By Joy Crosby, ACN President
February is always jam-packed with activities, despite being the shortest month of the year. It’s widely known for Valentine’s Day—full of red hearts, candy, flowers and sweet gestures. Around our house, February is met with the end of our pig show season and the state livestock show in Georgia. Another event held in February, the Super Bowl, attracts millions of viewers.
Some of the best Super Bowl commercials energize you, make you laugh, or tug at your heartstrings. One commercial from Lay’s did exactly that for me, especially as an agricultural communicator. We often have the opportunity to witness and tell the stories of farm families, those navigating retirement, passing down the reins, new farmers trying to find their footing or families who have lost everything. These are the stories we strive to capture in our writing, and Lay’s portrayed them beautifully in their Super Bowl commercial.
If you missed the Super Bowl or the Lay’s ad, I encourage you to search for it online and watch the longer version. I hope it pulls at your heartstrings the way it did mine. What struck me most about the Lay’s commercial wasn’t just the story itself, but the people behind it. Powerful storytelling doesn’t happen by accident; it comes from communicators who understand agriculture, value relationships, and know how to tell stories that matter. That same foundation of people and purpose is exactly what makes the Ag Communicators Network so special to me.
The ACN is built on people and relationships. So, I asked some of our board members what they love most about ACN. Here are a few of their responses:
Jenny Ring – Networking with like-minded peers and personal development, for me!
Pam Caraway – Lots of folks talk about “networking,” those who participate in ACN have a network. An extensive network for professional advancement, personal support and continual learning. We are blessed.
Courtney Girgis – The people. I leave every ACN event inspired and motivated to keep telling ag stories.
Katie Knapp – ACN is where I’ve found mentors, career opportunities, and colleagues who have become friends. Through ACN’s affiliation with IFAJ, I have also gotten to travel to and report on farms around the world.
As you can tell from their responses, people are the core foundation of ACN—our members, committee volunteers, chairs, and board members. They are the mentors leading the next generation of agricultural communicators, as well as those just beginning their careers and discovering how they can get involved with ACN.
If you see yourself in that last group, I encourage you to reach out to me or another board member and let us know you’d like to be involved. We can definitely find a role for you within ACN!
– Crosby is Editor Southeastern Peanut Farmer and Assistant Executive Director of the Georgia Peanut Commission.