Blog

Wednesday, July 13

9 am CDT to 10 am CDT

Instagram can leave you feeling like you've got whiplash. One second it's going great, you're posting great content, seeing great content, engaging with folks, and your following count is going up. The next second, it feels like nothing you do is right.

Grounded and Rising is getting a small group of members together to talk through this and we wanted to give you the opportunity to join us and be a part of the Rising Conversation. Rising Conversations are a casual discussion format with a focus on sharing what works and what we're struggling with so we can work together as a community to find solutions and lift each other up. Typically, these events are only for our members, but because this topic is so relevant to so many people, we wanted to give you the chance to join the conversation.

We will be discussing what we are seeing in the world of Instagram these days and talking through some easy ways you can stay up on the latest changes....

Climate change and the impacts from it are top of mind for many consumers who use it to guide purchase decisions and more. The discussion of climate change though, well that can get complicated and tense fast in large part because it is so easy to consume one-sided opinion pieces. Knowing more about how we, in the ag industry, can be a solution to some of the issues as well as understanding how the global conversation takes place is a good start to navigating the conversation. 

Why talk with Jeff Seale?

Jeff has a Ph.D. in biochemistry and has spent decades in agricultural sciences in a range of ways from a bench scientist to working in climate policy. His current role with Regrow Ag, a startup, pulls all of his experiences together to work on greenhouse gas mitigation while talking with policy groups about why agriculture is the solution to a lot of what's happening. His role in working on climate-related issues for agriculture companies means that he can bridge...

Sitting down to chat live with The Nature Conservancy's Michael Doane to talk about one of the hottest buzzwords -- regenerative agriculture -- gives us a lot of insight into how sustainability is shifting. Consumers, with the best intentions at heart, are presented with this idea that regenerative ag is "better than organic" without the context of knowing that there are 250+ definitions of what the term regenerative agriculture even is.

Why talk with Michael Doane?

Michael works for The Nature Conservancy as their managing director of agriculture and food systems, but he came to that organization through farming. He grew up on a family farm, worked for the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, and spent years at Monsanto. Michael doesn't just know about farming, he's been a farmer and still joins his family in the operation when he can. And this gives him a unique perspective within environmental groups to help him bridge the gap and to help us understand the nuance of...

So many consumers still have this image of farmers in overalls with a pitchfork and a wagon in the back of their mind whenever they think about agriculture. Logically, they may know Old MacDonald is just a kids' song, but the archetype is embedded deep into our minds.

What consumers don't often think about with farming are things like drone swarms to control weeds in fields, measuring the health of cows by having an AI analyze milk in real time, and many of the other exciting things happening in the world of ag startups. That's just what we dove into with Tim Hammerich on our most recent LIVE session!

Tim's Background

Tim runs the Future of Agriculture podcast, which showcases the latest in ag innovations. He's spent years working with the best and the brightest in recruitment for the modern ag industry, and now he has shifted his focus to communications consulting. He's sharing his expertise in what's coming up for ag. 

Our Conversation

We could have talked ag innovations with...

Last Thursday, we got the chance to sit down and chat with Dr. Stephanie Langel, a faculty member at Duke University with a PhD in Virology who is teaching and doing research. Specifically, she studies coronaviruses and how they impact animal health and human health.

Stephanie's Background

Stephanie's background sets her apart. Her focus on farming, livestock, and the veterinary aspect of coronaviruses gives her the ability to really connect with a farmer's perspective on health and viruses. She started as a 4Her, showing livestock and milking cows. Her passion for animal care continued into college where she applied to vet school, but when she didn't get in, she decided to shift gears and study viruses. Now, she's a professor at Duke University and runs a lab that focuses on coronaviruses!

Our Conversation

This Live Session was one of our most engaging yet — members seemed to move in and questions kept coming! With Stephanie here to answer our questions and give...

This past Tuesday, we enjoyed having a conversation with Adriana Martin of Adriana's Best Recipes about the massive changes that have taken place in blogging as it has evolved over the last decade.

What's shifting?

Ten years ago, blogs were all anyone was talking about.

• What are they?
• How do they work?
• Can blogging help me reach my audience?
• How can companies work with bloggers to promote their products and stories?

Nowadays, though, the conversation has shifted and part of that is due to the shifts bloggers have been undergoing. Bloggers think like entrepreneurs more broadly, and they continue to innovate. They have diversified and pursued multiple social media outlets. We don't even call them bloggers anymore. We call them influencers, and they are publishing books, landing TV deals, and much, much more.

Adriana's Path to Publishing

Adriana started her blog a decade ago and has evolved like many peers. Her path is food focused and the latest...

Grocery shopping is one of those everyday chores that took on a tremendous significance during the pandemic.  With people--especially in urban areas--staying home and avoiding leaving the house, services like Instacart and Market Wagon took off. But what do those services look like and what do they mean for agriculture? Do they make it harder or easier for farmers to reach an audience of consumers and interact with potential customers?

Janice takes us through how online grocery shopping has changed in the face of the pandemic and how agriculture can leverage these changes.

We recently sat down with Mary Emma Young of the Pet Foods Institute to learn how relationships with their pets has evolved over time and how the last year has accelerated that change.

While people on farms are well acquainted with working dogs, barn cats, etc., few of our counterparts in urban and suburban environments are unfamiliar with that. And they may even see cats and dogs as valued family members that are worth sparing any expense for.

The partnership with animals has deepened and intensified for many Americans. With the pandemic keeping people closer to home, even more folks adopted animals 

What does this mean for agriculture?

Mary Emma took us through the origins of pet food and animal kibble and through to the refrigerated food found even in big box stores.

You can watch the highlights here, and as always, the full recording of the event is available for members in the Grounded and Rising Community. You can click the button below to learn more...

As the number of covid cases drops and as more Americans are vaccinated, the idea of returning to normal keeps being discussed. It's not just in the media, but as friends & family start seeing loved ones they haven't seen in some time.

For many students, this spring has seen a return to in-person schools and while many professionals continue to work remotely for office jobs, the discussions about how to navigate the change are starting. 

Many who have always worked in highly dynamic offices are longing for those days where colleagues take turns coming up with new ideas and jotting down possible plans on white boards. 

Pets & Stay At Home

But there are family members in many homes that do not necessarily want people to return... pets! Well, maybe some cats will welcome time alone.... But many animals loved having their humans at home. The frequent walks. The extra treats now and then. And pets have offered a lot of stress-relief for families. 

Working remotely...

Getting outside of our comfort zones can be so important. After all, isn't that what we are asking of consumers? "Step outside your familiar grocery store and explore where your food is coming from." So it makes sense that we should be willing to do the same.

For many of us, the SXSW Future of Food conference was well outside that comfort zone, but within the many presentations, there was a lot to be gleaned, a lot to be learned. 

Passion for Food & Farm

The attendees were passionate about food and further from the farm than those of us in Grounded and Rising typically are. If they were farm-connected, chances are it was more co-op for vegetables, producing edible insects for protein or something else that may not be the norm in the middle of nowhere Nebraska. They were excited about food, about making the world a better place and excited to hear new ideas.  Basically, they were me (Janice) when I was in college, grad school and the years when I was trying to find...