Ohio Ag Net | Ohio's Country Journal Ohio Ag Net | Ohio's Country Journal Kudos to Shawn Conley, University of Wisconsin Extension soybean specialist, who presented at last week’s Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference in Ada. Conley’s energetic presentation featured volumes of great soybean information in Friday’s session of the meeting. While the presentation was well done, one of the top things I took away as a writer was his appropriate use of the term “bailiwick” — not a word typically used in an agricultural presentation.
Conley used the term in response to a question that would be covered in a later presentation by a different speaker, as the topic was that speaker’s bailiwick. The term means: An area of activity in which somebody has particular responsibility, or in which he or she has specialized knowledge or ability.
As one who has attended many farm meetings through the years, I really appreciate unique words when I hear them used amid the usual crop lingo. This also appeals to me because I too aspire to integrate unusual words in my writing on occasion just to spice things up a bit. Through the years, these words have included: crotchety, brouhaha, hullabaloo, fracas, and caterwaul, among others. And now, thanks to some inspiration from Mr. Conley, I continue to use other great words the future. After all, as a writer, great words are my bailiwick.
