Meghan Grebner (Brownfield Ag News, Fishers, IN) returned August 22 from travel with a group of young farmers to Panama and Ecuador to see their soybean checkoff dollars at work. The annual See For Yourself Tour is sponsored by the United Soybean Board. Participants represented a variety of agricultural regions, but shared at least one common bond – soybeans. To put this in perspective, Meghan said, “A recent study from Texas A&M showed that for every $1 that goes into the soybean checkoff, a farmer sees a $5.20 return on investment.”

Platte City, MO (September 5, 2014) – The National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) has purchased the current headquarters professional office building in Platte City, Mo. The purchase was made after a lengthy discovery phase starting last December by the NAFB Executive Board, Executive Director, association advisors and an Exploratory Committee. The Board of Directors approved the purchase decision during the Summer Board Meeting, July 24, 2014.

Completing her second summer as a recipient of a NAFB Foundation Internship Grant at KKOW (Pittsburg, KS), Anissa Zagonel was born and raised in southeast Kansas. She graduated from Girard High School in 2013, where she was involved in FFA. Currently, a sophomore at Kansas State University, she is majoring in agricultural communications and journalism, with a minor in agronomy. 

Retired farm broadcaster Roddy Peeples is turning his people skills sharpened by years of farm broadcasting toward welcoming travelers arriving at Dallas/Ft.Worth International Airport (DFW). Even though Roddy sold the Voice of Southwest Agriculture (VSA) Radio Network in Texas in 1995 to Clear Channel Communications, he continued broadcasting for the network several times a month until about six years ago. Roddy and wife, Bettimae, moved to Dallas from San Angelo, TX, in 1997, and in 1999 Roddy joined the then fledgling DFW Airport Ambassador program as a volunteer. 

DeAnna J. Thomas, Allied Industry member from LG Seeds has changed positions.  She’s begun her new role as Midwest Central Agriculture Education teacher and FFA Advisor in Manito, IL.  She’ll miss telling the LG Seeds story and working with NAFB, but in her new role, she will be using her skills to teach an agricultural communications course.