In late June, 30 Farm Bureau members along with 15 Soil and Water staff members and Ag Environmental Management certified planners, attended a media training event in Batavia.

The event, sponsored by New York and Western New York Farm Bureau, the AEM program, and American Dairy Association and Dairy Council, gave attendees greater knowledge and confidence on how to deal effectively with the media to convey positive messages about agriculture.

The trainees were treated to media professionals who gave tips on how to create key messages, how to be proactive with the media, and how to write a press release. The session ended with mock media interviews for each participant. The media presenters included Keith Kobland who is an anchor for CBS 5 in Syracuse, John Sheehan who is a communications consultant, Barb Silvestri, the AEM Outreach Coordinator, and Beth Meyer and Melissa Osgood, both from ADADC.