SA Rural Journalist wins IFAJ "Young Leader" Award (May 2014)

South Australia-based staff writer with media company Coretext, Rebecca Jennings has been recognised internationally as a ‘Young Leader’ in agricultural journalism.

Rebecca became the successful Australian nomination for the 2014 IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism award, before being selected as one of 10 winners from around the world. She will now join a select group of other young rural journalists in an intensive professional development program to be held in conjunction with the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) annual congress in Scotland in September.

The Award was gained by Rebecca with a series of articles on how Australian grain growers are embracing emerging e-technology in their farm businesses. These articles were published in Ground Cover, which Coretext produces for the Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC).

As a three-part series, the stories explored the on-farm potential of e-technology through the experiences of grain growers around Australia.

Rather than simply ‘telling’ readers what apps and e-platforms they should or could be using, this series shared first-hand experiences and took Ground Cover’s audience into paddocks across the nation to show how mobile technology can impact productivity and profitability.

The features looked at farm business apps, social media tools, and how innovative technologies can overcome farm challenges such as frost management, isolation, and knowledge management.

Rebecca is a passionate advocate of agriculture and rural communities, having been raised on a commercial beef property in Queensland. Today she lives with her husband Dave on a cropping and sheep farm in South Australia. Rebecca has Bachelor degrees in Journalism and Arts (majoring in politics and history), and is currently completing a Masters of Agribusiness.

Prior to joining Coretext as a specialist writer, Rebecca’s previous roles included: Livestock Editor for Queensland Country Life; Media Manager at AgForce Queensland; and Communication Advisor for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Adelaide.

Rebecca was a committee member with the Rural Press Club of Queensland and is currently on the executive committee of the Rural Press Club of Victoria; further demonstrating her commitment to agricultural journalism and rural Australia.

Rebecca Jennings