. That being said, I would like to share with you my first impressions of the class.

Like any college student most of my impressions are based off the class syllabus. My first impression from the syllabus is that there is a lot of work involved, but duh its a college class. I don’t think the work load will make the class extremely hard. I’m looking forward to the group projects and being able to learn things that will help me in my career. My next impression from the syllabus is that the professor cares about the students in the class. The professor planned out the tentative schedule for the quarter and to me that shows the professor has prepared and is ready for the class.

Overall, I think this class is going to be one of my favorite classes of the quarter and I’m excited for what’s ahead!