It’s all a Blur

By Bill Spiegel, Past President and ACN Board Member 

In the time since this group convened in Palm Springs, California, for the annual Ag Media Summit, I’ve been doing some thinking. Number one, my year as President seemed to have gone by in a flash. And two, I’m proud of ACN, and relishing the highlights of the past year.

• Our Fall Regional Workshop, in Springfield, Illinois was one of the best single days of professional development I’ve ever had, and I look forward to this fall’s workshop in St. Louis.
• Ag Media Summit 2023 was fantastic. Nothing more to say about that.
• The quality of work from our members is incredible. Looking at the award-winning stories, photographs, podcasts and videos, and MarComm portfolios drives home the point that this group is filled with talented folks, and the work just keeps getting better and better. I’m so proud of the way our members communicate, their devotion to our audience, and how we collaborate professionally to help each other get better.
• Finally, the chance to meet more members and supporters was wonderful. Being able to put names and faces together at the regional workshop and AMS was absolutely the best part of this position.

Although membership is down from where we’d like it to be, our Membership Committee is working hard on a recruitment strategy, and a plan to improve engagement. You can expect to read more about it in our revamped, monthly ByLine and in occasional E-Blasts from our staff.

Speaking of staff – a great big thank you to the entire ASG team for their devotion to ACN. This organization relies on volunteer members to develop and curate programming, content, and membership strategies – but the ASG staff is tasked with day-to-day execution of our vision. They do a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes, and I am grateful for them.

Serving this profession as ACN President was a highlight of my long career, and I’m happy to turn the gavel over to my friend and colleague, Martha Mintz. Good things await this organization!