BLOOMINGTON, Minnesota (July 27, 2019)—Agriland reporter Rachel Martin of Northern Ireland was recognized by the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) with the IFAJ/Caterpillar Ag Tech Reporting Award, a worldwide competition spanning all reporting media. The award was announced at IFAJ’s World Congress in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Martin’s story, “Bring Out the Laser: On-Farm Drone and Laser Trials to Begin in Northern Ireland,” was lauded by judges, who called it “a well-written piece with a personal perspective while retaining objectivity…very readable with good levels of detail while retaining reader interest.”
Added Steve Werblow, secretary-general of IFAJ, “Rachel Martin’s story is a stellar example of how a skilled journalist can bring a technical story to life, providing context through great interviews, a focus on what the technology could mean to her readers, and clear, well-organized writing.”
Martin will receive a trophy and a cash prize of €1,000.
A runner-up prize in the competition was awarded to Richard Crowhurst of the U.K. for his Vegetable Farmer article, “Choosing the Right Precision Techniques for Vegetable Production.”
Crowhurst was honored with a certificate and a €500 prize.
The IFAJ/Caterpillar Ag Tech Reporting Award is sponsored by the equipment manufacturing company Caterpillar. This is the second year of the competition. Judges included Belinda Clarke, chief executive of Agri-Tech East; Luke Halsey, entrepreneur-in-residence at the Royal Agricultural University’s Farm 491 agri-tech innovation unit; and Adrian Krebs, editor-in-chief of BauernZeitung in Switzerland. Adrian Bell, treasurer of IFAJ, coordinated the contest.
The winning stories by Martin and Crowhurst will be posted at ifaj.org along with the winners of the IFAJ Star Prizes for Print, Broadcast and Photography.
