We’re at the end of my posts on the IFAJ Congress 2005. I will actually have a few more items when I get time to work on them but this gives you a final look at a great event. It was a lot of work. Blogging a meeting can be that way! But it was fun and I enjoyed every minute of it.
These final pictures are to show that we didn’t just eat and drink and walk around and attend meetings and presentations. We had time for the even more fun things in life like dancing on the boat or . . .
singing with part of the Quasimojo band (Mike Wilson and Owen Roberts)! Here you have IFAJ president David Markey singing along!!!
I want to say a special thank you to AAEA for the stipend that was offered to me to help with expenses to attend my first (not last) IFAJ Congress. I also have to thank Jerry Harrington, Pioneer Hi-Bred for his sponsorship. It wouldn’t have been possible without them.
AgWired reports on IFAJ Congress 2005 are sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred.
On the IFAJ Dinner Cruise awards were given including IFAJ medallions. These were presented to numerous people who put in a lot of hard work on this event. Some of them are pictured here below the balcony which was lined with people. I don’t have all the names and why’s and wherefore’s though.
Here’s what the medallion looks like. 
The last event of the IFAJ Congress was a Lake Thun dinner cruise. The “Berner Oberland” is a beautiful boat and we had a wonderful evening. As we got on the boat we were greeted with gifts (Swiss watches) and some kind of a fruity concoction that I didn’t get a name for. It was kind of like a strawberry/fruit juice with a sparkling wine in it.
Our onboard entertainment was a New Orleans Jazz Band. Talk about surrealistic when all the news we’d been seeing was on the tragedy in New Orleans! They were good though.
This was just sent out from the 
As I just mentioned in my last post about CornTalk, you podcast subscribers to the MBIC Report should have received it earlier this week. But now it’s also posted for those of you who just like to click and listen.
We’ve had this week’s CornTalk from the 
September is food safety month and the 
The farm where we ate lunch on the final day of the IFAJ Congress is owned by Fritz and Maria Santschi-Schiefer in Sigriswil. I interviewed Maria and her daughter Martina who talked about their family farm operation and the challenges they face.
One of the best things about an IFAJ Congress is meeting agricultural journalists from other countries. There were representatives from at least 30 countries here!
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!
We really couldn’t have been in a more picturesque setting for lunch either. The view was spectacular.