A Media Fellowship Program

Sponsored by Oregon State University

August 7 -10, 2022

Meet the 2022 Food and Agriculture Media Fellows

Nearly every significant global issue, from climate change to international trade to human health, intersects with agriculture and our food systems.

Oregon offers a unique location to see this intersection. The fishing industry is the lifeblood of the Oregon coast. Urban agriculture, breweries and restaurants have transformed Portland into a foodie mecca. Beef cattle and dryland farming dominate the open spaces east of the Cascades. The fertile Willamette Valley, home to Oregon State University's main campus, produces more than 170 crops, ranging from hops to hemp to wine grapes.

More than 250 products are grown and processed in Oregon. Only California produces a higher number of products in the United States. Some 80% of Oregon’s agricultural products are shipped out of the state with about half of those exported to other countries.

For more than 150 years, Oregon State researchers have helped define Oregon food and agriculture – breeding the hop variety that launched the craft beer movement, saving the hazelnut industry by developing blight-resistant varieties and, at this moment, building the nation’s largest hemp research center.

You’re invited to meet these researchers and their collaborators to learn about how food and agriculture impact Oregon, the nation and the world.

The program is modeled on a successful marine science media fellowship that Oregon State hosted in recent years.

 

 

Program Highlights

The three-day fellowship program includes sessions at Oregon State’s campus in Corvallis, the university’s North Willamette Research and Extension Center just south of Portland and the university’s Food Innovation Center in downtown Portland. Highlights may include:

  • Visiting one of the only research breweries on a college campus.
  • Walking through agricultural fields in the shadows of snow-capped Mount Hood and seeing firsthand everything from hops to Christmas trees to hazelnuts.
  • Touring a unique urban agricultural research center in Portland and meeting scientists working with entrepreneurs driving the city’s innovative food scene.
  • Learning about Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, the largest hemp research center in the nation.
  • Seeing how drones are radically changing how we grow our food.
  • Hearing from some of the world’s leading vitamin and micronutrient scientists.

Topics

  • Innovative food and agriculture research, including sensory testing, plant breeding, agriculture and robotics, food in culture and social justice, health and wellness, and supply chain concerns.
  • The diversity of Oregon and Oregon State's food and agriculture products –  including hemp, beer, wine, distilled spirits, cheese, hazelnuts, berries, mushrooms, seafood and Christmas trees –  and Oregon State's role in researching and developing these critical industries.

Details

  • Oregon State University will select up to 15 journalists for the fellowship.
  • Oregon State will cover expenses during the time of the fellowship.
  • Fellows will be responsible for transportation to and from the start and end points of the fellowship.
  • The fellowship is open to journalists across all media platforms.
  • Freelancers and international journalists are encouraged to apply.
  • Fellows will be expected to abide by COVID-19 guidelines. 

Contact Information

Sean Nealon, news editor
Oregon State University
A416 Kerr Administration Building
541-737-0787
[email protected]