The National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow held our Annual Meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, in early August in conjunction with the 2009 Agricultural Media Summit and the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists. At the meeting, the 2009-2010 national officer team was elected.  We hope our year of service will prove gratifying to you and that we can help to make this year of ACT better than ever.

The national officers and I have many changes in store for ACT in the coming year.  Alumni relations is one of our top priorities this year. We believe it is important to keep in touch with fellow ACT members, both past and present, and are opening communication channels to make this easier. We also want to continue the process of updating our Web site and keeping it user friendly and informative to everyone.  Additionally, the ACTion Newsletter is getting a makeover and will continue to be produced bi-monthly.  We will be giving every ACT chapter a chance to submit articles to be published in the ACTion Newsletter.

It is our hope that through ACT, you will broaden your network of collegiate and professional contacts. We hope you will take time to reach out to agriculture professionals in your area and see what they can offer to your chapter. Additionally, look for opportunities to engage in social and educational activities within your university. Having a local professional visit your chapter and discuss what they do in the profession is a great way to spice up a business meeting. Your interaction with others is a great way to spread the benefits of ACT and to promote agriculture as a whole!

If you are looking for opportunities to meet ACT members from other chapters, 2010 Professional Development Conference at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, and the 2010 National ACT Annual Meeting and Ag Media Summit in St. Paul, Minnesota, are two amazing opportunities ACT has in store for you.  These events are an amazing way to meet industry professionals and also fellow ACT members nationally.

I want to challenge every chapter to communicate with the surrounding chapters. Attend sporting events together, make a field trip to visit the other’s campus or have an office bombardment event together. Interacting with other college students in agricultural communication is very important, as you will be colleagues in just a few short years.

Lastly, I recommend that you take advantage of the different ACT scholarships to help fund your education. We have the luxury of having professionals who care about students and the future of agriculture. Look for updates through ACT emails, the NACT Web site and through the ACTion Newsletter. Also, don’t forget that all chapters are eligible to apply to the Jim Evans Development Fund for grants to help fund local activities including workshops and conferences. The Yamaha Scholarship is also a great way to earn funds individually as well as for your chapter. Check out the guidelines for the Jim Evans Funds and the Yamaha Scholarship online.

We look forward to crossing paths with you over the next year and working hard as your officers.

On behalf of Jessica, Jiana, Megan, Corey and Dr. Miller, welcome!

Sincerely,

Tyler Bowser

2009-2010 National ACT President

National ACT Board Meeting (and pictures)

Well, it was a whirlwind weekend!  The 2008-2009 National Officer team just spent the weekend in St. Louis, Missouri getting to know eachother and planning the year ahead!  I would like to say that this year is going to be great!  I just got home and was so excited to use our new website that our National Editor Seth Rogers built.  The site is very user friendly site will allow all of the officers to keep in touch with our members.  We will also have the opportunity to showcase chapter activities.

Here are some pictures from our adventures this past weekend!  Best wishes for a safe and Happy Holiday!

2008-2009 National ACT Officer Team

At the Western Expansion Museum, the NACT Officers show their hometowns

Rachel, Seth, Emily and Ian at the base of the St. Loius Arch

Ian, Emily, Katy, Rachel and Seth at the Monsanto Campus

Dinner at the Westport Kobe Japanese Grill