With the desire to tell the unique stories of the many people throughout the central part of the country and beyond, the crew at KFRM (Clay Center, KS) had a brainstorming session in Kyle Bauer's office one day and, as they say, the rest is history.  Duane Toews reports, “While the vast majority of our programming focused on the dollars and cents of production agriculture and agri-business, we knew there were some really special stories to be told that had nothing to do with what we focus on every day.” On the Front Porch is a long form, talk program with five different hosts covering each day of the week.

Clint Ridley of rural St. Onge, SD, is a commodity market analyst for KBHB (Sturgis, SD). Clint started his radio broadcast journey in 2012, following the departure of NAFB member Chase Adams from the radio chair. For Clint, reporting on the commodity markets isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life. “I run a cattle brokerage business, so understanding the markets, what makes them move, and relaying them to the public came natural to me,” said Clint. He sources feeder cattle to customers from the Dakotas to Texas, along with being a fifth generation rancher on his family ranch. He believes that being diversified in agriculture is important.

Mick Kjar reports that the Ag Central Radio Network is on the air. This network covers North and South Dakota and adjacent areas of western Minnesota.  “It’s a little different than your normal or traditional radio network.  Yes, we do farm news; in fact, nine three-minute reports and nine 90-second reports daily,” he said.   “But stations can carry these as they fit into their programming, and not at a regular ‘hit time’ as is usually done on a radio network.” Mick adds, “The same format for weather programming is offered, with five longer version weather analysis programs and hourly 30-second weather forecasts 24 hours a day, and again, stations air the weather programs when it fits into their programming.” 

Farm broadcaster Michelle Rook is no stranger to farm television. It has been a part of her career since college.  “I had the opportunity to do some television reporting for Ag Communications while I was a student at South Dakota State University.  Since that time, I have always been doing some form of television reporting or on-air work, in tandem with my job in radio,” she says.   She has had every experience in television serving as an editor, producer, anchor, meteorologist and reporter.  Rook will be using those skills as the new anchor of AgWeek TV, a weekly syndicated farm television program seen on stations in South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and Canada.

Tim Marshall has been named Chief Operating Officer of the Nebraska Rural Radio Association, according to NRRA General Manager Craig Larson. "Tim has been with the company for nearly five years and has done an excellent job leading KRVN. Now, we're asking him to oversee some of the day-to-day operations within the company,” Craig said. The NRRA is the only farmer and rancher owned radio group in the country.