SALEM, Ohio — The Farm and Dairy editorial team recently received national and international recognition for its excellence in writing, reporting and producing engaging content. Managing Editor Sara Welch, Reporter Liz Partsch, Art Director David Hartong and Paginator Tammy Donaldson received honors in two contests.
National Newspaper Association Foundation’s Better Newspaper Contest
Welch earned first place in the Best Non-Profile Feature Story category for non-daily publications with a circulation of 15,000 or more. The winning story, “In memory of Daniel Kibler: Donation hog raises over $30K in 4-H scholarship funds,” ran in March 2024. It detailed the life and legacy of a 13-year-old Portage County boy who died in an ATV accident and the community’s efforts to memorialize him through a 4-H scholarship program. The judge remarked that Welch’s story was “beautifully written.”
Welch and Partsch took the top two spots in the Best Profile Feature Story category for non-daily publications with a circulation of 15,000 or more. Welch took first place for her story titled “Claire Coumos defies odds to show the largest steer at the Portage County Fair” that originally ran in the Sept. 5, 2024 paper. The story followed 13-year-old Claire Coumos, a girl who was born with a rare craniofacial condition that also causes fusion of the bones in her hands and feet, as she prepared for and showed a market steer at the county fair for the first time.
“Sara Welch puts it all together — a heart-warming topic told in a beautiful narrative that simply draws the reader through the tale, answering all the questions and hitting all the right notes,” the judge wrote. “Well done.”
Welch produced a follow-up story on Coumos earlier this year, when the teen took grand champion at the Portage County Fair with this year’s market steer.
Partsch won second place in the same category for her story “Tree farmer wins Ohio Tree Farm of the Year award for restoring former strip mines,” which ran on Aug. 29, 2024. The story covered Rob Davis’ tree farm in Harrison County.
The judge commented: “Farm & Dairy goes two for two in this category. Liz Partsch’s only fault is her subject wasn’t quite as compelling as Sara Welch’s first-place profile. Great job of writing.”
Partsch also took first place for her January 2024 story that detailed the history of the steel industry in Weirton, West Virginia and the rebirth of the steel town through a new battery plant in the Preserving Local History category for daily and non-daily publications with a circulation of 9,000 or more. Editor Rachel Wagoner also received a nod for her accompanying column that discussed the deep connection the publication’s rural readership has with manufacturing.
Partsch took second place in Best Feature Photo for dailies and non-dailies with a circulation of 10,000 or more for her March 2024 photo of Kevin Holy working in the maple sugar shack at Seldom Seen Farm. She also took fourth place in Best Reporting on Local Government for non-dailies with a circulation of 15,000 or more for her story titled “Western Pa. residents fight for increased well pad setbacks.”
Hartong took the top two spots in Best Informational Graphic, for non-daily division publications with a circulation of 15,000 or more. 
His infographic titled “Finding and Raising Monarch Caterpillars,” which ran in the Aug. 22, 2024 paper, took first place. The judge wrote: “superb combination of color photography, sharp typography as well as innovative layout makes this a compelling look. Spectacular.” The infographic titled “ODNR celebrates 75 years,” which ran on April 4, 2024, took second place.
Hartong also took second place in the Best Front Page Design category for non-daily publications with a circulation of 15,000 or more for the May 2, 2024 issue. The judge wrote that the front page “flows from top to bottom.”
Donaldson received fourth place in the Best Special News, Sports, Niche, Feature Section or Edition for Progress Vol. 2 that ran June 2, 2024.
Freelancer photojournalist Matthew Chasney received third place for his special summer photo essay series, The Racing Report, in the Best Photo Essay for dailies and non-dailies over 12,000 circulation.
And last but not least, Wagoner received third place in Legacy.com’s Best Obituary Tribute for her news obituary on C. Sherman Allen, a longtime auctioneer and public figure in western Pennsylvania. This is not the first time Wagoner was recognized for her obituary writing. She won first place for Best Obituary in 2021 with her tribute to an Ohio dairy farmer.
There were 1,546 entries in the Better Newspaper Editorial Contest, with 712 awards won by 102 newspapers in 33 states. Established in 1885, the National Newspaper Association is one of the largest newspaper associations in the country. The foundation is its educational arm. Winners were recognized during an awards ceremony Oct. 10 during the NNAF’s 138th annual Convention and Trade Show in Omaha, Nebraska.
North American Agricultural Journalists Writing Contest
Earlier this year, Welch took second place out of 14 entries in the Profile category for her story “Claire Coumos defies odds to show the largest steer at the Portage County Fair” published in September 2024. The judge commented: “What a beautiful and well-told story, with a vivid use of details and quotes.”
Partsch took third place out of 19 entries in the Ongoing Coverage or Series category for her stories on the fight for more regulation on oil and gas drilling in western Pennsylvania.
The North American Agricultural Journalists is a professional international group of agricultural editors and writers with members in the United States and Canada. The contest winners were recognized during the group’s annual meeting April 27 to April 29 in Washington, D.C.
I’m not surprised. As a citified woman who found your publication by accident, I’ve kept reading because I learn so much and your writers are so incredibly good at what they do!