Jenna Whitaker (L) receives award from Jenn Norrie, Alltech
“Alltech is proud to support the next generation of agricultural communicators as the ambassadors and voice of our industry,” said Jenn Norrie, Alltech’s communications manager for North America and Europe. “These young leaders are playing an instrumental role in sharing stories of farmers and ranchers and are helping to educate the urban population on where and by whom their food is produced.”
The finalists for this year’s Forrest Bassford Student Award, presented by the LPC, included:
Rianna Chaney, Oklahoma State University
Jenna Fiscus, Kansas State University
Kyra Holt, Texas Tech University
Jenna Whitaker, University of Idaho
The winner of the 2025 Forrest Bassford Student Award was Jenna Whitaker, a junior studying agricultural science, communication and leadership who interned this summer with Angus Media.
“Words are not small things; quite the opposite, actually,” Whitaker wrote in her application essay. “Words have the incredible ability to change lives in an instant. As an avid communicator, reader and storyteller, I recognize the value of the words I choose. As an agriculturalist, I find it disheartening how often the agricultural industry has their words chosen for them. The agricultural industry suffers from a misinformation crisis. Inaccurate information from loud voices leads to false narratives and consumer distrust. I want to use my voice to change that perspective.”
The Forrest Bassford Student Award was established in 1992 to honor Bassford’s contributions to the Livestock Publications Council and his passion for supporting young people in the field of agricultural communications.
See all the photos from Ag Media Summit: