Posted by: admin on October 19, 2019

Posted in: Home, Newsletter, Updates

Message from the President

ARC kicked off its new fiscal year Oct. 1, with great support from sponsors and supporters. Special thanks to Lyle Orwig (C|O) and Den & Sandy Gardner (Gardner & Gardner Communications) for their generous support of the ARC Foundation.

In September, the ARC board approved a new three-year management agreement with Corner Window Communications, led by Kristy Mach. She has been working with Den Gardner and the ARC board of directors over the last several years to make this transition a smooth one. We look forward to her and her team’s excellent leadership and management in running ARC day to day.

Sara Wyant, president of Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc., shared “How Agri-Pulse Covers Farm Policy from Coast to Coast” in the most recent ARC webinar. In addition to explaining the Agri-Pulse business model, she addressed the issues of engaging with politicians, lobbyists and policy professionals in a 24 x 7 landscape. During the Q & A portion, Sara answered many questions about Agri-Pulse’s processes, dealing with the steady inflow of news and how they handled interviewing President Donald Trump.

If you missed this webinar or would like to view it again, the recording link is: https://vimeo.com/364377072. Use the password ARCPR7827, which is case sensitive, to access it.

The next ARC will cover “Influencers, Cultivating, Understanding and Working with Them.” Maija Hoehn, senior vice president of engagement at broadhead, shares her expertise on engaging influencers in a variety of campaigns and what PR professionals should know.

When: October 24, 2018, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Eastern time

Register: https://agtoday.us/arc-webinar-influencers-oct-2019

I look forward to seeing all of you at the ARC Conference – June 23 to 25, 2020 – in Richmond, Va. The ARC staff and board are doing great work in organizing the educational sessions and tour stops. Stay tuned for details.

 

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ARC and NAMA to Host
Free Reception at NAFB

Join us for the ARC and NAMA meet-up at the National Association of Farm Broadcasters meeting in November. This is a fabulous event of agricultural communicators from all over the nation.

November 13
NAMA/ARC Reception at NAFB
Westin Crown Center – Garden Terrace
Kansas City, MO
5:00-6:00 p.m.

There is no need to register for this event. Look for an ARC meeting registration in the NAFB silent auction. The value of the registration is $400. Bid high and bid often!

 

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ARC Seeks Intern Host

The Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) has a deal for you! Host the 2020 ARC intern and ARC provides $3,000 of the $5,000 stipend promised to the intern. Gardner & Gardner Communications, through the ARC Foundation, underwrites 60 percent of the internship’s value. The ARC-member organization that hosts the intern pays $2,000 to the intern. (Of the $5,000 total, $1,000 is used for the intern’s professional development via attendance at the ARC Annual Meeting in Richmond, Va., June 23-25, 2020.)

Depending on the intern host and intern, the ARC internship lasts 10 to 12 weeks. The ARC-member organization, an ARC board member and a Gardner & Gardner Communications representative will select the ARC intern in March. 

If this sounds like an interesting opportunity, apply to host the intern by Dec. 16. The host organization will be chosen by Dec. 31. Click here to access the ARC intern host application.

To learn more about previous ARC interns and their experiences, click here. 

Questions? Contact Kristy Mach at kristymach@gandgcomm.com or 952-758-5811.

 

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AMS Silent Auction Sets Record

The 2019 ARC/Ag Media Summit (AMS) silent auction raised $3,920. This is the best year ever for ARC – due to donors’ and bidders generosity. Profits were split with AMS for their student programs. We are looking forward to continued collaboration and increased visibility with the Ag Media Summit on the auction next year.  Our main goal is to increase awareness for ARC by being present. We’ve always had 100 percent board participation, which has propelled us to success! Thank you for your generosity!

Many thanks to our 2019 ARC Auction Donors

• AgNewsWire 
• The Ag Photographer 
• Bader Rutter 
• Bongards
• broadhead
• Pam Caraway
• CCI Marketing
• Charleston|Orwig
• CHS
• Corner Window Communications
• Cow Camp Communications
• Truffle Media Networks
• Corteva Agriscience
• DTN/Progressive Farmer, Greg Horstmeier
• Gardner & Gardner Communications
• Lori Hallowell
• Megan Hayes
• Howard Communications
• Stephanie Hoult
• Iowa State University – ACT Chapter
• Kansas State University – ACT Chapter 
• Oklahoma State University – ACT Chapter
• Texas A&M – ACT Chapter
• Meredith Agrimedia
• Millennium Research
• National Association of Farm Broadcasters
• National Crop Insurance Services
• New Leaf Marcom, Sally Behringer
• Roan Marketing & Communications
• Sage Communications
• JoDee Sattler
• Seaboard Foods
• Elaine Shein

 

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Welcome to all of ARC’s
New Student Members!

We have 12 student members in 2019!  This is due in large part to the recruitment efforts of Warren Clark and CCI Marketing. CCI Marketing generously sponsored the membership for our new student members.  In 2020, ARC will offer free student memberships to all ACT students who complete the application. This will be funded by a grant from Warren Clark and CCI Marketing. Thank you for your generosity!

Please reach out and welcome our new student members via LinkedIn.

Natalie Ayers – University of Missouri
linkedin.com/in/natalie-ayers-598020134

Kaylee Brooks – California Polytechnic State University
linkedin.com/in/kaylee-brooks-997b32132

Mckenzie Carvalho – Oklahoma State
linkedin.com/in/mckenzie-carvalho-52b7a413a

Caitlin Davis – Middle Tennessee State University
linkedin.com/in/caitlinelizabethdavis

Lauren Griffin – University of Arkansas
linkedin.com/in/lauren-griffin-06946215a

Macey Hurst – Missouri State University
linkedin.com/in/macey-r-hurst-6566229a

Mariah Kessler – South Dakota State University
www.linkedin.com/in/mariah-kessler

Carlyn Marsh – University of California – Davis
linkedin.com/in/carlyn-marsh-375bab173

Jillian Parrent – Iowa State University
linkedin.com/in/jillian-p-70a66112a

Mandy Taylor – Oklahoma State University
linkedin.com/in/mandy-taylor-813467104

Matthew Winterholler – Texas Tech University
linkedin.com/in/matthew-winterholler-a11ba5130

Elizabeth Wyss – University of Missouri
linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-wyss-77b82b186

 

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Include ARC in Your 2020 Budget

When creating your 2020 budgets, remember to include funds for your participation in ARC. Here are a few ARC budget reminders.

• Membership costs just $190 for the first member of your organization and $115 for each member after that. For every two paid memberships, a young professional is free. Young professionals are 35 years old or younger. 
• Golden ARC Awards contest fees remain the same at $125 per campaign entry and $75 per tactic entry. For the last 30 years, the Golden ARC Awards contest has been recognized as the most esteemed award in the agricultural public relations industry.
• The 2020 ARC Annual Meeting will be held in Richmond, Va., June 23-25, with The Berkeley Hotel as the host venue. The contracted room rate is $169 per night (plus taxes). Meeting registration costs $400 per attendee. 

There are many opportunities to engage with ARC in the coming year. Start making your plans today!

 

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ARC Membership Renewal for 2020

As we approach the end of 2019, we’re proud that our membership has stayed strong and steady at 140 members and for that we must start by saying “thank you” for your past membership and support. Of course, we look forward to seeing continued membership growth in 2020 and this happens through all of us. 

Renewing memberships as a group provides tremendous savings for your organization. Perhaps, this year, you’ll even consider increasing your organization’s presence in ARC by adding more members. And we have made that even easier to do by continuing our Young Professionals Program again for 2020. With every two paid memberships from an organization, you get a FREE Young Professional membership! (YP must be 35 years old or younger.) ARC membership is $190 per year for the first member and $115 for the second and all subsequent members. By taking advantage of the Free YP program, you can get three memberships for only $305! Please contact Membership Director Kyle Wieskus at kylewieskus@gandgcomm.com for more information.

ARC will also continue to offer the special $100 rate to employees of state and federal Farm Bureau Federation or commodity groups. Please note that online registration and payment at this special $100 rate is not available. Please contact Kyle at kylewieskus@gandgcomm.com if you would like to take advantage of this offer.

Renewal notices for 2020 will be sent out in early November. Please note that our mailing address has changed:

123 W. Main St., East Suite
New Prague, MN 56071

Please don’t hesitate to call the ARC office with any questions about your membership. We look forward to having you on board again in 2020!

 

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College Undergraduates:
Apply for the ARC Scholarship

ARC is now accepting applications for its scholarship program, which awards one $1,500 fall scholarship (2019-2020 academic year) to an undergraduate college student studying ag communications and public relations. 

Due to generous support from Lyle E. Orwig, founder of Charleston|Orwig, Hartland, Wis., the ARC scholarship program was renamed the Agricultural Relations Council/Charleston|Orwig Scholarship Program this year. Orwig is funding this program through an endowment he set up with the ARC Foundation. 

ARC scholarship qualifications include:

• Major or minor in ag communications, with the intent of using his/her communication skills as part of a career path.
• Demonstrate an interest in using ag communications on a regular basis.
• Overall grade point average of 2.5 or above and 3.0 or above in the major area of study (based on a 4.0 scale).
• Enrolled in a four-year program.

ARC scholarship application requirements:

• Reference and letter of recommendation
• Typed (not hand-written) 
• Writing/editing sample
• Essay 
• Resume
• Transcript

The ARC scholarship application and all supplemental materials must be e-mailed (within one PDF file) no later than March 15, 2020. Click here to access the application form.

ARC scholarship applicants will be notified by April 15, 2020, regarding the status of their application.

If you have any ARC scholarship-related questions, please contact Sandra O’Rourke at 952-758-5811 or sandraorourke@gandgcomm.com.

 

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ARC Offers Summer Internship

Calling all college students… for the Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) student internship program. Sponsored by Gardner & Gardner Communications and an ARC Foundation grant, the summer 2020 intern host organization is yet to be determined.

What you need to know:

• Applicants must have completed at least one year of undergraduate work.
• ARC partners with an ARC-member organization to coordinate this internship.
• ARC-member organization hosts the intern in the city where the company is located.
• Internship holds a value of $5,000 ($4,000 stipend and $1,000 used to attend ARC’s Annual Meeting, June 23-25, in Richmond, Va.)
• Intern will spend 80% of the internship with host organization’s projects and 20% of time to support ARC and attend the ARC Annual Meeting
• Internship is 10 to 12 weeks long.
• Application deadline is Feb. 15, 2020
• Host organization and a Gardner & Gardner Communications representative selects the intern.

Click here to access the student internship application.

For more information, e-mail or call Kristy Mach at the ARC office – kristymach@gandgcomm.com or 952-758-5811.

 

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Heading to Richmond, Virginia,
for the 2020 ARC Annual Meeting

“Give me ARC or give me death.” That might be a slight revision of Patrick Henry’s famous line delivered in 1775 at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Va., but the Ag Relations Council will head to Richmond in June of 2020. We’re hoping our arrival won’t lead to another Revolutionary War, but the ag public relations (PR) practitioners certainly know how to revolutionize a message or two. 

The Berkeley Hotel will host the ARC meeting and the program will change slightly from previous years.

• Tuesday, June 23 – ARC board meeting, attendees arrive, evening gathering
• Wednesday, June 24 – educational programming, Agricultural Public Relations Hall of Fame luncheon, more continuing education and the Golden ARC Awards banquet in the evening
• Thursday, June 25 – all day tours of a variety of regional agriculture, followed by a fun evening activity for those who choose this evening option

The format change comes after many attendees were leaving following the educational programming and missing the Golden ARC Awards banquet, which honors the best work by ag PR pros. The tours will end on Thursday at 5 p.m., for anyone wanting to catch a flight home. Plans are in the works for a fun-filling Thursday evening event that you won’t want to miss.

Meeting registration will open on Dec. 1. Mark your calendars for this great event.

According to the hotel website, The Berkeley Hotel offers uncompromising service and comfortable, gracious accommodations in arguably Richmond’s best location. At 12th and Cary Streets NW, the Berkeley is at the western edge of historic Shockoe Slip with its cobblestone streets and many dining and shopping opportunities. The Central Business District is adjacent to the east side and an easy walking distance to the James River Canal Walk, Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medical College, the State Capitol and other government buildings, and more tourist attractions. Check out the hotel here: https://www.berkeleyhotel.com.

 

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ARC Hall of Famer John Harvey Passes

John R. Harvey, 84, a member of the Agricultural Public Relations Hall of Fame, died Aug. 25. He was born in Cosby, Mo., on April 12, 1935, to Pauline and John William Harvey, and attended the University of Missouri where he graduated in 1957 with an agricultural journalism degree. In 1961, he married Carol Joy Freeman, also a University of Missouri graduate. 

Harvey worked at the Savannah Reporter, Savannah, Mo., and at several agricultural publications, including Missouri Ruralist, Successful Farming, Des Moines, Iowa, Reiman Publishing, Milwaukee, and Farm Journal, Philadelphia. He joined the DuPont Company’s agrochemicals division in 1976. That same year, he was the managing editor for the Department of Agriculture’s special edition Bicentennial Yearbook of Agriculture. During his tenure as president and board member of the American Agricultural Editors’ Association, he met with four U.S. Presidents. 

After 16 years with DuPont, Harvey started his own business, Antique Tractor Fever, a company that was a labor of love, celebrating antique tractors and the farmers who drive them. His antique tractor videos, calendars, TV shows and playing cards were enjoyed by thousands of fellow antique tractor lovers. He wrote three books on tractors and farming, won several awards for his farm-related articles and became known as “Mr. Tractor” in farming circles. 

Harvey was a longtime and active member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Wilmington, Del., and taught classes at Lifelong Learning. He was an active member of his fraternity, Alpha Gamma Rho, and served on its board of directors. Also, he served eight years in the U.S. National Guard. 

John Harvey is survived by his wife, Carol, and their three children: Dave Harvey of Oak Hill, Va.; Dan Harvey of Elliott City, Md.; and Jen Lee of Greenville, Del. He is also survived by his sister Donna Hillyer of Shenandoah, Iowa. 

If you’d like to honor Harvey with a monetary gift, the family requests that donations be made to St. Paul’s United Methodist Church or Delaware Hospice.

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