Airing on the Side of Agriculture

Chosen to receive an NAFB Foundation Grant, WKDZ (Cadiz, KY) hired Caitlin Oakes to serve as the intern for the WKDZ Morning Ag Report and the Ag Edge website this summer. Caitlin is studying agribusiness at Murray State University, with a minor in mass communications.

Mike Dain (First Oklahoma Ag, Yancey Ag Network, and Voice of Southwest Agriculture, Oklahoma City, OK) received the Milton D. Hakel Award for Excellence in Agricultural Communications from National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson at the NFU convention in San Diego, March 6. “Agricultural communicators are increasingly important to providing a link between urban and rural communities, as well as the agriculture industry and the public. Mike’s insight into the viewpoints of family farmers, ranchers and rural citizens is what makes him an excellent communicator for the agricultural community and deserving of this award,” Johnson said.

Patrick Cavanaugh (California Ag Today Radio Network, Clovis, CA) reports on the California water woes. “Throughout the vast farming areas of California’s  Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, intense concern and anxiety are growing over the lack of water for the critical irrigation of permanent crops such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios, tree fruit and citrus,” he said. Patrick speaks with farmers every day about what looks like a slow-moving crisis on the farm. California is in its fourth year of drought with the last two years being extremely tough on growers in many areas of California that depend on promised Federal surface water deliveries to their farms. Instead of flowing southward to help farms and cities, excess water is being diverted from the Sacramento Delta area to the Pacific Ocean to protect the Delta Smelt, a three-inch fish listed by the Endangered Species Act.

Sarah Heinrich is featured in a Women in Ag series written by the Pinke Post, and posted November 2. Katie Pinke (Wishek, ND) writes the blog.

Congratulations to all of the 2014 NAFB Award Winners. Awards were handed out during the recent 71st NAFB Convention held in Kansas City, MO, November 12-14, 2014.

Rose Marie Lawrence and her husband, Everett, celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary in late October. Rose Marie retired from NAFB two years ago, but she still comes back to help with the Annual NAFB Convention. You can congratulate her in person at this year’s convention. She was hired by Ken Root in 2003.

As Carrie Muehling celebrates 10 years as Agribusiness Director at WJBC (Bloomington, IL), this month, she reports on a unique Moms Tour. “This fall it has been fun to ride along with area farmers as they bring in a record harvest of corn and soybeans. One of those opportunities came with McLean County farmers, Gerald and Tyler Thompson (father/son), as they hosted a group of local moms who are part of the Illinois Farm Families program.” Illinois Farm Families began this program a few years ago with Chicago-area field moms, and while that original program continues, others have popped up all over the state.

Ken Root was part of a small delegation that traveled to South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia in October to look at investing in farm land. Underwritten by People's Company, a farm real estate firm based in Des Moines, IA, Ken was accompanied by a videographer and an investment analyst. Trip video will be used at the January 23 Land Investment Expo in Des Moines. Ken’s group was shown several farms by Koos DeKlerk, general manager of Emvest Investments, and Susan Payne, Executive Chairman of Emvest Investments.