Unbelievable: science communication for a skeptical world

Join ECFW for a second professional development session exploring the human mind and evolutions in science communication.

Why do people fiercely defend positions that go against decades of science-backed evidence?

It’s because of what we believe - and belief need not be based on provable facts.

Misguided belief threatens how we feed ourselves, preserve our health, power our civilization and protect the Earth itself.

Belief powered by a flood of misinformation has created the infodemic - identified as one of the top 10 threats to public health world wide during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is one of the greatest challenges we face as science writers and communicators.

Michael Robin is a journalist and editor with a special interest in life and environmental sciences as well as the social science aspects of science communications. Examples include agricultural biotechnology, toxicology, automation, food and water security, and public response to innovations in genetic engineering and energy production. Over more than 30 years, Michael has worked in weekly newspapers (including owning one) and on the other side of the desk in post-secondary and funding agency research communications. He currently serves as farm management editor for The Western Producer in Saskatoon.

The CFWF conference, "Risky Business", has been rescheduled to September of 2021. Stay tuned for more details!

Join us for our business meeting, awards presentation, virtual farm tour and a panel tour. More details to follow.

Click on "get tickets" to register to receive the Zoom link.

Better living through psychology

Understanding how we think for more effective ag-communication Do you know someone who believes in conspiracies? Ever wonder why there are so many competing groups in the farm sector? Are you convinced a certain colour of tractor is always superior? The human mind is a complex beast, but understanding how it works can help us communicate better with each other – as well as ourselves.

Join us April 20 at 12:30 p.m. as Dr. Nathaniel Barr, researcher and professor of creative thinking and behavioural science at Sheridan College, discusses how we process the world around us, and why sometimes we do and think things which make little sense – from conspiracies and science denialism to misleading communication and poor decision making.

General topics include:

Tribalism – why we fall into it, and ways to avoid doing so.

Meta-cognition (being aware of how you think) – its importance, and what happens when we don't use it.

The impact of expressive language – how it can mislead, and how to avoid it.

From journalism to industry programs, knowing the mind can have a major impact on our effectiveness as communicators.

Join in this session to share what you've learned!

The meeting link will be shared with all who registered for session 1.

NOTE: this session is now full. Registrants will be placed on a waiting list.

The best camera is the one you have in your hand. But how to up your photography game using your cellphone?

Professional photographer and teacher Andrea Rees will be ECFWA’s guest for a cellphone photo workshop March 9, 11-1 (or we stop asking questions).

Rees, who has instructed groups from the Travel Writers Association of Canada to Google Canada, is a Toronto based professional photographer who has been using her cellphone from the days of the i-phone 5 to produce gallery-ready and publishable photos.

ECFWA asked: Can we ditch our clunker dSLRs and go cell phone only?

Her answer? Yes!

“Smartphone cameras are quite capable these days, and I firmly believe with good light and some smartphone tips there's no reason you shouldn't have consistently sharp photos,” she says.

She’ll share her expertise including: · Best practices in smartphone photography

· Composition

· Seeing and using natural light

· iPhone/Android apps and accessories to overcome smartphone photography limitations (including telephoto lenses)

· Photo editing

Workshop participants will be invited to complete a brief photo assignment. Using Google Drive Andrea will use our photos to share editing techniques and discuss how we can use social media including Instagram stories in our work.

When signing up please include the cellphone you are working with and any questions you have ahead of time.

Join us for a discussion with Alan Quarry, chair of marketing agency Quarry, about the importance of your personal brand. This session will include a half hour presentation, followed by a 15 minute Q&A session.

This is a members-only event. Not a current member? Sign-up at www.ecfwa.ca.

Register for this professional development webinar to receive the Zoom link.

Image removed by sender. An opportunity to connect

With ECFWA members in Ontario ordered to stay at home, and those in Quebec under curfew, it’s a great time to see some new faces and talk with people outside of your home and work. Join our virtual social call to chat and catch-up with ECFWA members.

This event is open to everyone - current and past members are welcome!

Register for this social call to receive the Zoom link.

ECFWA is going to shake things up this holiday season! We can't gather in person, but we invite you to join us for a fun and interactive ZOOM social from the comfort of your home.

Hosted by Jan Westcott and Michael Barrington from Spirits Canada, we will learn how to make a custom holiday cocktail and share in some holiday cheer.

The first 25 registrants will receive a complimentary ECFWA cocktail shaker. Register by December 2 to make sure our elves have enough time to ship your gift to you.

Registrants will receive an ingredient list in advance of the event.

Don't want to make a cocktail? You can still join us for the fun!

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED

Join moderator Kesley Johnson and Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau.

Self publishing offers writers faster results, more independence, and more money than traditional publishers. Self publishing can also leave writers with boxes of unsold books. That's because it takes a lot of marketing to sell most books.

But Steven Biggs says there is another way: self-publish a book that will practically sell itself—by picking the right niche.

Torontonian Steven Biggs has worked with conventional publishers for two books, and self-published 5 books. Two of his self-published books have won awards; one was a best-seller in Canada, selling over 5,000 copies.

But it's one of his smaller, lesser-known books that he considers his most successful: It's a book that sells itself. The book is on its fourth print run, with almost 1,700 books sold in a very niche topic. Buyers from around the world find the book, even though it's not in any bookstores.

Join us for a fun social via Zoom. Each month will feature a theme to get us chatting! Stay tuned for more information!

Click on "get tickets" below to RSVP -- you will be sent an email with the Zoom link.

In this webinar, we will explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has and continues to influence our behaviours and dietary patterns, from home baking and cooking to improving our health through food and beverage choices. 

Registered Dietitian Jane Dummer will discuss examples of new wellness products such as cannabis-infused ingestibles, organic wines, kombucha and hard ciders and the role they play in the changing Canadian agricultural landscape. She will also highlight how farmers can realize increased sustainability by responding to consumers' new interests.

Join us for a fun social via Zoom. Each month will feature a theme to get us chatting! Stay tuned for more information!

Click on "get tickets" below to RSVP -- you will be sent an email with the Zoom link.

Nothing says summer like some Ontario strawberries!

Join your ECFWA for a fun virtual social and share your favourite way to enjoy this tasty treat. 

Register online to get the Zoom link. 

Need some inspiration? Visit Foodland Ontario.

Click "get tickets" to register. Zoom link will be forwarded to you by email.

The business portion of our AGM will be held online via Zoom meeting at 9:00 a.m.

Register by clicking on "get tickets" below.

An agenda and supporting documentation, along with a link to the Zoom meeting, will be sent to all participants in advance.

The PD/farm tour is tentatively planned to be rescheduled for July. Stay tuned for more information.

Join your ECFWA colleagues online for a "virtual" social. Grab a drink or snack and settle in for change to catch up with old friends, meet some new ones, and find out how we're all dealing with the "new normal" during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

RSVP by clicking on "get tickets" below. The Zoom link will be forwarded to all participants.

This event has been CANCELLED.

NOTE THAT THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

Join ECFWA for a webinar:

The Right Rate

Are you a freelancer or project-based writer?

Have you thought about moonlighting as a freelancer?

Are you an editor who hires freelancers?

Setting rates can be a challenging part of the journalism and communications profession. Join ECFWA as veteran writers Bern Tobin and Allison Finnamore discuss how they set, expect, and communicate rates from both sides of the publication – contributor, and editor. The discussion will cover travel costs, editor constraints, print vs. video, lessons learned, and other reimbursement-related queries.

Date: Wednesday, February 26 Time: 1:30 p.m. EST Cost: FREE for ECFWA and CFWF members; $10 for non-members

Join us via webinar (login information will be forwarded to all registrants) or join your ECFWA members to view the webinar together at Syngenta, 140 Research Lane, Guelph. A pay-you-own way social/dinner will follow.

Register by clicking on "get tickets" below.

Speakers

Allison Finnamore is a freelance writer and editor from Atlantic Canada, with more than 25 years experience working in agriculture. She is a partner in Cultivating Communications, and has produced work for clients including FCC, AAFC, Canadian Cattlemen, Country Guide and more. She is an active member of the Atlantic Farm Writers' Federation, Canadian Farm Writers Federation and the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists.

Bernard Tobin specializes in agriculture and food communications.He’s a writer and journalist, and has also worked for two of Canada’s leading agricultural communications firms. In his role as Ontario Field Editor for RealAgriculture.com, he covers a wide range of agriculture issues and leads the production of RealAgriculture’s Corn, Soybean and Wheat schools. He also works as a consultant to Guelph-based Synthesis Agri-Food Network and continues to lead numerous communications workshops and training sessions for organizations such as Farm & Food Care.