Three agri-media companies are finalists for the 2012 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism awards
February 29, 2012 -- Three of the finalists for the 2012 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Awards –business media’s most prestigious and sought-after editorial awards—are represented by agri-media companies Drovers CattleNetwork, DTN/The Progressive Farmer and Farm Futures.
Named after American Business Media’s first managing director, the Neal Awards recognize and reward editorial excellence in business media. Past Neal winners and finalists have tackled controversial topics including corruption, kickbacks and political conflicts of interest.
Drovers CattleNetwork is nominated for “Best Commentary.” Drovers/CattleNetwork is a national beef business publication serving ranchers who own or manage 100 or more cows, or who operate a feed yard with a capacity of 500 head. Drovers/CattleNetwork is also an information source for beef processors, packers and retailers.
“Given the strong competition for ABM’s Neal award, it’s a high honor to be selected as a finalist,” Chief Editor of Drovers CattleNetwork, Greg Henderson, told ABM.
DTN/The Progressive Farmer is up for two Neal Awards. The first one is “Best Industrial Content” for their entry, “Measuring Nitrogen In Corn.” It delves into the importance of applying supplemental nitrogen (N) when there have been losses of applied fertilizer or manure N. The second nomination is for “Best Website.”
"Being a finalist for the Best Instructional Video and Best Website categories of the Neal Awards is an honor for DTN/The Progressive Farmer," said DTN's Associate Managing Editor Elaine Shein. "We aim to provide useful, timely information for agricultural professionals. Being recognized as being among the best in b-and-b communications is rewarding, and also shows how much we strive to meet our customers' needs."
Shein said DTN/The Progressive Farmer’s website provides real-time market news, extensive weather coverage, as well as other breaking ag news, in-depth analysis through blogs, stories and videos, production agriculture information and tools, agricultural policy stories, special series and features that make it stand out from competitors. “Our customers have high expectations for us to meet their business needs so they can be successful. Few websites can offer the range of agricultural information that we do each day,” said Shein.
Farm Futures is nominated for “Best Use of Mobile” for their Farm Future Apps. The Farm Futures application offers users quick access to news, market commentary from three market analysts, market prices (which can be tailored to a specific farm's needs), weather, blogs, and a twice-weekly audio podcast offering in-depth commentary on commodity market issues. This app has had over 50,000 downloads to date and is available for both iPhones and Android devices.
“The rising use of mobile will push publishers to provide their information in new ways, as we have with the Farm Futures application. We're excited that the Neal Award judges recognized what we're trying to accomplish and that we made it as finalists in this year's competition. While the judges don't have an agricultural background, they do recognize the value of new ways publishers must deliver their content to readers,” said Corporate Editorial Director Willie Vogt.
Congratulations to the three finalists on their nominations!
Winners will be announced during a ceremony on April 16 at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City. For more information, click here.