News

[July 30, 2006]

SUCCESSFUL FARMING CROPS EDITOR RECEIVES TOP INDUSTRY HONORS FOR WRITING

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Gil Gullickson has been named Writer of the Year by his peers in the field of agricultural journalism. Gullickson, Crops Technology Editor with Meredith Corporation’s Successful Farming® magazine, received the recognition through the American Agricultural Editors’ Association (AAEA) annual Writing Awards program. The award was presented during the eighth annual Agricultural Media Summit, in Portland, Ore., which took place July 23-26, 2006.

Gullickson’s three winning articles in Technical Feature (Stop Super Weeds), On-Farm Production (What’s Happened to the Miracle Crop?), and Regular Column (What Did We Learn About Asian Soybean Rust?) categories earned him the award.

The Agricultural Media Summit is the largest gathering of crop and livestock media professionals in the United States. It is sponsored by three organizations – the Livestock Publications Council (LPC), the AAEA and the ABM Agri Council.

AAEA provides opportunities for professional improvement and networking to agricultural editors, writers and photojournalists. The organization’s annual awards program recognizes excellence in writing and photography.

Also recognized in the 2006 AAEA Writing Awards program were:

• Rich Fee, Successful Farming Crops and Soils Editor: First Place Human Interest, Picking Up the Reins, and Third Place Economics & Management, New N Rates Stress Economics.
• Cheryl Tevis, Farm Issues Editor and Dan Looker, Business Editor: Third Place Team Story, Growing Great Workers.
• Betsy Freese, Livestock Editor: Second Place Regular Column entry When Worlds Collide.
• Laurie Potter, Special Projects Editor: Master Writer Level 2 designation.
• Lisa Prater, Features Editor: Master Writer Level 3 designation.

Founded in 1902, Successful Farming magazine was the first magazine published by Meredith Corporation. It has a circulation of 440,000 with 1.2 million readers. Successful Farming is one of the most successful and recognizable brands in the industry.

About Meredith Corporation

Meredith (NYSE: MDP) is one of the nation's leading media and marketing companies with businesses centering on magazine and book publishing, television broadcasting, integrated marketing and interactive media. The Meredith Publishing Group features 25 subscription magazines – including Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, Ladies' Home Journal, Parents, Child, Fitness, and American Baby – and approximately 240 special interest publications. Meredith owns 14 television stations, including properties in top-25 markets such as Atlanta, Phoenix and Portland.

Meredith has approximately 350 books in print and has established marketing relationships with some of America's leading companies including The Home Depot, DIRECTV, DaimlerChrysler, Wal-Mart and Carnival Cruise Lines. Meredith's consumer database, which contains approximately 85 million names, is one of the largest domestic databases among media companies and enables magazine and television advertisers to target marketing campaigns precisely.

Additionally, Meredith has an extensive Internet presence that includes 32 Web sites and strategic alliances with leading Internet destinations. Meredith Hispanic Ventures publishes five Spanish-language titles, making Meredith the largest Hispanic publisher in the United States.

SOURCE Successful Farming
Web site: http://www.agriculture.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jana Rieker
jana.rieker@meredith.com
(515) 284-2778