The Farm Journal Foundation has hired its first full-time Chief Executive Officer, replacing Board President Charlene Finck. Finck has led the Foundation since 2011, while also serving as Senior Vice President, Editorial at Farm Journal Media. The Foundation has named Tricia Beal as the new CEO, responsible for advancing the organization’s mission and growing its anti-hunger platform, Farmers Feeding the …
Best of NAMA Deadline Friday
Have you entered your best this year in the Best of NAMA yet? If not, you better hurry because the deadline is tomorrow, October 10. The Best of NAMA awards program honors the best work in agricultural communications. Actually, the best of the best, since companies/agencies must first qualify through regional competition in order to advance to the national level. …
AgChat Foundation’s New Executive Director
Jenny Schweigert is the new full time executive director for the AgChat Foundation. Schweigert will focus on advancing ACF’s mission by leading the fundraising campaigns that will support new workshops, educational series, and conferences, like the 2014 Cultivate & Connect Conference. She will also work with the ACF’s Board of Directors to build broad awareness of ACF across agriculture and …
Ebola and ISIS on Borlaug Dialogue Plate
Ebola and ISIS will be among the seemingly non-food related crises that will be discussed at the upcoming 2014 World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue. The President of Sierra Leone is scheduled to give a keynote address, Ministers of Agriculture from Sierra Leone and Liberia are slated to participate in a key panel on agriculture in Africa, and Kanayo Nwanze of …
USDA Spotlights Emerging Bioeconomy
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released a new report, “Why Biobased?” outlining current literature that explores opportunities in the emerging biobased economy. The report is a precursor for a more comprehensive economic study planned for release by the USDA BioPreferred program and will focus on the economic impacts of the biobased products industry. “This new report presents the …
Global Water For Food Conference Preview
Mobilizing new data gathering capabilities to improve global water and food security is the subject of the sixth annual Water for Food Global Conference, hosted by the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute at the University of Nebraska in association with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Oct. 19-22 in Seattle, Wash. This year’s conference theme, “Harnessing the Data …
What the Heck is Certified Humane?
This press release from PR Newswire caught my attention this morning – “What is a Certified Humane® turkey and where can you find one for this Thanksgiving?” Okay, I’ll bite – what is a certified humane turkey? According to the release from Certified Humane and Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC): A Certified Humane® turkey is a turkey raised on a …
CFWF Digs Deep into Video Journalism
“Dig Deep” was the theme for the Canadian Farm Writers Federation 2014 conference in Prince Edward Island, and professional development time was spent digging deep into using video, even if you are a print journalist. “Everybody (in journalism) has to be kind of a Swiss Army Knife now, you have to be able to do it all,” said Ian Petrie, …
Vilsack Spotlights Ag Innovation
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spotlighted agricultural innovations during an appearance at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs Monday. Vilsack stressed the importance of global cooperation in biotechnology innovations. “It’s in our long term best interest as a global community that we encourage appropriate science, that we encourage biotechnology, ways to grow crops with less water, less pesticides, less chemicals,” he …
Magic Dirt Wins Award
The inaugural Bioproducts Innovation of the Year awards were announced this week at the Bioproducts World 2014 Showcase and Conference in Columbus, Ohio and a co-product of renewable energy was named the consumer Bioproduct Innovation of the Year award at this first annual competition. Cenergy USA of Little Rock, Arkansas won for the development of Magic Dirt, a recycled co-product …