By Kasey Brown, Angus Media
Ag journalism is a people business. Ag Media Summit reminds us of this each year. We all use our skills to meet many deadlines, but if there weren’t a people aspect to journalism, we wouldn’t tell very good stories, would we?
To this social butterfly, networking is one of the biggest benefits of AMS, especially this year. I now work from home after the birth of my son, thanks to my incredibly supportive boss. I love this arrangement, but it can be isolating. Baby giggles are good for the soul, but for some reason my son hasn’t been helping me brainstorm story ideas.
At Ag Media Summit, there’s so much potential with networking. The people you meet may become future colleagues. They may help you find future sources. They may become mentors. They may become good friends.
When I was packing for AMS, I was nervous about being away from my son for a few days because this was my first trip away since he was born. I was also ecstatic about the prospect of three nights of uninterrupted sleep. However, I didn’t get any more sleep — maybe even less — because I stayed up visiting too long each night, but these conversations were well worth it. Some people you only see on years you get to attend AMS.
It’s so nice to meet people who understand the pressures of deadlines and who deftly meet them. It’s also incredibly reassuring to swap stories about when those deadlines weren’t met so smoothly.
The hallway conversations combined with the informative sessions meant I left AMS with so many new ideas. I picked the brains of many working parents and gleaned some tips — or simply support— for how to be more productive. I gained a fresh perspective on storytelling, interviewing, writing and photography from sessions. Seeing the winning contest entries inspired me, and gave me more goals to work toward. Doing well with my own entries strengthened my determination to keep improving. AMS reignited my excitement and reminded me that, despite all of life’s recent changes, ag journalism is the field for me.
AAEA does a great job with professional development opportunities throughout the year, but the people are what really draw me to attend AMS. I’m honored and grateful for the opportunity to attend AMS this year by being an inaugural winner of Alltech Cultivating Young Ag Journalists Stipend.