Airing on the Side of Agriculture

Living on the same farm he grew up on in Maysville, Missouri, Andrew McCrea spends his mornings feeding cattle. Other days, he finds himself speaking to people across the country.

Recent North Dakota State University (NDSU) Graduate Cierra Dockter accepted a position with Red River Farm Network at the end of 2021 as a farm broadcaster.

Starting his career in farm broadcasting in 1981, Gary Truitt was offered a job with the Brownfield Ag Network after making a connection in his previous job at a local radio station. 

“That’s where I really became familiar with farm broadcasting as a career,” Truitt said. “I was hired there to help them revamp their programming as they were expanding into other states.”
The 1980s was a tough time for farmers and ranchers. Truitt said they needed something, and he could provide it.

Haylie Shipp recently rejoined the world of farm broadcasting when she accepted a position with Western Ag Network in Billings, Montana. Working from home in Glasgow, Montana, Shipp does on-air content including market reports. Her reason for coming home is all very simple: farm broadcasting is where her roots are.

Most would agree doing anything for 48 years requires a high level of dedication. Dedication is the definition of Mike Adams, recently retired national farm broadcaster and previous host of Adams on Agriculture (now Agriculture of America with Mike Pearson).

Kyle Murphy (KSJB, Jamestown, North Dakota) produces and anchors Murphy in the Morning.

“I grew up on a 5,000-acre irrigated and dryland grain farm in southwest Kansas, and always knew that I was going to be a farmer,” said John Jenkinson (KBUF).

Effective January 3, 2022, Mike Pearson will become new anchor/producer for Agriculture of America (AOA), formerly known as Adams on Agriculture. 

The American Agri-Women (AAW) presented Sara Wyant, of Missouri, the “AAW Women in Journalism Award” at their recent convention in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Orion Samuelson, 60-year veteran broadcaster on WGN (Chicago, Illinois), recently spoke to students at Huntington University (HU) in Indiana.