NAAJ Technical Winners - 2023
Entries in this category focus on machinery, new technology, a process, regulations or scientific methods in agriculture. Entries can apply to crops or livestock. 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: 31
Comments about the competition: I was very impressed by the quality and diversity of topics in the Technical category. It shows a deep commitment to storytelling and service even though the topics could be complex and scientific. Congrats to all entrants for your commitment to farmers, ranchers, and agriculture.
— Judge: Dave Kurns has been a journalist for more than 40 years, spending nearly 10 years as a newspaper editor and reporter. He was a founding editor of Meredith New Media and helped launch its first internet site, www.agriculture.com. He was a digital strategist for Meredith Xcelerated Marketing and spent three years in corporate development. His most recent career encompassed 10 years as editor in chief of Successful Farming, overseeing the content team across magazine, web, radio, television, and more. He retired in July 2022.
FIRST PLACE — Gil Gullickson, Successful Farming
Judge’s comments: You took an extremely complex topic and made it understandable. You provided more than a dozen sources to present the many facets of these treatments. Very nicely done. I hope farmers appreciate the work and time to report on a complicated issue. Very scientific, but you quoted all the major players, and many obscure but credible independent voices, as well. Excellent work. Nice presentation and layout on a topic that can be … un-visual.
Congrats on taking a technical topic and making it clear, informative, and a great service to the reader.
SECOND PLACE — Bart Pfankuch, South Dakota News Watch
CO2 pipelines could affect the land, lives and livelihoods of S.D. property owners — 5/11/2022
Judge’s comments: This is very well done. The topic is complex and polarizing, but this was a very even-handed approach. Nicely done, very simply written and accessible for readers. I liked the graphics, which broke it up and made clear between the competing companies. More than anything, this balanced look at all sides was a thorough report. I have not read such a complete look at the issue. Great work. Congrats on taking a technical topic and making it clear, informative, and a great service to the reader.
THIRD PLACE — Laurie Bedord, Successful Farming
Turning to Autonomy: Lack of Labor and Escalating Machinery Costs Lead a Nebraska Operation to Consider Autonomous Machinery — November 2022
Judge’s comments: Excellent presentation of complex information. Learn how two farmers improve profits by focusing on cost-effective crop production based on analysis of soil, seed rates and inputs needed for specific zones in their fields. Well-organized narrative. Clear. Easy to read. Excellent quotes and real-life examples.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
—Sierra Dawn McClain, Capital Press
New game plan: How targeted grazing in public lands is changing – 6/16/2022
Judge’s comments: Very well covered and told from multiple perspectives. Nicely done. You had many sources and told this story from every angle. Nice work. Congrats on taking a technical topic and making it clear, informative, and a great service to the reader.
— Des Keller, Progressive Farmer/DTN
The New Cash Crop: Farmers venture into the carbon-sequestration market — November 2022
Judge’s comments: Very good presentation of carbon markets -- but I love most that it is told from the farmers' perspective (multiple farmers, too). The writing was very direct and approachable for readers. Nice photos, as well. It’s easy to see you spent a lot of time digging into this family and operation, and it shows. Congrats on taking a technical topic and making it clear, informative, and a great service to the reader.
— Chelsea Dinterman, Successful Farming
Blooming Biologicals: Ancient technology fits into modern agriculture — August 2022
Judge’s comments: A nice dive into this topic. Would like to see more sources covered, but the very complex info was simply written for farmers to understand. This topic will be ongoing for quite a while. Nice work. Congrats on taking a technical topic and making it clear, informative, and a great service to the reader.
— Gil Gullickson, Successful Farming
Metabolic Madness Gains the Upper Hand — March 2022
Judge’s comments: Well done. You’ve presented a very complex, and little-know topic that could have a significant impact on farmers and organized it very well. I had a bit of trouble with the first 3-4 grafs. It just seemed a bit quick to jump into the historical background; I had to reread it 2-3 times to understand the introduction. But, overall, this is top-notch technical storytelling. I hope farmers hold onto this story and keep it for their agronomist and inputs dealer. Will certainly be evolving over time.