The End of Something Beautiful

Well, it's that time of year again. Classes are finishing up and final examinations are beginning! In the same way, ALES 204 is almost finished and so this will be my final post to look back on all that I have learned and enjoyed in the class. I had never before in my life thought I would create a blog, and yet here I am writing one now! This is all thanks to ALES 204, which first of all taught me the website to even make a blog, and second of all taught me the proper tools and techniques of communication via blogging. 

"Blogging, Like A Sir" Found By: Dani Young at http://knowyourmeme.com/thetophat on April 11/12 

My favourite portion of the class was probably the introduction of twitter into my life. I don't know how I had gone this long without it, but it is one of the coolest social media sites I have ever used! The hash tags allowed me to search certain subjects and the ability to make connections with those who share your interests were a helpful tool. If you do not have an account yet I suggest you get one! Probably one of the most influential people I know on twitter is my friend and fellow classmate Rosie, who uses twitter as a valuable networking tool in the agriculture industry. 

Social media is always changing and evolving, and I'm sure that as a social media user I will evolve along with these changes. In fact, a new social media app is on the rise. It is called Highlight, and I have included the link to a review of the app here. It may have issues on privacy, as it allows other users to see where you are, and what you have in common. However, the amount of information you show is at your control, so you decide! To sum up, I have learned networking skills useful in our constantly-changing technologic world. I joined quite a few websites, including Delicious and flickr, which I will probably never use as they do not interest me. I use Instagram as my photo-sharing app, and as such do not feel the need to utilize flickr. This course was helpful in a constantly changing world, and the only complaint I have is this: I have joined so many different websites I can't keep track of it, and I do not like having so much information about myself on the internet. I do not think joining all of these sites should be mandatory! However, that being said, I hope to keep up with current social media, and keep blogging as well! 

For the T.A.'s of the class, I am including links to all the comments I made on other students' blogs:

One, Two, Three, Four, and lastly Five! A big thanks to my T.A and Jess for all their help this year.

Wikipedia Project

This week, we were given a project in ALES 204 class about Wikipedia articles. Our task was to find a Wikipedia "stub", or unfinished article, and complete it. This meant doing the research, using proper format, proper grammar, and making sure that all references were cited properly to avoid any copyright and/or plagiarism issues. I found this task to be a lot more difficult than I had initially expected. After I had created an account with Wikipedia, I selected a stub to edit, and this is where it got difficult. In order to edit the stub, you had to learn a new language! There were several rules and tricks when entering your data and text into the site, but after some time editing got easier and I became well-versed in the language of Wikipedia.


The stub I chose to edit was one on Hays Converter Cattle. The information on this article was VERY limited, and as I am currently a student in Animal Science as well as ALES, I thought this would be an interesting topic to research. Hays Converter Cattle were also developed in Alberta, Canada, so the topic hit close to home and served to instil some pride into my heart. I hope now that after editing this Wikipedia article, others will be able to learn more about Harry Hays and his Hays Converter Cattle. Please note, there was some (a very small amount however) information already on this article, and as such I do not wish to take credit for another writer's work. On a related note, a friend in my class, Rosie also chose to update a stub on a breed of cattle. Be sure to give her blog a look as well!

"Wikipedia-Hays Converter Screenshot"- Taken by Dani Young on March 22, 2012.

Appreciate and Educate: Primary Industry

Food. Everyone needs it, and everyone loves it. However, I doubt anyone thinks about where it comes from on a day-to-day basis. From the steak or chicken you cook up on the barbecue, to the wheat that goes into the flour that makes your bread, all food comes from somewhere. I believe it's important to think about the primary industry as well as the finished product, because without the first we would not be able to enjoy the latter. Growing up on a grain farm, I always knew what we did was important, but the reality of how vital it was never truly set in until I left home. In university, I began to learn about growing populations and renewable resources and perhaps the most shocking: the population is expected to increase by two billion in fifty years! This places more importance on farmers than ever before, and makes me proud to know that my family farm is contributing to the health of future generations. This is why I believe it is important to take a step back from our busy lifestyles and consumer ways and take time to appreciate all that the primary industry does for us.

"Harvesting Grain" by http://www.economy-ukraine.com.ua/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Harvesting-Grain.jpg, retrieved on March 5, 2012 by Dani Young

However, grain production is not the only important primary industry involved in the food you eat. For instance, my roommate and fellow "agvocate" Rosie Templeton has grown up on a beef cattle ranch and farm in southern Alberta. It was from her that I began to learn the ins and outs of the industry, as well as all of the misconceptions people have about cattle operations. For instance, did you know that many people consider antibiotics in beef bad? If there weren't antibiotics, the beef would get sick, and if they get sick, there is a higher risk of the consumer getting sick! Yet, consumers believe that antibiotics in their meat is bad, which opens up a market for antibiotic-free cattle such as those found at Spring Creek Beef. Not to say that buying this type of beef is bad, it certainly is not! The point I am trying to get across here is how uneducated some consumers are, and that people need to get the facts to make educated decisions on what they eat. If consumers understand what goes into their food, they can make better decisions on what they actually feel comfortable purchasing.

"Delicious!" by http://globalmr.com/images/Omaha/Prepared_Dinners/BeefDinners/Prepared-Dinners-Whiskey-Marinated-sirloin-steaks.jpg, retrieved on March 5, 2012 by Dani Young

In short, next time you sit down to that lovely steak dinner or fancy baguettes, think about where it came from. It is important to appreciate all that the work that primary industry farmers and ranchers put into the food that goes on your table. As well, make a conscious decision to educate yourself about these farmers and their methods. Most of all, enjoy your mouth-watering meal!

Professional Facebook Page with Screenshot Uploaded from Flickr

Ales 204 screenshot, a photo by Dani Young on Flickr. Taken on January 26, 2011 (By Dani Young)

In class we have been instructed to create a professional facebook page! At first I was somewhat skeptical as to how this would help in my future careers, but after actually creating the page I have become a believer. This page contains a copy of my resume, some of my passions, and professional posts about my daily life. I believe it is somewhat like twitter in that it is open to the public. This will be helpful because I will not have to go through the hassle of requesting and adding new friends just so they can take a look at my page. I encourage you to check out my page as well at Facebook Page of Dani Young! Take a sneak peek above:

Now that you know what this page contains, I think it would be useful to inform you on how I plan to use it. I hope to network with future employers like Cargill, Bayer CropScience, and Monsanto. Though right now I am already employed with Cargill for the summer, there is no telling where I could end up in the long run. I believe this page could help to inform all employers of my interests, goals, and work ethic. By work ethic, I mean that I hope the effort that I have put into this page will be an indicator of the work I am willing to put into everything I take on. Once again, I encourage any readers to take a look at my friend Rosie's blog and read all about how she uses social media to connect with her future employers at Bayer, and the ways she plans to use her new page.

Introduction

Hi everyone! My name is Dani Young, and I want to tell you a little about myself to get acquainted. I love to dance, travel, and unfortunately for my bank account, shop! I was born on a farm just north of Grande Prairie, and had spent most of my life there until I graduated high school. At this point in my life, I decided to see what else the world (or in this case Alberta) had to offer me, so I applied to the University of Alberta and moved down to Edmonton in 2010! Here, I began my studies in the Arts faculty, as a History major. Though I loved it, I decided that it may not be the most practical study choice for me. I am currently studying Agricultural Business in the faculty of ALES, and feel it will suit my lifestyle much better. I hope to settle down in a smaller agricultural town, and help farmers like my Dad harvest the best crops they can!

I like to Travel! -London, England (Victoria Yanishewski, 2010)

As for what social media does for me and my future career, the answer is simple: It builds connections. The company I am working for this summer, Cargill, has a twitter account. In this way I can keep current on what Cargill is doing, and ask any questions I may have about my upcoming employment there. If you are interested in learning more about what Cargill has to offer, check out their website: www.cargill.com Another cool feature I find beneficial about twitter is the hashtags. With these, I can not only connect with other agriculture students and workers, but can chat to others about these common interests. As the course progresses, I look forward to increasing my knowledge on social media, and through this increasing my connections in the agricultural world.


One of my close friends, Rosie Templeton is already enrolled in this class and has a great blog set up as well. Go check it out! http://rosie-ales.blogspot.com