Airing on the Side of Agriculture

For graduate student Natasha Hightower, agriculture has always been more than a career path—it’s the foundation of her life. Raised on a small cattle operation in Bailey, Ark., she jokes that she was “trying to pet cows at two years old while my mom freaked out.” 

For Rural Radio Network Multimedia Producer Alex Makovicka, a career in farm broadcasting wasn’t the result of a single defining moment. It was the natural extension of a life rooted in agriculture, curiosity, and community.

Makovicka grew up on a cow–calf operation in central Nebraska, where agriculture was woven into daily life. 

For Jace Green, agriculture isn’t just a major—it’s a family legacy. A senior ag business student at Western Illinois University, Green grew up in Arthur, Illinois, a town surrounded by rich farmland and a large Amish community.

“My family has farmed there for generations,” he says. “It’s always been clear to me that agriculture was where I wanted to stay.”

For more than 25 years, Steve White has used his voice and his camera to tell the story of rural America.

For over four decades, Jeff Nalley has been a steadfast voice for rural America. As the farm director at Cromwell Ag Radio Network and a contributing editor for Agri-Pulse, Nalley has spent 43 years serving farmers, ag businesses and rural communities across Kentucky and beyond.

Born and raised on a farm, former USDA Agriculture Secretary John “Jack” Block’s early years were shaped by his deep connections with rural life and organizations such as the Future Farmers of America and, later, the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Those connections remained strong throughout his tenure as agriculture secretary in the 1980s and beyond.

In the coming weeks (October 2025), two voices familiar to Nebraska airwaves will be making headlines of their own. Karla Nichols and Rebel Sjeklocha, both broadcasters with the Nebraska Rural Radio Network, are preparing to walk down the aisle—just two weeks apart. Though they work out of different locations—Nichols at KBEAR (KBRY) in Broken Bow, and Sjeklocha remotely from the Sandhills—the two share more than just a passion for rural broadcasting.

As a senior at Iowa State University, Olivia Marti has done more than check the boxes of a typical college experience. With roots in northeastern Iowa on a row crop and cattle farm, Marti has taken every opportunity to explore the agriculture industry from the ground up—starting with agronomy and evolving into a deep interest in agribusiness.

By Jessica Wesson

Southern Illinois native Madilyn Hoock grew up immersed in agriculture—from heritage poultry breeding and farmers markets to launching a social media brand for her family’s hobby farm, Richland Creek Acres. Now, as the strategic communications manager at HLK, she’s bringing that same passion for rural storytelling and advocacy to the professional world.