2 011 Manual

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introductionadMinistrative assistant’s role

Because the Spokesman is the official publication of the Iowa Farm Bureau, it means that the state office is responsible for the contents of the publication. Each county is responsible for providing the material to fill the space available on the county and area news pages. Because the publication is owned by the Iowa Farm Bureau, certain guidelines have been established for the type of material that is published. Basically, the guidelines are designed to encourage coverage of Farm Bureau activities at the county level and to follow policies established through the years by Farm Bureau officials.

Emphasis is placed on reporting county activities or the activities of leaders and committees as they go about doing the work of Farm Bureau. Also encouraged is the reporting of important agricultural news. Regular contact should be made with county commodity organizations, county extension offices and county agricultural officials for information and announcements that may be important to members.

There are items that you may be asked to print from time to time that are not appropriate for the page. These may include announcements of birthdays, births, deaths and thank-you notes. With the number of members in a county, your news space could be filled with such material and leave little room for Farm Bureau and ag news (an exception to the above would be the death of an officer or longtime leader—that announcement and something about the individual would be appropriate). For the most part, individuals can publicize the above-mentioned information through their local newspaper and that should be encouraged.

There are other guidelines for story writing throughout this manual, especially in the section that addresses the Spokesman page evaluation. You will want to read it closely.

The Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman is an important communications tool with members. For a majority of members, it is the only regular communication or connection they have to their organization.

Welcome to Farm Bureau. You have one of the most important tasks at the county Farm Bureau. The communication staff at the Iowa Farm Bureau is ready to assist in any way possible.

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copy preparation

Dirck Steimeleditor (primary contact for county pages)515-225-5413 dsteimel@ifbf.org

Jane Perdue coMMunications-Marketing

515-225-5416jperdue@ifbf.org

Sara Paynedirector, Marketing and coMMunications

515-225-5408 spayne@ifbf.org

iowa FarM Bureau coMMunications contacts

in preparing copy for your county spokesman page, there are several procedures that must be followed in sending your copy electronically.

1. In your story file, send cutlines first. Always type your cutlines first, making sure to number each picture and then reference it to the story it goes with. Every picture needs a cutline, explaining the who/what/where of the picture. Do not type your cutlines into the body of your e-mail only. This information must be a part of your story copy to ensure it is included on your page.

2. The county calendar of events should be the next item.

3. Then, follow with your stories, clearly numbered in the order of priority in which you want them to appear on your county page. Type your stories in order of importance and number your most important story No. 1, and the next most important story No. 2. If the page cannot accommodate all stories and pictures, your least important story will be dropped first.

4. Excess copy will not be held over for the following week. Any story which does not fit on your page must be resent the next week if you want it used on your county page. If any of your copy is cut for space reasons, an electronic version of your page will be sent to you by the Spokesman Press so that you may have a head’s up for the next week’s copy.

5. Name photos. Example—Tom Smith picking corn.jpg—NOT XP2133.jpg.

6. Include a cutline for each picture sent, even if it is only a nameline. A picture must have a cutline, especially if it’s not part of a story. Identify everyone in the picture, the order in which they are standing left to right. Write their names in the cutline and indicate who or what is being shown.

7. All digital pictures must be numbered for priority in layout. Refer to that number when talking about the picture with your story. Retype cutlines with reference to the picture with the story it accompanies.

8. Follow these steps when sending your photographs electronically to the Spokesman Press: 1. Create a new memo in Lotus Notes. 2. Type instructions for the photograph. Be sure to include the file name, story it should be printed with and the cutline. 3. Go to file and select attach. 4. Select the photograph you want to send. 5. Press create. 6. When the attachment has successfully appeared on the memo, press send.

To ensure the photograph is in the proper format, be sure .jpg appears following the file name of the photograph. If .jpg does not appear, open the photograph and go to files of type: and change the extension to .jpg.

9. When you are e-mailing the photo, be sure to include the story number in the message. Example: picture 3 with story 2.

Also, always indicate in the copy when a picture is to be used. Example: Story 4, use picture 3.

iowa FarM Bureau MeMBership control

Sue Sipe 515-225-5530ssipe@ifbf.org

Spokesman Press 641-648-2521 800-798-2691

PublishersMark haMiltonJo Martin

Productionstacey anderson

800-798-2691, ext. 329stacey@iafalls.com

News Desksusie rottink

800-798-2691, ext. 359production@iafalls.comiowafallsprod@yahoo.com

Composition SupervisorJenniFer williaMs

800-798-2691, ext. 320jwilliams@iafalls.com

Advertising don dauterive

800-798-2691, ext. 333 dauterive@iafalls.comMonica kuper

800-798-2691, ext. 332 mkuper@iafalls.com

Mail RoomMachele yakel

800-798-2691, ext. 501

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10. If you have no pictures for the week, tell the Press that in your copy. (Example — no pictures for Clay County Farm Bureau this week.)

11. Allow space in your copy for pictures. The more pictures you send, the less copy you should send. Generally a two-column photo will take 8 inches of space.

12. Procedural stories that are necessary on your page but are not necessarily news in terms of the Spokesman page evaluation contest should be handled in one or two brief paragraphs under the Farm Bureau notes standing head. However, each short item should have its own one- or two-column headline. Examples of what these stories might be are: good grades pay for lower insurance rates; no Spokesman dates; notify Blue Cross when reaching age 65; Farm Bureau, office hours or office closed for holiday; claims adjuster in office; FB name plates; report hail claims promptly; transferring FB membership; notify county office if moving; send news for county page; membership benefits; 22-year-olds need own membership; AA workshop scheduled or held; free exchange ads; brochures; pay BC-BS premium.

There are probably a few other items which could also be mentioned.

13. Be sure that you proofread your copy before sending it. You should check the dates and spelling of all names in stories and make sure verbs are in the correct tense.

Counties are provided with a half page to a page of space for county Farm Bureau news stories, photos, and calendar. The rest of the page will normally be filled with paid advertising. Some of your stories and photos may be moved and featured on the Area News Page.

example of how copy should look:

WRIGHT COUNTY FARM BUREAU

CALENDAR OF EVENTS: (Be sure to indicate days of the week and abbreviate the month when used with a date.)

Monday Noon deadline for ads for the following week’s Spokesman.

Tuesday, Aug. 13 Farm Bureau Day at the Iowa State Fair.

Wednesday, Aug. 28 Wright County Farm Bureau annual meeting, Memorial Hall, Eagle Grove.

Story 1 Cutline: Use picture no. 1 with story no. 1 with the following cutline...Roberts. Roberts winner in ag challenge

Two discussion meet winners and two ag challenge teams from northwest Iowa will compete in the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation’s (IFBF) state final young farmer competitions.

…copy preparationMike Sexton of Rockwell City placed first in the northwest area discussion meet while Carl Roberts of Belmond placed second. Jay Hofland of Sanborn also competed.

Sexton and Roberts will advance to the state discussion meet finals to be held during the IFBF annual meeting Dec. 3 in Des Moines.

Capturing first place in the northwest area ag challenge contest was O’Brien County. Team members include Wendy Peelen, Sanborn; Phil Woodall, Hartley; John Woodall, Sutherland; and Jay Hofland, Sanborn.

Placing second was Cherokee County. Team members include: David Kracht, Aurelia; Keith Glienke, Aurelia; Bob Donahoo, Peterson; and Dan Winterhof, Aurelia.

A team from Clay County also competed.

O’Brien and Cherokee counties will advance to the state young farmer ag challenge finals, to be held on Farm Bureau Day, Aug. 13, at the Iowa State Fair.

Story 2 Ag Academy - a growing experience By Betty Kobes

The 2010 Teacher’s Academy on Agricultural Awareness at Iowa State University hosted teachers from across the state. The Farm Bureau of Wright County sent Betty Kobes, first-grade teacher at West Hancock Elementary Kanawha Campus. The setting for the academy was at Scheman Building-Iowa State University Center. Instructor Dr. Robert Martin arranged activities to increase awareness of the business of agriculture. He helped the teachers become more aware of the vast diversity of ag careers by arranging tours of the campus facility that acquainted them with the extensive work being done with the college’s agriculture programs. The Crop Utilization Center allowed the guests to see products developed from corn and soybeans, as well as other testing the program was performing.

Presentations were given by commodity groups: Iowa Turkey Federation, Midland Dairy Association, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Iowa Pork Producers, Soybean Association, Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa Beef Industry, Iowa Egg Council, Iowa Sheep Industry Council, Farm Safety 4 Just Kids, the Leopold Center, and the ISU Horticulture Department. Materials and information to use in the classroom was given to the teachers as each group presented.

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Activities include a dairy and turkey farm tour at Story City, a visit to the State Forest Nursery, and a tour of Reiman Gardens, along with a lunch lesson of making omelets at the Iowa Egg Council. Everyone was given the opportunity to make and eat their own creative and, of course, delicious omelet!

The academy was indeed a fascinating experience. Each participant was assigned a project to share with the group. This along with a presentation by CAIP Teacher of the Year, Betty Kobes, filled the three-day conference.

A goal of each teacher attending was to encourage students to look at agriculture in their future. Agriculture is growing and growing with education of to day’s youth.

Story 3 Policy Development Week slated July 29 through Aug. 4

July 29 through Aug. 4 is Policy Development Week for the Wright County Farm Bureau, says Gary Woodley of Clarion, Wright County Farm Bureau president.

Obtaining the views of members on all issues affecting agriculture and rural life is importantly in formulating policy for the state’s largest general farm organization, says Woodley. Farm Bureau members are being asked for their views on state and national issues, such as livestock grade standards, the issuance of driver’s licenses by counties, value added agricultural production exports and transportation.

All 100 county Farm Bureaus in Iowa are developing policy for family farms this week. “This is a grass roots policy development process that’s unmatched by any organization,” Woodley said.

Leading this effort in Wright County is Joe Smith, chairman of the 2010 resolutions committee. The committee will tabulate the responses and write proposed resolutions based upon the views of the majority of our members,” Smith said.

“The proposed resolutions will then either be approved, rejected or amended by members at our annual meeting Wednesday, Aug. 28,” he added.

The two farmers urge all members to fill out an opinionnaire. Member input is the key to establishing policies to guide Farm Bureau for a profitable Iowa and U.S. agriculture.

Story 4 Iowa State Fair ticket reminder

Wright County Farm Bureau members are reminded they can purchase the discounted tickets to the Iowa State Fair at the Wright County Farm Bureau office until Friday, July 26.

The tickets will be sold for $4 instead of the $6 price at the gate. Children 11 and under are admitted free. There will also be a reduced price day - Aug. 14 is Older Iowans’ Day with gate admission for people over 60 being $3.

If you are interested in purchasing these discounted tickets, stop by the Farm Bureau office in Clarion.

Story 5 BC/BS premiums were due July 1

All direct pay semiannual and quarterly Farm Bureau health care premiums through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa were due July 1.

Subscribers should have received their premium notices that reflect the adjusted rates.

Subscribers who wish to make any changes in deductibles, plans, modes of payment or who have questions regarding the billings should contact the Wright County Farm Bureau office at (515) 532-3280.

sending copy to the press

All copy should be prepared and transmitted to the Press by 10 a.m. on Wednesday. If you have your copy prepared earlier, go ahead and transmit it. If you will be later than 10, please e-mail the Press to let them know. If you will not be in the office on Thursday, you may want to make sure your copy was received.

Please e-mail copy and pictures to the following e-mail addresses: production@iafalls.com and iowafallsprod@yahoo.com

Using both addresses helps ensure the copy/pictures arrive in a timely fashion – in case a server is down, or the e-mail contains larger file sizes that may be rejected by one of the e-mail accounts.

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aFFiliate news guidelines the primary consideration for determining the acceptance of material concerning Farm Bureau affiliated commercial services as news on the county spokesman page is the value and interest to members.

Stories that assist members in their farming business, as well as keep them informed about the activities of the commercial services, will be generally accepted.

Not acceptable are those stories which primarily sell the specific products and services of the affiliate commercial services since this is sales promotion and advertising and should be paid for at the commercial advertising rate.

The following guidelines define and clarify the type of stories that are and aren’t permitted on county pages as news material; these guidelines will not cover all possible stories, but should cover most stories and give an indication of how other stories will be judged. A commercial service is one that requires payments in addition to membership dues.

acceptaBle

� Information columns on management practices (areas where commercial services have technical knowledge — estate planning, fall fertilization, depreciation schedules, tire inflation, feeder cattle outlook, controlling health care costs, importance of soil testing, a farmer’s liabilities, how the Keogh plan works for farmers, the value of farm records).

t Informational meetings for farmers (example — estate planning meetings, feeder cattle outlook, grain drying and storage, explanation of health care program, farm management).

t Recognition of personnel of commercial services — recipients of sales, service, professional and civic awards.

t Public relations projects of commercial services that help build the image of Farm Bureau.

t Periodic stories on office schedule of adjuster and health care representative.

t Participation of leaders and/or personnel in training meetings of commercial services as well as attendance of local personnel at major business and sales meetings of commercial services.

t Brief reports on new personnel, services, products and facilities. These reports should be brief news reports — local FS company is now handling ethanol and biodiesel or FB Mutual now offers snowmobile insurance — without a lot of details or superlatives on the product (straight informational stories). These should be one-time stories.

t Periodic stories on FS.

t Occasional reports on progress of major sales campaigns of commercial services as well as annual reports on commercial services fiscal year.

t Information on benefits to members on business policies of commercial services — such as how to file insurance claims, FS member company credit policy, deadline for filing health care claims, etc.

not acceptaBle

t Columns by personnel or leaders which impart no information to members other than a sales pitch for products or services available from commercial services.

t Lengthy news stories about new product or service or more than one story about new product or service.

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style guidelinesQuick tips

t Please write cutlines for all of your pictures and keep them separate from your story (a brief sentence explaining the who/what/where of the picture). Do not include them in the middle of your stories, unless they are the smaller “no stories” with only a picture and cutline. The head and shoulder pictures of agents, presidents, etc., only get their last name under them, so there is no need to write a cutline for them.

No stories: Always need a brief headline (Town hall meeting held); always one paragraph (if the information is long enough to be a story on its own, submit it as a story with a separate cutline).

t Do not use all caps in the headlines. They should be capitalized the same way you would a sentence. If it’s a word that would not normally be capitalized, don’t capitalize it. (Incorrect: Board Holds Monthly Meeting; Correct: Board holds monthly meeting)

t For those generic press releases that every county gets, please remember to fill in the blanks and not leave “Insert your county president’s name here.”

t In general, headlines should be a complete and succinct thought, not just “Membership.” The correct headline would be “Membership update given” or “Membership reaches gain goal.” If you are using a press release that has a very long headline, please shorten it down to a few words.

t If your copy is going to be late for any reason (i.e., waiting for approval on a story from your manager or an agent), please let the Press know.

here are soMe Basic ap style tips

t In the calendar, please put both the day and the date (i.e., Monday, May 7).

t With dates, there is no need for the th/rd/st after the figure. May 3rd should be May 3.

t Please abbreviate the longer-named months when they include a specific date. “The board of directors held its December meeting” is OK, but “The board of directors met Dec. 13” would need the abbreviation. The months to abbreviate are August through February.

t Times should follow this style: 7 p.m., not 7:00 PM or 7PM or 7 P.M.

t Numbers: 1-9, spell out; 10 and above, use figures

t Money: always figures, but delete .00 (i.e., $50, not $50.00)

t Ages: always figures. Use hyphens when age is a modifier (She is 3 years old; She is a 3-year-old; They have a 2-month-old baby)

t Measurements: Generally always figures (height, weight, length, etc.). Use hyphens when used as a modifier (We received 6 inches of snow; We received a 6-inch snowfall; She bought a 25-pound turkey; The 190-pounder won his weight class)

t School grades: Spell out first through ninth grade, use figures for 10th-12th grade. Use hyphens for modifiers: She teaches first grade; she is a first-grade teacher; the third-graders attended the fair; This program is for second- through sixth-graders; The 10th-grade classes went on a field trip). The same concept applies to “places” in contests: the team won first place; the second-place award was $25; he came in 10th place; she earned a 25th-place ranking

t Dates: Abbreviate August through February only if there is a day to go with the month (the February board meeting was canceled; the board met Dec. 22). Use commas after days/dates/years (She was born Monday, Feb. 1, 1981, in Hampton. The fair will be Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 21-22, in Dubuque.)

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…style guidelinesstyle guideline Consistency of style is important in a newspaper. A good newspaper is so consistent in its style that the readers learn to take it for granted.

The guidelines contained in this section of the Spokesman handbook will govern the style of copy for the Spokesman. Check the guidelines on any questions you may have on proper style when preparing your Spokesman copy.

Webster’s Dictionary is the accepted authority on spelling. Style generally follows the Associated Press Stylebook.

aBBreviations

A. 1. Abbreviate names of states following cities but not when used alone: Bloomington, Ill., but Illinois.

Exception: Don’t abbreviate Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Utah and Texas.

Omit the state after cities and towns in Iowa except when needed to eliminate misunderstanding, such as Washington, Iowa, and Denver, Iowa.

A. 2. Abbreviate months of the year when used with a date but not when used alone: Jan. 5, 1967, but January 1990; the board met Jan. 5, but the board held its January meeting.

Exception: Always spell out March, April, May, June and July.

A. 3. Abbreviate the titles of Dr., Mr. and Mrs. Never use Mr. unless with Mrs.

A. 4. Abbreviate formal titles which precede a full name: Dr. Bob Jones, Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Col. Susan Brown.

Titles are written out when used after a name: Craig Lang, Iowa Farm Bureau president. Give full title when a person is mentioned the first time and use title only once.

Don’t abbreviate president: President Craig Lang of the Iowa Farm Bureau, President Barack Obama or Iowa Farm Bureau President Craig Lang.

A. 5. Spell out titles of president, vice president and secretary when referring to the president and vice president of the United States or members of the cabinet.

A. 6. Abbreviate the word number when followed by a number unless it begins a sentence. He is No. 10 on the list. Number 13 is considered unlucky.

A. 7. If it is necessary to establish credentials, avoid an abbreviation. Make it: a bachelor’s degree, a master’s, a doctorate. Use B.A., M.S., Ph.D. only after a full name, never just after a last name. Bachelor’s and master’s are always used with an apostrophe.

A. 8. Do not abbreviate the common term for weights and measure. Spell out the terms. The estimated corn yield is 89 bushels per acre.

A. 9. Do not abbreviate the names of organizations, government agencies and groups at first reference unless they are well known and easily recognized, such as USDA, IRS and IFBF.

Do not follow an organization’s full name with an abbreviation or acronym in the second reference if it would not be clear. Example: Beef Promotion and Research Board (BPRB). This is awkward. Refer to it in the second reference as the board or the beef board.

A. 10. Abbreviate junior or senior when they follow a name: Wallace Plowman Sr. is county voting delegate. Also abbreviate company, corporation, incorporated and limited when used after name of a corporate entity.

A. 11. Keep titles before a name brief — place lengthy titles behind a name when possible: Bob Smith, president and CEO of Biodeisel Inc.

A. 12. Write out Christian names: Thomas Robb not Thos. Robb, George Webb, not Geo. Webb.

A. 13. With dates or numerals, use abbreviations: On Sept. 16; 9:30 a.m.; in room No. 6.

A. 14. Spell out United States when used as a noun; i.e., The United States and Canada met to discuss trade. Abbreviate when used as an adjective - The U.S. crop report was for 8 billion bushels of corn.

capitalization General rule: capitalize sparingly. When in doubt, do not capitalize.

C. 1. Capitalize all proper nouns and adjectives: Craig Lang, Iowa farmers, American agriculture.

C. 2. Common nouns which form essential parts of proper nouns are capitalized but not capitalized when standing alone or when not part of an official name. Tripoli City Hall, the city hall; Iowa State Fair, state fair.

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continuedC. 3. Capitalize figures of speech used in place of literal names: Old Glory, Hawkeye State.

C. 4. Capitalize the first letter of the first word in a sentence, in every line of poetry and in a direct quotation.

The first word of a fragmentary quotation is not capitalized. The county president said action is needed “to increase member participation.”

C. 5. Capitalize the first letter of each word in a title of a book, play, poem, speech, conference theme, except the articles — a, an, the, etc. — and conjunctions and prepositions of fewer than five letters, such as in, to, or, but, of, as, on, for, at, etc. If an article or preposition is the first word of a title, capitalize it.

C. 6. Capitalize definite regions and geographic areas: Corn Belt, the Old West, the South, the Midwest. However, in general, lower case compass points to describe a section of a state or city: western Iowa. Do not capitalize points of the compass: east, west, south, north.

C. 7. Capitalize the first letter in each word of titles of groups, associations, colleges and universities (but not “the”): American Dairy Association of Iowa, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa State University, the University of Iowa. Capitalize specific organization names such as CowBelles.

C. 8. Capitalize names of committees, divisions or departments of agencies and organizations when used as part of a formal title: Polk County Farm Bureau Legislative Committee, House Agriculture Committee, Iowa Farm Bureau Field Service Division, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Animal Health Division. Lowercase committees when not part of a formal title, i.e., the agriculture committee, the legislative committee. Names of nonspecific entities are lower case, i.e., pork producers, Farm Bureau young members.

C. 9. Capitalize names of races, nationalities and nicknames of groups: Hawkeyes, Cyclones, Germans, Indians, Swedes, African Americans.

C. 10. Capitalize names of political parties and titles of members of the party: Democrat, Republican, Communist, Socialist (party). He is a Democrat, Republican, Communist, Socialist.

When referring to a political philosophy rather than a part, use lower case: communism, socialism, democratic, capitalism.

C. 11. Capitalize the official names of major governmental bodies and agencies: The U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, Supreme Court, Congress, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service. Lower case when part of the name is used: development commission, the department.

Legislature...Capitalize with or without a state name if a specific reference is clear: The Iowa Legislature, or the Legislature adjourned today (when referring to Iowa). Lower case legislature in all generic and plural references: No legislature has approved the amendment, the Iowa and Nebraska legislatures.

C. 12. Do not capitalize the seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter.

C. 13. Capitalize holidays: Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas (but Labor Day weekend, the office will be closed for the Christmas holidays).

C. 14. Capitalize brand and trade names: Terramycin, Dowpon. Do not capitalize insurance policies or farm product names unless they are registered brand or trade names.

C. 15. Capitalize formal titles when they precede a name; don’t when they follow the name or are used alone: President Bob Stallman, AFBF president.

C. 16. Don’t capitalize words such as former and ex- when used with a title, such as ex-President Truman, former Gov. Chet Culver.

C. 17. Don’t capitalize a.m., p.m.

C. 18. Capitalize breeds of animals and poultry: Hereford, Angus, Hampshire, Duroc, Shropshire, Leghorn.

C. 19. Lower case titles that are primarily job descriptions: astronomer Carl Sagan, movie actor Robert Redford, Milo farmer Craig Hill, career agent Bob Thompson, Polk County office assistant Meg Johnson.

C. 20. Capitalize U.S. Capitol, Iowa Capitol and the Capitol when referring to the building in Washington or Des Moines. Always spell it capitol, which refers to the building itself and not capital, which refers to the city serving as the seat of government.

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…style guidelinespunctuation periods

P. 1. Use periods in common abbreviations: Dr., Jr., Calif., a.m.

P. 2. Omit periods in abbreviations of organizations and agencies, such as IFBF, FSA, USDA, NRCS, REA, ISU. Also see A. 9.

Exception: Use U.S. for United States.

P. 3. Don’t use periods in call letters of radio-TV stations: WHO, WMT-TV.

P. 4. A period is always placed inside quotation marks: He said, “The time for a change is now.”

P. 5. Use parenthesis sparingly for clarification, usually within quotes. Jones said, “They (USDA) don’t need to do that.”

commas

P. 6. Use commas to separate a series of words or phrases. The comma is omitted before the conjunction which connects the last word of the series. Polk, Dallas, Greene and Boone counties won awards in the membership contest.

When a conjunction such as and, but or for links two clauses that could stand alone as separate sentences, use a comma before the conjunction in most cases: She was glad she had looked, for a man was approaching the house. Also: We are visiting Washington, and we also plan a side trip to Williamsburg.

P. 7. Use commas with numerals in the thousands: 1,111; 10,111; but not in dates or addresses: 1967, 1019 High St.

P. 8. Use commas to separate two related numbers: in 1967, 10,140 new members joined Farm Bureau.

P. 9. Use commas to separate the day of the month and year, enclosing the year inside commas if the sentence continues: On June 1, 1965, the delegates approved an expanded program. Tuesday, Aug. 4, is Farm Bureau Day at the fair.

Do not use commas to enclose the year when only the month and year are used: The Supreme Court acted in June 1964 on reapportionment.

P. 10. The comma is always placed inside quotation marks.

semicolons

P. 11. Use semicolons to separate parts of a series when commas are used with the parts themselves: Dubuque County, first; Louisa County, second; Sioux County, third.

P. 12. Use a semicolon between independent clauses not joined by a conjunction: In the winter they worked membership; in the spring they planted their crop.

Quotation Marks

P. 13. Always place periods and commas inside quotation marks. Also see P. 4.

P. 14. Use quotation marks to set off nicknames: Tim “Rocky” Jones is the new salesman.

P. 15. Use quotation marks at the beginning of every paragraph in a long, continuous quotation and at the end of the final paragraph.

hyphens

P. 16. Do not use hyphens in titles, such as vice president, but do use hyphens to separate combined titles: secretary-treasurer.

P. 17. Use a hyphen after a prefix when the prefix ends and the basic word begins with the same vowel: semi-invalid, co-owner, co-op.

Exceptions are cooperate, cooperative and coordinate.

P. 18. Use a hyphen with spelled out fractions: two-thirds. Consult Webster’s Dictionary for information on hyphenating specific words.

P. 19. Use hyphens in compound modifiers: AITC visited third-grade students (but, She teaches third grade); Jessica Smith received the first-place trophy (but, Jessica Smith won first place); a 10-pound bag of fertilizer.

nuMBers

N. 1. Use numerals for all numbers which express units of standard measure:

a. Dimension: 5 by 9 feet (inches, yards, etc.);

b. Degree of temperature: 5 degrees above zero;

c. Time of day: 8 p.m.;

d. Age: 4 years old, 4-year-old;

e. Price: $1.98, $1, 5 cents;

f. Amounts in recipes: 2 cups;

g. Score: 2-1;

h. Street numbers: 5400 University St.;

i. Decimals and percentages: 2 percent, .05 percent, 0.4 parts per billion.

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continuedN. 2. When not used to express units of standard measure, spell out numbers zero through nine and use numerals for 10 and above. Attending the meeting were 25 members of the committee. The four county boards approved the program four days ago.

N. 3. Apply the appropriate guidelines (spell out nine and under) for a series. The barn contained three horses, two cows and 15 pigs.

N. 4. For round numbers of a million or more, use: 2 million bushels, $35 billion. Round numbers up or down: instead of $1,596,067, use about $1.6 million. Avoid using specific numbers unless absolutely necessary.

N. 5. Leave out unnecessary zeros: 10 p.m. instead of 10:00 p.m.; $10 instead of $10.00.

N. 6. Spell out fractions not used in tabulations: He pays one-fourth of his income for rent. The truck weighs one-half of one ton.

N. 7. Use figures when numbers and fractions are combined: 1 1/2, 21 1/2.

N. 8. Whenever two sets of figures are adjacent in a sentence, use this style: He unloaded 20 50-pound bags of fertilizer. They had four four-room houses, 10 three-room houses and 12 10-room houses.

N. 9. Use the following forms when referring to more than one year: During the 1960-65 period.

N. 10. If a number begins a sentence, spell it out: Fifteen members attended the budget hearing.

naMes

NA. 1. When writing news stories that include names, use first names for both men and women. Example: John Jones, Jessica White (Not Mrs. Jessica White or Mrs. Jake White).

In subsequent references, use only the last name.

Examples: (Females) Ruth Whipple has been named chairman of the county Farm Bureau legislative committee. Whipple (or she) said the committee will be meeting soon to formulate plans for the coming year.

(Males) John Jones has been named chairman of the county Farm Bureau legislative committee. He (or Jones) said the committee will be meeting soon to formulate plans for the coming year.

NA. 2. When couples are involved, use first names.

Example 1: John and Barbara Jones represented the county Farm Bureau at the district meeting for county legislative committees last week. John said the meeting was successful.

Example 2: Accepting the award for the county Farm Bureau were John and Barbara Jones.

internet

I. 1. Internet addresses generally should be self-contained paragraphs at the end of a story. Use basic news judgment in including an Internet address; do not include it merely because it is available. If an Internet address falls at the end of a sentence, use a period.

I. 2. The words Internet and World Wide Web should be capitalized. Also, web site and web page (two words).

Example 1: The Internet is a resource that can help farmers find valuable information to improve their farming operation.

Example 2: The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation’s web site, www.iowafarmbureau.com, will increase your access to key information on Farm Bureau programs and member benefits.

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news writingwriting stories Writing a story for your county Spokesman page is really a pretty simple task. After all, a story is no more than you telling someone in your own words what has happened or is going to happen.

There are six essentials to every story called the 5 W’s and H—who, what, when, where, why and how. If the reader has the answer to all these, then he probably has the most important facts of the story.

You should analyze your story and determine which of these six essentials is the most important — that’s where you start.

Then you answer the rest of the questions as close to the beginning as possible.

here’s an example: t Plans for the ____ County Farm Bureau annual meeting (what) were discussed by the Farm Bureau board (who) Tuesday night, June 6 (when), at the Farm Bureau building in ____ (where).

Then follow with details enlarging on each area if necessary. What are the plans, when will they be carried out, who is involved, why is it important to the members, and others.

t Make your stories as interesting as you possibly can. Include as much important information as possible. For example, in a story announcing a board meeting, list some of the topics that are to be discussed.

t The lead is the most important part of the story. It shouts the main facts and gets the essence of the most important fact of the story to the reader in a hurry.

t How can you write a good lead? In addition to answering as many of the six basic questions as necessary, here are additional ideas.

t Be as brief as possible — preferably not more than 20 to 25 words.

t Be simple enough to be easily understood by the reader.

t Be attractive and appropriate.

t Select your real feature — consider all the facts, analyze them until you understand the real feature and emphasize it by using it to build your lead. Action is important.

t Write positive leads that tell what will happen or what has happened.

t The _____ County Farm Bureau board has approved an addition to the Farm Bureau building in Durango. Or, the _____ County Farm Bureau commodity committee will meet May 2 to plan Farm Bureau’s participation in June Dairy Month.

Keep your sentences short — but at the same time sentences must vary in length and structure if you don’t want to bore the reader.

t One way to keep sentences short is to break up the long ones. Sometimes the force of writing is improved by breaking a compound sentence in two so the second sentence starts with the word and, or but. Along with sentences, keep the paragraphs short. Try to keep them from four to six typewritten lines or fewer.

t Use the simple approach — if a big word is the right word, use it. But if a shorter word does the job, use that. Simple sentences are preferred except for occasional variety.

t Use the familiar word — a person who really wants to communicate facts and ideas should be concerned with giving clear, exact meanings. The writer shouldn’t try to show off their vocabulary and will avoid flowery adjectives and glowing tributes.

t Be specific — know what you are trying to say. If your idea is clear in your own mind, fewer unneeded words will creep into your writing.

t After you have written the story, go over your copy with a pencil. Cut out each word that is not necessary.

t Be accurate — this can’t be stressed too much. Times, dates, names, places, statistics, identifications — all must be accurate. Make sure your spelling is right. This is especially important when using names.

t If it happens that you are personally covering a meeting or speaker, take a few notes. Don’t try to write down everything that is being said. Sit back, listen and write down statements and ideas you feel will be of interest to your readers.

t You may be lucky and get a copy of his or her speech, but you will still have to do the same thing — read the speech and select only the key ideas and statements.

t Some counties have found it advantageous to prepare forms for use in gathering information. They give these forms to committee chairmen and ask them to leave the completed form at the Farm Bureau office after the meeting. Other counties have found it necessary to call the chairman of a committee the morning after a meeting to get the information needed for a story.

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editing copy & headlinesediting copy

When you receive copy from Farm Bureau committee chairmen, county women’s publicity chairmen, the extension office, Growmark/FS, insurance agency manager, FSA office and other news sources in the county, a decision must be made on what copy to use on the county Spokesman page.

t First of all, the decision on the use of material on the county Spokesman page is governed by policy of the county Farm Bureau board of directors. The directors should establish the guidelines for the page.

t However, we recommend that other local agricultural news be used on the page to provide a balance with the reports of Farm Bureau activities, which should receive major emphasis.

t Another limiting factor on the selection of material for the county page is the amount of space on the page. Here is where editing copy and writing tight, short stories are important.

t When you have selected a story because of its importance and news value, you must check the story to see if it needs rewriting or if the story can be used in its present form.

t Here again, you follow the simple rules of who, what, when, where, why and how. If the story contains these facts in a simple, concise and clear format, you can use it without rewriting.

t However, you’ll probably have to rewrite some stories to condense the information contained, especially if the stories were not originally written in the inverted pyramid style which allows you to delete the last paragraphs without reducing the news value of the story.

headlines

Headlines are important in attracting the reader’s attention to the stories on your county page. And they can be important in the appearance of your page.

t You can suggest a headline you want for a story. Or you can allow the Spokesman news desk in Iowa Falls to select and write the headlines.

t Headlines need to be attention-getters and should give readers a capsule look at what the story contains. If you write your own headline, you should find the information for the headline in the first and/or second paragraph of the news story.

t Keep in mind that an action-type headline is preferable to a label headline. The headline should describe action...committee votes, the board acts, the committee to meet, etc. And the headline should be in the present or future tense...and only use the past tense rarely. Your headline should say, committee approves summer projects, instead of committee approved summer projects.

t If you don’t write or request headlines, the Spokesman news desk will do it.

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pictures Pictures always add to the interest and attractiveness of your page when they are sharp and tell the story you want told. There are several things you can do to make sure your pictures are attractive and tell a story.

t The key thing to keep in mind is that every picture has a center of attention. Almost without exception this shows what you are trying to tell. Anything more in the picture is wasted space and detracts reader focus from the point you are trying to make.

t Resizing a photograph to include only details necessary to tell the story is called “cropping.” You can “crop” a picture by shrinking the box using your computer.

t Make sure the picture is of good quality and in focus. Enlarging can add to the problems you have with a bad picture. Increased size makes a bad picture worse. Likewise, good cropping can turn a two-column picture into an excellent one-column picture.

t However, the best way to crop is to take only what you want in the picture when you are handling the camera. Then you won’t have to do cropping later. If you are taking pictures of one or several persons, move in as close as possible so that the individuals fill the picture.

t As long as we are discussing the don’ts, here are a couple more: Don’t try to get too many people into a picture, especially if you plan to use it as a two-column cut. Three to five people are the most you want in a two-column picture.

t If you crowd too many persons into a picture and run the picture as a two-column engraving, it will be difficult for your readers to identify the individuals because their faces will be too small for easy identification.

t If you have a large group to photograph, split them up. If you are planning a two-column crowd shot, forget it and take a picture of the “action.” In a situation like this, use the same rule of thumb you would for a news story — shoot a picture where the action is.

t Once again, don’t try to enlarge a bad photograph. Make sure it has good contrast between the blacks and whites and that it is in sharp focus. Avoid using pictures that are too light or too dark.

Quick tips:t Photos taken on a digital camera should be taken at the highest quality setting available.

t When taking a photograph, try to catch the main action. Remember, the picture should help tell the story and more then one shot may need to be taken.

t Try to avoid taking photos of the backs of peoples heads, photos in profile or photos in dark rooms. Remember, if the photo is not exciting to you, it will not be exciting to the reader.

t If you have the ability, please crop the photo to focus on the main actions.

t Photos that are scanned should be scanned no smaller the 200 dpi/ppi.

t Scans should be done in color and not bitmap format.

cutlines You have probably heard the saying, “A picture is worth 1,000 words.” As that saying stands, it isn’t true. It should read, “A good picture with the right cutline is worth 1,000 words.”

t You can never assume that your reader knows who is pictured — even if it is the county Farm Bureau president. The cutline should identify the persons pictured (usually from left to right) and should tell what the picture is all about.

t If the picture is not connected with a story on the page, make sure you add some information on the event. This won’t be needed if the picture accompanies a story.

t An example of a cutline to be used with a story might read: Polk County Farm Bureau President John Jones (left) and Tom Smith, beef committee chairman, place a cookout contest poster in the Brown Meat Market in Ankeny. Do not merely say: Pictured, left to right, are Polk County Farm Bureau President John Jones and Tom Smith, beef committee chairman.

If the cutline is to be used without a story, it might read: John Jones, left, Polk County Farm Bureau president, and Tom Smith, beef committee chairman, place a cookout contest poster in the Brown Meat Market in Ankeny. The Polk County Farm Bureau will hold a cookout contest in Ankeny’s business district on Aug. 6. Winners will advance to the state contest in Des Moines on Aug. 23 during the state fair.

This would be a boxed “no story” and would need a very brief headline to accompany it (i.e., Cookout contest planned).

pictures & cutlines

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puBlicityMany of the stories you use on your Spokesman page will also be worth publicizing on radio, TV and in your local weekly and daily newspapers. Stories the newspapers and radio stations will be most interested in are those telling of coming activities of the county Farm Bureau. They also will want a follow-up story telling what happened during the activity.

Your county Farm Bureau is the largest countywide farm organization and most newspapers will want to know what the county Farm Bureau is doing, and about actions taken by the county Farm Bureau.

t To work with radio (TV if you have it available) and newspapers, be sure to get acquainted with their deadlines for news material, and any special requirements they might have regarding how copy is submitted. If your county has a news media coordinator, ask him or her to make the contact to obtain the information.

t It also helps to check what type of pictures the newspaper would use with your news story. Usually, newspapers like to have pictures a little earlier than copy, but check with the editor.

t Editors will edit your copy. You can watch for any changes they make once the story is printed. Then in future stories try to write the stories so they fit in with the way the paper edits. Use the five W’s discussed under writing a story: tell in your own words what is going to happen or what has happened.

t Keep personal opinion out of stories unless you attribute the opinion to an individual through a direct or indirect quotation.

t Occasionally IFBF will send to you a fill-in release. This is a news story to be released under the name of one of your elected county FB officers. You should retype this entire release filling in the name where it fits. And you should make any changes in the story your county Farm Bureau elected official requests. Also, be sure to get approval from Farm Bureau officials before sending a release out in their name.

t Keep in mind the larger dailies which circulate in your area because they are also interested in your news stories. News releases can also be sent to the large dailies when you want or feel the story deserves broader coverage. Radio and TV stations covering your county should also be considered as outlets for your news stories.

sample news release: Iowa agriculture contributes to Earth Day’s mission Contact: (county administrative assistant), (phone number) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Earth Day is a time to celebrate the positive contributions agriculture makes towards preserving our environment. Iowans can celebrate the day knowing farmers lead the way in caring for the environment and conserving natural resources.

“Farmers take the responsibility of caring for the environment very seriously,” said Polk County Farm Bureau President Chris Sutton. “If we don’t care about the environment, we are the first to suffer the consequences. After all, we make our living from the land it’s in our best interest to protect and conserve such a valuable resource.”

Compared to other states, Iowa has the most farmers with land in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) with 1.9 million acres enrolled. One in every five Iowa landowners participates in the CRP.

In addition, conservation tillage continues to increase on farms across the United States. In 2004, farmers used conservation tillage on 13.6 million acres, up 767,000 acres from 2002. As a result, water quality is improving and soil erosion is decreasing. Conservation efforts reduced soil erosion on Iowa’s cropland by 43 percent between 1983 and 2003, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The agriculture community also demonstrates its commitment to water quality through the use of grasses, trees and shrubs as buffers along Iowa waterways.

Iowa has more than 126,000 acres being restored through the Wetlands Reserve Program, Emergency Wetlands Reserve Programs, Emergency Watershed Protection-Floodplain Easement Program and CRP.

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the following is recommended for news releases going to newspapers, radio and tv: Black Hawk County Farm Bureau Phone (319) 243-2747 Waterloo, Iowa FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

t If you have written the story in advance, and it is not for immediate release, give the date, like this: FOR RELEASE 4 p.m., APRIL 18.

t When possible, send out the story of a meeting that will happen in the future in advance of the event — far enough so that all news media get an even break on the release. Weekly papers like to be treated the same as radio, TV and large dailies. This makes it possible to have radio, TV, daily and weekly papers reporting the event at the same time. Once an event has taken place, it should be reported immediately so that it does not become old news.

t Remember that names make news. Use first and last names and addresses. In general, do not use the courtesy titles Miss, Mr., Mrs. or Ms. on first and last names of the person: John Jones or Sara Doolittle.

t Do not use Mr. in any reference unless it is combined with Mrs.: Mr. and Mrs. John Smith.

t In general, use a person’s last name or he/she after the first reference to their name.

t Write the story as soon as possible after an event takes place as this keeps the news fresh. News, like produce, is perishable. Use the phone if you have a story that takes place close to the deadline of your news people.

publicity pictures t Pictures of personnel of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and American Farm Bureau Federation can be obtained from the Iowa Farm Bureau Marketing and Communications division. Make sure that you write or send an e-mail message requesting a picture well enough in advance of the staff person’s appearance so you will have ample time to mail the pictures with your news releases.

t Specify what you need in your request for publicity material, such as how many pictures you need.

t If you need a picture of IFBF and AFBF personnel for use only on your Spokesman page — just send a note along with your copy telling what you want. The press has these pictures on file — ready for use by counties.

t If you wish pictures of people outside of Farm Bureau, you should write the individual for a picture and biographical material well in advance of their appearance.

annual Meeting publicity

1. Write to the speaker for a picture and biological material.

2. Work with your county Farm Bureau news media coordinator to send annual meeting invitations to county newspapers and radio and TV stations. Check with your local newspaper editor for coverage.

3. Send a story announcing the time and location of the meeting to all news media about two weeks prior to the meeting. This story should emphasize the policy development process in the county.

4. Send a story on your speaker and election of officers about one week before the meeting.

5. Write to the speaker for a copy of their speech. You will want to use this information in a news release.

6. Send reminders of invitation to the news media.

7. At the meeting, distribute news releases on the talk and a copy of the annual report to the news media representatives.

8. Send or deliver (use telephone if necessary to meet news deadlines) a news release on the meeting to news media not attending. The news release should include officers elected, a brief summary of the speech by featured speaker and a copy of the resolutions adopted.

9. Send a follow-up report on officers elected and annual meeting highlights to area dailies, area radio and TV stations.

…puBlicity continued

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exchange adspurpose The Spokesman exchange ads on county pages are designed to be a benefit of a Farm Bureau membership.

Farm Bureau members are entitled to advertise items for sale or to buy items for use on the farm or in the home.

It is the responsibility of the county office assistant and regional manager to make sure that ads meet the following guidelines.

policy guidelines

1. Spokesman classified ads are for use only by Farm Bureau members under their own membership in the county where their membership is held.

2. Members are limited to a maximum of two exchange ads per week.

3. Ads are limited to 25 words or fewer including name, address and telephone number.

An ad can run two weeks in a row. If a member insists that the ad be repeated, skip two weeks and then send it in again. After two insertions, leave it up to the member to notify you if the ad is to be repeated. Never take an ad with the idea that it is to run until the member tells you to stop.

4. Neither members, nor family members, can advertise under a relative’s membership, nor under someone else’s membership in their county of membership (the exception is a family farm corporation membership with all family members living in the same household). Members also cannot advertise in another county under someone else’s membership.

5. Members with memberships in multiple counties can use the exchange ad column in each county, but they should be sent in by each county’s office assistant.

6. Members who buy an extra area edition of the Spokesman are not entitled to use the exchanges ads in the additional Spokesman edition(s).

7. Commercial businesses cannot advertise in the exchange ads. No business names allowed. However, business firms that are paid up Farm Bureau members

are entitled to a 10 percent discount on all commercial display advertising plus a 10 percent member discount.

8. Advertising for custom farm work or other part-time services provided by a farmer is permitted if it is not the primary occupation of the individual. Individuals are also permitted to advertise for sale items made by the individual on the farm or in the home if the sales of these products are not the primary source of family income.

9. Non-farm members can utilize the exchange ads only for personal and household goods. They cannot advertise commercial goods or services from their business or professional activity.

10. Prohibited from appearing in the exchange ads are:

a. persons regularly offering goods, including machinery and cars, for sale that were purchased for resale (new or used)

b. real estate, land for sale, rental and farm sale auctions, permanent mobile home sales, farm houses for rent

c. garage sales

d. commercial businesses

e. professionals whose main income is not from farming

f. looking for work, or other help wanted

g. hand guns

Permitted are rental ads for farmland, farm buildings, houses to be moved and houses to be torn down. Ads for seasonal farm help are allowed.

11. Late exchange ads—either called in or sent in via e-mail—will not be accepted by the Press. All ads must be in by the appropriate deadline and members should not be told, at any time, to directly call the Press with their ad.

12. Seed sales—it is permissible for a farmer to advertise in the exchange ads his extra seed, but not if he is a dealer. However, protected seed such as Roundup Ready Soybean are not allowed.

preparing exchange ad copy

t Type and single space exchange ad copy.

t Always use upper caps on the first word of each exchange ad. WANTED: SALE: GIVE AWAY:

t Always include an address and a telephone area code or exchange ads will not be accepted.

t Always include the appropriate category number for each exchange ad.

t Insert the “pipe” character between the phone number, zip code and category. There are no spaces between pipes and the numbers. The “pipe” character is a vertical line or like a vertical hyphen.

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t On signatures for exchange ads, use the name, route or directions to the farm, post office, telephone and name of telephone exchange if different than post office. For example: SALE: 6 PB Poland China gilts, to farrow early May; good fall boars, PB, double vac. Hubert Listerk RR 1, Pulaski, ph. 3479 Stiles.

t If more than one item is listed in an exchange ad, use semicolons to separate items if descriptive material is included as in above example.

t If directions are needed and route number is also used, type like this: John Jones, RR 2, 4 S, 1 1/2 W Sumner.

t On telephone, it is always ph. when used with the individual’s name and address.

t Ad classifications are Machinery & Equipment; Miscellaneous; Motor Vehicles; Pets & Livestock; RV/ATV/Boats; and Wanted to Buy.

aBBreviations Please note these don’ts:t Don’t use # for any abbreviation. When used for pounds, number, etc., it becomes confusing.

t Don’t abbreviate town names in exchange ads, but DO use town names with all ads. Members in your county could figure out the address, but members in another county in your edition might be interested in an ad but be unable to figure out how to contact the advertiser.

t Don’t abbreviate words for which there is no commonly accepted abbreviations, such as in this ad: “SALE: Shepherd pups wh with br and bl with br markings. . .”

study the following list of common abbreviations used in the exchange ads only:

Livestock Berk; Berkshire Hamp; Hampshire York; Yorkshire yrl.; yearling serv.; service, serviceable reg; registered, regular valid.; validated PB; purebred accred.; accredited bruc.; brucellosis l.e.; loineye ery.; erysipelas prod.; production AI; artificial insemination DHIA; Dairy Herd Improvement Association SPF; Specified Pathogen Free perf.; performance vac.; vaccinated L TV; long time vaccinated cert.; certified mtgs.; mountings PTO; power take-off LPTO; live power take-off rpm; revolutions per minute univ.; universal pt.; point mtd.; mounted H.D.; heavy duty trans.; transmission h.p.; horsepower McD.; McCormick Deering; Machinery JD; John Deere M-M; Minneapolis Moline AC; Allis Chalmers NI; New idea NH; New Holland Int., IH, IHC; International Harvester MH; Massey Harris MF; Massey Ferguson GMC; General Motors elev.; elevator hyd.; hydraulic Miscellaneous ATV; All-Terrain vehicle wks.; weeks mi.; mile dbl.; double bu.; bushel lbs.; pounds qt.; quart gal.; gallon ft.; foot, feet in.; inch twp.; township co.; county T.; ton A.; acre misc.; miscellaneous a.c.; air conditioning port.; portable galv.; galvanized fert.; fertilizer attach.; attachment bldg.; building dr.; door, drive mod.; modern, model comb.; combination med.; medium avail.;

available yr.; year reas.; reasonable condo; condition No.; number excel.; excellent compo; complete guar.; guaranteed ph.; phone refrig.; refrigerator R; route (Rl, R2) quan.; quantity qual.; quality elec.; electric GE; General Electric Ave.; avenue St.; street p.s.; power steering p.b.; power brakes auto.; automatic bdrm.; bedroom wt.; weight nat.; national, natural N,E,S,W; north, east, south, west 1st, 2nd, 3rd; first, second, third germ.; germination; Use ft. and in. instead of ’ and ”

At times, you may receive inquiries from businesses about advertising in the Spokesman. You can answer some of their basic questions but it’s best to refer them to the advertising staff in Iowa Falls (1-800-442-3276). Following is some information that will assist you in answering some of the basic questions from a potential advertiser about the Spokesman.

1. The Spokesman is published in eight area editions. A business or person can advertise in one edition, or any combination between eight editions. The business can also purchase an all-state advertisement.

2. If the advertiser needs assistance in sending his suggested copy for the ad to the Spokesman Press, please offer to utilize your fax machine or e-mail.

Advertising from Farm Bureau and its affiliates is permitted on county Farm Bureau pages in the Spokesman. Also permitted are ads from outside the county. The Spokesman Press is directed to use affiliated company ads on a county page (unless prevented by mechanical limitations) and to give the county Farm Bureau allotted space for its news stories and photographs. In addition, the press is instructed to combine duplicative stories on the Area News Page and to put two county Farm Bureau news stories on the same page to achieve economic savings whenever possible.

advertising prices Questions should be directed to the Spokesman advertising team at: 1-800-442-3276.

…exchange ads continued

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page evaluationCounty Assistants submit information for their county page on a weekly basis. Regional pages are scored monthly and this information is e-mailed to both the OAs as well as Regional Managers.

Listed below is an outline of this process.

Following is a description of each area.

spokesMan page evaluationCategory Points

Space has been cut down 1 (extra point added )

Each story about county Farm Bureau 1

Local farm news (maximum two stories) 1

County calendar 1

One or more pictures each week 1

Insurance news (maximum one) 1

Regional page cover article/picture– 1 article if article submitted is printed 1 photo on the cover

Cutline – if more than 3 lines 1(not just all names)

Five points are needed to be on target. This can be a combination of any of the above stories and photos. You must be on target 8 of 12 months. One issue will be scored per month.

each story about county Farm Bureau (1 point)t Each story about your county Farm Bureau will receive one point. The story must deal with activities of county Farm Bureau committees and the county board as it relates to the Farm Bureau program areas. The county’s actual involvement in district, state and national meetings will count.

t To qualify for the point, it must be evident to the page scorer that your county Farm Bureau is actively involved. Tie activities to your county committees to show county involvement.

t There are items which you must carry from time to time on your page that do not earn a Farm Bureau

point. These include stories about gate signs, office hours, exchange ads, etc. When you carry these types of stories, make them brief, easy reading for members.

t News stories about county women’s activities will earn points under this category.

t If a picture and cutline is the only report on the page concerning a specific county Farm Bureau activity, the cutline will earn a point as a Farm Bureau story. A picture that accompanies a story will not earn a point in this category, but can earn a picture point if it’s the only picture on the page.

t It is a policy not to print announcements of birthdays, births, deaths, wedding anniversaries or thank-you notes on the county page. There is an exception to the announcement guideline. It is appropriate to carry a short item in the case of the death of a longtime county Farm Bureau leader who was widely known in the county.

local farm news (1 point)t To receive the point for local farm news, the page must contain at least one story that deals strictly with local agricultural activities, such as countywide 4-H meetings or activities, local extension meetings, FS Agency articles, soil district commissioner meetings and elections, commodity group news or similar local farm news. Points can be earned on a maximum of two stories.

t Extension service, ASCS and other state releases in which a local office has simply inserted a local name do not count unless they contain information dealing specifically with your county. 4-H club reports do not count.

one or more pictures (1 point)t Pictures one-half column wide or larger will count toward this point. Regardless whether you have one picture or five pictures, you will earn only 1 point in this category. Photographs printed without a cutline or name line will not be eligible for an incentive point.

county calendar (1 point)t If you have a calendar of county activities on your page informing members about upcoming events, you will earn 1 point.

Affiliated company news (1 point)t To receive the point in this category, the page must contain at least one story that deals strictly with news of affiliated companies (Growmark, Insurance, BIC livestock, FS, IPLA, AgriVisor) such as board meetings, naming of new personnel, annual meetings, special meetings, new services or products, local activities and achievements, agency manager columns, etc. Agency manager columns must tie to insurance to be eligible. Agent of the month stories will be ineligible.

t If you have more than one affiliated company story on your page, you still earn only 1 point. There is not a point for Growmark and a point for insurance news…but only one point for having at least one story about affiliated companies.

t Counties are provided a half page to a page of space for county Farm Bureau news, calendar and photos. If a story is merged with news from another county and put on the Area News Page, you receive a point. If one of your stories/photos is featured on the Area News Page, you receive a point.

Committee ReportsCommittee Name:

Date of Meeting or Activity:

Location and Time:

Names of People Attending:

Purpose:

Key Comments and Who Made Them:

Result of Future Action:

Additional Remarks:

coMMittee reports To assist you in obtaining information for stories about committee activity, you may either want to use one of the suggested activity report sheets (on previous page) or develop one of your own.

political advertising

t The Iowa Farm Bureau accepts political advertising in the Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman only for candidates who have been named Friends of Ag by our PAC committee. Advertising is allowed for candidates not covered by our PAC committee process, such as county supervisors, county treasurers, etc.

t All political advertising is payable in advance with order at the Spokesman’s normal rates. There is no discount for a Farm Bureau membership.

t You may at times be asked to prepare an ad for an individual who has been designated as a Friend of Agriculture by the Political Action Committee of the Iowa Farm Bureau. There are some important things to remember.

t The Iowa Farm Bureau does not endorse candidates and the word endorse should not be used in an advertisement or announcement.

t Always make it clear that the selection was made by the Political Action Committee.

t And be sure that it states the candidate was named a Friend of Agriculture. Not endorsed.

FarM Bureau candidacy announceMents A Farm Bureau member from your county may seek a seat on the IFBF board of directors or other state elected position. A request may come for an announcement on your county page. Many of the same things that apply to announcements for political office would apply here, but there would be additional consideration.

the procedure would be as follows:

1. The candidate must run the story on the county page where the membership is held following approval of the board of directors.

2. The announcement should be carried only one time with no follow-up stories.

3. If requested by the candidate, the story may be run in other editions of the Spokesman that circulate in the area involved in the district by sending a copy of the county page story to the editor of the Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman at the Iowa Farm Bureau. The story will be carried in a general section of the Spokesman and not on any other county page.

4. Limit the announcement to a brief summary of the candidate’s background, experience and family, plus a one-column or half-column photo. In no case should the article carry any remarks about viewpoints or goals of the candidate. This information can be shared by the candidate directly with leaders in other counties.

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coMMittee reports & political stories

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2011 puBlication rates & suBscriptions 2011 puBlication rates(Effective Nov. 1, 2010)**

t Spokesman Extra Area Editions ..................................$23.00

t Spokesman Non-member Mailing .................... 43 cents/copy (i.e., six week mailing $2.54)

t Membership section: County cost for those inserted............................................... 22 cents/copy

Cost of bulk copies ................................................................ 16 cents/copy (when ordered in addition to the 50 you get)

t Order additional copies from Jane Perdue by December 15, 2010

t Complimentary copies of Spokesman and Family Living ordered by counties for libraries, schools, individuals, etc. .............. $18.00

t Out-of-state subscription ................................................................... $30.00 (Individuals who have Farm Bureau memberships in other states and want the Spokesman)

t Family Living subscription when ordered in addition to the Spokesman (covers cost of production – newsprint, postage, etc.)................................. $10.00

**Dues must be paid by the end of the month that membership is due to avoid interruption of publications.

Contact Dirck Steimel (515-225-5413) if you have questions.

spokesMan suBscriptionswith a paid Membership

1. With a paid membership, the member will receive the Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman, which is weekly 50 times per year if they are a regular member (farmer) or the Family Living newspaper, which is monthly, 12 times per year, if they are an associate member (non-farmer). The cost from dues is $2 per year. However, all members can subscribe to both publications for an extra $10 per year.

2. With a paid membership, a member can receive any edition of Spokesman desired. The member does not have to automatically receive the edition containing the county in which their membership is held.

Multiple Memberships in a Family

1. Each member receives a Spokesman as their membership entitles them. Non-farmers receive Family Living.

2. A family with multiple memberships in the same household may request different editions of the Spokesman.

additional editions of spokesman & Family living

1. The subscription fee for extra area Spokesman editions is $23 per year per edition. The subscription period is based upon the membership renewal date with all subscriptions expiring at the end of the membership year for each individual member. Subscriptions can be entered on e-mail. You will be billed monthly for the extra editions.

2. Under this approach, counties should bill members for the extra editions at the same time they bill them for their annual membership dues.

3. These subscriptions must be handled by the county Farm Bureau office in which the member pays their dues.

4. Be sure to indicate the edition wanted and the membership year of the subscription.

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5. The county Farm Bureau is responsible for reminding members to renew these extra edition subscriptions.

6. All extra area editions will be sent to the same address as the dues notice and the regular Spokesman edition.

out-of-state subscriptions (members of other state Farm Bureaus) t All out-of-state requests for subscriptions to the Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman should be forwarded from the county office or the Press to the Marketing and Communications Division, Iowa Farm Bureau, 5400 University Ave., West Des Moines, IA 50266.

t With only a few exceptions, only those individuals who are members of the Farm Bureau in the state in which they reside are eligible to subscribe to the Spokesman.

t The Marketing and Communications Division will contact the state Farm Bureau to determine the membership status of the individual requesting a Spokesman subscription before accepting it.

t In addition, if the individual has an address that is within 30 miles of the Iowa border, the subscription will be accepted only with the approval of the Iowa Farm Bureau regional manager for the adjacent Iowa county.

t If the request for an out-of-state subscription comes from a public institution or official (library, government leader, etc.) the Spokesman editor will have the option to accept the subscription without requiring a Farm Bureau membership in the state where the institution or official is located.

t The cost of the out-of-state subscription must accompany the request. The cost is $30 for individuals living in states except Hawaii and Alaska. Subscriptions from Hawaii, Alaska and outside the U.S. will be charged additional to cover the increased mailing costs. The check or money order should be made payable to the Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman.

t If the request for an out-of-state subscription is approved, the communications division will forward the request and check to the Press for processing.

out-of-country subscriptions For members who reside outside the country and want to receive the Spokesman or Family Living, contact the Communications Division for the amount of additional charge to cover postage.

special non-Member Mailing The Spokesman can be mailed to non-members during the membership drive, usually for six weeks in January and February.

1. Prepare a typed list of non-members, doubled-spaced, who are to receive the Spokesman for the six-week period. Include county name on the list. Record total people the list contains.

2. The list must contain name and complete address, including zip code.

3. Include on the list the beginning and ending Spokesman issue dates the six issues will cover.

4. The list must be received by membership control three weeks prior to the beginning issue date.

5. You will be billed for the non-member mailings by IFBF accounting. The cost is determined annually.

6. For those people who join Farm Bureau while on the non-member mailing, handle them as any other new member. Inform them they will receive two copies until the non-member mailing expires.

7. Membership control will remove the non-members submitted at the end of the non-member mailing. No action will be required by the county to remove these names.

…suBscriptionscontinued

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placing exchange adsusing the weB

1. Go to www.spokesmanads.com .

2. Login to the site. Your username is your county name in lower case and your password is your county number. For example: Boone County’s username is boone and the password is 008. Every password is three digits … so just add zeros in front of your county number. Click Log In.

3. Select your County and click Continue. Although you have already logged in as your county, the system reqires that you still select your county.

4. Select a Sub-Category and click continue. Pick the category in which the advertised item should appear.

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5. Create the exchange ad and click continue. Note that after the text of the ad you need to put a space followed by the phone number, then another space followed by the zip code. This format is required for the ad to successfully transfer to the website. For example …

Ad Text space Phone Number space Zip Code

6. Enhance and schedule your ad.

a. Click on the Member Lookup tab to get the Member Number.

b. Place a check mark in the Schedule Box.

c. Click on the Calendar Icon to select the first run date. (Note: you will be able to select more run dates on the next page)

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placing exchange ads...continued

7. Additional Scheduling Opportunities. If you would like to schedule the ad for additional days you can do it on this screen.

a. Click on the Addional Insert button.

b. Click any additional dates you want the ad to run (B) and click Apply. Note: you may need to disable your Pop-Up Blocker on your browser in order for this calendar to work.

8. If everything looks OK … then Save the Order.

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9. If you are finished you can now Log Off the system or Place Another Ad.