Thank Macomb: A fresh Ag Day/Week/Month template for all

Joe Kutchey lords over the greenhouse at Kutchey Family Farm, one of numerous consumer-facing farm operations across Macomb County.

Date Posted: February 21, 2025

Jeremy C. Nagel, Michigan Farm Bureau

Here’s how one county Farm Bureau’s simple request can benefit for all 65.

Macomb County Farm Bureau emailed me a while back in search of a press release or letter-to-the-editor template for promoting Ag Day, Week and Month. (March is always Ag Month; this year Ag Week is the 16th through the 22nd, and Ag Day is March 18.)

I was the right person to contact because I know the secret path to all the article templates from the old county newsletter program. Even so, I came up empty-handed.

No big whoop. I just wrote them a freshie, which is about 20% Macomb-specific and 80% statewide — a formula for a promising template. I got Macomb's permission to share it far and wide, so help yourself by clicking here to download the Word file.

Open it and you'll see all the county-specific content is in red text; those are the bits you change so they’re about your county. Here’s where I got that county-specific information:

Be prepared to spend a little time with that first one; NASS (the National Ag Statistics Service) collects and shares an amazing amount of useful information, but it’s not always easy to decipher. Study your own county’s profile and focus on the high points, like the most common or profitable commodities in your area, and where you rank among all 83 counties.

Monroe’s original request didn’t really specify what form the final product would take — press release, op-ed, letter to the editor, etc. — so I gave them more than they need, but there’s trimmable fat built-in if it needs stripping-down.

If you’re aiming for a specific target, just work closely with your home office staff and we’ll get you there:

Jon Adamy (517-212-7185) is your official media-relations asset in Lansing, and very good at his job; don’t hesitate to lean on him.
I’ve done the same job in previous years, and I (517-230-3173) have your back as well.

Both Jon and I have real-world experience in the media business, we write like most people breathe, and we work for you, so come get your money’s worth!