Airing on the Side of Agriculture

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 is a finalist for the 2026 PRWeek Awards 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.

Lacey Shippy’s broadcasting career began long before college or job titles. It started at age 14, when she was hired with a handshake at a local radio station and spent Friday nights running the board for high school football games.

 Eliza Petry did not set out to become a television news anchor. Her path began on a grain farm in northern Illinois, where agriculture was not a career concept but a way of life.

“I grew up on a grain farm up in northern Illinois,” Petry says. “I just naturally had a passion for ag, just like any other farm kid.”

As the dairy industry continues to expand and grow throughout the United States, Farm and Ranch Media is launching a dedicated daily program discussing all aspects of the dairy industry. Inside Dairy officially launched on January 5, 2026, as a new program, under its longstanding American Ag Network brand and hosted by FARM/AAN broadcaster Susan Littlefield. The program features interviews with dairy industry professionals, dairy market commentary, innovations in the dairy industry and much more.

In January 2026, NAFB President DeLoss Jahnke wrote a column for Radio World, where he described the connection that farm broadcasters make every day with farmers and ranchers.

In the column, he tells the story of how farm broadcasters break through the noise every day with trust and relevancy to reach farmers, ranchers and rural audiences.