FERN is pleased to announce a new partnership with veteran agriculture reporter Charles “Chuck” Abbott, who will produce a daily round up of top agriculture news to be called “FERN’s Ag Insider by Chuck Abbott.” The newsletter will be offered free of charge to subscribers at thefern.org.
To date, Abbott has produced a newsletter—fondly called “The Upchuck”—written in his own unique voice, offering news nuggets and scoops from a wide range of sources. The e-mail blast is considered a “must read” by agriculture insiders who received his free service by invitation only. Now FERN and Abbott will be producing the newsletter together and widening its reach to a broader audience with additional, dynamic reporting on a daily basis.
With three decades of Washington experience, Abbott is an old hand at covering U.S. food and agriculture policy at the national level, ranging from “Nutrition Facts” labels on food and the never-ending tussle over food stamp rules, to the ins and outs of the recently passed farm bill. It is a field where political advantage can be as significant as trenchant analysis in setting policy.
“After a decade of circulating a daily news and analysis email among friends, I am pleased FERN is making it available to a larger audience,” said Abbott. “Food and agriculture policy is an important topic that merits attention. FERN is an independent source.”
Abbott, who grew up on a farm in northern Illinois, was a long-time Reuters commodities correspondent in Washington, D.C. after a stint as national farm editor for United Press International. He holds a master’s degree in public affairs reporting from the Sangamon State University in Springfield, Ill, now part of the University of Illinois system.
His briefing deserves a wider audience and we’re pleased to join forces with him to help ramp it up. You can sign up for FERN’s Ag Insider by Chuck Abbott here on our Web site.