Posted by: admin on April 29, 2022

Posted in: Updates

New Prague, MN (April 29, 2022) – The Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) selected Lydia Johnson, daughter of Craig and Katie Johnson, Bondurant, Iowa, as the 2022 ARC/C.O.nxt scholarship recipient. Annually, ARC awards one $1,500 scholarship to a college student studying ag communications and public relations. Lyle E. Orwig, founder of Charleston|Orwig, now rebranded as C.O.nxt, generously funds this program through an endowment he established with the ARC Foundation.

Lydia Johnson – 2022 ARC/C.O.nxt scholarship recipient

An Iowa State University (ISU) student studying agricultural communications and journalism, Johnson completed four internships. At the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, she implemented department communications under the direction of Iowa’s secretary of agriculture and supported 14 diverse bureaus by writing news releases, media alerts and success stories, completing design work and website updates, and managing social media accounts.

For the National FFA, she served as the broadcast desk intern. She produced more than 40 audio packages by interviewing National FFA officers, national proficiency award winners, American Star finalists, keynote speakers and special guests during the 2021 National FFA Convention and Expo.

As the National Association of Farm Broadcasting intern, Johnson interviewed guests, scheduled programming and recorded segments for “The Big Show” on Newsradio 1040 WHO and AM 600 WMT, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She also wrote and updated news articles, podcast segments and social media content.

As the Nationwide agribusiness marketing intern, Johnson assisted in managing the Golden Owl Award, which recognizes 1,700-plus agricultural educators in seven states. She created social media posts and developed banner advertisements.

Johnson grew up on her family’s farm – 3 Sisters Farm, a diversified grain and livestock farm. Her responsibilities included managing a show lamb flock. Johnson won the Iowa State FFA Sheep Production Proficiency Award and earned a Gold Award at the national level.

At ISU, Johnson is involved in ISU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Student Council, CALS Ambassadors, Student Government, Legislative Ambassadors, Sigma Alpha, National Agri-Marketing Association and Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow,

The Agricultural Relations Council is the only association dedicated to serving the unique needs of public relations professionals working in agriculture, food, fiber and other related industries. ARC is a conduit for problem solving, idea sharing and collaboration among members, who share a passion for excellence in public relations.

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