Alltech awards young leaders in agricultural communications at 2023 Ag Media Summit

[PALM SPRINGS, Ca.] – During the 2023 Ag Media Summit (AMS), held in Palm Springs, California, Jul. 30–Aug. 2, agricultural communications students were honored for their excellence, professionalism and leadership. The Livestock Publications Council (LPC) Student Award Program, sponsored by Alltech, provides travel scholarships for four students to attend AMS. This year’s finalists were Molly Biggs, Kansas State University; Tessa Erdmann, South Dakota State University; Maddy Rohr, Kansas State University; and Carlye Winfrey, Texas Tech University.

Following a competitive application and interview process, Carlye Winfrey from Texas Tech University was awarded the LPC Forrest Bassford Student Award. She is a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Communications with a minor in political science.

“This award is more than my name or college receiving recognition but showcases the contributions Forrest Bassford made so agricultural communications students like me can achieve success,” Winfrey said. “I am thankful to the faculty at Texas Tech for encouraging me to apply and am grateful for the countless mentors I have in this field.”

Winfrey is currently interning in Washington, D.C., through her college’s congressional internship program. She was previously editor for The Agriculturist, a student-led publication produced by the Department of Agricultural Education and Communications at Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Winfrey also completed internships with the United States Department of State in their Global Public Affairs Bureau and with the Merck Animal Health Public Policy Team, and she was a student assistant on campus for the Texas Tech University System.

“In my future career, I want to help shape policy to best serve the people of rural America,” Winfrey said. “My agricultural communications degree will allow me to walk through the halls of the U.S. Congress and share the stories that rural America is so desperately needing to be told. The narrative of agricultural communications is changing, and I am responsible to help change it.”

“Alltech is proud to support the next generation of agricultural communicators as the ambassadors and voice of our industry,” said Jenn Norrie, Alltech’s communications manager for North America and Europe. “These young leaders are playing an instrumental role in sharing stories of farmers and ranchers and helping to educate the urban population on where and whom their food comes from.”

The Forrest Bassford Student Award was established in 1992 to honor Bassford’s contributions to the Livestock Publications Council and passion for supporting young people in the agricultural communications field. To learn more about this award and past recipients, click here.