Sabrina Halvorson is the national correspondent for AgNet Media Inc., and she completed the Lead with Influence Program hosted by the Poynter Institute throughout June. Halvorson contributes to radio networks, including AgNet West, Southeast AgNet, Hoosier Ag Today, and Michigan Ag Today.

“I was thrilled when I found out that I had been accepted to this program,” Halvorson said. “It was a very intense collaborative training with around 30 participants. We interacted with organizations like the New York Times, the Washington Post, NBC National News, and the Associated Press.” 

The program aimed to train journalists on how to work well with others. 

“We learned about conflict resolution, leadership skills, and other people skills,” Halvorson said. “I want to spend my life learning and improving myself, and I think it’s always a good idea to sharpen these types of skills. We learned a lot about communication styles and how to work with someone who has a different communication style than us.” 

Her favorite part of the training was positive interactions with individuals outside the agriculture industry.
 
“One of the people in the training was a lead communicator for the Humane Society of the U.S.,” Halvorson said. “We were partnered together, and I was nervous to be paired with someone from an organization that doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with the agriculture industry. We had a great conversation about California's farm animal confinement legislation.” 

The NAFB Foundation assisted Halvorson financially so that she could take part in this training. 

“I would like to thank the NAFB Foundation for supporting me financially,” Halvorson said. “I received a grant from them, and I wouldn’t have been able to attend this training otherwise. I appreciate the opportunity they gave me to participate and become a better leader.”