Discussing the future of agricultural communications was the job of Orion Samuelson, Jim Evans and Mike Yost today at AG CONNECT Expo. Jim has spent a lifetime in agriculture and Ag communications, as a practitioner and professor at the University of Illinois. The panel took place in Successful Farming’s Innovations Theater where they’ve been doing live webcasts of the presentations. You can see a portion of their discussion here:
Jim will be joined by Radio Hall of Fame personality Orion Samuelson, whom Jim came to know in the 1950s when they both worked in Green Bay; and by Mike Yost, who, as the former Administrator of USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS), has extensive cross-cultural communication experience. Yost is also the owner-operator of Yost Farm in West-Central Minnesota and a former chairman of the American Soybean Association.
“I have never seen a time of such need and potential for skilled communicators who can deal with the complexities of agriculture and the food enterprise of societies,” he reports. “Through painful and costly experience, agri-marketers, producer and consumer groups, the food industry, government agencies and others are learning that the old, one-way, top-down approaches don’t work. Thousands of case examples around the world testify to the urgent need for better models and methods of communicating within agriculture, and between agriculture and the societies that depend on it. Professional Ag communicators can help lead the way in that effort.”
Not everyone who teaches communications has had such a lasting and powerful influence on students, but Evans’ devotion to his students and his commitment to the highest standards have been so influential across the decades that his former students are now raising funds for a new “James F. Evans Endowed Chair in Agricultural Communications” at the University of Illinois at Champaign.
You can make a donation to the Endowment here.
ve video displayed simultaneously. The news about the Matrix Guidance System with RealView Guidance Over Video was announced during the 
My Alma Mater was out and about at AG CONNECT Expo today. Here are three ag comm students from The University of Florida. They were watching this afternoon’s panel discussion in the Innovations Theater on the future of ag communications. I’ll have more on that later.
Scott and Mendy Sink of Virginia won the Excellence in Ag Award. They received a 2010 Dodge Ram pickup, courtesy of Dodge, and free registration to the YF&R Leadership Conference in Oklahoma February 20-22. The Excellence in Ag award recognizes young farmers and ranchers who do not derive the majority of their income from an agricultural operation, but who actively contribute and grow through their involvement in agriculture, their leadership ability, and participation in Farm Bureau and other organizations. We were especially proud that farm broadcasters Andy Vance and Lindsay Hill were in the top ten finalists for that award.
Aaron and Ashley Reding of Kentucky won the Achievement Award which recognizes young farmers and ranchers who have excelled in their farming or ranching operations and exhibited superior leadership abilities. They also won a 2010 Dodge Ram Pickup courtesy of Dodge and paid registration to the 2010 AFBF YF&R Leadership Conference.
Last, but not least, Rachel Bina of North Dakota won the Discussion Meet. She also gets a new Dodge pickup and registration to the conference. The Discussion Meet simulates a committee meeting in which active discussion and participation are expected. Participants are evaluated on their ability to exchange ideas and information on a predetermined topic.
AG CONNECT Expo released some statistics about the show this morning during a press briefing. We heard from Show Director Sara Mooney and AEM VP of Ag Services, Charlie O’Brien. 
According to a 
Pioneer Hi-Bred announced a multi-year sponsorship to support 
How about some sweet fruity goodness for your iPhone? The California Strawberry Commission has just officially launched its free 
After 22 years with the company he co-founded, 
The Fifth U.S.-Mongolia Business Forum took place simultaneously with the 
Not only would the country like to see more investments in the mineral side, it has also created a new shared stock company that would share in the country’s mining industry, but they would also like to see investments and participation in the agriculture industry. “Agriculture is an important part of the economy,” wrote Bekhbat.