Interview for newspaper article

I need a little advice. On friday the Watrous Manitou (local paper) is interviewing me for there annual agriculture issue. I need advice on how to avoid "foot in mouth disease". I want to promote the raise your own meat and eggs industry but not come across as a crank. So I need do's and dont's.
Funny thing is there was another SK. paper called about the sale in Simpson so the media is taking notice.
I do think I avoid at any cost the suggestion that I raise birds/eggs to sell as I dont need a visit from agriculture Canada. Input appreciated Murray

Im interested in what people say on this.

That is great Murray, you should do fine.
I would talk about why you like the heritage birds you raise, what benefits you get from it, etc.
To talk about raising birds for sale shouldnt bring agriculture canada to your door as long as you are not implying you sell them to eat. Talk about the market style sales and how they promote our industry of selling heritage chicks to others, so that they can raise them up and butcher/or raise them for eggs for themselves.

Be aware that what you say and what ends up in print are often two different things. The editing process is out of your hands and can often make things sound the way they were not intended. Or they edit OUT something that you felt was crucial. Or the person interviewing you has no clue what you're talking about so it does't matter what you say, it's all Greek to them and they write an article that reflects that. That's not to say this will happen with you, but often what you feel was a great interview is edited down to a few disjointed sentences that seem slotted in where needed. It can be a bit of a let down to read what little they print of what you had to say.

But still...if you come off like you are the one and only authority on things you set yourself up for criticism and possibly sounding like the crank you were worried about.

To avoid this you want to use lines like. " Here on Flimsy Farms we have chosen to do things this way..." "In our opinion you get better results doing this..." "After investigating all the options, we felt this method would work best for our circumstances..." THese are all rather vague and make sure that people realize what you do is YOUR way and not the only way. That is if the interviewer/writer chooses to quote you at length.

Either way, all you can do is answer thoughtfully, honestly and in short sentences if you can. This is exciting! Good luck!

Thanks for the tips. It is true the person interviewing knows very little about poultry so hopefully I can get my point across. I read one article in a rural paper and I laughed so hard that the person first stated that he trained his birds to go in at night.They also had no concept of predator control,they seemed to be amazed that something would come in the yard and eat there birds. I agree some of this was probably editing which you have no control over. Since I know the interviewer quite good( I worked in his fathers Hardware store for 4 years) I hope it turns out good. Thanks again.

.

what they are looking for is soundbites or quick little clever statements.
Write up a list of breif statments, and I mean breif, and memorize them. When ever I am asked about Siberians, for example, I ahve a few safe and well thought out statements that I use. I dont actually think up anything new to say, I just use these phrases over and over again. List the keywords and ideas you want to hit, then mash them into a phrase. If you memorize a few of these you can answer any question.

Siberians are not an off leash sort of dog.
A loose Siberian is a gone Siberian
A sled dog that wont leave home will not get you very far.
bla bla bla

Try things such as
I like growing my own food as not only do we know what went into making it, but we know what is in it.
The children and I have developed a new found respect for the earth and our interactions with it.
The sence of satisfaction from knowing your food came from your own land and labour adds an amazing whole new flavour to the meal.
Growing our own food has brought us closer as a family through shared responsibility, activity and reward.
The best way to deal with predators is to be proactive. Anticipate what could happen and ensure that the pens and housing are set up to keep the animals safe in the first place.


DAMN! Im on fire today! I think I will write some of this down for myself!