Objectives
- Grow participation in contests, awards, recognitions and salutes
- Provide promotional and hosting ideas
- Encourage local engagement of leaders
- Create more education, practice and application results.

Participation Interest

- Understand what participants desire to learn 

- Understand what NYFEA can do to assist participants 

- Promote programs in a way that will encourage use
- Develop a promotional program to focus on winners

Participant Benefits
- Application of what has been learned
- Attach a tangible outcome to the education product

I. Salute to Outstanding Young/Beginning Producer and Young Ag Professionals – Nomination Form (Submit by September 1 to nyfea-main@nyfea.org or mail to NYFEA)

State Award Winner of _________________________________

Personal Information

Name: _______________________________________

Address ______________________________________

City ___________________________ State ________ Zip 

Phone _________________________ Email 

Years of experience as farmer/agricultural professional 

Program Information Please respond to the following on a separate sheet of paper and submit with your completed form:

Name of farm/agricultural enterprise ______________

Address __________________ City ________________________ State ________ Zip _______Phone ___________________
Email _____ ____________
 

Explanation of Agricultural Activities

1) Farming activities 

2) Agribusiness Activities 

3) Educational Activities 

4) Community Activities 

Provide a sketch of the impact of your farming or ranching activities. Include information on: 

A) Diversity of agricultural operations

B) Sales and marketing activities participated in during the year

C) Educational programs in which you participated

D) Involvement in local agricultural education programs

E) Involvement with ag organizations and commodity groups

F) Awards and honors recognizing your operation

G) Family activities

Provide a biographical sketch or resume that includes leadership roles (church, academic, political, charitable, etc.). Special emphasis should be placed on activities that tell the story to the agricultural community. Up to 10 support photographs may be submitted
 

II. The Spokesperson for Agriculture Competition 

What is the competition?
At the national level individuals from every state may compete for the nation’s top Spokesperson for Agriculture.

Objectives: 1. To provide an educational program that inspires participation from the majority of the states chartered to the NYFEA. 2. To enhance public speaking skills of young men and women from all parts of the nation by encouraging competition. 3. To further educate the general public about issues facing agriculture in this nation and world. 4. To provide a rewarding and fun-filled experience where contestants, advisors and sponsors will all be excited about participation. 

Contestant Eligibility: Any state-level contest winner over 18 years old on the day of the national contest can enter. Past national winners of the NYFEA Spokesperson for Agriculture Award are not eligible. Topics: Spokespersons competing in the contest must present a prepared, five-minute statement on a current agricultural or environmental topic that will provide a positive perspective of agriculture/renewable resources to the audience. 

The Grassroots Spokespersons: The mechanism for entering represents state winners spokesperson contests.
The Statement Presentation: A five-minute presentation will occur during the NYFEA Institute. In addition to the five-minute statement, contestants must answer questions on any facet of agriculture and his/her background for 10 minutes. In both the statement and the questioning period, evaluation will be based on how well Spokespersons consider the variety of viewpoints, how accurate and convincing they are and on the overall delivery of their presentations.
 

Questions in the 10 minute questioning period will be asked by the judges. Criteria for Selection: The judges will base their decisions on the following criteria.
- Statement-- considered other's viewpoints............................. 15
content accurate and convincing............................................... 15
delivery conducive to reception................................................. 15
- Questions-- answers considered other's viewpoints................ 20
answers complete and accurate................................................. 20
answers convincing..................................................................... 15 

TOTAL.........................................................................................100
- Post Institute Activities: After the Institute, the national winner will be invited to join the association for a trip to Agriculture’s Promise. The winner receives reimbursement for expenses up to $1000 for use in attending Ag Promise. The winner will also be offered the opportunity to lead a program of training for the other attendees at Ag Promise.

III. Ag Communication Award

What is the award?
Each year contestants compete in Ag Communication Award program to be selected as accomplished communicators. The award program promotes a refinement of the skills needed to be effective promoters of agriculture. Winners receive expenses paid toward a trip to Washington, D. C. in the Spring for the Agriculture’s Promise program.
 

The program typically begins with an opening briefing for all contestants at the annual winter Institute. The social media content is taken from the tours and the press release is based on the overall institute experience. The actual training and final aspects of the competition occurs on Saturday during the convention. The winners are presented on the last night of the Institute. Anyone is eligible to participate.
 

Purpose: Train young agriculturalist to identify opportunities to share a positive message of the agriculture industry and to refine their skills as responders. 

Objectives: A) Participants will be able to show abilities to interview with print, radio, or televised press. B) Participants will demonstrate the written ability to communicate through printed press. C) Participants will demonstrate how to communicate & engage through social media.

Key Components:

Mock interview - This section will be designed to mimic an interview between an interviewer and interviewee. The subject will be determined by the committee and relate to current events in agriculture. The interview will last 2 to 5 minutes. 

Social Media Post - This section will run congruent with the entirety of the Institute. Beginning with the first tour stop and ending with the last tour stop, students will post to a social media platform of their choice (Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram) about the tour stops. Submissions will be judged on the message (including graphics), engagement, and grammar of posts. 

Press Release - This section will test the participants’ ability to communicate their knowledge of NYFEA and agriculture through writing. Press releases will be judged on format, message, and grammar. Submissions are due Saturday morning. 

Summary
Program designed for young and beginning agricultural leaders (ages 16-40) who will be asked to complete communication training and an agricultural issue awareness discussion, develop a plan on the issue that provides a positive perspective of agriculture/renewable resources to an audience of consumers and producers and execute the plan. 

Goals
- Provide an opportunity for personal and professional growth through the communication of the story of agriculture to state, local and national audiences
- Provide an educational, training program that inspires participation from across the agricultural horizon
- Enhance communication skills of young men and women by encouraging the development and implementation of a plan
- Educate the general public about issues facing agriculture in the nation and world
- Provide a rewarding and fun-filled experience where participants and sponsors can be excited about participation.

Format—Inside the Institute:
During the convention, the entries will develop a social media program and it will be carried out in a manner that is consistent with the goal of communicating positive stories about agriculture. Results will be compiled. Each participant will have their plan judged against the plans of their fellow participants. The winner will be announced on Saturday. 

Rules
- Any participant arriving on the day of the national program may enter.- Selection of the National Agricultural Communication Awards will be made by a panel of judges.
- Candidates’ presentations will be provided to the judges by NYFEA and judges will evaluate each presentation. Presentations will consist of documentation of successful communication activities. Grade for each participant will be determined based of effective execution of written and spoken components of the plan.
- A winner and runner-up will be selected. The winners for each category will receive prizes. Winners must be present to receive award. 

IV. Ag Expression Contest 

What is the contest?
It encourages agricultural leaders to develop and refine their skills as communicators, promoters, defenders and overall representatives of farms, ranches and other agribusinesses through the use of writing. It encourages refining of writing skills. 

Purpose: To encourage more men and women to take an active role in the support of agriculture through the “Agricultural Expressions" contest. To promote the development of local contests.

Objective: 1. Provide an opportunity for both consumers and agriculturists to better understand each other. 2. Promote agriculture and encourage more appreciation for the quality and quantity of food available in the United States. 3. Provide an opportunity for communication and interaction between consumers and agriculturists. 4. Promote NYFEA as a dynamic organization in the field of agriculture. 

Consumer Perceptions: 1. Provide an opportunity for non-agriculturists to voice their pride and concerns for the agricultural products they consume. 2. Enhance the writing skills of participants while providing them an opportunity to voice their opinions on issues facing agriculture today. 3. Promote NYFEA in non-traditional publications by recognizing the desire to understand and answer consumer concerns.
 

Contestant Eligibility: Any person who is interested and will follow the identified rules and guidelines for the contest. No past winner of the NYFEA Ag Expressions will be eligible to participate.
 

Topics: Writers competing in the contest must submit a 400-500 word statement (essay) on a current agricultural or environmental topic that will provide a positive perspective of agriculture/renewable resource to an audience of both consumers and producers. Writers may also qualify by submitting an Op-Ed article. These articles or letters must address a current topic impacting agriculture. An example topic is “How does farm policy impact your success?” 

Eligibility: Those participants who qualify for the NYFEA Ag Expressions contest are asked to submit 1) their writing, 2) a brief biographical sketch and 3) a release to replicate writing. The deadline for submitting the commentary is the opening of the first night of the NYFEA Institute.

Selection of the NYFEA Ag Expressions winner will be decided by a panel of judges.
Scoring Criteria for Agricultural Expressions:
- Content: consideration of other's viewpoints ------------------- 15
- Accurate and convincing ---------------------------- 30
- Conducive to reception (readability) ----------------------- 15 .
- Research: evidence to support statement------------------- 10
- Bibliography and footnotes ----------------------------------- 10
- Composition: grammar ------------------------------------------ 10
- Format and originality -------------------------------- -------- 10
TOTAL POINTS----------------->100

PENALTY: five (5) points will be deducted from the total score for each aspect of the writing that does not follow the guidelines.

Awards: The NYFEA Ag Expressions Contest winner will receive certificates of accomplishment and other prizes subject to the level of sponsorship. The current winner will receive one free room night at Ag Promise for the following year. The winners will be notified of their selection. 

V. Institute Challenge: Communication, Expression & Policy 

The three agricultural educational challenges that are being hosted on Saturday morning from 9 until 11 am during the NYFEA Institute are: Ag Communication, Ag Expression and Ag Law/Policy. They will be held at host hotel. 

Each program will have a dedicated 40 minute window. The programs will begin with a quick overview of the subject matter. 

Each of the components: communication, expression and law-policy will be given a set of criteria that individual participants should consider during the competition.  

The three sections will include respected leaders in the profession.
I. Ag Communication, II. Ag Expression, III. Ag Law/Policy 

The Ag Communication portion will focus on identifying the most effective means of communication after a farmer discovers a crisis has occurred that impacts his/her farm’s long term potential for success. The variety of tools that the farmer has available will be provided and the narrative that is used will be evaluated for its effectiveness at offsetting the challenge.
 

The Ag Expression program will ask for the participants to draft a letter to the public and a press release for the media to describe the multiple uses and values of a host state agriculture product. Quality of the writing, research using their devices and the effectiveness of the messages will be major parts of the evaluation.
 

The Ag Law/Policy program will be based on a how well the students communicate about the role of public regulation and how it has both a positive and a negative relationship to today’s farm. Specific examples of policy will be provided and the contestants will select answers from a series of right or wrong choices. 

Students will learn about effective skills for communication, writing and policy analysis. They will also have a continued opportunity to network with the trainers and program leaders. They will further have the chance to participate in post-Institute learning experiences, as a result of going through this introductory program.
 

The top scorers in each of the Saturday program areas will receive free registration and rooms to the NYFEA Ag Promise program. Ag Promise is hosted each year in March in Washington DC. Similarly, the two students from the host state that have the highest scores will also win a trip to Ag Promise that includes airfare, rooms and registration. www.nyfea.org/agricultures-promise-1 

The original Ag Communication and Ag Expression Contests are also provided during the Institute. These winners will also be provided the chance to win a free trip to Ag Promise. Although they are similar to the abbreviated programs offered on Saturday, they are more defined and have activities that are more extensive. Their narratives are available at www.nyfea.org

*Some details are subject to change based on the presenter’s availability.