The 2010 Internship Handbook and applications are now available online to college students who have an interest in horses and seek a career in equine publishing.

The AHP Internship Program is a great way to provide students with the resume-building experience that’s so critical to today’s job market. Interns gain valuable hands-on real life experience and AHP members acquire additional help when and where they need it most.

AHP is the nation’s only non-profit professional association of over 450 members dedicated to promoting better understanding and cooperation within the equine publishing industry. Membership consists primarily of equine-related magazines, newsletters, and tabloids/newspapers as well as individuals, businesses and organizations serving the equine publishing industry.

AHP serves as the umbrella organization for the internship program and is responsible for creating the application process, providing the forms, the mailing list, and a directory of the participating AHP member publications and businesses. The Internship Handbook includes program guidelines, expectations and responsibilities of the intern and the AHP participating member, and a directory of AHP participants.  Each listing includes the publication or company name, a brief description, types of internships offered, availability/duration, requirements, information on compensation and housing, and contact information. Students apply directly to the AHP member, who will choose the applicants that best meet their needs. AHP members may hire more than one intern.

American Horse Publications also offers students wishing to become involved in the equine publishing industry an opportunity to join the association and participate in other student programs.

Student Membership is open to high school, college, and graduate students for an annual fee of $25. Student Members receive a certificate of membership, an opportunity to attend the AHP annual seminar at a reduced registration fee, a free listing in the online AHP Membership Directory, the AHP monthly newsletter, “AHP For the record,” and are eligible to enter the Student classes in the AHP annual Awards Contest. To learn how to become a Student Member, go to http://www.americanhorsepubs.org/membership/join/student.asp

AHP Student Award Contest awards up to three $750 travel awards to attend the AHP seminar in Lexington, Kentucky, on June 17-19, 2010. Travel Award winners have an opportunity to meet leading equine publishing professionals and discuss career possibilities during the three days of educational sessions and related activities. One Travel Award winner will be selected at the seminar as the 2010 Student Award winner, who will win a cash award of $1,000 plus an all expense paid trip hosted by Publishers Press to one of their Two-Day Customer Education Seminars in Louisville, Kentucky, to have a unique experience to learn the printing process.

Students are eligible to enter the contest if they are a high school senior or an undergraduate college student during the 2009-2010 undergraduate college year, with at least one semester before graduation. All qualified applicants will receive a complimentary Student annual membership, a complimentary Student registration certificate for the annual seminar and a critique of their resume. The AHP Student Award Contest is open to residents of the US and Canada only.

The 2010 Internship Handbook and applications, as well as information on other student programs, are available online at www.americanhorsepubs.org or may be obtained by contacting Christine W. Brune, Executive Director, American Horse Publications, 49 Spinnaker Circle, South Daytona, FL  32119, (386) 760-7743, Fax: (386) 760-7728, e-mail: AHorsePubs@aol.com.

AHP recently released its career brochure, Horses + Media = The Coolest Careers in the World which is available online at http://www.americanhorsepubs.org/career_center/brochure.asp

The first phase of the 2^nd Annual Student Video Contest, sponsored by Alpharma Animal Health, is about to end soon. If you have yet to take advantage of the chance to earn up to $250 for uploading your Ag-related video clips to the Reach Teach Learn video contest page, you have just two weeks remaining.

The first phase of the video contest ends Friday, October 9^th, so start uploading your video clips to www.reachteachlearn.com/videos now!

From now through October 9^th students can submit an unlimited number of farm-related video clips to the contest Web site. As contest sponsor, Alpharma will award participants a $25 gift card for each usable clip submitted, up to 10.

Get your cameras rolling—time is running out to submit your short video clips! These clips can then be used to produce fun, creative videos for the final stage of the contest. Final videos are judged on creativity and quality. Please share this information with other students and faculty around campus, during classes, organization meetings and various events.

Dates for the two final phases are shown below. More detailed information on the contest can be found by clicking here.

• October 12^th – November 23^rd participants compile their own videos using segments chosen from the contest Web site and any other source of media available to them.
• November 30^th – December 28^th vote early and vote often. Those videos with the most votes, along with judge’s scores, win the prize.
• January 4^th winners will be announced. The top video producers win $5,000, followed by $2,000 for 2^nd and a $1,000 prize for 3^rd, courtesy of Alpharma.

If you have any questions please, feel free to contact Mike Opperman at 262-563-5100 or send an e-mail at the Contact Us page to request further contest details and information.

Greetings from the beautiful Flint Hills of Manhattan, Kansas. On behalf of the 2009-2010 National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow Officer Team, it is my honor to welcome you to a new year with National ACT.

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

The Colvin Scholarship Foundation and Certified Angus Beef LLC are seeking applicants for its 2010 scholarships.  Applications are due November 16, 2009.  All qualified college juniors and seniors are encouraged to apply.

$9,000 in scholarships will be awarded in January 2010 to a junior or senior college level student demonstrating a commitment to the beef industry through the pursuit of a meat science, food science, animal science, marketing, business, communications, journalism, or other degree related to the beef industry through activities and curriculum.

Applications are available at http://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/press/colvin/index.php.

For more information, please contact:  Trudi Hoyle at 800/225-2333, ext. 211, or by e-mail at thoyle@certifiedangusbeef.com.

Developed in 1999 as Louis M. “Mick” Colvin retired as executive director, the scholarship recognizes his role in making dreams a reality and inspiring others to be their best. Colvin was the first executive director of the Certified Angus Beef Program in 1978, leading it to provide the world’s leading brand of fresh beef. This scholarship benefits tomorrow’s leaders who are involved in their communities and the beef industry.