Monte James is host of a new start-up radio network called Your Ag Network. He grew up on a ranch on the northern borders of the sprawling Sandhills of Nebraska. His family raised cattle and farmed the Niobrara River Valley in Keya Paha County. His radio career started at a small station in O’Neill, NE, doing everything from hosting the Polka Show to local news and markets. Monte’s “tour of duty” included stops at KSCJ (Sioux City, IA), where he served as morning show host and farm director. Then, he went on to WHO (Des Moines, IA) as part of the Marconi Award winning air-staff, as well as serving a lengthy stint at WNAX (Yankton, SD).

Howard Hale (KSIR, Minatare, NE) and Emily Pile are two western Nebraska residents who were recognized by The University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center for their decades of service to agriculture and Extension. The Service to Panhandle Agriculture Award was presented to Howard Hale and The Service to Panhandle Extension Award was presented to Elaine Pile of Gering, NE.

Broadcast Council  
Monte James, Farm Director/Network Sales, Your Ag Network Inc., Yankton, SD
Terry James, News and Ag Director, WJBC-AM Radio, Bloomington, IL 

Management Sales
Doug Edge, Manager-New Business Development, Farm Journal Broadcasting, Rosedale, IN 

Happy 2016! Here is to a profitable new year to you and your shops! The new year is going to be an exciting one for our organization. With the final wave of our research being completed to some new learning opportunities there should be something for everyone to take advantage of this year.

Each year since joining Brownfield Ag News (Jefferson City, MO), Tom Steever has produced an hour-long Year in Review. In mid- November, all Brownfield broadcasters gather on a conference call to talk about what stories should be included and who should produce the segment on each particular story. “Much of the audio used in the show is what was gathered at the time the story was current, while some is provided through interviews with those reflecting on the year just passed,” Tom said. Among top stories of 2015 was the planting, growing and harvest season, which is a perennial inclusion in the show.