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South Region Vice President, Gary Cooper, invites fellow NAFB Members to participate in a unique livestock reporting opportunity in south-central France, October 4-6, 2017 to attend and cover the European Union’s largest annual Livestock Summit, Sommet de L‘Elevage. The 26th annual event is October 4-6 at its permanent facilities in Clermont-Ferrand, France, located in the heart of Europe’s cattle and livestock production region. Gary had the opportunity to attend Sommet de L`Elevage last year.

Shannon Higgins has joined the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) as the Events Manager. She is a 2014 University of Missouri graduate with a degree in Hospitality Management. Shannon spent two years as a chapter consultant for Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity, Inc., working with local chapters on event planning, and more.

Have you been to Washington lately? Some of you routinely travel there, especially to accompany farm organizations on their D.C. visits this time of year. And I have found those trips to be good experiences in that they can bring you closer to your farmers and to lawmakers in Washington. With a Farm Bill to be written a few months down the road, there are a lot of views being shared, and that means a lot of news for your broadcasts.

Over the past 15 years, the NAFB Board of Directors, in association with the past and current Executive Directors, have consistently approved a policy of building a sustaining financial reserve. This portion of the NAFB financial platform is to provide for sustainability of annual programs and services, as well as protecting the association from unforeseen financial challenges that could place the association in jeopardy of its mission goals and objectives. 

Please welcome the following new NAFB members.

Congratulations to the 2015 NAFB Board of Directors
President: Susan Littlefield, KZEN
President Elect: Brian Winnekins, WRDN
Vice President: Tony St. James, KDDD and KFLP Radio
South Region VP: Lorrie Boyer, KSIR Radio
West Region VP: Jody Heemstra, Red River Farm Network
East Region VP: Bryan McGarvey, WASK/WKOA
Allied Industry Rep: Chase Adams, NCBA
Allied Industry Rep: Laura Henke, Charleston|Orwig
Management Sales Council: Bill Holst, WNAX
Management Sales Council: Neal Gladner, LA Farm Bureau

Past NAFB President, and centenarian Russell Pierson sends his greetings to NAFB members. Russell will celebrate his 103th birthday on December 15. He was NAFB President in 1973, retired from the mic in 1980. Prior to joining WKY in 1958, Russell served as a county agent in Oklahoma. 

During the Marketing and Promotion meeting at Convention, we presented the first round of findings from the Ipsos  research. This research was conducted via email survey, September 5015, 2014. The research was a nation-wide survey with 529 respondents, with at least $100,000 Gross Farm Income in 2013, 85 percent of those who responded reported GFI of $250,000 or more.

Just the other day I was talking with Susan Tally and Tom Brand about convention, and it hit me...we will be in Kansas City in a little over a month! Start packing for a packed convention kicking off Wednesday, November 12 at 9 a.m. with several great learning sessions, we start the day with the idea exchange, and followed by a session on Integrating Technology into the Agriculture industry.

At the first meeting of the National Association of Radio Farm Directors (NARFD) on May 5, 1944 in Columbus, Ohio, membership fees were set at $10 for those affiliated with commercial stations and $5 for any member with a non-commercial station. Members unanimously supported the position that any regional group having funds be asked to turn that money over to the national treasurer except for what was needed for expenses already incurred. Time was granted to Barney Monahan of the U.S. Treasury to outline members responsibility in national War Bond sales in rural areas.