Chat - Andy Nelson

I had the opportunity to add another "chat" to the record books today. Andy Nelson, Markets Editor for The Packer and rabid Husker fan, agreed to be featured in the short Q and A format. Here is the link to the chat archive (the newest files are at the bottom). A little from Andy's bio:

Andy directs coverage for the weekly Crops & Markets newspaper in 2001 as a staff writer, and also has served as handling and distributing editor. A member of The Packer’s editorial board, he writes editorials and editorial columns for the paper’s Opinion page. Before coming to The Packer, he had worked as a staff writer for The Kansas City Star and as a reporter for The York News-Times, York, Neb.

11:05 AM Andy Nelson, Markets Editor for The Packer - thanks for taking part in the latest Fresh Talk chat

11:07 AM andynelsonthepacker: Glad to be here, Tom. Go easy on me.

me: Well, no problem. Tell us about your roots - where did you grow up and what was the most memorable thing you did before the age of 12?

11:12 AM andynelsonthepacker: I said go easy on me! Well, the first part's easy: I was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, home of the greatest college football team of the past four decades. The most memorable thing before age 12...maybe getting yanked from a Little League game in the first inning. As I recall I walked three and gave up two hits. I may have gotten one out.

11:13 AM me: Little League - the source of many painful memories for all of us. I know from talking with you about your family that your dad is (was?) a lawyer. Did you think about that option before you jumped into journalism?

11:17 AM andynelsonthepacker: My dad was and my brother is a lawyer. I worked for a law firm after college and did not like it. Figuring out who to bill for every 15 minute increment of every day seemed tortuous to me.

11:19 AM me: That would be tough - where do you put all the time spent figuring out all that...And so you went into journalism - do you have a degree from UNL and a graduate degree as well?

11:21 AM andynelsonthepacker: I got my undergrad degree in liberal arts from St. John's College, Annapolis, Md. St. John's also as a campus in Santa Fe and I spent my sophomore year there. I have master's in English from Nebraska.

11:23 AM me: Impressive - I know you worked for the "consumer press" KC Star - before you came to The Packer - How do you compare those experiences?

11:27 AM andynelsonthepacker: I worked a general assignment beat at the Star, which meant I got to cover a variety of stories. That was nice. But learning a single industry while working at the Packer also has been cool. And the Star didn't fly me to Spain and Chile.

11:30 AM me: No planning committee meetings in Santiago the Star cares about? Yes that is a nice feature about The Packer. One more question and I'll let you go. Your market stories are always very well read in every readership study; how do you figure out what to write about each week? Secondly, what's on your agenda this week?

11:37 AM andynelsonthepacker: Crops tend to harvest around the same time every year. (Climate change may change that, if it hasn't already.) So the Crops & Markets schedule is much the same year after year. That said, it's an evolving industry and we evolve along with it, tweaking our schedule every year and responding to changes in supply and demand as they come. A check of the f.o.b.s on the USDA's AMS site, for example, can alter the schedule. As for this week...Southeast peaches and California tomatoes. Looks like Georgia and SC are expecting a nice crop. (Haven't started the tomato story yet.)

11:39 AM me: I'll let you get to it. Andy, thanks for taking time and we'll do it again - maybe after a freeze or flood so you can give us the latest.

11:41 AM andynelsonthepacker: Happy to do it, Tom. Please don't edit out that bit about theHuskers. Go Big Red!

me: Purple Power! Both schools have some work to do in football...