Terry Stevenson’s Agricultural Weblog

        University of Guelph 2007-2008

Agricultural Communications Graduating Class

Front row L-R Brent Piercey, Terry Stevenson, Melissa Snyder

Back row L-R Joanne Falk, Scott Hodgins, Owen Roberts, Jennifer Atkinson, Patricia Grotenhuis

In writing this week’s blog I would ask that everyone allow me a little flexibility as I write about my own personal agricultural experience rather than the traditional kind you are used to. If my memory serves me correctly, in or around June of 2007, a University of Guelph student, Kyle Maw who has since become a friend and had worked for AGRIS Co-operative as a summer student, told me about this exciting new agricultural communications course that was being launched in the fall. He went on to say that it was the first of its kind in Canada and the program would be led by Owen Roberts, the director of research communications and instructor of the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph.

Kyle then got me in touch with Owen, who provided more details about the new agricultural communications program. l I was sold on the idea after about one minute on the telephone listening to Owen describe the course. So in September of 2007 along with eight other students we started this demanding, comprehensive 16 month program, with an initial week long residency held on campus at the University of Guelph.

Owen was our academic coordinator for this program, which was designed to improve our communication skills with in-depth instruction on multiple writing styles, including news and editorial writing. Photography lessons were part of the curriculum including components on communication theory and ethics. The goal for students participating in the program was to be able to develop our abilities as journalists and better communicate agricultural issues to urban audiences.

So after 16 months we held our final residency this past week where each student presented the results of our last course component, an individual three month internship. Each member of our cohort did a one hour presentation held in the media room of the Ontario AgriCentre located in Guelph. As an added bonus during our second day we had the opportunity to tour both the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and  the Toronto Star newspaper headquarters in Toronto.

Anna Maria Tremonti who is the host of the extremely successful CBC morning radio program “The Current,” and also happened to be a former student of Owens’s class at the University of Windsor, was our host for the tour of the CBC facilities. Anna Maria gave our cohort an informative tour of the CBC radio and television studios with detailed explanations of how many of these programs are assembled before going to air. We never realized the tremendous amount of background work that goes into creating these news programs. Anna Maria and her fellow colleagues at the CBC have an obvious passion for their work and so it is no surprise to see Gemini awards they have won over the years proudly on display throughout their offices.      

Receiving interview tips from the CBC’s “The Current” host Anna Maria Tremonti

From the CBC building we travelled only a few kilometers to the Toronto Star building where one of our guest course instructors, Ed Cassavoy who is a senior new editor at the Toronto Star, gave an inside look at how Canada’s largest newspaper is put together every day. Much like the CBC, the Toronto Star office is on a 24 hour cycle compiling and printing Canada’s largest daily newspaper. Ed took our cohort through each of the production cycles, explaining how the vast amount of news events that flows into the newsroom is logically and methodically reviewed in creating each and every page.    

On Thursday morning our class held an overall course review at the Delta hotel in Guelph with Owen, where in greater detail we discussed possible areas that we might be able to improve the program for the future students. At 12:00 noon a private luncheon was held for our graduating class and the presentation of our agricultural communication diplomas.

I would like to take this opportunity to recognize each of my classmates from whom I learned a great deal and were so very supportive of each other’s work during the length of the course. My greatest accolades are reserved for our course instructor, Owen Roberts. Owen is a professional agricultural journalist and also a very gifted teacher. His steady leadership, encouragement and passion for teaching us how to become better journalists and communicate the agricultural issues facing farmers not only in Canada, but around the world was an inspiration to our cohort. Owen made sure that we not only completed our course assignments on time, but that we understood them too. His ability to teach us the craft of becoming professional journalists and agricultural communicators was incredible.  

So with my newly received agricultural communications diploma in hand from the University of Guelph, I am much better equipped in my role as communications manager at AGRIS Co-operative and will continue to try and bridge the communication gap between farmers and city folk. The second class in this program started this past September and I am sure Owen would be glad to answer any questions you might have if you are interested in enrolling in this highly successful agricultural communications program for 2009, which I highly recommend.

Owen Roberts can be reached at owen@uoguelph.ca and the link for more information on the agricultural communications course is available at http://www.agcommunications.ca/