Andy Markwart Horizon Award
Application Available
Application deadline extended to May 15. The Andy Markwart Horizon Award, presented by the American Agricultural Editors' Association's Professional Improvement Foundation (PIF) and John Deere, is an annual award given to an AAEA member who embodies the youthful vigor, energy, passion, dedication and creativity shown by Andy in his volunteer work for AAEA for many years. Andy died in 2006 from heart problems (download form here).
 
 
May 2008 E-ByLine on the Web
The May 2008 issue of The ByLine is now available on-line. If you did not receive an e-mail with the newsletter's Web address, click on The ByLine at left, which will direct you to the newsletter. Also, send an e-mail to ageditors@aol.com to let us know you did not receive the e-mail alert.
 
 
Children and Agriculture: Telling the Story
A Workshop for Journalists -- June 5-6, 2008
Texarkana, Texas-Arkansas
 
"Children and Agriculture: Telling the Story," is a national series of workshops for journalists that focus on the complex and sometimes controversial issues surrounding childhood health and safety in the agricultural environment. The 2008 workshop is scheduled for June 5-6 in Texarkana, on the Texas-Arkansas border. Ten journalists representing print and electronic media will be selected from applicants. No fee will be charged. Stipends will be offered to help defray travel and lodging expenses. Application deadline is May 9.
 
The 1-1/2-day workshop is a story-generating event that gathers farm-health researchers, child-safety advocates, medical professionals, agricultural producers and journalists for field trips and discussions. Dialogue with expert sources and knowledge gathered firsthand on field trips will focus on the following topics:
- Leading causes of childhood injuries on farms (tractors, large animals)
- Farmworker children (labor laws, daycare, takehome pesticides)
 
Field trips will include the unique Hope Migrant Complex and two family farms with agritourism operations.
 
For more information click here or contact Scott Heiberger (heiberger.scott@mcrf.mfldclin.edu) at the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, 1-800-662-6900, press 7.
 
The workshop is a project of the National Children's Center, which is a program of the National Farm Medicine Center and Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation in Marshfield, Wis. Funding is provided by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The co-host for this year's workshop is the Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention and Education located at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler.
 
 
Entries Now Open for 2008
Star Prize for Agricultural Photography
Entries are now open for the 2008 Star Prize for Agricultural Photography.
New categories and new prizes for:
- best portrait
- best landscape or nature photo
- best production photo

Entries close May 1, 2008

For more information click here or contact coordinator Katharina Seuser at kseuser@aol.com

This contest is open to all AAEA members as all AAEA members are members of IFAJ.

 
IFAJ February/March 2008 newsletter
The February/March 2008 issue of the IFAJ newsletter is now available on-line. Click here to read.
 
 
International Star Prize winners announced

Marleen van Sleuwen from the Netherlands and Gerardo Prego from Argentina have won this year's prestigious international Star Prize awards for agricultural journalism and photography.

Winners were announced and honoured at the 51st congress of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ), held in Japan last week (September 17 to 23).

Click here for full story.

 
2007 Master Writers Named

Six new Masters Writers were named by AAEA at the 2007 Agricultural Media Summit. Nearly 40 members also achieved new levels as a result of their participation in the 2007 Writing Awards Program. Click here for a list.

AMS Online!

A record-breaking 600 people made it to the 2007 Agricultural Media Summit in Louisville, Ky., this summer. However, for the AAEA members who couldn't join us, we attempted something new this year. We recorded a few key sessions for you to listen to in the comfort of your own home or office. Please drop us a line at ageditors@aol.com and let us know what you think.

Click here for sessions on change management, creativity, covering politics and online media.

 
2008 The ByLine Deadlines

Can be found here

 
Strategic Plan is Approved

To see the approved AAEA Strategic Plan (passed at AAEA annual business meeting Aug. 3, 2005, in Milwaukee) please click here.

 
MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS MAY
NOW BE COMPLETED ON-LINE
Membership renewals may now be completed on-line using a credit card. Just go to the Members Area and click on Membership Renewal. Thanks for being patient!
--The AAEA Staff
 
 
Professional Improvement Foundation

The AAEA Professional Improvement Foundation is a non-profit foundation organized to fund professional improvement programs to persons in the field of agricultural communications.

The Foundation's goal is to support and promote the agricultural communications community, to finance awards for outstanding writing and graphic arts in the field of agricultural communications, and to make scholarships and support internships and training for editors, writers and photographers in the field of agricultural communications.

For more details on the Foundation, as well as details on making a contribution or applying for a grant, click here.

 
IFAJ welcomes you!
 
The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) is a non-political, professional association for agricultural journalists in 29 countries. IFAJ supports and encourages the practice of agricultural journalism in countries embracing freedom of the press. For more information click here.