John Gooding (WGFA/WIBK, Watseka, Illinois) was a typical farm kid growing up in rural America, participating in 4-H and FFA, and walking beans. When he graduated from the University of Illinois, where he studied economics, there really wasn’t enough acreage for him to return to the family farm. He went into banking for several years and attended The Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin.

Just thinking about how much he has loved broadcasting, Max Armstrong (WGN, Chicago, Illinois) offered his reflections about this business and how grateful he is for his various opportunities.

A new name to watch in farm broadcasting is Kirsten Rall. She is a 2019 ag communications graduate of North Dakota State University (NDSU), who started as an intern and is now the newest full-time member of the American Ag Network team. 

KWCL-FM, in Oak Grove, Louisiana, an affiliate of the Louisiana Agri-News Network (now Voice of Louisiana Agriculture Radio Network) for more than 30 years, was honored as 2019 Radio Station of the Year by the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation.

If you have lived in the Midwest, specifically eastern Iowa, you have no doubt heard the voice of Roger King, news director, KOEL-AM (Oelwein, Iowa). King started at KOEL in 1989 and was promoted to news director in 1999. He has been reporting the news to northeast Iowans for more than 30 years.