I’ve been trying to get Cindy to start writing on AgWired but she has found other ways to help out with content. However, on this IFAJ Congress trip she decided to at least write one article for me to post for her. In the picture you can see her in the little village where we had lunch yesterday. I’ll have more on that.
Communicating Ag To The Swiss Public
Next up on today’s program was one of the organizer’s of the IFAJ Congress, Marcus Rediger. Marcus had lots of interesting information. He spoke on “The Communication of the Farmers With Society.” One of the very cool things his organization (Agricultural Information Center) does is an annual National Brunch Day where a consumer can go out to a farm and have brunch. It’s a national holiday now. Now that’s promoting understanding between farmers and consumers.
Swiss Ag Publications Facing The Future
First up on the program on the final day of the IFAJ was Ruedi Hagmann, BauernZeitung, who spoke on “The Swiss Agricultural Media In Flux.” Right off the bat I’ve got to say that each of the morning’s speakers said things that I think are probably just like you’re going to find anywhere in the world today.
Final Day of IFAJ
The final day of the IFAJ Congress got started with a morning program on “Agriculture, PR and the Role of Media.” Moderated by Adrian Krebs, this was a panel of 3 people who’ll you’ll meet next who each spoke on a different aspect of this main topic.
IFAJ Awards Presented
One of the highlights of an IFAJ Congress is the awards ceremony for the annual photo contest and Star Prize (writing contest). You can view the powerpoint presentation of the awards from this link: IFAJ Awards
Will NAMA Be In New Orleans In ’06
As you no doubt know, Cindy and I are in Switzerland. Since we’ve been here we’ve only been able to see some CNN coverage of the hurricane aftermath in the south. When I saw the damage to the Hyatt I wondered how it would affect the NAMA convention next spring and in the latest NAMA e-News they mention that it is too early to tell. However, they’re looking at possible alternatives. I can’t imaging that the hotel will be ready for us by April but you never know.
View From The Top
Here’s what it looks like at the top of the Schilthorn. There were lots of clouds (below us) and fog but every once in a while we got a peek at the mountains all around us. This picture was taken by Greg Lamp, Corn & Soybean Digest, by the way. He was closer to the window at our dinner table than me.
Dinner On The Schilthorn
The top of the Schilthorn features a revolving restaurant so you are constantly getting a fresh view while you eat. As is the custom for IFAJ, we sat down to a great meal following a reception featuring Swiss beer and wine. For the first time since we got here there was no cheese! This was probably a good thing at this point.
Dizzy And Loving It
We were just slightly dizzy by the time we got to the top of the Schilthorn. We’re up 2970 meters at the top! One of the claims to fame here is that the James Bond movie “On Her Majesty’s Secrect Service” was filmed here. If you want to get a feel for what it’s like right now on the mountain, use this link to see their live webcam.
Terrace At The Top
Once we got to the top there was a large terrace around the restaurant and shops. We could wander around and look at the view. It was pretty foggy so our view was limited but every once in a while the fog would clear enough to see the stunning peaks all around us.