2016 – CFWF

2016—Trevor Bacque

Zoe Aikman — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 22:11:02 +0000

Managing editor of GrainsWest magazine, Trevor also publishes in the print and online publications of the Alberta Barley Commission and the Alberta Wheat Commission.

The judges noted that Trevor submitted a solid application, with a detailed editorial plan. His attendance at the 2016 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Congress in Bonn, Germany, in July will help his Canadian readers learn about German agriculture.

Trevor continues to volunteer his time on the boards of the Alberta Farm Writers’ Association and the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation, and he recently served as a judge for the IFAJ-FAO Award for Excellence in Global Food Security Reporting.

The bursary will cover up to $2,500 of registration and travel expenses to attend the IFAJ Congress in Bonn. As the successful applicant, Trevor will be sharing information gathered at the Congress with his fellow farm writers as well as a broader audience.

“I’m so fortunate to receive this bursary and have the chance to learn about agriculture in Germany, one of the world’s most progressive and sustainable nations,” said Trevor. “The CFWF bursary gives me the chance to expand my media network and perspective as I continue to learn more about global agriculture.”

Trevor studied journalism and communications in Calgary, Alberta, where he currently lives. Prior to the agriculture industry, Trevor worked as a reporter in Rocky View County covering agriculture, crime, education and politics, He expressed gratitude for all the agricultural opportunities he’s experienced and the people he has met since beginning at GrainsWest.

“As active members of the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation, we are pleased to be able to offer support to journalists who are interested in engaging with their peers outside of Canada,” said Trish Jordan, Public and Industry Affairs Director with Monsanto Canada. “It is a way for them to share the story of farmers and Canadian agriculture, while also learning about agriculture in other parts of the world.”

CFWF would like to thank Monsanto for continuing to support this bursary. We would also like to thank the 2016 judging panel: David Schmidt, John Greig and Allison Finnamore.

2016—Karli Reimer

Alexandra Hayden — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 20:12:27 +0000

“Communicating with Visual Graphics”

$1,000

The Manitoba Farm Writers and Broadcasters Association (MFWBA), which formed in 1956, is the regional association representing Manitoba’s agricultural journalists and communicators. MFWBA brings together agricultural media and communications specialists to learn about and debate all aspects of Manitoba agriculture. As a regional chapter of CFWF, they will be organizing a learning event via webinar for MFWBA members, others in the CFWF organization and extend an invitation to other organizations such as Canadian AgriMarketing Association.

In today’s world, many readers want to consume information quickly and look for visual cues to learn more efficiently. As a result, more than ever before, words are being paired with images and graphics to teach, instruct and inform. We are proposing a group professional development session on effective graphic communications. While our organization often hosts “lunch and learn” sessions on local agricultural issues, we have a need to expand our offerings to include professional development sessions that will address new and improved ways of communicating with our audiences. The agriculture communicators in our association would be the primary target, but journalists can also benefit from understanding the importance of visuals and graphics for their readership. The webinar will also be recorded for later viewing.

2016—Suzanne Atkinson

Alexandra Hayden — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 20:11:31 +0000

“Exchange Tour with Russian Dairy News”

$2,000

Suzanne has been a regular contributor to Ontario Farmer Publications for 22 years, covering all aspects of agricultural news from Port Perry to Kingston. Previously she was an editor at a community weekly in Cobourg, ON and community editor at the now defunct Cobourg Daily Star. With her husband and son, she is also a full time dairy farmer at Rainbowsend, a 40-cow purebred Holstein operation that crops about 800 acres. She has been an active CFWF member for about 10 years and was a ECFWA organizer of the 2007 CFWF conference in Prince Edward County and, subsequently, hosted one of the tours to the area as part of the 2011 IFAJ Congress

She has been invited to lead a tour involving the chief editor of the Russian publication Dairy News and other Russian dairy industry professionals. Visits will take place to industry leading dairy farms, Holstein Canada, CDN, CLGA, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair etc. This opportunity will allow her to build on her CFWF experiences and share her knowledge of the industry while broadening her understanding of the international market place. As a journalist, she will share information with readers at Ontario Farmer and its dairy publications and also contribute to the Russian publication, Dairy News. The learning will be shared through the publishing of articles, social media and through ECFWA and CFWF events.

2016—Karen Dallimore

Alexandra Hayden — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 20:09:01 +0000

“Learning Research Methods in Agricultural Science”

$1,148

As owner of Words For Hire, Karen has been a fulltime freelance writer for agriculture and equiculture since 2002. She counts over 50 publications as her clients, providing copy, photography, and one commissioned book. In 2006, she was a finalist for a Kenneth R. Wilson Award for Best Agricultural Article; she received the CFWF Q.H. Martinson bronze award for Weekly Press Reporting in 2012 and another CFWF bronze in 2016 for photography. Known as ‘the idea person’, she served 11 years on the ECFWA board as director and VP and as editor of The Nib, the ECFWA newsletter, and two years as regional representative on the CFWF board.

Karen has enrolled in a course at the University of Guelph entitled “Research Methods in Agricultural Science” to enhance her understanding of research principles and processes that will allow her to analyze and disseminate relevant research results to readers, combining good science with her writing talents to provide interesting articles. She hopes to gain a stronger foundation in critical thinking, experimental design and data analysis that will allow her to assess and report the value of research projects. Karen plans to share her knowledge through CFWF presentations, a webinar or articles and is interested in speaking to students about the role of mainstream media in science.

2016—Gord Gilmour

Alexandra Hayden — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 20:08:08 +0000

“Enhancing skills for better understanding agriculture as a business”

$2,000

Gord is an associate editor with Country Guide magazine, and was previously a reporter with the Manitoba Co-operator and communications consultant with the Canadian Wheat Board. He has been a member of the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation for nearly 20 years and has been involved in organizing three CFWF annual conferences. He grew up working on a family farm in northeastern Saskatchewan.

He is currently studying business administration at Red River College with the aim of improving his theoretical grounding in all aspects of business given the extensive coverage he has to provide of ‘agriculture as a business’. He plans to take courses in financial accounting, statistics, business law and human resources management amongst other relevant topics so that his writing will reflect a greater understanding of business fundamentals and provide readers with better information on which to base their business decisions. To share the learning from this activity he will contribute two feature-length articles on my professional development activities to the Farm Journalist over the next 12 months. He will also make himself available to the organizers of the upcoming CFWF conference and leadership of the MFWBA for opportunities to make a presentation or participate in a webinar.