While many dairy producers across the country are battling winter weather conditions, two Midwest farmers also spent the recent cold months campaigning for online votes.
Jenifer Oechsner of Brownsville, Wisconsin, was one of two finalists in Cotton Incorporated's video contest. She was named the grand prize winner and will receive a truck of whole cottonseed worth $5,000.
Tim Zweber ( pictured at right ) is vying to be the grand prize winner in Carhartt's Tough Contest . Voting will end February 28, and visitors to the site can vote as many times as they would like.
Getting on their game faces
Both Oechsner ( pictured below left with husband, Dennis ) and Zweber found about their respective contests through social media avenues.
A Facebook friend Oechsner had met at a social media workshop had posted the link regarding Cotton Incorporated's contest, which called for video blog entries of innovative, on-farm storage solutions for cottonseed.
"I figured, 'Why not give it a try?,'" Oechsner says. "So many farmers tear down buildings, not thinking there is a use for them."
She quickly went to work on producing a video and said the third time was a charm, with the help of a friend. Click here to see Oechsner 's winning video.
Zweber learned of Carhatt's competition through Facebook and learned it required an essay submission. It didn't take long for him to come up with a good reason why dairy farmers are tough.
"I felt that of all the professions in this world, dairy farming is one which is tough not because of the sheer physical labor involved but the endurance both physically and mentally that is needed for a 24/7 occupation," he says.
Being named a finalist
Zweber learned his essay had been selected as one of the top 12 finalists while he was cleaning out a heifer shed. He received a $500 Carhartt gift certificate, which he used to buy Christmas presents for his family in December.
Zweber reached out to his local and online community for help in voting. An active 'agvocate,' Zweber and his wife, Emily, maintain Twitter accounts ( @zweberfarms and @ezweber ), a blog and a Facebook fan page .
"I am hoping to get enough buzz generated about this contest — and in particular my essay — to get a bunch of local media attention and better yet regional media attention to spread the word about how much dairy farmers care for their animals and the environment," Zweber says. "So far I have been getting the word out with the help of those mostly in agriculture, which has allowed me to reach non-farmer followers and friends of them."
And Zweber won't be alone in spreading that word. For being named a finalist in Cotton Incorporated's contest, Oeschsner received a Kodak flip camera (along with a Kodak digital photo frame and a $500 Visa gift card).
Oechsner says she's anxious to put her camera to use and capture video clips around the farm. She says she's a firm believer in the theory, "If we don't tell our own story, someone else will tell it for us."
Case Vanderlei of Amherst, Texas, was the other finalist in the video contest. Both competitors asked fellow producers to vote online for their respective videos and even joined the Proud to Dairy network for additional campaigning.
Cotton Incorporated also offered prizes to voters who entered their name into a drawing. Five lucky voters received Kodak pocket video cameras.
To the victors go the spoils
Although it was a close race in voting, Oechsner won and says she is grateful.
"This is huge. The milk price has been on the increase the last month, but the last year we really had to make some sacrifices," she explains. "And feed is not one you want to worry about — this is where you need to stay on top of your feed ration. It is all about making your cows happy and producing top quality and quantity milk."
If Zweber is selected as the grand prize finalist in Carhatt's contest, he'll be rewarded with a duck hunt trip from Ducks Unlimited. He says he already knows who would be his guest of honor.
"I would take my grandpa along, who taught me how to duck hunt," Zweber says. "He is responsible for my love of hunting and the outdoors so I think it would be great to pay him back for that gift."
Be sure to vote for Tim Zweber in Carhartt's Tough Contest until Feb. 28. Also, keep an eye out for future contests from Cotton Incorporated . PD
PHOTOS
TOP RIGHT: Tim Zweber is Carhartt Tough. Photo provided by Ashley Martin of Rubin Communications.
TOP LEFT: Jenifer and Dennis Oechsner are excited to receive $5,000 worth of cottonseed. Photo provided by Jenifer Oechsner.
