COMInG sOOn spring Conference


March 11 & 12 Indianapolis Marriott East


—By Kathleen m. dutro PuBlic relations team


Chris Chinn, a Missouri hog farmer and social media advocate, along with logger and motivational speaker Bruce Vincent and Wes Jamison, a University of Florida professor who speaks on animal rights issues, will be among the speakers at Indiana Farm Bureau’s 2011 Spring Conference, Friday and Satur- day, March 11 and 12 at the Indianapolis Marriott East. Chinn will be speaking at two of the Saturday breakout sessions and also during the


Saturday breakfast session. Vincent is the keynote speaker Friday evening while Jamison is the keynote speaker at the closing session Saturday afternoon. The deadline for hotel reservations is Feb. 18, and attendees are strongly encouraged to make their meal reservations at the same time. Attendance at any of the sessions is free, but various charges for meals do apply. For a detailed list, visit IFB’s website, www.infarm- bureau.org, and click on the link for the Spring Conference found on the site’s front page. Child care will be available both days. A pre-conference tour of the Nature Conservancy, Easley Winery and IFB will be of- fered March 11 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Breakout sessions begin at 5 p.m. with topics ranging from how to talk to non-farmers about agriculture, estate issues, and the value of herbs. Dinner, which will be followed by the awards ceremony for the Lugar Essay Awards and Vincent’s speech, begins at 6 p.m. March 12’s activities begin with breakfast and Chinn’s talk and then continues with more breakout sessions, including Chinn’s discussion of social media and “Coffee with Don,” a question-and-answer session with IFB President Don Villwock. Several other breakout sessions are also planned on a wide range of topics, including more sessions on how farmers can learn to tell their story to the non-farm public, agritourism, and making the most out of your county fair display. For a full agenda, visit IFB’s website, www.infarmbureau.org.


speaker to emphasize importance


of telling your story Farmers have to become more proactive about telling their story, according to Chris Chinn, one of the keynote speakers at the IFB Spring Conference. “I plan to speak about the importance of telling your story to consumers and what happens when you don’t,” she said during an email interview. “I will talk about how to use social media to reach consumers.” Chinn resides near Clarence, Mo., with her husband and two children. She manages the production and financial records for the family’s 1,500-sow farrow-to-finish hog operation, as well as the family feed mill. This is a subject


earth day Indiana


april 23 White River State Park, 801 W. Washington St., Indianapolis www.earthdayindiana.org Conservation groups will be on


the lawn at the park, and joining them as a presenting sponsor will be Indiana’s Family of Farmers. IFoF will have an activity in the kids’ tent and an all-commodity concession stand.


Vintage Indiana Wine and Food Festival


June 4 Military Park, downtown


Indianapolis www.vintageindiana.com Vintage Indiana celebrates Hoosier wines, wineries,


restaurants and other foods in this day-long event in downtown Indianapolis. Indiana’s Family of Farmers will be on site to share information about agriculture.


yF summer Outing


July 15-16 Seelbach Hotel, Louisville, Ky. Indiana and Kentucky Farm Bureau Young Farmer groups


will meet and tour ag sites in the Louisville area, discuss policy issues and enjoy a dinner cruise on the Belle of Louisville. For more information, contact Chris Fenner, cfenner@infarmbureau.org or 317-692-7844, or Kathryn Rogers, krogers@infarmbureau.org or 317-692-7815.


Indiana state Fair


august 5-22 Indianapolis


Every year, thousands and thousands of people from the urban and suburban areas of central Indiana converge on the Indiana State Fairgrounds primarily for food and fun. The fair is, however, also an opportunity to teach them a bit about agriculture so long as this can be done in an en- tertaining way. Indiana Farm Bureau will again be involved in a number of


that’s near to her heart – in fact, she spoke on it last month to Farm Bureau county presidents from around the nation at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s convention. “We can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines and watch the game being played in front of us,” said Chinn told the county presidents. “We need to help our consumers un- derstand modern production agriculture.” Chinn, whose family has undergone everything from name-calling to death threats because of their hog operation, said farmers cannot let fear paralyze them into keeping silent. The experience motivated her family to take to the Internet to show consumers how they care for their animals. Through the use of YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, Chinn has paved the road for oth- ers to have discussions with consumers about their production methods. “Social media is important because it lets consumers engage in the conversation and feel ownership in the issue,” said Chinn.


Chris Chinn with her husband, Kevin, and their two children, Rachelle and Conner.


www.infarmbureau.org


activities during the fair, in some cases with its partners in the Indiana’s Family of Farmers coalition, many of them in and around the Farm Bureau building. More details will be avail- able as the fair draws closer, but here is a preliminary list. The building itself will offer free samples of Indiana popcorn, “Meet a Farmer” videos, a children’s area, Ag in the Classroom activities, and a chance to win enough Indi- ana popcorn to last most people a year (popcorn courtesy of Preferred Popcorn of Palmyra, Ind.) To enter the draw- ing, visitors must turn in a coupon that will be made avail- able in a couple of different ways, including in the summer issue of My Indiana Home. Farm Bureau will also be involved in two self-directed


tours: the Wonder Trail and the Food for Thought recipe trail. Follow Me Barn Tours will be offered Aug. 5-14. Taste from Indiana Farms is scheduled for Aug. 16-18. Old-Fashioned Pancake Breakfast is tentatively sched-


uled for Aug. 17. Savor the Flavor, A VIP Taste from Indiana Farms, is in the planning stages, date TBD.


February 14, 2011


5


Photo by Mindy Reef


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