What can journalism do for farmers?

[joe soapy]

Morning all,

I'm making a return to agricultural journalism next month - and I can't wait.
Just a few questions for you all...

- Which pieces of journalism are most valuable to you? Advice? In-depth analysis? Machinery tests?
- What do you want from an agricultural journalist?
- What can we do to help you?

Thanks for your time,

Woody

If you encourage Abertay to come back with their adverts it would be a good start

 

[matthew]

You can't give advice tailored to each and every famers needs. Every farm and farmer is different, so unless your publication is going to be the size of War & Peace every week and you're an "expert" in every aspect of farm management, stick to distributing the facts, leave opinions to the opinion columnists and let those who charge for "advice" give the advice.

You'll get far more respect from the industry by simply reporting unbiased, straight laced facts, that aren't paid for by a manufacturer or someone with an agenda, than by trying offer free advice. Give your readers the information to challenge the advice givers, that's the key!

Good luck!

Agree with all that. It's too easy to just copy / paste Defra or supplier's press releases. Some even give you a picture too.

There is clearly room for a fearless investigating journalist who would delve into the activities of those who would seek to control the agricultural industry for their own benefit and profit.
The cartels that force down prices to below the cost of production, the manipulation of assurance so that it no longer benefits the producer.
The relationships between major buyers, the government and those that are supposed to represent the interests of farmers but dont.
Should give you smething to get your teeth in to, crack on!

Very few and far between, sadly. We had one in my political editor at FG, but he left last year.

And having done a twelve year stint with a national farming mag., I can confirm that most editors do not like controversy. Or anything that could be litigatious.
But my readers did. Apparently. Or I wouldn't have been kept on so long.

You will never please everyone, all of the time, but if you can make them think, and better still end a piece on a joke, that's good. And remember, nobody loves a smart ar$e. Farmers in particular like to hear of some daft things that happen too.

What irritates me more than enough is a big splash from someone trying out something 'new', with amazing results, which they then drop a year later. Leaving followers in the doo doo, still attempting to achieve the original predictions. You never hear the follow up or failures.

Good luck from me too!

 

[gone up the hill]

Needs to be more investigative for the farmers side, on topics from TB to the RT/ farm assurance to the NFU etc etc

Needs to be more challenging.

 

[llamedos]

I'll be head of digital content - so that advice is right up my street!

Will it be for FG by any chance

 

[Danllan]

I am on the record as being on the 'greener' side of the arguments on here, in re' rewilding etc.. Nonetheless, it is my firm opinion that if a competent journalist wanted to do something positive for farmers, he would make a forensic examination of the dis (and / or) mis-information put out by the eco-vegan lobby, such as Monbiot and Co., and make public its untruths, self-contradictions and irrationality.

 

[Old Boar]

Remind the non farming readers where their food comes from.

 

[fudge]

Journalism is a funny one isn't it? The journalist's first loyalty is to those who pay them.

 

[matthew]

Journalism is a funny one isn't it? The journalist's first loyalty is to those who pay them.

... and often that means advertisers who fund the magazine.