Pictured from left are state Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball, Troy Bishopp and Mike Femia.
(Jan. 2015) At the 183rdinstallment of New York State Agricultural Society’s Annual Forum held recently in Syracuse, Central New York’s grass farmer, Madison County Soil & Water Conservation District grazing professional and free-lance media guy, Troy Bishopp, aka The Grass Whisperer, was awarded two prestigious “Cap” Creal Journalism Awards.
Named for farmer, Ag Society member, and Assemblyman Harold “Cap” Creal, the “Cap” Creal Journalism Award was created in 1978 to inspire more coverage of the positive aspects of agriculture in NY State. Awards are presented and sponsored by the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity at Cornell University in the categories of Printed News Story, Printed Feature Story, Printed Series, Printed Editorial, Audio/Video News Clip, Audio/Video News Feature, Audio/Video for the Internet, Blogs/On-line Feature, or Photograph.
Bishopp was awarded in two categories: Audio/Video for the Internet at OnPasture.com for explaining how to Quickly Estimate Pounds of Dry Matter in Pasture on Nov. 25, 2013. (http://onpasture.com/2013/11/25/quickly-estimate-pounds-of-dry-matter-in-pasture/) and in Photography for the cover photo of Curious Holstein Heifers at Morrisville College just before the Grasstravaganza National Grazing Conference in the Lancaster Farming Newspaper on June 6, 2014.
“I appreciate the honor in representing New York Grass-Based Agriculture and all the farmers I work with on a weekly basis. It was also great working with local video producer, Mike Femia to capture conditions in the field. However, most of the honor goes to the hard working editors and media folks who I have a relationship with and work the beat everyday. Thank you! This recognition means I was at the right place at the right time to capture a moment on the farm. There’s no better place to work or tell the story than from the land”, Bishopp said.
The New York State Agricultural Society’s Annual Forumis the largest statewide agricultural meeting bringing together all sectors of the food system to explore topics critical to the future of New York Agriculture. It also has recognition programs for Century/Bicentennial Farms, Ag Business of the Year, Farm Safety, Ag Promotion, FFA Chapter of the year and Distinguished Service Citation.
For more information visit www.nysagsociety.org