New Recruits Wanted

By Marcia Taylor

The AAEA membership drive underway this month represents a new phase in our 50-year-old evolution. For many years, farm magazine writers and photographers were the prime focus of AAEA's professional improvement efforts. But based on our recent five-year strategic plan, we are now actively inviting the entire field of rural communication professionals to join the club.

Membership co-chairs Betsy Freese and Karen Simon are soliciting a whole host of prospects who could benefit from AAEA membership, including editors at rural lifestyle magazines and media contacts at farm organizations, agencies or ag-related companies.

Given production agriculture's demographics, "we all know that the pool of farm magazine editors won't increase much in the future," says Freese. But we can strengthen our organization by involving a more diverse membership and pooling resources for professional improvement. Our annual workshops at the Ag Media Summit on headline writing, effective communication, print design and the latest in digital photography improve our professional skills, no matter what field of ag communications we choose.

Truth is that the lines that once divided our job descriptions are blurring. Not so long ago, a journalism degree prepared you for print, photography, advertising or broadcast specialties. Today the trend is for media companies to expect employees to multitask.

"Both Meredith and Farm Journal magazine editors now host television programs and most of our industry's farm editors double as contributors to their company websites," Freese notes. Involvement in AAEA's educational programs can fill the gaps in our knowledge base, she says.

AAEA has already welcomed magazine designers and art directors to the fold in recent years, and added contests and program content intended to boost their skills. That's a model for Ad Hoc Committee Chairman Andy Markwart as his panel discusses how best to integrate more affiliate members into the organization. His panel will be making recommendations to the AAEA board in April 2006.

In the meantime, we hope you renew your membership early - and invite a co-worker or communication specialist to join with you!

Marcia Taylor is AAEA vice president and editor of Top Producer. She can be reached at MTaylor@farmjournal.com.