An evaluation of the professional development status of agricultural media summit-sponsoring organizations' active members

This study evaluates the status of professional development within the agricultural media industry as perceived by the active members of Livestock Publications Council, American Agricultural Editors' Association, and American Business Media’s AgriCouncil. Through descriptive and correlational research, professional development attendance characteristics, professional development attitudes, and relationships between professional development attendance and skill confidence of members of the three organizations who sponsor the Agricultural Media Summit were examined. Respondents overwhelmingly favored professional development and were overall satisfied with their professional development opportunities. Respondents indicated schedule conflicts, location, and the expense of attendance as the main reasons for being unable to attend professional development events. Significant relationships were identified between LPC members' conference attendance and their skill confidence in graphic design, and between LPC members' participation in professional development at work and their skill confidence in photo editing. Agricultural media practitioners should be aware of the professional development status that exists among its professionals when organizing future conferences and meetings. Researchers should further explore relationships between professional organization membership and professional development attitudes, agricultural media company size and skill competencies, and how individuals are funded for professional development conferences and their attendance to those conferences.