I Graduate in May...

Since fall, a few of my classmates' post-graduation plans pop up on my Facebook timeline each week. It's such an exciting time for all of us seniors. Moving, new jobs, big purchases, and more independence is all on the horizon!

For months, I've been anxiously waiting for the time to share my big post-graduation plan. Yesterday, I shared this video on my Roots' Facebook page. Watch the clip below to see what I'll be up to after graduation in May.

(Click here if video doesn't play)

This trip has been a dream for a long time. Now that I'm in the homestretch of my college career, it's becoming reality. Many thanks to the wonderful people who assured me I'm not crazy and encouraged me to shoot for the stars. I can't wait for May to get here! But... I have lots of planning to do between now and then.

Stay tuned for many more blog posts through my planning process! I'll be sharing everything from places I want to visit, to what inspired this wild idea on the blog and social media. If you haven't yet, now is the perfect time to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest to make sure you don't miss a thing. I look forward to having you along for the ride on #RootsRoadtrip! Thanks for reading!

10 Ways Iowa Corn Changed My Life

Every day graduation is one step closer. As my last semester races by, I think of all the people that have changed my life over these four years. That list is long, but the men and women at Iowa Corn are certainly near the top. Here are some of the best memories we've made together.

There's just something about that Hilton Magic! All Iowa State
students should experience the thrill of a CyHawk game!

1. CyHawk Series - You're not getting the full Iowa State student experience if you skip the CyHawk games. Whether it's standing in the deafening student section at Hilton or handing out 8,000 t-shirts at Jack Trice, Iowa Corn has touched every corner of my student experience. The Iowa v. Iowa State rivalry is fun in itself, but seeing my favorite farmers and reminders of all their hard work at the games is the cherry on top. Plus, who's day isn't a little better after a high five from Captain Corn?

Meeting Marco Andretti was one of the biggest highlights of the
Ethanol Powered Weekend, but there were so many cool parts!

2. Ethanol Powered Weekend - I never have been much of a racing fan, so if you told high school me that one of my college highlights would be a whole weekend at the Iowa Speedway I would have laughed in your face. Well, college senior me is here to say it's true! Being that close to such fast cars, fueled by ethanol from corn produced on farms of the fans that surrounded me was really neat. Between meeting farmers and munching on sweet corn I learned all kinds of cool facts. Did you know, today over 95% of all fuel sold in the U.S. is blended with 10% ethanol?! To top it off I got to ride in the pace car, meet Marco Andretti and tour the pits! (We’ll save the story where I spill a whole cooler of butter patties in the middle of an intersection for another blog post.)

I've had such a good time serving as an officer of ISU Corn Growers with
these ladies.

3. Network - Iowa Corn has given me an incredible network that I'll keep in touch with for years to come. Because of them, I know people who are passionate about agriculture, just like me, across the country. I've had the opportunity to work next to some of the most passionate agvocates (like Carrie and Janelle) while at Iowa Corn. Everyone in the organization inspires me with their work ethic and dedication to Iowa's farmers.

Meeting these Iowa bloggers at #AgChat Conference was truly
life changing! I can't wait to see where this blog takes me after all
 their advice.

4. ISU Corn Growers - For the last four years, when I wasn't in class, chances are I was at a club activity. Iowa State University Corn Growers Association (ISUCGA) has given me a chance to grow my friendships and leadership skills. With my fellow members, I've put on large events, cleaned up the local highway and traveled around the state. Serving as this group's secretary challenged me to grow creatively and as a teammate. Together, we made many memories that will last a lifetime.

Pump promotions with Iowa Corn were such a fun way to travel the state
and talk to people about ethanol.

5. Ag Chat Conference - If you follow my social media, you know I traveled to Nashville in November for an AgEI trip and #AgChat conference. The conference inspired me and was the last push of motivation I needed to tackle re-branding this blog. In just two days, my photography and writing improved. So many ladies generously shared their advice with me. It was also awesome to meet bloggers I've admired for years in real life. None of this would have been possible without Iowa Corn's generous sponsorship. Extra shout out to my new friend Alicia at Pork Diaries for driving me all the way back to Iowa!

During my internship I went on some really neat farm tours with foreign
teams. It was awesome to see them learn about American agriculture.

6. Internship - For many college students, internships are the highlight of their college career. I'm no exception. The summer after my sophomore year I had the privilege of spending three months as the Market Development intern in Iowa Corn's office. In that short time I experienced so much! More importantly than mastering Excel or learning how to ship thousands of t-shirts, I began to understand the global impact Iowa corn farmers make. By attending the Governor's Livestock Charity Steer Show, Ethanol Powered Weekend and hosting foreign teams I learned how important corn is to the livestock, fuel and export industries. There's no way I could remember all the facts and figures I heard that summer, but I will admit www.iowacorn.org has been cited as a source for more than one of my course papers. 

Last year our ISUCGA group went on an industry tour to Pioneer in
Johnston, Iowa. I learned so much!

7. Twitter Takeover - Anyone who knows me, even just a little, knows I'm passionate about sharing the stories of agriculture, especially on social media. That's why I was so giddy when Iowa Corn asked me to take over their Twitter account for a day last semester. It was so much fun to share how the organization and ag community have impacted my life with all their followers.

8. Wardrobe - This is one of those unintended benefits of involvement with Iowa Corn. I lost track of how many Iowa Corn shirts I've collected a long time ago, but I'm confident I could get through a week or two without repeating a one.

9. Farmland - Last spring, ISUCGA pulled off a wonderful Farmland Screening and Panel event. That night, guests watched the documentary Farmland, and had the opportunity to ask questions of six local Iowa farmers. Organizing this event is one of my biggest accomplishments of the last four years, but it wouldn't have been possible without the support of Iowa Corn. They lent us Captain Corn and the 8 foot farmers, plus donated cups (made from corn) so everyone could enjoy popcorn and drinks with the movie. The experience just wouldn't have been complete without popcorn!! 

10. Industry Visits - The Market Development internship and ISUCGA opened doors to visit many ag businesses. I've learned more about livestock and seed corn production thanks to Iowa Corn related trips. You can read more of what I learned at a cattle feedlot, dairy days, egg facility and Pioneer in their individual blog posts.

It's safe to say college wouldn't have been the same without Iowa Corn. I'm so thankful they've been part of my agricultural journey so far, and I can't wait to see where the future leads. To learn more about their organization and how it can change your life go to www.iowacorn.org. To keep up with all they're doing with farmers and college students like me around the state follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Thanks for reading!

3 Re-branding Changes I've Made In 2016

If this blog looks different than you're used to, don't worry! Keep reading, you're in the right place!

Hopefully you caught my last blog post, 7 Re-branding Changes I Made For 2016, a week ago. If you're new to my blog - Welcome! - and know you caught me right in the middle of "graduating". You can check out Roots Journey on social media for the full scoop, but basically since I'm graduating from Iowa State next semester, it's time for my blog to grow up and join the real world.

Anyway, last week I shared seven ways I'd worked towards this re-branding goal. Today is an update with three more things I've done in the new year to make progress.

Here's my new Roots Journey logo! I can't wait to make it part of my designs and social media posts!

1. To kick of 2016, I began using my new logo. Before this year, my posts were lacking a logo of any sort. Occasionally I'd use my head shot or "@Roots" in the corner of an image to identify it as mine, but nothing was consistent. After researching all the things I needed to do to take my blog to the next level, it was clear this was something that needed to be fixed right away. I'll save the process of designing and deciding for another day, but special thanks to all my Snapchat friends that tolerated hours of "This? Or this?" snaps as I worked trough it all!

2. Like I said at the beginning of this post, if you're a regular reader here, you may notice the page looks different. I updated my template. My page used to look like this:

Out with the old and in with the new! This is what Roots Journey used to look like in 2015!

While I liked the wood texture and green accents, it is awfully dark and distracting from the content. In my new look, I kept the country feel by adding the wood to my header image (that includes my new logo), but went for a simpler design for the rest of the page. Now, my page looks more modern and adult. This change scared me for a long time, but after checking out a few YouTube tutorials I was able to pull it off pretty easily. I'm discovering there is so much you can customize on Blogger if you take the time to learn!

3. Finally, I reworded my greeting on the right hand side of my blog. I'm not positive it's in its final form, but at least I have some key words that describe who I am and why I blog. (Like I said last week, I'm all about baby steps around here!)

"Hey there, it's Natalina Sents! I'm a Millennial blogger writing about agriculture and entrepreneurship. I love to travel, thrift and cheer on the Iowa State Cyclones."

I look forward to documenting my re-branding journey on the blog as I make progress. As always, feel free to share your thoughts or suggestions in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

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7 Re-branding Changes I Made For 2016

If you've been following Roots on Facebook or Twitter lately, you've probably seen this post pinned to the top of my social media pages and wondered what it means. 

"Last week I applied to graduate from Iowa State. It hardly seems possible that 4 years have flown by. I decided if I have to graduate, my blog should too. In the next month, there will be lots of changes around here. Thanks for your patience with Roots' growing pains!"

More details are coming soon, but for now there are some exciting things you should know about my re-branding progress...






1. I've stopped using my personal Twitter handle. If you've been following me at @AnySense035 and wondering why I dropped off the face of the earth, make sure you go follow me at @Roots_Journey instead. Now that Roots has many readers I haven't met in real life, it's much less confusing if I just use one account. 

2. Number one has really helped me accomplish change number two: Share more focused Tweets. Even though you may not be able to tell by looking at my timeline, there is a method to my madness. All my tweets are somehow related to my travel, agriculture, thrifting or entrepreneurial goals. This has helped me gain a more "adult" following and keeps me from getting too distracted on social media.

3. With that, I also want to be a more engaged community member with people who care about the same topics as me. To do this, I'm being more intentional about scheduling time to participate in Twitter discussions like #FoodieChats on Mondays and #AgChat on Tuesdays. These conversations have been the starting place for some great relationships and awesome projects I'm excited to tell you about later. Attending #AgChat conference in Nashville last month was just the beginning of travels to meet my online friends. 

This is my current profile picture everywhere.

4. I also switched all my social media accounts to use one consistent profile picture. Along the lines of number one, I haven't had the privilege of meeting all my online followers. I'm easier to keep track of across the different social media platforms if people are familiar with a certain picture. (My current picture is almost 4 years old and due for an update, but I'm all about baby steps around here!)

5. While I was making sure each of my social media accounts looked consistent, I went ahead and made as many of them @Roots_Journey as possible. Now, I'm @Roots_Journey on Instagram and Twitter, plus a few other channels I plan to use more in 2016 like Pinterest and YouTube.

6. I bought my domain! Domains are pretty cheap, but to me this was a really big deal, meaning I'm serious about developing Roots as I grow personally and professionally. Now you can find my blog by just typing in www.therootsjourney.com to your address bar!

7. If you're a regular Roots reader you may notice a few tweaks to the layout of my website. Nothing has changed too dramatically, but I've added some social buttons to the sidebar so I'm easier to connect with. Also, there are new tabs across the top so my most popular posts about travel and Ag Jobs A to Z are easy to find.

I hope these re-branding changes make Roots more fun for you to follow. As always, feel free to comment or email with any feedback about the new look! Thanks for reading!

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Ag Jobs A to Z: Blogger

Photo Credit: Latham Seeds

I'm really excited to highlight Shannon Latham for the next letter in Ag Jobs A to Z. We met the summer after my freshman year at Iowa State through the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative. I was fortunate to work as Shannon's intern, dividing my time between her family businesses. During that summer, I grew to admire her creativity and heart for the community. Shannon wears many hats in North Central Iowa including mother, business woman, Girl Scout leader and entrepreneur. Today, she shares her perspective as a blogger. Thanks, Shannon!

1. Where did you go to school? 
I double majored in Ag Journalism / Public Service & Administration in Ag at Iowa State University.
              
2. What inspired you to become a blogger?
I truly enjoy writing. Blogging piqued my interested because I have a passion for writing, and I enjoy getting to know people and learn new information when I conduct interviews for articles. Because I had worked for six years in an advertising agency before going to work for our family business, I was friends with people who developed websites and I was aware of “social communities” that were being created online. I started following pioneering blogs like “Nuts about Southwest.” This Southwest Airlines blog is a fun and clever way to connect with customers on a daily basis, so I decided to borrow that idea.

3. How long have you been a blogger? 
I started blogging for our business, Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, in 2008. Last year I started a second blog, “Fairytale Beginnings and Every Day Realities,” on www.EnchantedAcresIA.com as a way to share farm life and activities underway at our pumpkin patch. I believe blogging is a great way for us to virtually show our farms to consumers and to help address common misconceptions.  Since food is a common denominator among all people, I use recipes as bridge builders with my audience.

4. What skills are necessary to be a successful blogger? 
Like any career or hobby, having a good network is key to blogging. I rely on my contacts – and friends of friends – to help me secure sources for my articles. I believe my background and training in Journalism helps me identify story ideas (i.e. ideas for blog posts) and helps me conduct interviews. My journalism training also taught me the importance of writing a nutshell paragraph and outlining the story. It’s important to draw readers into your article and then give them information that’s useful and relevant to them. My Journalism professors also stressed verifying facts and finding credible sources… I wish more bloggers did that! We all know you can’t believe everything you read on the Internet, so I hope that my readers look to my blogs as a credible and reliable source of information.

5. How does your job fit into the agricultural industry? (Who do you work with? Who do you help? Who helps you?) 
Before I post anything on my blog or any social media channel for that matter, it must be one of these 3 things: (1) pro agriculture in general; (2) pro farming or (3) pro community. My main objective is to be an advocate for agriculture in general and the seed industry in particular. I want to put a face on farming and help foster dialogue between pro

ducers and consumers. That’s why I’m a member of CommonGround Iowa and also why I’m serving as chair of the Communications Committee for the American Seed Trade Association.

To help protect our livelihoods and maintain the viability of our farm-based businesses, we must engage with consumers and promote ag literacy. We also must engage politicians and help them understand how proposed legislation or rules impact our livelihoods. Agriculture and farming groups can’t afford to be silent. If we don’t educate others about our business, who will? If you don’t tell your ag story, who will? Chances are some anti-ag group will tell a story that you won’t like!

6. What career/internship opportunities are there for people interested in blogging? 
Look for communications-related internships to help you make connections within the ag/communications field. I believe you’ll be a more interesting blogger if you write from experiences you’ve had like travel, agronomy / crop scouting, raising beef, baking or cooking, etc. What’s your area of expertise? How can you create a niche and provide information of value?

7. Anything else you would like a student audience to know? 
If you’re interested in blogging, make sure you’re familiar with copyright laws. If you’re copying information from a source, be sure to give credit and/or hot link. Know that the objective of every blog post is to drive traffic to a site. You need to look for ways to draw people to yours, but you also have to be careful that you’re not citing so much information from another online article that you’re actually prohibiting people from that site. Also note that contest rules are continually changing. If you’re planning to run an online giveaway, be sure to read the most current rules.

Thanks again to Shannon for sharing perspective. It's great to have fellow blogging friends like her. Come back soon for the next Ag Jobs A to Z highlight! Thanks for reading!

Summer 2015 Internship Update #1

By now, if you've been following the Roots Facbook page or Twitter, you know I've been interning in Atlanta, Indiana at Beck's Hybrids this summer. I began the Monday after my finals wrapped up in May and have been loving life "out east" ever since! Today is my 35th day on the job, so I'm way overdue (Imaging that! ;) ) for an update!

Part of my experience at Beck's is writing a weekly Intern Avenue blog post. It's great to have people holding me accountable to blog. I know down the road I'll be glad the stories of my summer have been saved. I'm also thankful for the opportunity this has given me to get more writing advice and critique. My supervisor has been great about kindly pointing out my weaknesses and helping me achieve my goal of being a more engaging/entertaining author.

I think my writing has improved, but check it out for yourself by reading the Intern Avenue blogs I've written so far:

First Impressions of the Beck Experience

Love For Stories

Blessed with the Best

The Road Less Traveled By

Who I Am: A Father's Day Tribute

What If and Why

I've also been able to contribute to the social media pages the Marketing Department manages. Below are all the links to their accounts, so be sure to like or follow them to see some of my work. Lately, I've been having a lot of fun adding to the Beck's Pinterest page!

Beck's Facebook

Beck's Twitter

Beck's Pinterest

Beck's YouTube

Beck's Instagram

This summer it's also been really cool to contribute to the #WhyIFarm movement Beck's started in 2013. You can read more in my first Intern Avenue, but Why I Farm is what got me hooked on the company in the first place. The Love for Stories post tells about my trip to Iowa filming a Why I Farm video. I can't share much on the subject yet because our work hasn't been released, but in the mean time visit WhyIFarm.com and enjoy some of the free download-ables. Keep your eyes peeled for exciting announcements later this summer on Why I Farm's Facebook and Twitter.

This will have to do for now, but I look forward to telling you more about all my experiences in Indiana. Meanwhile, keep a close eye on the Beck's Blog for my posts every Friday. Thanks for reading!

Monday Night Movie Night: 9th edition!

You may have noticed, I missed Monday Night Movie Night last week. No worries! I'm making up for it this week with a few extra movies! One of my favorite bloggers, Dairy Carrie, is one of the nominees for U.S. Farmers & Rancher's Alliance's New Faces of Farming and Ranching. She recently posted her contestant clip on her Facebook page. After looking into the award a little more, I ran across the stories of seven other farmers and ranchers eager to share their passions. Take a few moments to learn about each agvocate by watching their videos below! I hope their passion for ag excites you!

Jay Hill advocates for a variety of crops including pecans and pinto beans. I enjoyed his unique perspective as a grower of non-commodity crops. His 3 T's, trust, transparency, and taste priorities really encouraging to me as a consumer.

Darrell Glaser works hard on his turkey and cattle farm to achieve sustainability. Using the natural resources created by the operations to compliment each other has allowed Darrell and his wife to be better stewards of the business. With sustainability as such a hot topic in the industry, it's great to know producers also see it as a priority.

Carla Wardin is a dairy farmer and blogger who works hard to demonstrate how much farmers care about their land, animals and products. Her unique perspective as a mother allows her to connect with consumers who visit her farm and read her blog in a special way. Women like Carla always inspire me with the many hats they wear in the operation, their families, and community. 

Erin Brenneman is from my neck of the woods in Southeast Iowa. Her goal is to share with consumers that big farms have a face too. Large farms like hers are often labeled as factory farms, but as she explains in her video, "there's no conveyor belts here." Check out her video to meet Erin and her family farm operation.

Brian Jones is proud of watching the circle of life over and over on his 4th generation family farm. He's also enjoyed raising his kids on the operation. Much like his peers, Jones enjoys telling the story of agriculture to so many people who haven't experienced raising food.

Jessica Potter is proud of the fact that she and her husband started a ranch from scratch. She's scared cowboys and cowgirls are a dying breed. One of her goals is to preserve that icon of western America and the history that goes along with it. Watch her video for more reasons she feels agvocacy is her calling.

Thomas Titus farms with his family in Illinois. He wants consumers to know that animal welfare is one of his top priorities. Check out some of the things he and his family do to take care of their animals. He enjoys raising his children around the farm and supporting organizations like 4-H and FFA.

Last but not least, Carrie Mess, a city girl turned dairy farmer offers a unique perspective in her agvocacy work. Like many consumers, her farm is concerned with sustainability and animal welfare. I encourage you to take some time to watch her video as well as check out her blog. 

I find each of these individuals inspiring and hope I am a positive face for agriculture as they are. Best of luck to each of them as they pursue this honor! Thanks for reading!

Agricultural Business Club Fall Industry Tour Recap

A couple weekends ago, Thursday through Saturday, I had an awesome opportunity to attend the Agricultural Business Club Fall Industry Tour. This was my first time participating in the annual trip, but it's a long standing tradition for the club. Our group visited a total of six businesses, and I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed each one.

First, we were hosted by Flint Hills Resources in Menlo, Iowa. Our group of nearly 50 students was divided in half for tours of the ethanol plant and a company overview presentation. During my internship with Iowa Corn I had the opportunity to tour another ethanol plant, and it was really interesting to compare the two businesses. Although their layout and facilities were a little different, they are both supporting local corn farmers and producing ethanol and dried distillers grains (DDGS). Ethanol is blended into the fuel supply because it's renewable and cleaner burning. DDGS are a protein and energy rich feed ingredient often fed to livestock raised in the area. 

It was a little rainy, but Flint Hills Resources was a great host. 

After the stop in Menlo, we drove the rest of the way to Omaha, Nebraska. Upon arrival, we quickly checked into our hotel rooms and put on our walking shoes to head to dinner with Scoular at Upstream in the Old Market area. If you've never been there, the Old Market area is definitely worth checking out, and Upstream is quite a treat!

We all enjoyed dinner and conversation with Scoular. Each table was fortunate enough to have a company representative to talk with for the evening.

In the morning, we were up bright and early to visit Scoular in their beautiful Omaha office. Todd McQueen, Senior Vice President, gave a company overview, introducing grain merchandising positions and more. Later, our group divided up to tour the remodeled office space. As we took in the Scoular Ballroom and the rest of the gorgeous facility, Kevin told us about grain merchandising and their efforts in sustainability.

The ballroom hosts many company and outside events each year.

After a great time with Scoular, we walked several blocks down the street to Gavilon. The two businesses have some very similar roles in the industry, so it was a great opportunity to compare company culture and work environment side by side. It was so interesting to see how the organizations have differentiated themselves.

The huge trading floor at Gavilon was quite impressive!

Gavilon served us lunch and presented on many aspects of their business. It was really helpful to hear from economists, operations managers, grain merchants and human resource staff.

After a wonderful lunch, we hopped on the bus and went across town to visit Claas, a German company that specializes in harvesting equipment. Our club toured the assembly plant and networked with sales staff. The international nature of their business and the fact that it is still family owned fascinated me.

Our group enjoyed investigating the large machinery in the Claas showroom.

Once our time with Claas was up, we loaded the bus one last time to head to Farm Credit Services of America for our final stop of the day. Along with a company overview, we were invited to tour the business campus. Their buildings were beautifully decorated with local art and agricultural themes. 

Each element of the office was carefully selected to represent the agricultural clients they serve.

After an excellent visit with Farm Credit Services of America, we headed back to the hotel to hang out and venture into the Old Market for dinner on our own. A bunch of Junior girls and I enjoyed a meal at the Tap House after getting recommendations from a local guy. It was a great experience.

At Tap House we all enjoyed funky burgers and our fill of fried pickles, cheese curds and sweet potato fries.

Saturday we got to sleep in a little and relax strolling through the famous Omaha Zoo. It had been a long time since I'd been to a zoo, so it brought back a lot of fun memories. No matter how old I get, I'm sure watching the monkeys interact with each other and the delicate jellyfish swim through the water will always capture my attention.

The zoo was a welcomed break from the previous day's fast pace.

I had a great time visiting Omaha, learning more about ag businesses and making memories with my classmates. I'm already looking forward to next year's trip! Thanks for reading!

Monday Night Movie Night, 7th edition!

This week's Monday Night Movie Night is a little different than most. Usually, these posts feature several YouTube clips on a variety of ag topics I've gathered throughout the course of the week. This time, I have feature length movie for you! Farmland is free on Hulu right now!

Farmland is an award winning documentary, sharing the story of six farmers and their families. I've been fortunate to see it several times already thanks to Iowa Corn, and the movie was one of the things that inspired me to start this blog. So today, on this cold, rainy, fall Monday, curl up with a blanket and enjoy! Thanks for reading!

How do you start a blog?!

Hello family, friends, and mysterious strangers of the internet! I've spent several hours on the mower contemplating what this first blog post should include. Should it be serious? Or funny? How personal should it get? Should I start off general? Or write about someone famous? How about a cool place I've been? But then thoughts like, "maybe I should wait til I have more time" and "I should hold off until I talk with an experienced blogger" started creeping in. Before I knew it, it had been a month since that warm summer breeze and fresh cut grass smell convinced me I needed to finally get my passion on paper and start blogging.

Today, I decided it was the day. My bucket list for summer is only growing, and I'm learning exciting things worth sharing NOW. At work, as I counted out tickets and sorted envelopes, daydreams of viral agvocacy posts filled my mind. A few clever titles got me even more excited, and by the time I got home I couldn't wait to open my laptop. Finally, once the website was set up and a few got pictures arranged, clearly I was running out of time. After writing down "my roots" I had so many thoughts my head was spinning even more. Please check out that page and come back soon for a more official first post. Thanks for joining the roots journey!




P.S. Aaaahhhhh! It's really happening! I'm actually a blogger!