Airing on the Side of Agriculture

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.

Gina Cerrentano is currently completing an agricultural communications degree at Iowa State University while working full-time at KICD Radio (Spencer, Iowa) as the Assistant Farm Director. She expects to graduate in May 2019. She is new to farm broadcasting, but she has prior experience in both radio and public relations, having interned with OsbornBarr in 2018.  Growing up in a northwest suburb an hour outside of Chicago, Cerrentano doesn’t have much experience in agriculture, but as she ventured off to college, she found a passion and interest to learn more.

Kolt Buchenroth (Ohio Ag Network, Columbus, Ohio) is refreshing his NAFB membership after transitioning from a student member to the Broadcast Council. He got his start in agriculture showing beef cattle in 4-H and FFA and was active at his county fair as an exhibitor. While he was in high school, Buchenroth cut his teeth in farm broadcasting at WKTN, a small, locally owned and operated station in Kenton, Ohio. In high school, he worked with Ohio Ag Net and Ohio’s Country Journal as an FFA student reporter covering Ohio’s State FFA Convention. Through that experience, he discovered his passion for farm broadcasting and agricultural communication.

Colleen Callahan is the newly announced Acting Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “I’m honored to be asked to serve in the Pritzker Administration and humbled to be in a leadership position. I’m also eager to work with the dedicated DNR career staff, to learn from them, and collaborate on ways to help meet the needs of enhancing Illinois’ natural resources. I welcome the opportunity to communicate the importance and impact of our natural resources and the diverse responsibilities of Illinois DNR. From mines and minerals; to museums and management of lands; from parks to preservation of history; from water to wildlife – the oversight is vast and various. I’m looking forward to connecting with those who use and those who depend on our state’s greatest asset, our natural resources.”

Max Armstrong (Farm Progress, Batavia, Illinois) reports that he had a “fun ride,” courtesy of the Purdue Agriculture Alumni Association on February 2, 2019, in Indianapolis, Indiana. “The university has an annual luncheon called the Purdue Ag Fish Fry. They always try to have an interesting program, and this year they brought back four former Purdue Ag School deans, and those four joined he current dean on the panel.” Armstrong added, “They asked me to moderate the panel, which I was proud to do, of course. The real thrill, though, was to have them deliver me to the stage riding in the official Purdue mascot, the Boilermaker X-Tra Special, the little locomotive that goes to all sports events.

Scott Schultz started working last year as the assistant farm director at WAXX 104.5 radio in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and is expanding into other roles at Mid-West Family Broadcasting’s Eau Claire stations. The long-time print journalist recently joined NAFB after making his broadcasting debut last fall. “I’m excited about this new challenge in my life,” Schultz said. “I’ve known WAXX Farm Director Bob Bosold for many years, and each day I look forward to working with someone so talented and respected.” Schultz earned awards in news writing, feature writing, headlines, and design during more than 40 years in the newspaper business. He was raised on a central Wisconsin dairy farm. His journalism career started while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, which led him to study journalism at the Defense Information School and through Indiana University, University of Missouri, and Pepperdine University.

“This is my second time participating in the infamous Polar Bear Plunge at the Meadville General Store on the banks of the Niobrara National Scenic River,” reports Monte James (Your Ag Network, Inc., Yankton, South Dakota). “I grew up on a ranch about 10 miles down-river, so I try to make it back to this insane event when time allows. Every year, the local fire department cracks a pathway in the fast moving and stunningly beautiful Niobrara River to allow battle-hardened partiers and urban thrill seekers to gain membership in the Polar Bear Club. This year’s dip took place January 26, and we were fortunate to have a break in the -20 below temperatures we had fore and aft. It was a balmy 12 degrees with a windchill of about 15 below.