After a 43-year career in agriculture, Brownfield Ag News Anchor/Reporter Ken Anderson has decided to move on to the next stage of life. Anderson retired at the end of the year, signing off for the last time December 30.
“I love what I do and working for Brownfield for the past 12 years has been a wonderful experience,” Anderson said. “But I am looking forward to a slightly slower pace, spending more time with my wife, Ardella, seeing more of our kids and grandkids, and doing some traveling, as well.”
Anderson’s career has come full circle. It began in 1977 as a farm broadcaster at KRVN Radio in Lexington, Nebraska. In 1989, Anderson joined NC+ Hybrids in Lincoln, where he worked in advertising and marketing for 15 years. That was followed by stints with two Nebraska-based marketing communication firms. In the fall of 2008, the opportunity he had been wishing for came knocking.
“In the back of my mind, I always hoped I could return to radio, my first love. When I saw Brownfield had an opening for a farm broadcaster based in Nebraska, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I gave Cyndi Young a call and, fortunately for me, she took a chance on an old farm broadcaster. I’ll always be indebted to Cyndi for giving me this opportunity.”
Anderson has received several awards over the years, including the National Agricultural Marketing Association (NAMA) Excellence in Marketing Communications Award in 2002 and the NAFB Farm Broadcaster of the Year Award in 2014. His work also has been recognized by national and state farm and commodity organizations. Anderson is a past president of the NAFB Foundation Board of Directors and the Nebraska Agribusiness Club. He is a graduate of Nebraska’s ag leadership program (LEAD) and served on the Ag Leadership Council’s board of directors.
Ken and Ardella live in Lincoln, Nebraska. They have four children and 10 grandchildren.
Cyndi Young, director of Brownfield & Ag Operations, said her Brownfield colleagues are honored to have worked with Anderson as an anchor/reporter for these past 12 years.
“Ken’s professionalism and passion for getting a true and balanced story, and his humility are qualities we all greatly admire,” Young says. “He is a man of considerable integrity and a good friend. We wish Ken and Ardella the very best!”
Brownfield Ag News creates and delivers original content across multiple media platforms. Brownfield includes the largest and one of the oldest agricultural news radio networks in the country. More than 500 affiliate radio stations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin carry agricultural programming created by Brownfield’s award-winning team of a dozen full-time farm broadcasters. More information is available at www.brownfieldagnews.com.
Second photo: Anderson interviews Mike Johanns, then-U.S. Senator from Nebraska.
Third photo: Anderson interviews Zippy Duvall, president of American Farm Bureau.
