| Looking for New Opportunities? Check the Job Bank Check the AAEA Job Bank on the AAEA Web site regularly for the latest job opportunities in the agricultural communications industry. The latest job posting is for an on-line managing editor for Farm Journal Media. Norway, Here They Come The AAEA International Committee has made its selections for several $1,500 stipends to help defray expenses to attend the 2006 IFAJ Congress in Hamar, Norway, Aug. 12-16. Those receiving stipends, which are supported through a grant from the AAEA Professional Improvement Foundation (PIF), include Edith Chenault, Texas A&M University, JoAnn Alumbaugh, Farms.com, and Harlen Persinger, freelance writer and photographer. A fourth stipend was awarded to Greg Lamp in his capacity as International Committee chair. Another $1,500 stipend, specified for a member under 30 years of age, was not awarded because of a lack of applicants in that age group. Attendees are expected to be able to assist AAEA as it prepares to host the IFAJ Congress in Ft. Worth, TX, in 2009. Once stipend winners return from the trip, watch for special coverage in The ByLine and during the Ag Media Summit in 2007. Rutherford Wins Outdoor Writer Awards, Gains Office Freelance outdoor writer and AAEA member Burt Rutherford of Amarillo, TX, was honored recently by the Texas Outdoor Writers Association as the recipient of six awards in the group's Excellence in Craft contest. Rutherford captured two first-place awards - for a magazine feature on wild turkey management titled "Take Me to the River," published in The Cattleman magazine and for a cover photo in Outdoors in the Southern Rockies titled "Wagon Train on Old Spanish Trail." Second place awards went to an article in Texas Sporting Journal titled "Dad's Rifle and Me," and for a cover photo of a house finch in Outdoors in the Southern Rockies. "Still a Time for Dreams and Visions," an article in the same publication captured third place and the TOWA Newsletter, which Rutherford edits and publishes, also won third place. Rutherford also was elected as the group's president for 2006. Pam Henderson Named Neal Awards Finalist Pam Henderson, crops and issues editor of Farm Journal, was a finalist in the 52nd Annual Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Awards for editorial achievement, the most prestigious awards in business-to-business journalism. Henderson was cited in the category of "Best subject-related series of articles" for magazines with more than $7 million in revenues. The nine-article series, entitled "Asian Soybean Rust Takes Root in the U.S.," also won top honors in the 2005 AAEA writing awards program, winning Writer of the Year, Story of the Year and Technical Feature categories. Henderson was one of 101 finalists chosen from 1,250 entries by a distinguished board of judges. New-Member Profiles Kristal Arnold As editor of Food Systems Insider, Arnold assigns and writes stories on trends and issues affecting the food and agriculture industry, from changing demographics and social responsibility to global warming and animal traceability. She also copy edits for Drovers magazine and Bovine Veterinarian. She and her husband, both employees of Vance Publishing, live in Lenexa and love to travel and play outdoor sports. Arnold also teaches English as a Second Language to adults in the evenings. James Arnold As the Electronic Media Editor, Arnold is involved in every aspect of online communications for food360°, a division of magazines spanning the entire food system. Arnold is an expert in electronic publishing, e-mail marketing, Web site creation, search-engine optimization, Web-based advertising, editing and writing. A native Iowan, Arnold also writes a media-watch column for Food Systems Insider and is a freelance sports reporter for The Kansas City Star. Suzanne B. Bopp After spending 10 years as a freelance writer, Bopp has joined the staff of Drovers. Her writing focuses on environmental and policy issues that affect the ranching industry, as well as the effects of the changing consumer marketplace. Allison Bruchhaus Home Contact Information: Bruchhaus is a graduate student at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA, where she will complete her graduate studies in the School of Human Resource Education and Workforce Development in the LSU College of Agriculture in December 2006. She also is a graduate assistant with the LSU AgCenter. Current responsibilities as a research assistant in the 4-H Youth Development Department include assisting in the development of research-based youth and volunteer department programs that are documented by high quality evaluation and sound research underpinnings. Her interests and hopes for the future include combining agriculture, communications and international development. "I am intrigued by infinite possibilities of teaming up international mission work with agriculture practices to better the quality of life for individuals across the world," she says. Kurt Lawton Lawton, a former AAEA board member and long-time AAEA active participant, rejoins after a hiatus into the world of homeowner DIY editorial. He currently directs, writes and manages Web content and e-newsletters for several agricultural Web sites, as well as occasional print and photography assignments. Downtime is spent at the family's 10-acre horse ranch, where he loves to ride, fix, feed, shovel, buck bales, attend kids' events, fish, golf, watch movies and just relax with wife Kim and the kids. Mike Mason Mason joins The Farm Credit Council, the association representing the customer-owned Farm Credit System, with more than 14 years' experience serving national trade associations in the DC area, including the American Trucking Associations, National Association of Convenience Stores and the National Grocers Association. He manages the council's communications, including its newsletters and website, and handles media relations. A DC-area native, he lives in Fairfax, VA with his wife, three kids and two dogs. Heidi H. Nelson A Wisconsin native and UW grad, Nelson is owner of Harvest PR & Marketing, Inc., a Portland, OR, communications boutique specializing in food/beverage and agricultural product marketing. Nelson's public relations programs have landed her pitchfork-to-plate clientele in such diverse national publications as Dairy Herd Management, Family Circle, Good Housekeeping, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal. When not exercising their entrepreneurial muscles, Nelson and her husband enjoy biking, hiking and skiing in the Cascades. |