Jordyn Coon: Getting agriculture’s message out | Women In Ag | capitalpress.com

SHEDD, Ore. — Jordyn Coon has been involved in agriculture Method again to She will maintain in thoughts.

She is An factor of the sixth period at Oak Park Farms in Shedd, Ore. She labored summers on the farm, was an lively FFA member, earned an ag science diploma from Oregon State College and spent 5 yrs working for A world ag agency.

“You can say agriculture is Sort of An monumental deal for me,” she said. “I loved the work and studying Regarding The tactic.”

She went to OSU with plans To Wind up to be a Extremeschool ag practiceer and FFA adviser however that trajectory modified after serving as a Nationwide Collegiate Ag Ambassador her junior yr, Definitely one of simply 20 school college students chooseed from Throughout the nation. Ambassadors are educated To converse to The genperiodl public about agriculture and coached on A pair of of The current subjects.

“Then We would have appreciated to go and current A minimal of 30 hours of ag reveals to principally anyone we might get To take a seat down with us,” Coon said. “I converseed to Rotary teams, Lions teams, factorary schoolers and school college students; it was An exquiwebsite expertise.

“Extreme school ag practiceers are my heroes And that i respect them Tons, however I noticed I needed To converse to Most of the people about agriculture and assist them understand their meals current and completely different merchandise that come from farms,” she said.

She was employed by Syngenta, A worldwide crop safety and seed agency, straight out Of school and spent Greater than 5 yrs on the gross sales and advertising facet, which involved dwelling in three states.

“I used to be working with PR and promoting enterprisees studying about messaging and advertising technique, The biggest Method to get your mannequin or message across and realized I might apply that to what I needed To level out people,” she said.

She noticed The power of social media platforms as An environment nice Method To practice people on numerous subjects and to create The type of profession she hoped to develop. She started writing principally meals-based mostly weblogs — on subjects Similar to expiration dates, organics, The biggest Method To choose The proper watermelon — by way of her internet website, https://theolivebranch.internet/.

“There are So many gadgets to the ag puzzle,” Coon said. “I even Want to assist people understand them And permit them to decide for themselves.

“If I hadn’t grown up On this enterprise I might be Scared of my meals,” she said. “There are So many voices On the market that don’t inform The complete fact and it’s understandable For somebody who’s not involved in agriculture to be Frightened of it.

“You’ve youthful mcompletely differents who really feel strongly about Making sure their youthfulsters are consuming properly and Everytime you’re being informed that everyfactor is poisonous you’re going to run away from that,” she said. “There Aren’t a ton Of people Which will afford to eat the way many well being gurus declare You should, and that does them An excellent disservice.”

“I Want to be An factor of these conversations And that i even Want to assist people wade by way of the factors they hear,” she said. “When You are really feeling Such as you understand and like somebody You usually tfinish to notion what they Want to say.

“Maybe they’re watching one factor that converses about how GMO wheat is what’s inflicting gluten intolperiodnce They typically assume ‘Wait a minute — Jordyn taught me That there is not a GMO wheat,’” she added.

She plans to carve out a full-time, paying profession out of her ardour, Similar to permitting An group To place a banner on her weblog, writing weblogs And that instagram posts that embrace information on a given product, enterprise or enterprise or talking about agriculture at numerous events. She May even be constructing a separate enterprise in advertising communications for consumers each inside And out of doorways the agricultural sphere, serving to develop strategies, supplies and event planning To raised attain their viewers.

“Submit COVID I hope to create a YouTube channel and have movies showcasing farmers And the way our meals will get to our plates,” she said.

“Earlier than I moved to Illinois I had by no means seen a soybean,” she said. “I am goingt to Research almonds and citrus in California and potatoes in Washington and the people inside these industries.

“Plant pathologists, entomologists, lab researchers and farmers — all these completely different branches of the enterprise created A very good internetwork for me as I am going Regarding the work I’m now doing.”