Hillsdale reporter lauded for covering local agriculture
MFB honors Amy Bell as 2010 Ag Communicator of Year
Contact: Jeremy C. Nagel, (800) 292-2680, ext. 6584
LANSING, Sept. 9, 2010 - For her outstanding work connecting local readers with Hillsdale County's prosperous agriculture industry, the Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) has named Hillsdale Daily News reporter Amy Bell as the organization's 2010 Agricultural Communicator of the Year.
The Hillsdale County Farm Bureau nominated Bell for the award, which honors journalists and other media professionals for outstanding work helping to "tell the story of agriculture" by informing and educating the non-farming public about the state's second-largest industry. She will be formally recognized on Dec. 2 during a ceremony in conjunction with MFB's 91st Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids.
Bell delivered her hometown paper, the Kalamazoo Gazette, for seven years before going to work inside the paper's circulation department. She later interned at the Gazette while a student at Western Michigan University, then contributed articles on a freelance basis before moving to the Kalamazoo Weekly for a year.
Then came Hillsdale, where she was introduced to the farm beat. Prior to that, Bell's closest link to agriculture was a few summertime visits as a child to her great-grandfather's farm in Wisconsin.
"I hadn't been on a farm since then," Bell said, but she quickly made connections with Hillsdale County Farm Bureau through its communications chairman, Mark Wiley.
"Mark really helped me out; pointed me to the right people. If it wasn't for him, I would've been lost," Bell said.
With Wiley's guidance, what she found were prodigious rural businessmen and -women, annually pumping $120 million into the local economy and eager to share their stories with the greater community.
"The ag people here are really willing to work with you," Bell said. "They want people to know about their industry, and that makes it easier for me. The farmers are always willing to help and point you in the right direction and give you the info you need."
Among the contacts Bell gained were Bruce and Jennifer Lewis, whose 460-head dairy outside Jonesville was the subject of a yearlong series of articles. Taking the Daily News' 6,200 readers behind the scenes, Bell illustrated the complexities of farm life on a typical Michigan dairy operation.
"She takes the reader right to the farm and the field, and that's what makes the stories so interesting. Her attention to detail makes a difference," said Jennifer Lewis. "Amy was very willing to learn about an industry she knew very little about. She's a fast learner, remembers details and calls with questions when she needs clarification.
"She has gone above and beyond by not being afraid to ride in the farm pickup, tractor or combine; by strolling through the barn and getting a little mud or manure on her shoes; and by taking an actual interest in the stories and asking her own questions."
The Adopt-A-Farm series was the icing on the cake of an already impressive body of work that inspired Wiley to nominate Bell for the state-level award.
"Amy has provided excellent coverage of agriculture here, providing Daily News readers with accurate information about the Michindoh sole-source aquifer issue, MSU Extension, the county fair and local FFA chapters, commodity markets, fuel and fertilizer prices, weather events - you name it," he said.
"There's always something going on. It's an ever-changing industry," Bell said. "People care more now about where their food comes from; they're more interested."
-30-
