Editor’s Note:
Last Wednesday, I was inducted into the Ag Public Relations Hall of Fame. What follows are the tips from my career that I shared during the induction ceremony. Providing background for each tip makes this post extra long ... but what the heck, how often do you get inducted into a Hall of Fame?!
I’m going to share a few stories that I hope provide useful tips for your professional career.
Among those tips are:
My life in agricultural public relations began when I was growing up ... I just didn’t know it at the time!
I grew up on a bull farm. My dad was a pioneer in the AI business ... which then stood for artificial insemination. Part of Dad’s work in the 1940s and 50s was convincing dairy farmers that AI was better than the backyard bull.
Those early experiences included ...
- Having the “luck” to be at the right place at the right time.
- Be willing to say “yes” even if it puts you out of your comfort zone.
- Associate with positive, proactive professionals.
My life in agricultural public relations began when I was growing up ... I just didn’t know it at the time!
I grew up on a bull farm. My dad was a pioneer in the AI business ... which then stood for artificial insemination. Part of Dad’s work in the 1940s and 50s was convincing dairy farmers that AI was better than the backyard bull.
Those early experiences included ...
- The test tube calf trailer at county fairs to show farmers that a calf born from AI looked just like a calf born via “the old bull.”
- Jersey bull Colonel Harry’s 10th birthday cake; the photo of which a journalism prof shared 15 years later as an example of press agentry!
- Bull of Your Choice, Bull O’Rama field days and Flying Bull.