A Transplant Texan

So I'm now moved to Texas and have started grad school at Texas Tech University. I'm very excited about west Texas and living in a new place! The agricultural communications program at Tech is a great one, and I am enjoying my time here so far. I've been a Tiger all my life, but I'm getting used to life as a Red Raider...which will only be a problem if the two teams play each other in football this fall in the Big 12 Championship. If that happens (and I hope it does), all I have to say is, "Go Tigers." :)

I'm going to put some photos up of my new life soon!

Podcasting Players

In my senior capstone class, we are studying multimedia projects, including podcasting. I've listened to some podcasts, mainly from a public radio station I worked for. I hadn't really realized the variety of podcasts out there until I went looking on the Web. I found a string of podcasts that are very intriguing, recommended to me by a friend. These podcasts are similar to those that the NPR station I worked for had online; however, I found these incredibly funny. Check out the unique sounds and storytelling on the Chicago Public Radio's This American Life. These are really a lot of fun to listen to!

http://www.thislife.org/

NCBA Student Worker Team

I had a terrific time in Reno last week working as an intern for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association's annual convention. I was one of 12 college students from across the U.S. helping set up the events and trade show at the convention.

And oh the things I learned…

- Cattlemen’s Conventions are the best way to learn the most recent tools and up-to-date information to improve our U.S. beef industry
- Animal health companies are always well-represented at livestock conventions, and rightfully so
- PETA was bound to show up sometime (see link below)
http://www.rgj.com/blogs/mostlydogs/uploaded_images/Noname-700943.jpg
- Fun times are always had in casinos, unless you gamble it all away
- You never know where you might see someone you know (I unexpectedly ran into a good friend I haven’t seen in more than a year!)
- The greatest friends you make are ones who have common interests to yours, and I must say I had a great time with my 11 new friends and fellow interns

National Animal ID

In 2004, I was a freshman in college, and I remember writing a story about a new national animal identification system for a class. Today, more than 14,000 premises have been registered in Missouri voluntarily. Nationwide, 1,000 to 1,500 producers sign up each week with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a premise identification number. Still, some farmers have decided against registering their premises.

I saw a report during a NCBA issues forum that shows a required animal ID program in countries such as Canada, Japan and South Korea this year. Eventually, these countries could require the same tracability in all their imported cattle and beef. The U.S. could be looking at a required animal identification system in the future to maintain these markets.

Perhaps producers should look into registering their premises now while the program is free and voluntary. A required program would pass the incentives on from the producers to the packers and processors.

Stories about beef...

I grew up on a beef cattle farm in north Missouri and have always been involved in the beef industry. My family raises and shows cattle all across the state. I will serve as a student worker at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association annual convention in Reno this week, and I am very excited to meet new people and find out the latest issues in beef and politics in good ol' Nevada! Follow me this week as I write from the NCBA Convention and Trade Show.

Blog Analysis

Are blogs considered news items? Are bloggers considered journalists? These questions arise frequently as convergence media evolves. As more people have access to news sources, ethics in journalism has become an even larger issue. Readers might be reluctant to believe the content of a blog, especially if the information is not attributed. In answering my first questions, I say the answer to both is, "sometimes."

In a way, I feel that people enjoy reading and writing blogs, because they realize blog posts reflect personality. Readers get to know bloggers more than they would if they were reading a story accompanied by their byline in a newspaper or magazine. In journalism, we strive to tell two sides of a story without showing bias. I argue that blogging helps relieve the pressure of unbiased writing, allowing readers to appreciate that everyone has biased feelings, even journalists. And this shows that with the right attribution, bloggers can tell both sides of a story and make their blogs newsworthy and reliable without worrying if personal feelings slip in. The blog becomes a personal item that makes the journalist writing it as human as the person reading it.

In my blog, I plan to report on stories that deal with agricultural issues. In full disclosure, I grew up on a livestock farm and am passionate about the industry I write for. I believe the public needs more access to agriculture to fully undersatnd the issues. Farming influences everyone, not just the farmer raising food for a living. I enjoy reading blogs on the Farm Journal website, each dealing with specific areas of agriculture. I think the comments to these posts make the blogs more efficient in reaching people both directly invovled in and outside of agriculture. As I continue to post, I appreciate any comments on my stories!

Call me Katie

My name is Katie Allen, and I am a 22-year-old college senior majoring in agricultural journalism. I grew up on a farm in north Missouri, where my family raises cattle, sheep, pigs and row crops. My passion for agriculture stemmed from long hours working on the farm and involvement in 4-H as a child.

Agriculture is a very exciting industry, and I love writing and chatting about it. This blog is an addition to other communications projects I have going about issues in agriculture. From international beef trade to renewable energy, I'm anxious to post my thoughts on the "farm files."