“Although we’re thrilled with the number of videos that we’ve received from ag students across the country, we’re even more excited about the quality of the videos and the messages that are delivered,” says Jeff Mellinger, Global Leader, Sales & Marketing for Alpharma Inc., Animal Health. “It exemplifies the great passion our youth have for agriculture, and the great talents they possess. It paints a bright future for agriculture leadership in this country for years to come.”

The contest began earlier this fall as ag students from across the country were asked to compile short video clips on anything related to food production. Students received a $25 gift card for each video accepted, up to 10. More than 150 clips were uploaded to the contest Web site. In the second phase of the contest, students were asked to compile these clips, along with their own footage, to complete a video telling a story about how food is produced.

Video titles and submitting universities are as follows:

• Today's Agriculture – University of Florida
• Beef: Our Priority – University of Arizona
• Myth or Fact!? – Ohio Northern University
• Antibiotics in the Dairy Industry – University of Tennessee

The winning video will be posted on YouTube and other social networking sites where visitors will be able to see the video and have a better understanding of how food is produced, as well as the care that is given to farm animals.

“The objective of this program is two-fold — first, we wanted to get ag students thinking about how they can communicate in a positive way how food is produced. Second, we wanted to provide an opportunity to educate consumers about how food is produced,” says Mellinger. “We think that these videos, and the program as a whole, will achieve these goals.”

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