There is a lot happening at Grainews this fall. Change can feel uncomfortable, but it can also feel exhilarating. I am feeling both at the moment, but the balance is tipped toward the latter at the time of writing. There is exciting stuff happening at Grainews, new stuff. I imagine it’s a similar feeling to when you’re running strip trials of a new, promising variety or new product that could increase yields on your farm — or when you’re at a farm show testing out the latest machinery you’re thinking about adding to your operation. It gets the heart pumping and your brain cylinders firing. It’s exhilarating.
We’re in the middle of strategic planning for Grainews. And do you know what’s guiding us through this process? You. You are our inspiration. Your farming communities are our inspiration. For you, we’re breaking new ground. What I’m specifically talking about are innovations we can implement that will serve you better. We’re thinking about ways we can improve how we deliver the information you need to support and increase profitability on your farms.
We’re not going to blindly apply something new without doing our homework, gathering reliable information and testing the ground before we move ahead with something we think is innovative. It’s like we’re doing our own strip trials.
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For example, we’re testing an idea right now about another way for you to access the information in Grainews. If you’re a farmer, you’re a pretty good multi-tasker, I’ll bet. And when you’re spending those long hours in the combine, truck or tractor, you probably want to accomplish other tasks as well — like listening to crop production tips in Grainews, rather than reading them. What we’ve done is we’ve turned some of our most popular Grainews stories into audio files, so you have the option to listen to them. But we’re running our strip trials first before we roll it out completely (and it is exciting)! If it serves you better, we’ll know it.
Here’s how we’re testing it. In this Grainews issue (and the last one), there is a QR code on the top left-hand corner of the cover. Use the camera on your cellphone and point it at the QR code. A little tab will pop up that says grainews.ca. Click that tab and it will take you to a spot on our website where you can listen to the current cover stories as well as some of our most popular stories from the past year. While there, you can let us know what you think of this innovation.
We’ve already collected a lot of your feedback (and it appears you really like this option to listen to our features). As we come up with more ideas, we’ll test them also and gather your feedback. To find out what we’re doing that’s new, look for that QR code at the top of the front page of Grainews.
And, who better to know what you need and want than you? You’re probably full of great ideas and opinions on how you’d like to engage with Grainews and the information we can provide you. Please email me with any input or ideas you have to make Grainews even better. Also, if you come across one of our surveys, please let us know what you think. We’re listening.
Best wishes for Lee Hart
Now, this next bit of news I’m about to tell you I didn’t want to happen, but those winds of change, they will blow. Lee Hart has decided to retire. I know. It’s going to be hard to imagine Grainews without Lee. However, there is some good news … it’s semi-retirement. Lee, who has always had a special interest in beef and livestock production, will be continuing as the editor of Cattleman’s Corner, which is such an important part of Grainews.
Lee has been writing for more than 50 years, and he has lived and breathed agriculture as a reporter and editor for about 35 years, which is an incredible legacy. Lee has been writing for Grainews since the summer of 2005 and before that Country Guide since 1987. Lee was born and raised on a farm, so he’s always been interested in agriculture, he says. And as a writer and editor at Grainews he liked being part of something informative, something sometimes entertaining and what he hopes has been useful to western Canadian farmers.
I have had the pleasure of working with Lee since February 2020. It’s not often you get to work with someone you admire and respect — and they live up to that pedestal you’ve put them on. Lee is a first-rate reporter and editor but what is so special about his work is he explains complex topics so that anyone can understand them — and with wit, insight, humility and humour. I have always thought of Lee as the W.O. Mitchell of ag reporters (Mitchell was the writer of the iconic Canadian Prairie novel Who Has Seen the Wind, one of my personal all-time fiction favourites). I think Lee’s curiosity, willingness to learn something new and ability to make strong connections with the people around him is part of his magic as a reporter.
I recently asked Lee about what (semi-) retirement looks like for him and he says he’s going to spend some time with his almost-four-year-old grandson, maybe get in a bit of golf and some travelling, once travelling isn’t so complicated. He’s also looking forward to walks, guilt-free naps anytime he wants and to explore new territory on a recently purchased electric bike. But if you want to hear about his retirement in his own words, I encourage you to read his column on page 18. He is planning on some contract writing work. I’m hoping he will still grace the pages of Grainews as a guest columnist or contributor.
I also asked Lee what he was most looking forward to and what he was least looking forward to. In typical Lee fashion, he said, as a writer and editor for 50 years, he’s hoping to have stretches of time where he doesn’t have to think about deadlines (that is every writer’s dream) and he’s least looking forward to not being able to claim lunches as a work expense. “If I’m not careful, I may lose weight.” I’m going to greatly miss Lee’s sense of humour.
With Lee’s impending retirement, we were left with a vacancy for a writer. However, we have been working on this since Lee’s announcement to us earlier this year. I am very excited to let you know that Jim Timlick, who many of you may already know from his work as a Manitoba reporter for many publications, has joined our Grainews team.
Jim has worked as a writer for more than 20 years and has won several Manitoba Community Newspapers Association (MCNA) awards during that time. He has also worked in the communications field, including a stint as communications manager for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers football club (2005-08). Jim is passionate about food and cooking, and he has a strong interest in food security, which led him, about a decade ago, to the agriculture industry as a writer and editor. He has written for a number of different ag publications over that time, including work as a contributor for Grainews.
Jim starts with us this month. Please join me in welcoming him to our Grainews community.
As the Chinese proverb goes, “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.” We’re building those windmills and harnessing that kinetic energy at Grainews this fall.
Take care,
Kari
