Our LPC Student Development Committee is planning a “speed networking” event for Thur., October 27, at the American Royal in Kansas City. We appreciate your contributions to the field of agricultural communications and believe your insight, experiences and expertise would be a great benefit to the students participating in this event.

This event will take place above the offices at the American Royal from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. We would like to hold a short meeting at 6 p.m. with the professionals to provide a few tips and discuss the flow of the evening. We will have an informal gathering following this event with pizza and drinks this year. This will allow students and professionals an extra opportunity to visit in a more informal setting.

So, what’s a Speed Networking Event?
Speed networking is a fun opportunity for you, as an agricultural communications professional, to briefly (did I say briefly?) share your story, tell students a little about what you do, tips for success, opportunities in the industry, etc. Last year, we had 40 students and 22 professionals attend this event. (We are hoping for a bigger and even better turn-out this year!) We divided the room into 10 tables and put 4 students and 2-3 professionals at each table. We expect to try a similar approach this year depending on the size of the group. If you are unable to attend, but have a co-worker who could take your place, that would be great, too.

Attire
We are encouraging business casual attire for this event. However, we understand it’s a stock show so jeans are fine, too.

Promote your company!

In addition to providing a great service to our future ag communicators, I believe this is a great way to find potential summer interns or future employees. We will have gift bags for each student to speed things up so professionals don’t have to take time to hand out materials at the tables. Each professional is invited to send information, brochures, business cards, or other goodies to share with the students. Please coordinate with me in advance so I can confirm where to send your items. I plan to stuff the gift bags on Thursday morning at the American Royal. If you are close or will already be there and want to drop them off, that’s great. If you won’t be there until Thursday night, I’d like to have you ship them in advance.

This is an excellent way to give back to the future of agricultural communications. Your story and tidbits of advice are of great value to these students – please join us for a fun night of sharing! Please email me at jshike@illinois.edu by October 7 if you are interested in participating! We will have a much better idea in mid-October of how many students to expect and can finalize details with you next month. For now, we’re trying to develop a list of industry professionals we can count on to make this happen!

Jennifer Shike

College of ACES Media Communications Specialist
University of Illinois 214B Mumford Hall, MC 710 Urbana, IL 61801
217.244.0888

jshike@illinois.edu

Dairy farmers in the nine-state Southeast United Dairy Industry Association, Inc. (SUDIA) region are getting extra help connecting with consumers. SUDIA has engaged Demeter Communications to work with its Community Outreach program.

“Our dairy farmers will have even more opportunities to tell their story to the public with Demeter establishing the connections with grassroots community organizations,” says Janet Grubbs, Director of Integrated Communications and Special Projects for the association.

The non-profit SUDIA is funded by dairy farm families of the Southeast and works with schools, health professionals, retailers, dairy processors and the public to promote dairy foods throughout Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Demeter Communications provides distinctive and practical solutions for food, forestry and agricultural firms. Uniquely engaged throughout the food and fiber production chain, Demeter delivers superior communication results for audiences ranging from producers to consumers. The company is managed by senior partners: Linda Snell, Oakwood Hills, Ill.; Wendy Feik Pinkerton, Champaign, Ill.; and Sharlet Teigen, Belle Fourche, S.D. More than 20 Demeter associates are located throughout the U.S. Learn more at www.demetercommunications.com.

TWO LPC MEMBERS JOIN FORCES:

Tulare, Calif. - Progressive Dairyman has been selected as the official dairy publication of World Ag Expo 2012. Not only will the magazine be distributed at World Ag Expo, but dairy producers from across the country will begin receiving producer focused information in November to help them plan their visit to World Ag Expo.

"As Progressive Dairyman becomes the official dairy publication of World Ag Expo 2012, we look forward to providing our dairy attendees and exhibitors with a magazine that will help them get the most out of our show," said Jerry Sinift, CEO of the International Agri-Center. "Their proven track record of providing appealing editorial is just what our attendees from the dairy industry are looking for."

The 45th annual World Ag Expo, "Growing World Agriculture", will run February 14-16 at the International Agri-Center in Tulare, California. An estimated annual average of 100,000 individuals from 70 countries attend World Ag Expo each year.

"We are honored and excited to be partnering with the staff at the International Agri-Center to deliver 2012 World Ag Expo attendees a dairy-specific show issue," said Alan Leavitt, publisher of Progressive Dairyman. "World Ag Expo is a premiere trade show that greatly benefits all of agriculture, and its steady growth and non-stop improvement for the past nearly 50 years is truly admirable. We are looking forward to contributing to that steady growth pattern."

The Expo is the largest annual agricultural show of its kind with 1,600 exhibitors displaying cutting-edge agricultural technology and equipment on 2.6 million square feet of show grounds.

"Working with the world's largest annual agricultural exposition gives us the opportunity to more closely interact with many of our readers," said Walt Cooley, managing editor of Progressive Dairyman. "We're also excited to present forward-thinking ideas for progressive dairy producers at seminars during the show in February."