Spot News Category Top Awards - 2021
Category description: Entries in this category cover breaking news – news that is time-sensitive and written under tight deadline. A statement of 100 words or less describing the conditions under which the story was written and/or the time significance of the story MUST accompany entries in the Spot News category. One story or package of stories (sidebars or secondary stories) published together on a single day is a single entry in this category. Number of entries: 17
“The stories were from all perspectives of international, national, business, farmer and consumer. However, I chose what I felt was spot news. It took several days to decide the winners.”
1st Place:
Chris Clayton,
DTN/Progressive Farmer
Judge’s comments: Clayton saw the COVID impact on the meat packing industry and reported it. It was clearly written that this was a life or death situation for front line workers and the packing industry itself.
2nd Place:
Gil Gullickson,
Successful Farmer
Bader Farms Wins $265 Million Judgment in Dicamba Lawsuit Against Bayer, BASF — 2/14/2020
Judge’s comments: Gullickson clearly shows the impact by the courts on a highly controversial herbicide that helps some crops but may kill others.
3rd Place:
Mikkel Pates,
Agweek
US Attorney charges Minn. Farmer with cheating elevator — 6/22/2020
Judge’s comments: Loved this story. It tells about a bad dude that not only cheats at the grain elevator but takes advantage of the infirmed elderly . I could not stop reading every word written. Kudos to Mikkel Pates.
HONORABLE MENTION — Alice Mannette, The Hutchinson [Kansas] News
Kansans buying meat, dairy in large quantities — 3/18/2020
Judge’s comments: Easy reading for consumers. Well written and informative by Mannette. Sometimes we need to think about talking more to consumers about impact of COVID on farm to grocery store