Editors' Notebook

OMAHA (DTN) -- Last week, most of our DTN/Progressive Farmer editorial staff met in Omaha for our annual get-together to help discuss current agricultural and journalism trends. Most importantly, we got a chance to brainstorm and plan what our team will provide on DTN and Progressive Farmer products for the next year and beyond. It's always inspiring to be around other people who are passionate about what they do in journalism and care about what our audience wants and needs.

This year was extra special as we celebrated our success and the awards and kudos earned for the work we did from the prior year.

Since so many of us were meeting in Omaha, DTN/Progressive Farmer Publisher and Commercial Leader - Ag Media Jackie Cairnes traveled to New York City on our behalf. We found out earlier we had five finalists in the 2026 72nd Annual Jesse H. Neal Awards, recognized by the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA). The awards, which recognize excellence in business-to-business journalism, are considered the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. They are often described as the Pulitzers of business journalism. The competition is open to editorial and design staff of specialized media companies across the country.

To even be a finalist is impressive and an honor. The competition is tough, as entries that are eligible by the prior calendar year go through several rounds of judging.

DTN has not won two or more Neal awards in the same year for more than a decade, though we are often finalists.

Cairnes attended SIIA Media's luncheon on April 21, which was held to announce the Neals winners. We were delighted to have five finalists in four categories: There was suspense on how we might do.

DTN/Progressive Farmer emerged as a double winner at the prestigious event: Best Subject-Related Package for "Finding Financing For Farming," and Best Feature Design (Print).

The "Finding Financing for Farming" package, which included how lenders work with farmers to assist with financing, won extra recognition for our company this year: It was third runner-up for the Grand Neal award.

NEAL AWARDS FINALISTS

In our brand revenue category, our five DTN finalists this year were:

-- Best Subject-Related Package: DTN/Progressive Farmer had two finalists in the same category.

These included:

1) "Finding Financing For Farming" (Progressive Farmer October 2025 issue), with our Editorial Staff to be acknowledged if we won.

2) "Labor Pains" (Progressive Farmer Summer issue 2025), with our Editorial Staff to be acknowledged if we won.

**

-- Best Single Article: "Finding Financing for Farming," by DTN/Progressive Farmer Associate Content Manager Elaine Shein

**

-- Best Feature Design (Print):

"America's Best Young Farmers & Ranchers" (PF January 2025)

"Sharp Eye on Precision" (PF April 2025)

"The State of the Cattle Industry" (PF May 2025)

Staff members to be acknowledged: Progressive Farmer Art Director Brent Warren, Progressive Farmer Production Manager/Editorial Barry Falkner, Senior Livestock Editor Jennifer Carrico, Senior Tech Editor/Progressive Farmer Photo Editor Joel Reichenberger, Senior Machinery Editor Dan Miller and DTN Social Media and Young Farmers Editor Susan Payne.

**

-- Best Art Direction for a Cover Design:

PF March 2025 Cover: "Learn How Wheat Quality Measures Up"

PF May 2025 Cover: "Weighing In On The Beef Industry"

PF Summer (June-July 2025) Cover: "Labor Pains"

Staff members to be acknowledged: Progressive Farmer Art Director Brent Warren, Progressive Farmer Production Manager/Editorial Barry Falkner, Senior Tech Editor/Progressive Farmer Photo Editor Joel Reichenberger, DTN/Progressive Farmer Content Manager Anthony Greder and DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins.

"The Neal Awards recognize the most impactful and innovative reporting across industries. A total of 74 winners were selected, culminating in the highly coveted Grand Neal Award, a testament to unparalleled journalistic merit across all domains," said a news release from SIIA about the awards.

To view the full list of Neals winners for 2026, see https://nealawards.siia.net/….

NAAJ JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR HONOR

Meanwhile, back at our Omaha meeting last week, DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton placed on a table a stack of awards he had brought home in an extra duffel bag he had wisely taken to North American Agricultural Journalists' annual meeting held in Washington only a few days earlier.

NAAJ is a professional group of agricultural editors and writers with membership in the United States and Canada; the organization promotes the highest ideals of journalism and agricultural coverage.

In total, DTN and Progressive Farmer collected 25 awards, including a surprise for Clayton: He was honored as the NAAJ Journalist of the Year. This was the second time in two years that DTN staff won that title.

Clayton received his Journalist of the Year Award for having the highest number of points overall from his success in various categories. His kudos included three firsts: First place in the Editorial, Ongoing Coverage, and Special Project categories; Second in the Special Project category; and Third in Video.

LIST OF NAAJ AWARDS FOR DTN/PF

Our range of categories that earned awards for DTN/Progressive Farmer was extensive: Photojournalism, spot news, editorial, special project, video, ongoing coverage, podcast, technical, profile, features, column/blog, and even next generation.

The breakdown of DTN/Progressive Farmer awards:

8 1sts: Photojournalism, spot news, editorial, special project, video, ongoing coverage, podcast, technical

5 2nds: Photojournalism, special project, ongoing coverage, profile, features

5 3rds: Photojournalism, video, column/blog, Next Generation, profile

6 Honorable mentions: Spot news, editorial, video, column/blog, two in features

Remarkably, DTN/Progressive Farmer had 19 different people recognized with awards: This included writers, editors, analysts and freelancers, with a few people winning several awards each.

This year's DTN/Progressive Farmer winners at NAAJ were the following, along with the judges' comments on mainly the first-place winners:

PHOTOJOURNALISM CATEGORY:

FIRST PLACE: Joel Reichenberger

"The Great Shift: The COVID pandemic five years ago left a new world for many farmers in its wake" (February 2025)

Judge's comments: Excellent portrait and animal/human interaction, coupled with unusual angles. Made this package highly readable.

SECOND PLACE: Jason Jenkins

"Flour Fundamentals: From the field to the final product, wheat quality counts" (March 2025)

THIRD PLACE: Jason Jenkins

"Plots With Purpose: FIRST trials offer unbiased evaluation of commercial seed" (September 2025)

**

SPOT NEWS CATEGORY:

FIRST PLACE: Elaine Shein and Mary Kennedy

"ND, MN Hit by Tornadoes High Wind: ND Governor Declares Disaster After Tornadoes 100 mph Winds Hit State and Kills 3" (6/22/2025)

Judge's comments: Elaine Shein deftly wove multiple threads into a well-sourced, straightforward story informing her audience about the terrifying power of Mother Nature, with reporting she and Mary Kennedy worked to collect over the course of a long weekend in June.

HONORABLE MENTION: Jason Jenkins

"EPA Comment Period Opens on OTT Dicamba: Proposed OTT Dicamba Registrations Eliminate Application Cutoff Dates" (7/23/2025)

**

EDITORIAL CATEGORY:

FIRST PLACE: Chris Clayton

"A Broken Government Uses SNAP Recipients as Shutdown Leverage" (10/23/2025)

Judge's comments: The writer lambastes both sides for the government shutdown, for its jeopardizing food aid for 42 million of the nation's "most vulnerable citizens." With a strong lede and good phrases, Clayton shames elected officials who make a "policy choice" to allow a food-rich nation to let its most needy go hungry.

HONORABLE MENTION: Urban Lehner, DTN/Progressive Farmer

"15 Reasons These Tariffs Are a Mistake" (4/8/2025)

**

SPECIAL PROJECT CATEGORY:

FIRST PLACE: Anthony Greder, Mark Moore, Katie Dehlinger, Chris Clayton, Michael Watkins, Susan Payne, Jennifer Carrico, Dan Miller, Greg Hillyer

"Labor Pains: Inside Ag's Workforce Crisis and How Employers are Adapting" (Summer 2025)

Judge's comments: This series thoroughly explored the numerous factors contributing to a shortage of farm workers, and importantly, it also pointed the way to possible, if difficult, solutions. Its examination of the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers program was insightful and balanced, avoiding the partisanship that often surrounds that program. First-class journalism!

SECOND PLACE: Elaine Shein, Katie Dehlinger, Chris Clayton, Susan Payne, Rhett Montgomery, Gregg Hillyer

"Finding Financing for Farming" (October 2025)

Judge's comments: The writers of this series provided valuable information to young and veteran farmers on strategies to finance ag operations in good times and bad. The interviews with young farmers were particularly valuable. In both the first place and second place winners, Progressive Farmer proved itself a must-read publication for today's farmers.

**

VIDEO CATEGORY:

FIRST PLACE: Dan Miller, Susan Payne, Joel Reichenberger

"The roots of a new family tree: The Crocks of Cascade, Iowa" (12/2/2025)

Judge's comments: This is a strong, well-produced piece with a clear level of polish above the others. Visually, it stands out. Graphics are modern and used with purpose, helping organize the story into clear sections. The layering of video, photos, and masked interview shots keeps the piece visually engaging throughout. There is a good mix of footage: drone, B-roll, and stills and overall color, lighting, framing, and audio are all handled well. The story is well-rounded and easy to follow. It covers the family's background, current operation, and the realities of raising a family on a farm, giving the piece both context and personality. The ending ties everything together cleanly and feels complete.

THIRD PLACE: Elaine Shein, Chris Clayton

"Reporter's Notebook: U.S.-Canada Trade Situation" (9/26/2025)

HONORABLE MENTION: Jason Jenkins, DTN/Progressive Farmer

"Digital Yield Tour: Missouri corn and soybeans" (8/14/2025)

**

TECHNICAL CATEGORY:

FIRST PLACE: Dan Miller

"The Autonomy Riddle: Farm labor won't be programmed away by the promises of intelligent technologies." (6/1/2025)

Judge's comments: Complex article bringing in numerous voices -- including several farmers. Explored both success and current limitations of automation. Article had a strong throughline and conclusion.

**

ONGOING COVERAGE or SERIES CATEGORY:

FIRST PLACE: Chris Clayton

Tariff Impact on Agriculture: Continuing Coverage

-- "Trump Orders Tariffs on Trade Partners" (2/2/2025)

-- "Tariff Standoff Ends With Ag Unscathed" (2/3/2025)

-- "Ag Groups Fear Trade Losses" (4/2/2025)

-- "Trump Details Sweeping Tariff Plans" (4/2/2025)

-- "China Responds to Tariffs: Markets Drop" (4/4/2025)

-- "Keeping Score on Trump's Tariffs" (8/4/2025)

-- "Soy, Sorghum Leaders Plea for Talks" (9/25/2025)

-- "Farmers Lose Ground to Brazil in China" (10/1/2025)

-- "Farmers Cautiously Optimistic on China" (10/30/2025)

-- "Supreme Court to Weigh Tariff Power" (11/4/2025)

Judge's comments: Chris Clayton is that rare agricultural journalist, a writer who could write fairly and dispassionately about the trade and tariff issues that wrenched the industry in 2025. He wrote with abundant factual evidence. He allowed policy proponents and critics to state their position. He reported successes and failures of that policy even-handedly. Of many entries in this competition that reported on the tariff issue, his reporting stood out as uniquely fair. He's a writer in which readers can put their trust.

SECOND PLACE: Todd Neeley

The Hansen-Mueller Co. bankruptcy: Continuing coverage

-- "Grain Dealer Fails to Pay Nebraska Farmers" (10/27/2025)

-- "Hansen-Mueller Leaves Farms in Limbo" (10/30/2025)

-- "Hansen-Mueller Pays Nebraska Farmers" (11/4/2025)

-- "Neb. Grain Company Files Chapter 11" (11/17/2025)

-- "Failed Ventures Fuel Grain Company Failure" (11/18/2025)

-- "Hansen-Mueller Unsecured Creditors Want More Time" (12/1/2025)

-- "Hansen-Mueller Asset Sale in December" (12/3/2025)

-- "Farmer: Hansen-Mueller Misled Nebraska" (12/11/2025)

-- "3 Companies Win Hansen-Mueller Auction" (12/19/2025)

**

PODCAST CATEGORY:

FIRST PLACE: Sarah Mock and DTN Staff

"Field Posts" podcasts

-- Episode 249: "Cattle Market Outlook for What's Left of 2025" -- with ShayLe Stewart (7/1/2025)

-- Episode 262: "USDA Reorg, Looming Shutdown, and More Ag Policy" -- with Chris Clayton (9/26/2025)

-- Episode 272: "First Look at the 2026 Ag Weather Forecast" -- with John Baranick (12/5/2025)

Judge's comments: The "Field Posts" body of work stayed current and relevant throughout the year. As key topics in agriculture shifted, they stayed on top of the issues and provided timely insights from DTN staff and a few outside guests to keep farmers informed. From a technical aspect, some editing could have been tightened up. It also took a little too long to get to the meat of the episode between the intro and ads. Creates an opportunity to skip ahead in an episode. And in the age of videos, I would like to see more of that offered with each podcast as it creates another content opportunity for the audience. With some of that technical aspect being said, in a tough category, the depth of topics covered and the importance to the general farmer/rancher audience does take precedence here. The information is relevant and well put together. As I viewed this category through the lens of a traditional farmer/rancher, this consistent information won out as a great body of work that keeps agriculture informed of the many issues at hand.

**

COLUMN OR BLOG CATEGORY:

THIRD PLACE: Pamela Smith

-- "Corn Husker Comeback: Healing Lotion Takes a Crack at Winter" (1/13/2025)

-- "Start Spotting Tar Spot in Cornfields" (7/1/2025)

-- "Corn Black Layer Sends a Signal About Building Dry Matter" (9/10/2025)

HONORABLE MENTION: Jennifer Carrico

-- "Cattlemen Continue to Question How Long Will High Cattle Prices Last" (5/26/2025)

-- "Promote Farm Safety to Prevent the Risk of Accidents" (9/25/2025)

-- "7 Lessons Youth Learn at County Fairs While Completing Projects" (7/17/2025)

**

PROFILE WINNERS:

SECOND PLACE: Pamela Smith

"From Tragedy to Legacy: Farmer's daughter urges others to plan for the unexpected" (December 2025)

THIRD PLACE: Dan Miller

"Failure Isn't Fatal" (January 2025)

**

FEATURES CATEGORY:

SECOND PLACE: Joel Reichenberger

"The Great Shift: The COVID pandemic five years ago left a new world for many farmers in its wake" (2/1/2025)

HONORABLE MENTION: Susan Payne

"New Love for the Farm: After tragedy, this fifth-generation farmer finds his way home" (1/01/2025)

HONORABLE MENTION: Joel Reichenberger

"Lighted Tractor Parade Now a Tradition" (12/19/2025)

**

NEXT GENERATION/YOUNG WRITER CATEGORY:

THIRD PLACE: Susan Payne

-- "New Love for the Farm" (January 2025)

-- "Mentorships Cultivate New Farmers" (June 2025)

-- "Financing For Young Farmers" (October 2025)

**

For the full list of NAAJ winners, including links to all winning entries, go to https://www.naaj.net/….

Congratulations to all the Neal and NAAJ winners!

Finally, what we posted last year in an Editors' Notebook blog about our awards a year ago, deserves to be repeated: "Even though there might be one or two names on the award plaque or certificate, generally there were a lot more people involved behind the scenes from when that winning entry first was sparked as an idea to when it was assigned, analysis added, article written, edited, photographs/videos/or other images taken/created/developed, packaged and designed, laid out in a magazine or posted digitally.

"Add the other staff in our organization who sell ads, market what we do, and even do social media to help people find our stories, and the finished product you see is the culmination of what a dedicated team does with its best effort to serve you -- our respected and appreciated audience." (https://www.dtnpf.com/…)

Elaine Shein can be reached at elaine.shein@dtn.com

Follow her on social platform X @elaineshein

(c) Copyright 2026 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.