The bursary will cover up to $2500 of registration and travel expenses to attend the 2015 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Congress, in Hamilton, New Zealand. As the successful applicant, Sharon will be sharing information gathered at the Congress with her fellow farm writers as well as a broader audience.

“Attending IFAJ 2015 provides an opportunity to explore New Zealand and connect with writers and photographers from around the world to learn about agriculture and food production ‘down under.’” said Sharon. “IFAJ provides an opportunity to network globally and connect with people who are passionate about sharing and telling agriculture’s story.”

“You cannot put a value on networking opportunities with colleagues; it is just something that you need to do for professional development. I enjoy meeting new people, building connections and fostering good relationships with other people” she added. “Too often we get busy with day-to-day commitments and do not take time to recharge and to connect with others in the industry.”

Sharon is a graduate from the University of Guelph and the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program. She resides in Wellington County, Ontario, on the family farm with husband Walter and four children. As a member of a family whose business is manufacturing farm machinery, she brings an interesting perspective to the conference. She says she has been blessed with the opportunity to travel across Canada and USA camera in hand, photographing and writing about agriculture in North America.

“We have appreciated the opportunity to be involved with Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation over the years, ” said Trish Jordan, Public and Industry Affairs Director with Monsanto Canada. “Our support for the IFAJ bursary is an extension of the collaborative work we do together and I think it is great that Canadian farm journalists want to explore and learn about agriculture in different parts of the world.”

$2,000

Lorne has been working as a journalist and photojournalist for over 30 years, specializing in agriculture journalism since 1995. He will be examining the implications of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement on the Canadian dairy industry given the significant changes that such an agreement would bring to the tariff-protected supply management system currently in place. He will be travelling to New Zealand and California to learn how the dairy industry operates in these areas and to examine whether it is even possible for Canadian dairy farmers to compete in a global free market system like New Zealand does and whether there are other support programs, such as those offered in the U.S. that might act as a substitute.

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Lorne will publish his findings as articles in the agriculture press and mainstream business publications to provide greater insight to producers in Canada’s supply managed sectors on what type of regulatory environment they might have to operate in, in the future. He will also provide useful information to consumers and to investors active in Canada’s food industry. In addition, he will make a presentation to CFWF members via webinar and/or at the 2016 CFWF conference, which will be held in Saskatoon.

]]> https://cfwf.ca/2015-developing-an-international-perspective-for-improving-agricultural-communications-shannon-vanraes/ Fri, 27 Nov 2020 20:05:42 +0000 https://cfwf.ca/?p=840 “Developing an International Perspective for Improving Agricultural Communications”

$2,000

Shannon VanRaes writes for the Manitoba Co-operator covering issues ranging from animal husbandry and agronomy to farm policy, research, transportation and trade. In 2014, she was named the Glenn Cunningham Agriculture Journalist of the Year by the North American Agricultural Journalists.

To complement her 2015 participation in the IFAJ Exposure-4-Development tour to Zambia, Shannon will be attending the IFAJ 2015 Congress in New Zealand to further develop her craft by meeting new writers and gaining fresh insights since agriculture is viewed and covered differently across the globe. She will share her learnings in real time via social media and reflect on her experiences through articles in the Manitoba Co-operator, Metro News and broadcasts from CJOB Radio in Winnipeg. She will also be presenting to the Manitoba Farm Writers and Broadcasters Association and the Commonwealth Journalists Association, as well as making a presentation to CFWF members via webinar and/or at the 2016 CFWF conference, which will be held in Saskatoon.

]]> https://cfwf.ca/2015-ifaj-2015-new-zealand-david-schmidt/ Fri, 27 Nov 2020 20:04:24 +0000 https://cfwf.ca/?p=838 “IFAJ 2015 New Zealand”

$2,000

David Schmidt, BCFWA member, is currently associate editor of Country Life in BC and a freelancer for various other publications. He will be attending the 2015 IFAJ conference in New Zealand. As a supply management and dairy specialist he believes the opportunity to learn more about the “free market” dairy industry in New Zealand would be very helpful and the insights he would gain into agriculture on the opposite side of the world would also benefit his overall expertise.

CFWF members will benefit as they will have another liaison attending the conference, as well David will post articles for Country Life in BC and other interested publications. He will also provide a full report to the Farm Journalist and a presentation at a CFWF conference.

]]> https://cfwf.ca/2015-plant-biotechnology-science-writing-and-public-communication-owen-roberts/ Fri, 27 Nov 2020 20:03:23 +0000 https://cfwf.ca/?p=836 “Plant Biotechnology Science Writing and Public Communication”

$1,362

Owen Roberts, ECFWA member and vice-president of IFAJ, has been a journalist and columnist with daily, weekly and monthly print and online media for 35 years. He is also an agricultural communications instructor and a research communications director at the University of Guelph.

He has been invited as the sole Canadian communications representative to make a presentation on “Plant Biotechnology Science Writing and Public Communication” at the international University-Industry Consortium conference in Yuma, Arizona in March, 2015. He will be one of four speakers on communications; he will bring the Canadian perspective, based largely on what he knows as an active farm journalist and as the originator and coordinator of a unique student-based program at Guelph that promotes a greater understanding of agricultural research. He anticipates this will enlighten others from agricultural universities and industry about how they too can work cooperatively to involve young people in plant biotechnology communication in Canada. He will be able to prepare stories and columns from the material he collects at this conference, to present at a CFWF annual conference and at classes at the University of Guelph.

]]> https://cfwf.ca/2015-communications-preferences-of-british-columbias-dairy-farmers-trevor-hargreaves/ Fri, 27 Nov 2020 20:02:11 +0000 https://cfwf.ca/?p=834 “Communications preferences of British Columbia’s dairy farmers”

$2,000

Trevor Hargreaves, BCFWA member, works for the BC Dairy  Association as the Managing Editor of the BC Dairy Producer News. For the past year and a half he has been working on an agricultural specific thesis as a completion requirement for a Masters Degree in Communications at Royal Roads University. This thesis is focused on the communications preferences of British Columbia’s dairy farmers.

This study is of direct relevance to CFWF due to the agricultural content, but more specifically because of the interesting findings that differ significantly from oft-preached communications industry developments. Specifically, the findings show a very high reliance on traditional print formats, and far less desire to read information digitally. This research provides strong support for traditional newsprint as a method to reach this sector of the agricultural community, and provides an argument for maintaining traditional journalism in the agricultural sector. He will publish findings in BC Dairy Producer News, related agricultural press (Holstein News/Country Life News), general media (including a press release and PR campaign around the findings), communications conferences, and dairy scientific publications.

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