Airing on the Side of Agriculture

Mark Dorenkamp, ag news anchor/reporter at Brownfield Ag News, was named 2024 Minnesota Farm Bureau Ag Communicator of the Year.

Dorenkamp received the award during the organization’s 106th Annual Meeting on Nov. 22 in Minnetonka, MN.

SIDENSTRICKER TRAVELS TO AFRICA – Kevin Stridenstricker, agriculture news director for KKOW, traveled to Africa for vacation in September 2024.

Sidenstricker and his mother took this once-in-a-lifetime trip to fulfill a lifelong dream.

KREIFELS STARTS SMALL BUSINESS – Madison Kreifels, a senior at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, owns InfoFilm, a communications business she started in college.

Kreifels is a student member of NAFB, and she was a recipient of a NAFB Foundation scholarship in 2023. She grew up in the agricultural industry.

ELLIS REJOINS WCIA STAFF – Stu Ellis, farm broadcaster, rejoined the staff at WCIA after a two-year gap.

Ellis grew up watching Channel 3 in central Illinois, but no farm broadcaster was on staff. He started out doing a short farm program each morning.

ANDERSON RETIRES FROM NATIONAL FFA OFFICE – Morgan Anderson, a junior at Ohio University, retired from serving as the National FFA Eastern Region Vice President in October 2024.

She grew up in a rural town, where she saw food waste and hunger coexist.

Gabel Publishes Ag-Themed Children's Book – Rachel Gabel, farm broadcaster for Western Ag Network, is about to release her sixth agriculture-themed children’s book.

She started writing children's books when she noticed few options for kids interested in agriculture.

Fink Interns at Stockyards Ag Experience – Gabby Fink, a South Dakota State University senior, spent her summer interning in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Fink is a student member of NAFB.

Fink grew up on a cow-calf operation north of Plankinton, South Dakota, where she was introduced to agriculture at a young age.

Drennan Visits World War II Sites in Europe – Dave Drennan celebrated his retirement earlier this year by taking a trip to Europe with his wife in July 2024.

Jessie Lamp, a junior at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, interned for Helena Products Group this summer. She is a student member of NAFB.

Lamp is an agricultural and environmental sciences communication major and has been involved in agriculture for most of her life.

Ben Jarboe was hired by Mid-West Farm Report as a farm broadcaster on July 15.

Jarboe grew up on a row crop farm in central Illinois, where his family raised corn and soybeans. He knew from a young age that he wanted to stay in agriculture when he grew up.

“I remember riding along with my grandpa or uncle on the tractor, and that was all I wanted to do,” Jarboe said.