During Tuesday’s lunch session at Ag Media Summit, participants listened to a special presentation on the future of agriculture in Africa, and the potential it holds for both economic prosperity for millions of impoverished youth, and answers to the greatest challenge humanity will face yet: How farmers are going to feed an additional three billion people by the year 2050. …
#AgMedia Future is in Good Hands
The AMS Student Awards and Recognition Luncheon was a good reminder of the great up and coming talent we have in this industry. The American Agricultural Editors’ Association (AAEA) scholarships, presented by Future Ag Communicators committee chair Laurie Bedord, were awarded to Cameron Jodlowski, Iowa State University; Mara McGurl, University of Georgia; and Kelsey Litchfield, University of Illinois. Kelsey was …
FFA + CSX Team Up To Hit the Track at the Brickyard
The Brickyard 400 will make history once again this year as the No. 38 FFA + CSX Living to Serve Ford becomes the first car to represent the 87-year-old, Indianapolis-based agricultural education and youth service organization, the largest of its kind with more than 610,240 student members interested in agriculture, as a primary sponsor in a NASCAR race. “I can’t …
AGree Criticizes K-12 Food and Ag Ed in US
A group that represents a cross-section of the food and agriculture system says education in those areas in the U.S. is “disjointed and ineffective.” AGree released a paper that makes the claim and identifies needed reform. The paper, “Food and Agricultural Education in the United States,” authored by Stephanie Mercier, former Chief Economist of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee and …
New Agricultural Education Content Standards
The National Council for Agricultural Education has released a new set of content standards (pdf). These standards “state agricultural education leaders and educators a guide for development of well-planned curriculum for AFNR-related career and technical education programs.” The multi-stage revision of the standards began in 2014 and included input from more than 270 secondary and post-secondary educators, business, industry and …
2015 Alltech Young Scientist Awards
During the Alltech REBELation the 2015 Alltech Young Scientist Awards were presented. Dr. Aoife Lyons, director of educational initiatives at Alltech, and Dr. Inge Russell, director of the AYS program, presented the awards. Two university students received awards in the 10th annual Alltech Young Scientist (AYS) program, the largest global contest of its kind that rewards scientific genius and experimental …
Top Rated Ag Universities
We all have our favorite ag schools (Go Gators!) but if you want a non-biased source for the top rated universities in any subject, the definitive source is the QS World University Rankings. First compiled in 2004, the QS World University Rankings currently considers over 3,000 institutions, and ranks more than 800 under a methodology that includes academic reputation, employer …
“Farm to Cart” Downloadable Game for Kids
The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has released a new game for teachers, families, farmers and ranchers working with preschool and early elementary age students. “Farm to Cart” is designed to show the connection between food in the grocery store and products grown and raised on the farm. Through the game, young learners discover how to describe the general …
Talking to Cal Poly
Today I had the honor to speak to Dr. J. Scott Vernon’s class at Cal Poly. We Skyped. So much easier than flying! I got to talk about the transition from traditional to new media and social media. Questions included what kinds of skills and/or programs a student needs today to successfully enter an agricultural communications career. My answer included …
More Than $2.7 Million in Scholarships From FFA
The National FFA Organization and Foundation recently awarded more than $2.7 million in scholarships to 2,156 recipients. This was made possible thanks to the generosity made available by sponsors and individuals to reward and encourage excellence and enable students to pursue their educational goals. More than 7,000 students applied for the scholarships, with many of the applicants being considered for …