Airing on the Side of Agriculture

Farm Broadcaster Todd Gleason was honored in April by the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for his service to agriculture and to the college. Each year, the College of ACES recognizes the remarkable accomplishments of its alumni through four awards. Gleason, a farm broadcaster for Illinois Public Media and Illinois Extension, and other award recipients were honored with the 2026 ACES Alumni Award of Merit at the college’s Alumni Awards Gala on April 13.

After decades working across agricultural communications, policy and industry relations, Amy Bradford is now using that experience to help others tell their stories.

Bradford is the CEO and founder of Bradford Consultant Group, an independent consulting firm she launched in 2023. Through the business, she focuses on marketing communications, media relations, brand development and leadership coaching within the agricultural industry.

Her path into agriculture started early.

For more than four decades, farm broadcaster Max Armstrong (pictured left) worked alongside the legendary Orion Samuelson, building one of the most recognizable partnerships in agricultural broadcasting.

Armstrong says Samuelson’s impact on agriculture, and on the people who knew him, extended far beyond the microphone.

Olivia Marti
Senior, Iowa State University
Agricultural Business

How long have you been a member of NAFB? 
One year

For Jack Jungmann, a junior studying agricultural communications at the University of Illinois, participating in the NAFB Social Media Corps provided a behind-the-scenes look at the organization’s annual convention while helping showcase the event to a broader audience.

The United Soybean Board won a 2026 PRWeek Award for a communications campaign designed to counter misinformation about seed oils and provide science-based information to consumers and health professionals.

The Rural Radio Network saw significant growth across its digital platforms in 2025, highlighting how farm broadcasters are expanding their reach beyond traditional radio.

Farm broadcasting legend Orion Samuelson, long-time member of NAFB and retired Emeritus, passed away March 16, 2026, at the age of 91. Samuelson would have been 92 years old on March 31.

When Bill “Tell” Zortman was asked how Selma, Alabama, should mark the 30th anniversary (March 1995) of the Selma-to-Montgomery marches, he knew the moment demanded more than a ceremonial program. National media was already arriving, and the way the town was represented would matter long after the cameras left.