Julie Harker (Brownfield Ag News, Jefferson City, MO) has been covering agriculture and consumer news for Brownfield since 2007. This has included events in her home state of Missouri and beyond – from Washington, DC, to Germany. Also, she produces a daily, 90-second consumer education program, Healthy Living, aimed at informing consumers about food and nutrition, striving to dispel commonly held misconceptions about them.
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While a Texas A&M University student, Don Atkinson (First Oklahoma Ag, Voice of Southwest Agriculture (VSA) and Yancey Ag Network, Oklahoma City, OK) had nearly 10 years of broadcasting experience under his belt when the on-campus office of the Extension Service hired him. Previously, he had worked as a disc jockey, news writer, copy writer and producer. Working in the Texas A&M radio-television unit, Don helped write and produce a weekly agricultural radio show for two years.
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When her father established the radio station in 1961, General Manager Stacey Smith said the call letters were chosen as an abbreviation for World’s Greatest Farming Area (WGFA). “We have always strived to bring quality ag news and information to our listeners,” she said. “Ken Root joined our team in 2010, replacing Colleen Callahan who went on to head the USDA Rural Development in Illinois. As Ken planned his retirement in April 2015, WGFA knew that having an NAFB farm broadcaster is important to the local ag communities. With Ken’s help, we are proud to introduce John Gooding as the WGFA new NAFB Farm Broadcaster, a familiar name to many residents of the Illiana area.”
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Recent May rains threaten KSIR (Fort Morgan, CO) transmitter. Lorrie Boyer, Farm Director and Morning Show Host, said water came within inches of their station’s transmitter. “We were shutting it (transmitter) off at night as a safety precaution, but did not have to turn it off during the day.” She said they contracted out with an FM frequency to have KSIR simulcast on it in case they have to turn it off.
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Tom Nicolette (Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network, Waco, TX) reports in the first 27 days of May, it rained 21 of them in certain regions of Texas. Wet conditions have washed out livestock fences, and cattle are losing weight from energy expended in trudging through muddy pastures or pens. Some wheat farmers will not be able to harvest a crop. Cotton planting is behind schedule in south Texas and the Texas Panhandle. In the Coastal Bend area, grain sorghum planting is behind schedule. Tom said, “Wet weather is making it tough for Texas farmers and ranchers in both crop and livestock operations.
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Erica Irlbeck (Allied Industry member, Lubbock, TX) and a group of college students are working with the National Ranching Heritage Center to produce a mini documentary on the 2011 drought and the impact it had on the agricultural industry. Erica is an assistant professor of agricultural communications at Texas Tech University. She is teaching two courses this summer: video production and advanced imaging and design. During the regular term, she teaches three courses: Video Production in Agriculture, Agricultural Communications Campaigns and Professional Development. Her research interests are risk and crisis communications, agriculture in television media and agricultural communications campaigns. Erica started her duties in September 2009 after earning her Doctor of Education degree in agricultural education from Texas Tech. Prior to her academic career, she worked in agricultural television news for AgDay Television and KLBK-TV (Lubbock, TX), farm radio for Clear Channel Networks, public relations and advertising.
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NAFB Executive Director Tom Brand and his wife, Beth, became involved with the American Heart Association (AHA) following Tom’s heart attack and bypass surgery in 2013. Tom personally set a goal to raise $2,500 at the Heart Walk recently in St. Joseph, MO, and currently his effort has raised $2,300.
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During Washington Watch (April 27), The Doan award, honoring excellence in reporting agriculture, was awarded to Michelle Rook, managing farm director at WNAX (Yankton, SD). This is the inaugural year for The Doan. Presented by the NAFB Foundation, through a gift from Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc., The Doan is named after Stewart Doan, a farm broadcaster and senior editor at Agri-Pulse, who passed away suddenly in May 2012. He was known for his passion for politics and determination for delivering breaking farm and rural policy news. Doan's reporting on issues affecting farmers and consumers is missed by the entire agriculture community. He served as NAFB president in 1998.
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The first NAFB Leadership Academy convened in Washington D.C. just prior to Washington Watch. Farm News Director Sabrina Hill (AgNet West Radio Network, Sanger, CA) wrote about her experience in a blog which we are excerpting here. “This was my first year attending Washington Watch. I was the only representative of California in the group, and it’s always fun for me to meet up with cohorts from the Midwest and other areas,” she said. “This year was also the inaugural NAFB leadership class, and I had the honor of being one of the nine people in the class.”
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Agri-Pulse founder and President Sara Wyant will be named to the annual Folio: "Top Women in Media" recognition in the Entrepreneurs category at a June awards ceremony at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. Sara was the only agricultural media professional included in this year's awards, which also honored women from such mainstream media as Forbes, Time and The New York Times.