The story OnionBusiness.com brings our readers this week is from Oregon AgLink, its 2022 Ag Connection Award recipient Shay Myers with Owyhee Produce in Nyssa, Oregon, and Parma, Idaho. The award was presented in the latter part of 2022.
In the Oregon AgLink article published at Ag Connection Award: Shay Myers of Owyhee Produce – Oregon Aglink, Shay Myers was chosen for the prestigious award for effectively communicating agriculture topics.
Oregon Aglink, formerly known as the Agri-Business Council of Oregon (ABC), is a private, non-profit volunteer membership organization dedicated to growing Oregon agriculture through education and promotion. Their website explains that the organization was established in 1966 and “seeks to bridge the gap between urban and rural Oregonians. In bringing together farmers, ranchers, and processors throughout the state, we work to preserve and enhance Oregon agriculture by showcasing its importance to the economy and lifestyle of Oregon.” The AgLink Ag Connection Award is given to a deserving Oregon business person each year that contributes to achieving these goals.
It’s little wonder why AgLink chose Shay Myer as an effective Ag “Connector.” As described in the “About Us” portion of the Owyhee Produce website, Shay Myers is the CEO and “general manager of our Parma packing location.” The website says, “He is a busybody in the packing house and on social media where you can find him as “ Shay farm kid.” His desire is to keep the legacy alive that was started by his grandfather, our founder Owen Froerer.”
The AgLink award article featuring Myers said, ”Whether professionals in agriculture are nervous about public speaking or feel like they can never find the right words, the individual who can get the message across to their intended audience deserves some special recognition. At Owyhee Produce in Nyssa, Shay Myers understands that communication needs to extend beyond influencing a person to pick your onion over another–although that is still part of the equation.”
In the article, Myers explained his affection for choosing social media as his education platform and why the LinkedIn platform is so unique. “I love my LinkedIn audience,” says Myers. “I’ve got about seventeen thousand followers on LinkedIn, and that was where I began.” Some of his followers fall into the “general consumer” category – someone who is curious about agriculture but not part of the chain between field and stores – but the overall user base and purpose of LinkedIn has maintained a level of professionalism that seems unusual at this point.
“The commentary and dialogue on LinkedIn are educational. While people will critique you, they justify their positions and are looking to learn something, a greater depth of knowledge, or to see if their position is right, to strengthen their position, or to change their position. You can have a beautiful dialogue back and forth on LinkedIn, I love that.”
TikTok has also opened up doors for education and opportunities beyond. In the article, Shay said, “TikTok has opened the opportunities for national news appearances much more so than LinkedIn or Instagram,” says Myers. Being on the evening news or featured on a national news feed is not an end in itself, though.”
“It’s not [just] the press appearances,” he clarifies. “It’s the opportunity that creates to talk about agriculture and what it really is” in a context that transcends the original post. While some people who spotted his video on TikTok may be the same people who see him later on the news, he says, “I’m not just a guy on TikTok at that point.” When the traditional media has picked up your video and asked you more questions, says Myers, “it justifies or supports your position as an industry expert or someone who is trying to educate the masses on their point of view and the nuances of agriculture.”
In addition to the award presented at a dinner award ceremony sponsored by Wilco and Columbia Bank, a video about the award was also published and can be viewed below.
