Last week, I had the opportunity to travel to New York City to accept an award for my work as BEEF Daily editor. I was featured as one of min online’s (Media Industry News) “2012 Top 15 People To Watch Under 30” list. It was quite humbling to be listed among editors from publications like Forbes, Fortune and the New York Times.

Accepting my award at the breakfast banquet held at the Marriot Marquis right on Times Square, I had the opportunity to address the audience and talk about cattle to a group of New York City’s elite. I told them about writing from the remote location of our ranch and how my house was the only one on our section. When I received blank stares, I had to explain what a section was! It was a good reminder to me about the importance of utilizing lingo our consumers can understand when we interact with them. I also talked about my role with BEEF in dispelling myths perpetrated in the media, and I explained the safety and healthfulness of beef. Of course, in my closing comments, I encouraged everyone to go out and eat a steak!

A Closer Look: Industry List Inspires Me To Do More

Aside from the banquet, I was able to explore the city with my mom. We had two days to tour, and we took in as much as we could in those two days. We saw the Broadway show, "Wicked," and we looked at all the window displays of high-end stores like Macy’s and Saks. We saw the Rockefeller Christmas tree and the skating rink. We went to the top of the Empire State Building, and we took a water taxi to see the skyline.

We also visited the 9-11 Memorial site. We also watched the filming of the Today Show, and were even on TV when Al Roker stood in front of us to read the news! We visited the National Museum of Natural History, and we even toured through the Harry Potter movie exhibit. We enjoyed sushi, wine and, yes, beef, too. Taking in the sights and sounds of the Big Apple was a memorable, once-in-a-lifetime trip, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

As I came home to our country home surrounded by rolling pastures, the peace and quiet was a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of New York City. If I took one important thing home with me it was that I had renewed my goals to share the agriculture story with as many consumers as possible. Although it sometimes feels like we’re preaching to the choir in our rural communities, social media allows us to reach beyond our local circles and talk to the masses about agriculture. And, even though I was a country mouse in the big city, it was a great reminder of how I need to step up and keep the dialogue going with our consumers.

By the way, on our flight home, we ran into Trent Loos, and he had me on the air. Listen to the show here.