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.
“Sadly, in 2010, my oldest brother got cancer and eventually passed away. It seemed that this might be the right time to leave the corporate world and return to our family farm, where I farm with my other brother and help manage a Pioneer Seed dealership.”
A couple years after that, he was contacted by WGFA, the local radio station and asked to be a farm broadcaster.
“It's a lot to keep track of. Hopefully, my day-to-day experiences on our farm enhance what I bring to the radio,” Gooding said. “I personally know what the crop conditions are in our listening area. I know firsthand the frustration with the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE). My broadcasts from the local fairgrounds are personal because my kids are showing cattle. My relationship with Pioneer Seed keeps me current on what pests to be watching out for and other agronomic news and trends. Lastly, my background in economics gives the listeners some insight into the financial state of farming. Farm broadcasting is important. In difficult times, like we are experiencing now, communication among all of us in agriculture is more important than ever.”
