Of the hundreds of media pieces we have appeared in over the years, this too is a favorite, from the December 2012 Onion World Magazine the article by Eric Woolson entitled “Planting Seeds for Sound Agricultural Policies.”

Link for the article online: http://reader.mediawiremobile.com/ColumbiaMediaGroup/issues/104444/viewer?page=1

It is a fantastic article well written by Eric (an Iowa man, though he went to the University of Northern Iowa vs being a Hawkeye, but that’s close enough!) that nicely re-caps some of the more interesting things we have worked on over the years in terms of public policy and fighting in behalf of farmers.It also contains a number of neat pictures, including the cover photo taken by our son Caleb. Below you can see the article, including a second cover.

If you look closely at that cover you see it is signed by someone … former Senator & Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Here is the story behind that signing … back in September I was down in DC for numerous meetings and to attend Sen. Gillibrand’s Ag Working Group & NY Farm Day reception. It is a fantastic event first started by Sen. Clinton and continued by Sen. Gillibrand, who is the first New Yorker to sit on the Senate Agriculture Committee in some 40+ years. It is coordinated by Jim Trezise, President of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation. Jim is a wonderful human being and a good friend who does a spectacular job year in and year out in regards this and numerous other functions (http://www.winejudging.com/bios/jim_trezise.htm).

Well, at this year’s event I happened to run into an old friend who used to work for Senator/Secretary Clinton. As we chatted and briefly caught up I pulled a copy of this issue out of my bag to show him, since it had a picture of Eve and Jonah with former President Clinton. I laughed and said “I’m sure the President has been featured a few times in “The Onion” but I bet he never thought he would be in “Onion World.” He laughed. I then asked him if he wouldn’t mind giving a copy to them, in case they hadn’t seen it. Plus they might get a good laugh out of it. He happily agreed.

About a month later we received an envelope in the mail from the former Secretary. When I opened it I was surprised to see the magazine and was sort of disappointed it was returned. But then when I got to the top I saw why, it had the very gracious signature. Very cool!

As I have mentioned multiple times previously my campaign to raise funds for an editor will be featured in an upcoming episode of the new Crowd Funder Show.

https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/1efvb/ab/72OxNc

What is the Crowd Funder Show and what does it mean to appear on the show? According to their website:

The Crowd Funder TV Show highlights various ideas that have been selected based on their merit for creativity, social relevance, and commercial viability. Each episode focuses the spotlight on six or seven inspiring projects and personal goals that give the viewing audience insight into the campaign, its principal, and the reason(s) why it should come to fruition. The Crowd Funder TV Show highlights various ideas that have been selected based on their merit for creativity, social relevance, and commercial viability.

What is so neat about their crowd funding method, versus Kickstarter’s, is that it is not “all or nothing.” Further, the rewards are much more exciting. Again, from their website:

Viewers can choose to support the projects they watch by contributing directly to the campaign website or by calling a toll-free number. The Crowd Funder Show rewards contributors with sponsored gift cards for the same amount of money they contribute, up to $100. Supporting people and their projects has never been easier so it’s no wonder you can’t help but feel like you’re a part of something special. The Crowd Funder TV Show is an interesting, inspiring program that highlights human ingenuity and co-operation.

When you go to my page you will see locations once can choose from for the gift card include: Sears, Best Buy, Home Depot and Toys R Us. So, if you plan on doing any shopping at any of these locations anyway you are essentially donating to my cause for free. A total win-win!

Enjoy the article!