The Farm and Dairy newsroom earned both international and national recognition for 2021 projects, marking another year of awarding winning work.
“Growing Farmers,” a four-week series on the hurdles new and beginning farmers face to get a foothold in agriculture, earned honorable mention for ongoing coverage or series in the 2022 North American Agricultural Journalists Writing Contest. It also earned second place in the 2022 National Newspaper Association Foundation Better Newspaper Contest for best feature series.
Top series
“Growing Farmers,” published May 20-June 10, 2021, earned a top-four nod from NAAJ, in a field of 26 entries. Reporters Sarah Donaldson and Rachel Wagoner, and Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Miller, earned recognition for the project from the contest, which focused on reporting and writing.
The judge commented on the well-rounded nature of the series, adding, “It offers good examples of people who have faced the challenges of becoming farmers, and features some of the barriers that they and others encounter. Did well to include racial barriers in the past and the present. Excellent photos illustrate the series.”
The NNAF contest pitted the series against daily and non-dailies with 6,000 or more circulation. Managing Editor Aimee Tenzek, Art Direction David Hartong, Web Content Editor Sara Welch and freelance photojournalist Lucy Schaly also earned recognition for their work on the series.
“Very informative, well researched, and well written, this series took a close look at challenges facing people who want to work as farmers, and steps being taken to address them,” the judge wrote.
Rebecca Miller
Miller earned top recognition from NNAF, for best serious column, beating out all other daily and non-daily entrants with circulations of 12,000 or more. The column, “Are you OK? Because we’re not,” was published Oct. 21, 2021.
“This is simply a great column. Everyone can relate to the pandemic-fueled feelings of being overwhelmed, yet the column shares personal details that bring the points to life,” the judge wrote. “Beyond that, readers walk away learning something about the ‘primal scream,’ farming and the newspaper’s staff. It also wove in some valuable words concerning the importance of local news. Terrific work.”
Sarah Donaldson
Donaldson garnered top honors for “Rootstown Reindeer Farm spreads holiday joy, peace,” in the best profile feature contest, for non-dailies with more than 10,000 circulation. The article was published Dec. 23, 2021.
“Quick to read but told a great story,” the judge wrote. “Perfect on timing.”
Rachel Wagoner
Wagoner earned third place agricultural story, against dailies and non-dailies of 6,000 circulation or more. “The buy local boom of the pandemic bottoms out in 2021” was published Sept. 2, 2021.
“Good spread of info in this story,” the judge wrote. “It reflects a point in time and answers questions for full-time and hobby farmers. Excellent work.”
NAAJ is a professional, international group of agricultural editors and writers with a membership spanning the United States and Canada. The 2022 contest evaluated 260 entries total, in 11 categories.
NNAF is one of the largest newspaper associations in the U.S. There were 1,561 entries for the 2022 editorial and advertising contest, with 586 awards won by 92 newspapers in 40 states.
