By Karlie Elliott Bowman
The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists installed a new presidium at the 56th Congress in Sweden. The new officers, elected every two years, will serve the organization through 2014.
Left to right: Riitta Mustonen, Finland – Secretary General, Markus Rediger, Switzerland – President, James Campbell, Ireland – Treasurer, Owen Roberts, Canada – Vice President. Picture taken by Chuck Zimmerman.The members of the new presidium are:
President
Markus Rediger of Switzerland, is the managing editor of Landwirtschaftlicher Informationsdienst for the Agricultural Information Center LID in Bern, Switzerland.
Markus has previously served as IFAJ vice president and treasurer. He also co-chaired the 49th IFAJ congress held in Switzerland and is active with the Swiss Guild of Agricultural Journalists.
Vice President
Owen Roberts of Canada, is the director of research communications and an agricultural communications professor at the University of Guelph. He is also a freelance journalist.
He was the past IFAJ secretary general. He co-chaired the 2011 IFAJ Congress in Canada and helped developed the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism award and Master Class program. He has been involved with the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation since 1988.
Secretary General
Riitta Mustonen of Finland was elected to secretary general. Riitta is a journalist in Maaseudun Tulevaisuus, working with the Farmers’ Union newspaper.
Riitta is a member of the board of Agricultural Journalists’ guild of Finland and former president of the guild. She also helped organize the IFAJ Congresses in Finland in 1986 and 2001 and the pre-congress tour in 2012.
Treasurer
James Campbell of Northern Ireland was elected treasurer, a capacity he has served since 2008. James is the editor of the Northern Edition of Irish Farmers Journal.
James is an active member of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists of Ireland, and served as the Northern Section of the Guild’s treasurer for 20 years. He is also a past chairman of the Northern Section and was president of the ‘All-Ireland’ Guild from 1993 until 1996.
Past President
Mike Wilson, of the United States, will serve a one-year term as past president. He is the executive editor of Farm Futures magazine.
