College Aggies Online Individual Winners to Receive Full Scholarship to 2015 Collegiate Congress
October 30, 2014 – The College Aggies Online (CAO) program, an initiative led by the Animal Agriculture Alliance, announces the addition of a full scholarship to AgChat Foundation’s 2015 Collegiate Congress scheduled for January 17-18, 2015. The CAO is a nationwide scholarship program aimed at helping college students and collegiate agriculture clubs unitize social media and community engagement to share agriculture’s story.
The CAO competition is held every fall, running approximately 11 weeks between September and November. An online competition, CAO is open to all college students with an interest in agriculture. Since the competition’s inception in 2009, more than 1,500 college students from more than 100 different colleges and universities have participated in the program.
This year the CAO program has teamed with the AgChat Foundation (ACF) as partners in the 2015 Collegiate Congress event which will be held at Dow AgroSciences headquarters in Indianapolis. In addition to monetary scholarships in the amount of $5,000.00 and $2,500, respectively, the top two individual winners will each be rewarded will an all expenses paid trip to attend the Collegiate Congress.
The ACF’s 2015 Collegiate Congress is the first of its kind, and aims to challenge passionate, agriculture college-students from across the U.S. to expand their social media experiences and shorten the bridge between consumers and their food. The event will include sessions on what consumers see and hear, how social media can be improved to tell a story when you are living on campus and away from the farm, how to use blogging, and what it means to make a consumer connection, both on and offline. Attendees can expect a strong focus on networking with other students and exchanging ideas on how to connect with fellow non-agriculture students on their campuses.
In addition, students will learn more about connecting agriculture to consumers through an optional tour of Fair Oaks Farm in Fair Oaks, Indiana. The tour is scheduled for Sunday, January 18 and will include the dairy adventure, pig adventure and the cheese and yogurt factory. Lunch is included at the Cheese Factory Cafe, which offers soups, grilled cheese sandwiches made with Fair Oaks cheese, and Fair Oaks ice cream. The tour will provide a hands-on look at how Fair Oaks creates unique visibility of dairy and pork farming.
“We are excited to be teaming with the College Aggies Online program on the 2015 National Collegiate Congress. As we build a solid foundation for our youngest agvocates, developing alliances with other like-minded programs is essential,” stated AgChat Foundation’s Executive Director Jenny Schweigert. “This year’s College Aggies Online program includes some of the best of the best of college advocates. We are delighted to further their experiences by hosting the top two individual winners of the College Aggies Online competition.”
With support from Dow AgroSciences, National FFA and Animal Agriculture Alliance, the National Collegiate Congress will bring together 165 students to learn about extending their abilities to connecting with consumers.
Learn more about the event at http://agchat.rocks/indy/. Early bird registration ends November 30. To learn more about the College Aggies Online program visit http://www.animalagalliance.org/connect/#collegeaggies.
About the AgChat Foundation
The AgChat Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, empowers farmers and ranchers with the necessary tools to share their stories with those
disconnected from agriculture. The organization offers customized training for companies and organizations, regional conferences, alumni and collegiate
events, an annual global conference, and weekly #AgChat conversations on Twitter every Tuesday, 8-10 p.m. ET (except for the third Tuesday of the month
when #FoodChat is hosted). Network with the AgChat Foundation community on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About the Alliance:
The Animal Agriculture Alliance is an industry-united, nonprofit organization that helps bridge the communication gap between farm and fork. We connect key food industry stakeholders to arm them with responses to emerging issues. We engage food chain influencers and promote consumer choice by helping them better understand modern animal agriculture. We protect by exposing those who threaten our nation’s food security with damaging misinformation. Find the Alliance on Facebook and Twitter.
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