I’m in Washington D.C. tonight for an event that I am pretty excited about. This is the news that I’ve been waiting to share…
Montana Stockgrowers’ Goodman Recognized as Communicator of the Year
(Press Release) The Montana Stockgrowers Association is proud to announce that Ryan Goodman, MSGA Manager of Communications, is the inaugural recipient of the 2013 Communicator of the Year award, presented by Alliance to Feed the Future and CropLife America. The award recognizes effective and innovative new voices that are enhancing the public dialogue about modern food production through multi-channel communications, including social media.
“Montana Stockgrowers knows how lucky we are to have Ryan Goodman on the team,” say Errol Rice, MSGA Executive Vice President. “His accomplishments in the agriculture communications world are outstanding and he brings that innovation to MSGA and Montana’s ranching community.”
Goodman, also a Master’s degree candidate studying interactions between cattle nutrition and reproduction at the University of Tennessee, was bestowed the honor. The Arkansas native grew up on a cattle ranch where his family raised commercial Angus cattle with a herd of 1,200 head. In addition, his family also had a stocker cattle operation, taking care of more than 12,000 yearling cattle on an annual basis. Goodman says that growing up on a farm fostered his desire to study cattle and to have agriculture play a significant role in his life.
“The simple truth is that I have a passion for the cattle industry and the community of folks involved in producing our food,” says Goodman. “America’s farmers and ranchers have a compelling story to tell. Whether it is our hard work, resilience, sense of community, or passion to keep improving upon our skills, I am proud to be a part of a community focused on agriculture, and I am proud to receive this award.”
Further, Goodman, author of the blog Agriculture Proud says, “Blogging and using social media is a way to continuously tell the story of agriculture. The heart of social media is about building relationships with individuals, not only of our like mind, but to branch out to other circles.” Goodman also offers a farmer’s perspective through video vignettes he posts to his blog and on YouTube, and he has contributed several blog posts to CNN’s Eatocracy blog.
Goodman was chosen among eight nominees including top bloggers, journalists, students, farmers and other stakeholders invested in communicating about agriculture to society.
“This Communicator of the Year Award aims to showcase those who are concerned not just with the here and now of understanding agriculture, but with the needs of generations to come,” said Dave Schmidt, president and CEO of the International Food Information Council, which coordinates the Alliance. “We are honored that Ryan accepted this award and we look forward to working with him to help enhance the dialogue about modern food production.”
Goodman was honored Dec. 4 at the 15th Farm Journal Forum: “The Role of Innovation in Agriculture” at the Loews Madison Hotel in Washington, D.C.
About the Alliance to Feed the Future
The mission of the Alliance to Feed the Future is to raise awareness and improve understanding of the benefits & necessity of modern food production and technology in order to meet global demand.
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The Montana Stockgrowers Association, a non-profit organization representing nearly 2,500 members, strives to serve, protect and advance the economic, political, environmental and cultural interests of cattle producers, the largest sector of Montana’s number one industry – agriculture.
