Let's start a conversation

One of the healthiest exercises with one's spouse is to have a frank discussion.

These often start out as conversations about one or more topics which apparently there's a divergence of opinion on. For instance, I live in a home which has an attached garage. I maintain an attached garage is part of the inside. My wife, on the other hand, feels a garage, whether attached or not, is outside. I have been cleaning the garage for years as well as taking care of projects outside the house.

A newspaper and its readers and advertisers may have two or more views on what a publication ought to be to its customer base. Often, the editors get somewhat complacent and assume what the readers and advertisers want in the paper year after year after year. But what we journalists need to do is ask our readers and advertisers, "What do you need? What do you want to read about? What direction do you want us to go?"

In the near future, we will run an in-paper survey for readers and advertisers to fill out. This is one step in directing editors to coverage you want and need. It will also tell us what parts of the editorial package you really don't care about.

That's only one of several steps we will take in the immediate future to maintain an on-going two-way conversation.

The Wisconsin State Farmer needs to take the lead on reporting important issues, such as immigration and dairy farms, use and detection of medicines with dairy cows, the US Farm Bill, Wisconsin recall elections and what it means to our ag communities, national presidential and congressional elections and the impact on agriculture and ranching, regulatory creep and youth labor on farms, world trade and food security.

Reporting on these and other vital topics is a one-way communication. We need your feedback to make it a two-way conversation.

Our readers and advertisers are the experts and as such we invite you to express your opinions on these topics through letters/emails and opinion columns. These then can be added to by other readers and advertisers so the important topics of today get a thorough digestion as everyone chews them over. Open and frank conversation often produces outstanding solutions from which action is spawned.

This past week, the editorial staff of the Wisconsin State Farmer met to have its own conversation about where this publication needs to go and grow in the near future. In the weeks ahead, we will be bringing our readers and advertisers into the conversation as to what direction(s) they see us going to fulfill their needs and wants.

Please email me at tfoerster@jrn.com, phone me at 715-258-1332 or write me in care of the Wisconsin State Farmer, 600 Industrial Dr., Waupaca WI 54981.

I want to hear from you. Let's start a conversation!