Nicole Lane, a senior majoring in agricultural communications and journalism at Kansas State University, was awarded the 2015 Livestock Publications Council (LPC) Forrest Bassford Student Award sponsored by Alltech. Lane was presented a $2,000 scholarship and a plaque during the Ag Media Summit (AMS) held in Scottsdale, Arizona July 25-29.
The daughter of a schoolteacher and a forester in John Day, Oregon, Lane found her way to farming on her own, when she begged for a sheep at the age of nine. Soon, that single sheep turned into 30 breeding ewes and a passion for 4-H, and later the decision to enroll in Kansas State University to follow her passion of agriculture.
"Agriculture has the most incredible stories to tell and I'm so excited to tell them," Lane said after accepting the award. "Food is what connects us all. It means so much to be recognized by the people I look up to in this field and the people whose articles I clip out of magazines. Being a kid from Oregon and going so far to pursue this dream in Kansas, this award really means so much. It's validating."
Lane serves as president of both the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow and the professional agricultural sorority Sigma Alpha. Lane works at the Kansas Department of Agriculture on the Marketing and Advocacy team as an intern and as the graphic communications specialist for K-State Research and Extension's News and Media Team.
2015 marks the 30th year for the Student Award Program. The Forrest Bassford award honors excellence, professionalism and leadership among students. Each year, following a competitive application process, the LPC Student Award Program presents four young people travel scholarships to attend AMS.
"There has never been a better time for young, excited journalists to write about and examine agriculture. Every day, consumers are trying to better understand where their food is coming from and are interested in the process," said Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and president of Alltech. "There are just so many stories to tell. We certainly need more passionate young people telling those, which is why we are proud to support this award."
In addition to Lane, this year's travel award winners were Kendall Herren, University of Illinois; Kaitlin Morgan, Kansas State University and Jamie Keyes, Utah State University. While at the meeting, the four finalists' portfolios were reviewed and each was interviewed by a panel of professionals.
The name of Forrest Bassford, a founding member of LPC, was added to the LPC Student Award in 1992 in honor of his contribution to LPC, and his particular interest in furthering the Student Award. Alltech has co-sponsored the award since 2012.
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