Alan Bjerga (born 1973) is an American journalist, author of the book "Endless Appetites: How the Commodities Casino Creates Hunger and Unrest"[1] and the 2010 president of the National Press Club. He covers agricultural policy for Bloomberg News and in 2010-2011 was also the president of the North American Agricultural Journalists.[2] In 2009 he was recognized for his work covering U.S. food aid and the famine in Ethiopia. He received awards from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, the New York Press Club, the Kansas Press Association, the North American Agricultural Journalists, and the Overseas Press Club for this work. Before working for Bloomberg News, Bjerga won the NAAJ's top writing award in 2005 while working for the Knight-Ridder Washington Bureau.[3]
Bjerga, who grew up on a farm near the town of Motley, Minnesota,[4] went to Concordia College (Minnesota) where he earned a bachelor's degree in History and English Literature and edited the student newspaper, The Concordian (Moorhead). He earned a masters degree in Mass Communication from the University of Minnesota, where he was the managing editor of The Minnesota Daily. Bjerga began his career with the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Minn.) and also reported for the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Argus Leader and The Wichita Eagle (Kan.).[5]
Alan Bjerga was a contestant on the game show, "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" where he won $50,000. He was a second-place finisher on "Jeopardy!"[6] At his National Press Club inaugural on Jan. 30, 2010, he played guitar and sang lead vocals with "Honky Tonk Confidential", a retro/alt country band with songs written by CBS Face the Nation anchor, Bob Schieffer.[7]