2009 IFAJ Congress Program as Vast as the Texas Plains

The 2009 IFAJ Congress in Fort Worth, Texas, will expand the scope of agricultural journalism conferences to the distant horizon – and beyond.

In addition to extensive tours of area agriculture, the traditional IFAJ delegate meeting, briefings from officials of the Texas Department of Agriculture (representing an $80 billion farm economy), hot Texas beef and cold Texas beer, IFAJ members will join in the professional development seminars and fun of the Agricultural Media Summit.

The Ag Media Summit draws hundreds of journalists, publishers, designers, public relations professionals and students from the United States and Canada for a rich program of professional development sessions and briefings from the day’s top newsmakers.

When the Summit ends on 5 August, post-conference tours will venture out across Texas, from the cattle and cotton of the dry Panhandle to the vast vegetable farms along the Mexican border.

You’ll go home with notebooks full of stories and gigabytes of photos. You’ll also return to work with new writing, photography and management skills, as well as countless new friends and contacts.

Here are a few of the sessions that will make the Ag Media Summit worth staying for:

The Great Debate – Charlie Stenholm served 26 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, rising to the position of ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee. Barry Flinchbaugh retired after decades as a renowned professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University and farm magazine columnist. They’re friends, they’re colleagues, and they’re outspoken – and they love to disagree on ag policy and trade. Join us for a straight-shooting exchange of ideas that will be as entertaining as it is insightful.

Prize-winning journalist Macarena Hernandez will share insights on pushing journalism beyond just delivering the news, but folding in the lyrical prose that has made her a renowned reporter and columnist.

Evan Smith, editor in chief of Texas Monthly, will explain how he steered his magazine to national renown – and how you can, too.

National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson shares the skills and wisdom he’s built during his wide-ranging photography career.

Writing consultant Loring Leifer will help us find better story ideas and deliver them more engagingly.

Photography workshops range from a beginner’s session on handling digital cameras to a day-long, hands-on workshop by Michael Schwartz of the Blue Pixel Group. (Attendance in the full-day photo workshop will be limited, so if you want to participate, sign up now!)

Are you venturing into video and online content? Attend our new-media workshops for tips and wisdom on the electronic frontier.

So saddle up and Catch the Cowboy Spirit. Mark 31 July to 4 August (and beyond, for the post-conference Texas farm tours) on your calendar for the most useful, most stimulating professional development opportunity of the year.