Airing on the Side of Agriculture

The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) and partners dedicated a plaque to honor former Illinois Director of Agriculture and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture John R. Block on April 22, 2019. 

On a bus traveling from the lowlands of Ecuador toward the Quito airport, Carah Hart (Red River Farm Network, Grand Forks, North Dakota) reflected on her trip. “It has been one great week reporting agriculture’s business. Looking out the window, there’s the lush green vegetation of a cloud forest. The climate is warm and humid. My hair has gone from straight to frizzy. I also smell like bug spray, sweat and dirt,” Hart noted. “Telling the story of local farmers intertwining in Ecuadorian agriculture was the opportunity of a lifetime,” she said. In January, Hart joined 12 members of the Red River Valley Ag Peer Group for a weeklong tour of the country.

Susan Littlefield (KRVN Rural Radio Network, Surprise, Nebraska) provided this update from recent flooding in her state: “From a blizzard in the western half of Nebraska to flooding in the eastern half of the state, a lot of man-hours were spent on news coverage and volunteering. Cattle producers were trying to dig cattle out of snow drifts and account for animals, as cattlemen in the east watched flood waters take away their livelihood.  For many, the watches and warnings came so fast it was hard to get livestock moved to higher ground.

For well over a decade, Farm Broadcaster Joel Heitkamp of North Dakota has given agriculture and rural issues a significant platform on his live, three-hour radio program, News and Views. “For his work in elevating the issues facing family farmers, ranchers, and their communities, National Farmers Union (NFU) awarded Heitkamp with the 2019 Milt Hakel Agriculture Communications Award.

Northern Ag Network’s own Taylor Brown was recently featured on the cover of Raised in the West magazine, a regional publication. Taylor Brown may have the most recognizable voice in Montana. Brown served as NAFB President in 1992 and was named Farm Broadcaster of the Year in 1989. He was inducted into the NAFB Hall of Fame in 2010.

Ben Nuelle rejoins the agricultural broadcasting and news community as an associate editor for Agri-Pulse Communications in Washington, D.C. He began working for the company in December. “It’s great to be back,” the Higginsville, Missouri, native said. “Sara Wyant and Al Johnson are great to work for and the thrill of reporting on agricultural policy from Capitol Hill is exciting.” Before joining Agri-Pulse, thinking he wanted to work in politics and government, Nuelle spent roughly a year working for Senator Joni Ernst as an agriculture assistant in Des Moines, Iowa.

Gale Cunningham (WYXY, Champaign, Illinois) was presented the 2019 Friend of Illinois County Fair Award at the fair association’s 109th annual conference in January.  “It is one of the most cherished awards I have received, and I'm very honored to receive such an award from the peers who listen to ag radio on WYXY Classic 99.1 FM,” he said.  Congratulating Cunningham after the presentation is Illinois State Representative Tom Bennett. 

After growing up on the East Coast of the U.S., Pete Cato spent a decade abroad working for English language radio stations in Russia and Europe. Cato decided it was time to head back to his home country and joined KSJB 600AM in Jamestown, North Dakota, in September 2017. 

Mike Adams, host of Adams on Agriculture (Jacksonville, Illinois), was named Ag Journalist of the Year by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association at their 2019 annual convention. Adams on Agriculture is a national agricultural talk show featuring a mix of commentary on agricultural issues and interviews with decision makers, such as members of Congress, USDA personnel, and leaders of agricultural organizations.

Last April, Mark Oppold left full-time employment at RFD-TV after a nearly 30-year association with RFD-TV Founder and President Patrick Gottsch. Word around the farm broadcast industry was that he retired, but his wife, Kathi, said, “He didn’t actually retire. He just redirected.”  While leaving full-time employment, Oppold continues to perform hosting and reporting duties for RFD-TV at conventions and trade shows. Those duties have included two private one-on-one interviews with President Trump, which Oppold says are career highlights. Free of his daily duties, part of Oppold’s redirection is a reintroduction of a piece of his broadcast history.