ECFWA – ECFWA

Bringing agriculture to the headlines: two journalists share what makes farm stories stick

Lilian Schaer — Tue, 20 May 2025 14:25:55 +0000

Getting more agriculture stories into the media is the goal of many members of the Eastern Canada Farm Writers’ Association (ECFWA) – particularly for those who work in communications. Those on the journalism side of the equation are always looking for story ideas from the sector.

Providing some insights into this topic was the goal of the ECFWA’s May 14^th webinar, which attracted more than 60 farm writer participants from across Canada. Moderated by ECFWA past president Matt McIntosh, the panel featured David Zura of CityNews and Ed White with Reuters.

David Zura is a video journalist who often covers agriculture and food-related topics as part of his beat with CityNews Toronto.

Ed White is a former reporter with Glacier Farm Media and, in the last year, has joined Reuters as an agriculture reporter.

For Zura, who studied journalism, it was a job with fastener supplier Fastenal in Windsor that gave him his first real exposure to the agriculture world thanks to the crop, greenhouse and wine producers in southwestern Ontario.

From his first story on ice wine, Zura was struck by how visual and relatable farm stories can be — especially when tied to universal concerns like food prices, safety, and availability.

“It’s something we all need — everybody eats,” he said.

According to Zura, stories resonate best when they are human, visual, and timely. Personal stories in particular — like a family’s experience with a farm injury that he was entrusted to tell — outperform data alone and humanize numbers.

As well, for his audience, a story has to appeal to someone in Toronto but also be relevant to viewers in other parts of Ontario – and in the fast-paced world of TV news, access is everything. Deadlines are daily, and news teams are smaller than they used to be, so sources that are available quickly and reliably, even if just for a 10-minute call, are very important.

White started his career with local newspapers in Ontario and western Canada before spending three decades with The Western Producer. Now, as Canada’s agriculture reporter at global wire service Reuters, his beat has shifted from a farmer-first lens to an international one: what the world wants to know about Canadian agriculture.

“People care about Canadian oil and gas, lentils, potash, canola, and cattle. But to make readers care, they need to see a person in the story — not just the policy,” he said.

He stressed that agriculture stories must connect beyond the industry. For instance, a shrinking cow herd becomes a story about rising beef prices.

“You have to explain why it matters to people who aren’t farmers,” he added.

What helps get ag stories into mainstream media?

Quick access to real people who can speak authentically and clearly about issues.
Strong visuals that help stories stand out on screens and in feeds.
Human angles — relatable stories with emotion and stakes.
Help connecting dots for urban audiences: what’s happening in fields impacts grocery stores, prices, and daily life.

What doesn’t work?

Generic press releases – “we need real people saying real things”
A single spokesperson – different voices make stories more interesting
Slow replies – deadlines are short in mainstream media and even shorter in the wire service world
Overly technical or “aggie” language that non-farm audiences won’t understand.

A recording of the webinar will be available shortly in the members-only section of the ECFWA website.

Congratulations to ECFWA winners at the CFWF awards

Mary Feldskov — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 00:20:52 +0000

The Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation (CFWF) announced the winners of its annual writing and photography awards on Oct. 5 during a special awards ceremony and banquet at the CFWF annual conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Read the full news release.

CFWF presented gold, silver and bronze awards in 12 writing categories as well as awards for Communicator of the Year, Feature of the Year, Story of the Year and Farm Writer of the Year. It also awarded gold, silver and bronze in three photography categories and an award for Photographer of the Year.

ECFWA winners include:

Electronic Media – Video

Jack McPherson Awards

Robert Irwin and Don Stoneman receive Lifetime Achievement Awards

Mary Feldskov — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 14:44:04 +0000

At the annual conference of the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation (CFWF) in Halifax on Saturday, Ontario agricultural journalists Robert Irwin of Vankleek Hill and Don Stoneman of Bancroft were presented with CFWF Lifetime Achievement Awards.

The pair’s careers, achievements, and contributions to Canadian agricultural journalism have been intertwined since they met as colleagues working at Farm & Country magazine in the late 1980s. When that publication folded in 1999, a group of its employees quickly regrouped, producing the first edition of Better Farming magazine only four months later, Irwin and Stoneman developed a reputation for leading a team of strong investigative journalists that covered stories across the spectrum, including farm animal welfare, stray voltage and its effects on livestock, the Ontario government’s decision to end the Slots at Racetrack program, the role of women in farming, neonicotinoids, sewage spills and bypasses from urban sources and more. They also covered farmers’ mental health issues years before they were given prominence in mainstream farm discussions. Among the magazine’s best-known pieces was a series on Lyme disease that won both national and international awards.

In 2007, they broke the story that later became known as the ‘Pigeon King’ scheme, with coverage containing more than 50 stories as the issue was first publicized, charges laid and through the court case. In years since, it has been used as the basis for both a play and a feature on CBC’s Farm Crime series. Former colleague Mary Baxter said, “They worked hard to uphold the principles of good, investigative journalism, and they gave their staff the chance to dig deep into really important issues.”

Kelly Daynard, Bernard Tobin, and John Muggeridge, all members of the Eastern Canada Farm Writers’ Association, submitted the nomination, and Baxter and other agricultural journalists and communications professionals from across the country submitted letters of support. Kelly Daynard and CFWF president Allison Finnamore co-presented the award to the recipients.