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Tag Archives social media
This week on ‘Between The Rows’
Episode 195, Oct. 15, 2020
Toban Dyck: What makes us trust a Chinese conspiracy video over experts?
It’s time to evaluate how we digest information
When I called my local fertilizer supplier to let them know I would be growing canola instead of soybeans on a section east of my house, they were unsure if they’d be able to accommodate my revised order. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and deaths started to be reported, a news cycle that was already […] Read more
Toban Dyck: Telling the facts from the falsehoods
It’s never been harder to tell truth from fiction — on the internet or on the farm
Leading up to the 2016 U.S. election, the Russian Institute allegedly began shifting its focus from distributing propaganda in the Ukraine to taking an active role in galvanizing anti-Hillary Clinton sentiment across the United States. It was last year sometime when my wife, Jamie, suggested I listed to the Radiolab podcast entitled “The Curious Case […] Read more
Toban Dyck: Some light reading over breakfast
Consumers groups and farmers are working with separate sets of facts
I read something that fired me up. Actually, Jamie, my wife, did. Jamie knew how I’d react. She read the post out loud to verify that. It was all in good fun. And it led to a great conversation. I sat where I’m sitting now, at the kitchen island. And Jamie sat close by, also […] Read more
Reporter’s Notebook: Fear and anger on the internet
Social media is great for sharing information, but there is a downside
In my last column, I wrote about how rapid change in how we communicate is changing society and encouraging fear. Fear easily morphs into anger and hatred and there’s no shortage of either on the internet. I’d love to write that the online ag community is free from such nastiness. But the ag community is […] Read more
Reporter’s Notebook: Times are changing everywhere
Corn, soybeans and a changing society on the other side of the border
In late July, I flew to Nebraska to get an idea of what the ag industry looks like in that state. Before I even left my hotel in Omaha, I had my first clue. The Omaha World-Herald ran a front-page story on the $12 billion ag aid package with a rhyming headline. “Farmers: Thanks for […] Read more
The other side of the ‘agvocacy’ world
Nurse Loves Farmer: An attempt to fill a knowledge gap turned into a backlash of criticism against me
A few years ago I started “agvocating” for agriculture. I saw a gap that needed to be filled in the mommy blogging and food blogging worlds, as they desperately wanted to be more connected to where their food came from. The assumptions, the myths and the fear that was being spread in these communities made […] Read more
Reporter’s Notebook: Four questions to ask yourself
Before you get involved in an ugly social media argument, take time to think it through
When I look at the state of public discourse these days, the phrase that comes to mind is “dumpster fire.” My theory is that our society hasn’t had time to adapt to rapidly changing technology (i.e. social media). These days, anyone can tweet or post anything. Some of those opinions are insightful and worth exploring. […] Read more
Farmers encouraged to make Agriculture Day meme-able
Canada’s farmers are being urged to make closer connections with the country’s non-farming consumers, in both the real world and cyberspace, as Canada’s Agriculture Day nears. Spearheaded by the year-round industry-backed initiative Agriculture More Than Ever, Canada’s Agriculture Day is set this year for Tuesday (Feb. 13). “It’s a time to showcase all of the […] Read more
Reporter’s Notebook: Moving from Twitter to real life
Twitter is bringing the ag community closer together, in many different ways
It’s a scenario familiar to anyone on Twitter who attends farm shows— the attempt to figure out if that stranger you’ve just met is actually someone you know through Twitter. But farmers and ag industry launched a simple solution this summer. It’s a black lanyard, with #agtwittercommunity printed on the fabric. The name tag includes […] Read more
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Grainews is written for farmers and often by farmers. It is about putting theory into practice on the farm. Each issue also features Cattleman’s Corner for cow-calf producers and farmers with mixed cattle and grain operations.