Ben specializes in writing about the outdoors, children, parenting, politics, the law and agriculture. He has an abiding interest in hunting and fishing and prefers to write about this above all else.
He also writes fiction, philosophy and has a syndicated humor column.
He writes mostly Associated Press style, but does have some issues with AP so everything will not be exactly according to the manual.
Ben is a lifelong writer. He enjoys public speaking on a variety of topics. He attended Troy State University, graduating with a degree in journalism and political science. He has done some graduate-level work in writing and political science.
He has 5 books in print and several more in the final stages. He's produced books for a number of writers, the most celebrated to date being Marty Beckerman. He is presently editing several books written by other people.
He is a staff writer for Very High Power magazine where he reviews .50 BMG rifles. His weekly humor column is syndicated through Trib Publications. He runs the weekly newspaper "The Wiregrass Farmer" where is covers everything that happens in Turner County.
He is a former board member of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA), and has held all office except Secretary and Treasurer in the Georgia Outdoor Writer's Association (GOWA). His membership in GOWA is active. He is presently an on-air personality for the TV show Real Outdoors with Team No Prisoners.
He came to Christianity as an adult and is now a pentecostal evangelist. He volunteers at the local state prison as a minister.
As the father of a son with Down Syndrome, Ben is an advocate for people with disabilities.
His hobbies include:
Woodworking
Reading
Writing
Watching politics
Fishing
Hunting
Research
Editing
Cooking
Spending time with his children
Bachelor's degree in Journalism with a concentration in political science and a minor in creative writing.
For the past 28 years Ben has covered politics at the local, regional, state and national level. He has interviewed realistic and non-realistic candidates for every office from President on down.
He routinely interviews government functionaries at all levels, local, state and federal elected representatives. He has the most experience in Judicial, Agriculture and Environmental government offices. He can write about any of the government's functions.
He particularly enjoys writing about state, national and international politics. His blog often concerns itself with politics.
On the political spectrum, Ben is an independent libertarian (small L) and does not identify with any major party.
Ben is a lifelong outdoorsman and writes frequently about the outdoors for a number of publications. His first article appear in Alabama Game & Fish when he was in college. Over the years he has had many articles published by Game & Fish Publications.
He concentrates on hunting and fishing in the South and further specializes in predator and hog hunting and bass and catfish angling.
He is a staff writer for Very High Power magazine where he reviews and evaluates .50 BMG rifles.
He is also a longtime handloader and recently began casting his own bullets.
Ben has a combined degree in journalism and political science. He enjoys writing about the political scene from the local to the international.
His work has appeared in major newspapers across the United States, in the Associated Press and many, many smaller newspapers.
His blog covers a variety of topics, many political in nature.
Ben is a regular featured speaker at communications seminars. Some of his work is used in an Australia college. He has written one book on graphic arts.
He has produced a weekly newspaper as editor and assistant publisher for the past 18 years. Most of his career has been at weekly newspapers. He did work for 18 months on a daily paper and a year at a twice-weekly.
He has some experience in producing magazines and recently re-entered this field at the newspaper which now prints specialty niche-market magazines.
He has produced books for a number of authors.
Ben has covered a wide variety of industry from manufacturing giants like McElroy Metals to local firms.
In Nevada, he covered the solid rocket fuel manufacturing industry and marshmallow making. In Alabama he covered a lead foundry. In Florida he covered the commercial seafood industry from offshore fishing to inshore oyster harvesting.
In Georgia he covers every industry located in Turner County. They are: utility pole makers, agriculture, metal fabrication, lumber and custom wood support construction, metal fabrication and a few others.
Ben is an ordained minister in two denominations and Georgia Department of Corrections certified prison minister. He speaks at any church which will invite him to come.
A pentecostal evangelist, Mr. Baker preaches the Love of God which accepts anyone who will come to Him.
"Just because you sin differently than me does not give me the right to judge you," he said.
Ben grew up on a farm and covers the ag industry for his newspaper. He has received awards from the agriculture industry for his communications work.
When working on the daily newspaper, The Tifton Gazette, Ben was the agriculture reporter. He has covered the Georgia Peanut Commission, the Georgia Tobacco Commission, the Georgia Cotton Commission, the Watermelon Commission and has written extensively about the state and the federal agricultural experiment stations in Tifton.
He is not an active row crop farmer today but does own some 300 acres in South Georgia. Two-thirds are leased for tilled cultivation and the other third is in timber.
He maintains close contact with AG R&D and Promotion Commissions in the state of Georgia.
Ben is a hobby woodworker and a does regional tech support for Trib Publications.
His woodworking is sold under the name Architeuthis. He builds gun cabinets, ammunition chests, coffee tables and end tables with an outdoors theme.
He can also weld and repair automobiles.
On the computer side, Ben has been responsible for the direct purchase of nearly $100,000 in computer equipment for the South Georgia region of Trib Publications' newspaper network.
Ben is the chief designer for The Wiregrass Farmer newspaper. He is totally responsible for the look of Page 1, Page 4, interior news and sports pages. He oversees the layout of other interior pages.
He designs most of the ads sold by the ad staff and oversees production of other ads.
Ben has written uncounted press releases for a variety of clients mostly in the United States. Thanks to the Internet, he is expanding his reach across the globe.
In the past three months, he's penned PR for companies in Germany, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Great Britain, Australia and Ireland.
His PR has appeared in newspapers, magazines, the Internet, radio and TV.
Ben has written thousands of articles on just about any subject imaginable. In the past three months he has written about: Black Forest cuckoo clocks, a Polish gun store, illegal immigration, beauty aids, a New York escort service, a fundraising drive for a woman needing a liver transplant, local and state government meetings and high school sports.
Ben is a regular speaker at communications, journalism and creative writing seminars around the South. He has spoken to colleagues, college professors, academic and agricultural researchers and public groups.
Ben is also a pentecostal evangelist and routinely speaks before churches and other similar groups.
Ben has spoken to many Civic Clubs over the years on a variety of topics ranging from local politics to writing and communications.
Ben recently joined an outdoors TV show. He purchased broadcast-quality video equipment and has shot several episodes for the TV show. He has experience in front of and behind the camera and was a camera man for a weekly church service broadcast program for two years.
Ben does not do much video editing, but is learning this as well.
Ben has six books in print right now. Two are humor compilations. Two are religious commentary books and two are cartoon books which he illustrated.
He has several more books in the final stages of editing.
Ben has produced, edited and overseen printing of books for several other authors. He also edits other authors' manuscripts.
