A Manitoba Co-operator reporter is one of 10 ag writers to win the 2023 Young Leaders award, given out by the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists.
Geralyn Wichers was chosen from a global list of nominees spanning the IFAJ’s 60 participating nations.
The prestigious award is judged by an international jury and “recognizes the individuals’ professional skills and leadership potential,” according to an April 3 statement from the IFAJ.
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“We must focus on a new generation of leaders who have the ability to lead our guilds towards an ever higher degree of professionalism. That is the goal of the Young Leaders Program,” said IFAJ secretary general Adalberto Rossi.
Other 2023 winners included writers from the U.S., Australia, Austria, Sweden, Spain, South Africa, Ghana, Argentina and Switzerland.
“The importance of strong journalism in communicating agriculture’s truth in today’s world cannot be overstated,” said Mark Lyons, CEO of Alltech, which has sponsored the award since 2006.
“We are proud to support the next generation of journalists who are passionate about sharing the real stories of the farm and field, and the men and women who work tirelessly to feed our planet.”
All winners will be recognized at this year’s IFAJ World Conference, to be held in Olds, Alta., in June.
Earlier this year, Wichers was awarded at the Canadian Online Publishing Awards for her Indigenous feature entitled, ‘Back to the land: We used to plant hay here.’
