By Paul Queck
When did you think you’d be an ag journalist? For me the thought hadn’t even entered my mind until eight years out of college. That was when I received a call from Wallaces Farmer magazine asking if I would be interested in becoming their hog editor.
At that time, 1978, I was executive director of the Iowa Pork Producers Association and happy in my job. But the call reminded me of advice I had received from a livestock association veteran six years earlier. He said “think six years. That’s the length of time to head a commodity group.” He went on to explain the reasoning, adding that you’re usually not inclined to change jobs at that point because you’re still doing well – but you should. He added that he hadn’t followed his own advice and regretted it.
No Journalism Training
I was six years into my job. After talking with my wife I decided to join Wallaces Farmer. It seemed to bother me more than them that I only took one ag journalism class at Iowa State on my way to an animal science degree. “You know hogs and have the swine industry contacts. We can work with you on the writing,” said Al Bull, Farm Progress editorial director (and former Wallaces Farmer editor).
Bull, an Iowa State agronomy graduate, had focused Wallaces editorial on giving farmers short, quick-to-the-point, meaty. Fancy prose took a back seat to delivering info that farmers wanted. Stories were short for that era. We had a rule that we would never make a reader turn the page to finish a story. And that was any story, including features.
Golden Era
The 1970s were a golden era for farm publications. Advertisers flocked to the magazine. Wallaces Farmer published two issues a month with some single issues, in our large-sized format, with more than 200 pages.
To fill this editorial need, we had large staffs and wrote a lot. Most of our writers grew up on farms, which was very useful as our field editors spent a lot of time visiting farmers to uncover and write about new ideas and practices. These stories were always well read. We called them “bread and butter stories.”
AAEA Benefit
Wallaces Farmer expected its editors to join AAEA and paid their dues. Al Bull and Wallaces editor Monte Sesker encouraged editors not only to join, but be involved. AAEA’s professional improvement writing and photography sessions were a real benefit to me – a writer who hadn’t gone to journalism school.
In those prosperous 1970s, Farm Progress Wallaces Farmer was making so much money it didn’t even have an editorial budget. I asked to attend a swine conference in Denmark, and while in Europe also attend the 1980 IFAJ World Congress in Hamburg, Germany. It was approved without question.
Attending that IFAJ World Congress inspired me to volunteer to organize the successful 1992 IFAJ World Congress in Indianapolis. And while it wasn’t my motivation, that put me on the path to being elected AAEA president in 1996, and elected the first American IFAJ President in 1997.
When I joined Wallaces I knew hogs and the industry – but the question was would I like writing? I was pleasantly surprised about the writing. In 1981 my job was expanded to start and edit the Hog Producer section that was inserted in all Farm Progress magazines. And then in February 1983 Farm Progress asked me to be editor of Indiana Prairie Farmer, which I did for more than 16 years.
Full Circle
Looking back to when I was a field editor at Wallaces Farmer, our editor Monte Sesker used to tell us young guys we had the best job in the company. Most of us didn’t believe him. We knew he was making a lot more money than we, and got to spend most of his time in an air conditioned office.
I’m now retired, but do a fair amount of freelance writing on request. Most of the writing I agree to do has been on-farm stories. I’ve come full circle, doing again what I started out doing more than 40 years ago. Sesker was right, that was the best job. I think visiting farms and talking with farmers is still the most fun of any job in ag journalism.
I’ve been asked, what makes a good ag writer. I’ve worked with many through the years. The best were those who were curious and knew their audience.
Writing Hard Work
Former Des Moines Register farm writer Don Muhm told me when I started with Wallaces: “You’ll find the good stories write themselves.” He was right. Unfortunately, we all know we don’t always get to choose our story. And, while the good stories write themselves they’re not always easy either. Writing is hard work. But one of the most gratifying types of work you could ever do.