| One of the unique things we humans do is mark the passage of time. We celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. We mark the passage of time by hours, days, years, decades and centuries. As we mark the passage of time, we take note of how things change and how we change. I have been doing a lot of looking back this week because Hoosier Ag Today (HAT) celebrated its first anniversary. While it has only been one year, a lot has changed at HAT just as a lot has changed in agriculture. HAT was started to respond to the dynamic changes taking place in Indiana agriculture. Those changes continue and are changing the way farmers farm and the way non-farmers think about agriculture.
In the fall of 2006, farmers were going to the field to harvest with the expectation that prices would increase sharply. As the futures price topped $4 a bushel, orders for seed corn started pouring in. The ethanol boom was on, and everyone was bullish.
Skyrocketing oil prices and generous government subsidies attracted investors into ethanol plant construction, where they could double their investment in 6 months. Consumers and politicians saw renewable fuels as the quick fix to high gas prices. Ethanol became the first agricultural issue to become a major theme of a State of the Union speech.
Amid this atmosphere, Hoosier Ag Today took to the air. We created a new kind of radio programming to cover the very issues mentioned above. We designed our organization to cover state-specific issues in-depth, giving growers the kind of detail they need to stay informed on the rapid changes taking place in agriculture.
Regionalization and consolidation in the broadcast industry had reduced many farm radio programs to sound-bites with little relevance to their audiences. HAT set out to keep farmers up to date on these dynamic changes, but also to tell the story of agriculture’s growth and potential to a non-farm audience.
Keeping up with the changes has not been easy. Not only did corn go on a roller coaster ride, but a world wide shortage of wheat has propelled that market to new all time highs. Now, soybeans are poised top the $10 mark.
Corn-after-corn rotations were all the rage this year, but now wheat is being considered in areas where it has not been produced in decades. Ethanol plants that were just blueprints last summer are now online and grinding corn to make renewable fuel.
I am proud to say that HAT has put issues on the air that have never before been covered.
We have also been able to present consumers with a different perspective of agriculture. We have been able to give them a balanced discussion of the food versus fuel debate, tell the truth about animal rights, explain the contribution agriculture makes to the economy and the environment, and present the facts about renewable fuels.
As we enter our second year, the changes that accompanied our beginning show no signs of slowing down. But, before we rush headstrong into the future, I want to stop and say thank you to all those who supported our launch. We have had a great response from listeners, radio stations, and advertisers.
Many of you caught our vision and made room for HAT in your lives, your broadcast schedules, and your budgets. Stick around and watch the exciting new developments at Hoosier Ag Today, as well as the changes coming to all of agriculture.
Readers with questions or comments for Gary Truitt may write to him in care of this publication. |
