Greetings from Fort Worth Texas!

This is going to be my first of many posts on this site as we continue to update you on all of the new and exciting events that will happen with next summer’s Ag Media Summit and IFAJ  Congress. I’m writing this as a “test drive” as I learn from my excellent teacher, Chuck Zimmerman!  Please feel free to participate and ask questions as we go through all of our planning stages. It’s going to be here before you know it.

Cheers! And stay tuned for much more to come!

USA Delegation at IFAJ Congress 2008

The United States was well represented at this year’s IFAJ Congress in Austria/Slovenia.

We had a great time meeting once again with so many of our friends from around the world. Now it’s time to get ready to “Catch The Cowboy Spirit” in Ft. Worth, TX.

In coming months you’ll see many updates to this website as we add functionality and more information as it is finalized.

In this photo our group posed with Svetlana Sirec, Wine Queen of Slovenia.

Promoting The 2009 Congress

Now that the 2008 IFAJ Congress is over it’s time to look forward to Ft. Worth, TX!

To help promote our Congress, USA members put together a little gift for IFAJ members. Each participant at this year’s Congress got a bandana that contained a pais of leather coasters.

Prior to our closing dinner a bunch of us got together to tie up the bandanas. You can see pictures of us in this photo album.

Then at our closing dinner, which was held in Portoroz, Slovenia, we distributed our gifts.

People started opening them right away and many put their bandanas on. After all the presentations were over, Quasimojo took the stage and performed.

We also had a slide show presentation that Diane Johnson ran to help set the tone for “Catch The Cowboy Spirit.”

Planning Meeting Held at AMS

The planning committee for the IFAJ Congress 2009 met this morning for several hours at the 2008 Agricultural Media Summit (AMS).

Today’s meeting was very well attended. Mike Wilson, Greg Lamp and Diane Johnson helped the various committees working on next year’s event. Also making sure all the heavy lifting gets done behind the scenes were Den Gardner and Kenna Rathai who are the AAEA staff. We’ll also be updating the committees list but there’s a whole bunch of people making sure this program turns into one of the best ever.

We had quite a few people who had not been assigned to a committee but that got corrected and I’m happy to say that my marketing and communications committee now has more than two members and we came up with some great ideas that included incorporating some new social networking tools in our efforts.

We’re looking forward to showcasing American agriculture in Ft.Worth, TX next year!

By the way, if you’d like to see pictures from this year’s AMS, which just ended today, then feel free to visit the online photo album. It contains some pictures of Florida from a few days before the AMS got started too: Ag Media Summit Photo Album

Sponsor Some Cowboy Spirit

If your company or organization would like to help support the IFAJ Congress 2009 then you can find information on how with our sponsor brochure (pdf).

The world’s premier agricultural communicators will ride into Fort Worth, Texas, to catch the spirit of the old West in a combined IFAJ Annual Congress and Agricultural Media summit (AMS). don’t miss this opportunity to reach more than 150 international ag communications professionals, plus 600 U.S. ag communicators attending AMS. In the first U.S.-hosted IFAJ Congress since 1992, participants will attend workshops and seminars, an agribusiness-focused trade show (InfoExpo), agricultural tours, and networking events.

For questions about InfoExpo, please contact:
Laurie Potter, InfoExpo chair, (515) 284-2853

Upcoming Planning Meeting For 2009 Congress

Many of us here in the USA are looking forward to the upcoming IFAJ Congress 2008 in Austria/Slovenia. I hope we have a fired up delegation going.

In the meantime, plans are continuing for next year’s Congress which will be held in conjunction with our Agricultural Media Summit (AMS). In fact, at this year’s AMS we’re holding a planning meeting for everyone in attendance to provide their input and volunteer to help. It will be held from 8:30am to 11:00am on Wednesday morning, July 30 at Saddlebrook Resort.

I’m sure we’ll have some more updates for you after that time.

2009 Congress Planning Meeting

The dedicated IFAJ/AMS planning committee is meeting early this morning in Kansas City, MO at the 2008 Agri-Marketing Conference to continue planning for the 2009 Congress. We’ve been reviewing the program and fine tuning things.

Sponsorship packets are almost ready and will be published soon. For those of you who have been AMS sponsors, keep in mind that in 2009 we’re going to be having hundreds of international agricultural journalists coming to the event.

I’m looking for your input and ideas on ways to continue to develop the Congress website. Please feel free to send me an email.

Welcome To IFAJ 2009

Welcome To Texas

Fort Worth is home to the 53rd IFAJ Congress

Howdy y’all!

That means “welcome” in Texas. You had better get used to that greeting because you’ll hear it frequently at the IFAJ Congress in Fort Worth, TX, in 2009. This will be a one-of-kind Congress because IFAJ will be sharing some of the professional development programs that are planned for the U.S. Agricultural Media Summit (AMS).

Don’t worry, there will be plenty of IFAJ-only events, but we have a unique opportunity to capitalize on some excellent seminars and speakers that the AMS group is planning.

For example, there will be sessions on:

• How to take digital photos like a pro.
• Ways to kick-start your writing with better story ideas.
• Designing web sites to boost online traffic.
• How to keep your team creative and happy.
• Ways to work effectively with different generations.

As with all Congresses, plan on seeing Texas up close. For perspective, Texas – known as the Lone Star State – is slightly larger than France.

During the meeting, we will have tours to family farms with a variety of agriculture products, and ranches with real cowboys. Plus, we’ll offer three, post-tours you won’t want to miss – trips that will take you to north, south and west Texas – each with unique looks at this vast state with infinite variety. Watch the web site for details on what tour each will provide, and for Congress updates.

Mike Wilson, Farm Futures and Greg Lamp, Corn and Soybean Digest
Congress Co-Chairs

Congress Update

A very exciting event will be held in Fort Worth, Texas. It’s the annual Congress for the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) that will be held in conjunction with the 2009 Ag Media Summit (AMS). The last time the IFAJ Congress was held in the U.S. was in 1992 in the Illinois/Indiana region.

The dates for the joint IFAJ Congress and Ag Media Summit will be July 29 through August 5, 2009. The location is the Worthington Renaissance Hotel in downtown Fort Worth. We are expecting this to draw more than 200 international IFAJ members and guests.

On the 29th, our international arrivals will begin with the majority of the IFAJ activities taking place on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, August 2, the two events will “blend” and the IFAJ delegates will start to take part in the AMS activities. The AMS basically stays on a similar schedule with the big welcome party on Sunday night followed by our usual schedule of workshops on Monday and Tuesday. The grand opening of the InfoExpo will also take place on Monday afternoon and extend through Tuesday, just like it does now. The Congress always ends with a big send-off party on the final night and we will adhere to this tradition and incorporate our awards functions into the biggest party this event has ever seen! Officially the event will be over Wednesday morning August 5th, although that day the post-convention tours will begin. (more…)

IFAJ Congress 2009 Committee

The IFAJ Congress 2009 Committee will be meeting in early March to finalize plans and move ahead. We’ve got lots of work to do. If anyone would like to volunteer some time/resources please let us know.