The IL Corn Growers Association’s 2023 Excellence in Media Award was given to Kay Shipman, formerly a writer for Illinois Farm Bureau’s FarmWeek, at the ICGA Annual Meeting today in Bloomington.  The award is given each year to an individual who promotes Illinois agriculture and, specifically, Illinois corn and corn farmers, through their coverage in traditional media or through their engagement on social media.

“Kay invested 34 years at FarmWeek, covering state government, conservation, and education issues on behalf of Illinois farmers. She did so with passion and a genuine love for our industry, as evidenced by her reporting and the additional years she spent covering agriculture before coming to FarmWeek. We are so grateful for Kay’s service to our industry and for the accurate telling of our story and the issues that matter to us over all these years,” said Matt Rush, ICGA President and farmer from Fairfield, IL.

Shipman retired from 34 years of service to FarmWeek in April 2023. She previously served as an ag reporter for the Peoria Journal Star, the Lafayette, Indiana Journal and Courier, the Galesburg Register Mail, and the Wheatland, Wyoming Record-Times. She was also an agriculture science writer at Purdue University’s Agricultural Research Station.

Shipman is also heavily invested in ag education, serving as a member and former vice chair of the Illinois Council for Agriculture Education and having served two terms as a governor-appointed member of the Illinois Committee for Agricultural Education.

“Knowing the two most immediate recipients of this award very well, I am joining a stellar group,” she said. “It is gratifying to know that your lifetime of work is very much appreciated by the people you loved and the industry you served.”

Shipman lives in Bloomington with her husband, Paul Swiech.