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Jan 8, 2025 | 
forbes.com | Rebecca Brooks
Rebecca Brooks is Founder and CEO of market research consultancy Alter Agents; she believes that powerful insights can change businesses. Last year, my firm decided to dive into some pretty emotional research into American sentiment. What we found wasn’t surprising: People are feeling pessimistic, distrustful and anxious. This is critical information for businesses, as our success is intertwined with the health and well-being of the communities we serve.
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Nov 1, 2024 | 
insideandoutupstateny.com | Rebecca Brooks
By Rebecca Collins Brooks | November 1, 2024 Mid-September in the Catskills is the beginning of my favorite time of year in my favorite place, where the trees begin their annual fiery show and the air at the start and end of each day hints of colder days to come. Our cows bed down in the middle of the pasture at night to sleep under the stars in the crisp, clear air: it is also their favorite season. Autumn.
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Oct 22, 2024 | 
senmagazine.co.uk | Rebecca Brooks
Despite the challenges, there is much that schools can do to break down the barriers to attendance faced by the families and ensure that all previously looked after children have an equal chance in education, writes Rebecca Brooks.
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Oct 4, 2024 | 
insideandoutupstateny.com | Rebecca Brooks
By Rebecca Collins Brooks | October 4, 2024 To live on Hilltop Farm is to inhabit a sensory wonderland: each sunrise and sunset is more beautiful than the last, every birdsong more spectacular than an orchestra to my ears. The touch of a cow’s wet nose, the taste of warm cheese curds fresh from the whey, the special “moo” of a mama calling to her calf (and its sweet call back to her) – there is nothing to balance these experiences against; their uniqueness exists only in my singular life here.
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Aug 15, 2024 | 
forbes.com | Rebecca Brooks
Rebecca Brooks is Founder and CEO of market research consultancy Alter Agents; she believes that powerful insights can change businesses. Five years ago, my research consultancy started a series of research projects that delved into consumer fear. Little did we know at the time that this topic would be highly apropos—launching just as we all plunged into the uncertainty, fear and anxiety caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing economic and social upheaval.
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Jul 16, 2024 | 
insideandoutupstateny.com | Rebecca Brooks
By Rebecca Collins Brooks | July 16, 2024 Once upon a time, not so very long ago, in a land of exceptional natural beauty, there lived a little boy. He swam in ice-cold streams on steamy, hot summer days. After a day of ice skating on a local pond, he warmed himself by the heat of a bonfire. With his brothers, he ran free through open fields and thick woodlands.
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Jul 2, 2024 | 
forbes.com | Rebecca Brooks
Rebecca Brooks is Founder and CEO of market research consultancy Alter Agents; she believes that powerful insights can change businesses. Artificial intelligence is flooding the airwaves, in almost every industry. We can’t log in to our computers or pick up our phones without seeing news about AI in our feeds, or without AI trying to help us do everything from googling a topic to writing an email to personalizing our shopping experience.
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Jun 7, 2024 | 
insideandoutupstateny.com | Rebecca Brooks
By Rebecca Collins Brooks | June 7, 2024 It’s spring in the Northeast. On Hilltop Farm that means it’s crunch time. The cows, the hay, the chickens, the hay, our garden, the HAY – it’s a huge amount of work that makes us grateful for the extra daylight. We time our calving season around warm weather because Wagyu calves aren’t cold-hardy. Calving has started in earnest here. Wei Xi produced the first spring calf when she had Waldo, a lovely little bull with splashy markings.
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May 23, 2024 | 
southernbride.com | Rebecca Brooks
The second best part about getting married is the memories you make during the big day. A toast is one of those great moments, but sometimes, not everyone gets to share how they feel. That’s why the team at Voast has created the perfect virtual toast to encapsulate those words forever. Voast is a collaborative, unique video kiosk that captures moments intimately with your wedding guests.
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May 3, 2024 | 
insideandoutupstateny.com | Rebecca Brooks
By Rebecca Collins Brooks | May 3, 2024 The customers of Hilltop Farm are a diverse group – locals, newcomers, family, long-time friends, and new acquaintances. But the thing they all have in common is this: every person who sets foot on this property becomes a part of it, whether they know it or not. We raise Wagyu beef, known to be “fancy,” pricy (both to raise and to eat), and unique.
