Part 3 in the “Above the Fold” Podcast Series
By Host Holly Spangler with Special Guest Lindsay Kennedy
Conventional wisdom says young people only want to read and consume content on their digital devices – but what if that’s not right?
Lindsay Kennedy teaches ag communications at Texas Tech University and every year, she asks students in her magazine class: “Do we still need print publications?” They keep saying “yes,” because even they – the digital generation – still want to hold a paper in their hands.
So, how do we meet that need, while still presenting information in new and interesting ways digitally? That’s what our next episode in this series on the Future of Print Media in Agriculture dives right into, with host Holly Spangler and Lindsay Kennedy, assistant professor of practice in ag communications at Texas Tech University.
Talking points include:
- What Gen Z wants in a story
- How they want to consume it
- What hasn’t changed in 20 years and what kinds of stories still work
- Results of the 2022 Ag Media Council survey on how growers use media channels
- How to teach multi-platform storytelling
Holly Spangler has covered Illinois agriculture for more than two decades, bringing meaningful production agriculture experience to the magazine’s coverage. She currently serves as editor of Prairie Farmer magazine and Executive Editor for Farm Progress, managing editorial staff at six magazines throughout the eastern Corn Belt. She began her career with Prairie Farmer just before graduating from the University of Illinois in agricultural communications.
An award-winning writer and photographer, Holly is past president of the American Agricultural Editors Association. In 2015, she became only the 10th U.S. agricultural journalist to earn the Writer of Merit designation and is a five-time winner of the top writing award for editorial opinion in U.S. agriculture. She was named an AAEA Master Writer in 2005. In 2011, Holly was one of 10 recipients worldwide to receive the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Ag Journalism award. She currently serves on the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation, the U of I Agricultural Communications Advisory committee, and is an advisory board member for the U of I College of ACES Research Station at Monmouth. Her work in agricultural media has been recognized by the Illinois Soybean Association, Illinois Corn, Illinois Council on Agricultural Education and MidAmerica Croplife Association.
Holly and her husband, John, farm in western Illinois where they raise corn, soybeans and beef cattle on 2,500 acres. Their operation includes 125 head of commercial cows in a cow/calf operation. The family farm includes John’s parents and their three children.
Holly frequently speaks to a variety of groups and organizations, sharing the heart, soul and science of agriculture. She and her husband are active in state and local farm organizations. They serve with their local 4-H and FFA programs, their school district, and are active in their church’s youth and music ministries.