We thought we’d had a cheese fest earlier at the IFAJ Congress but little did we know what was in store when we visited this farm for lunch on the final day. I didn’t count but I think we had at least 40 different kinds of cheese to choose from!
Staying Fit In Switzerland
One thing you notice wandering around Switzerland is that they don’t seem to have an “obesity problem.” I don’t even think they have a food pyramid or national governmental campaign to try to convince you that you should eat a balanced diet!
Fighting Cows of Switzerland
One day of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress was devoted to choosing a day long (7am to 11pm!) excursion to Swiss farm operations. You could choose between various areas that included mountains and valleys. More than one included Swiss dairy and cheese production.
What Do Swiss Non-Ag Journalists Think
For this week’s ZimmCast I interviewed Claudia Wirz, Neue Zuericher Zeitung, a journalist who covers ag stories for her publication. Claudia spoke at the IFAJ Congress yesterday about “The Media and Agriculture.” She was on the program right after Marcus Rediger and makes a comment in the interview about the consumer campaign that his organization conducts. Claudia was able to offer the group a very different perspective and one I think we needed to hear.
Cindy’s Comments From Switzerland
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
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.