“In December of 2017 after 43 years of being on the radio, I suddenly found myself wondering whether my broadcast career was over,” said Mike Adams (Adams on Agriculture, Jacksonville, IL). Among the many emails and phone calls Mike received, there was one in particular that caught him by surprise. “Lance Knudson with the American Ag Network called to see what my plans were for the future. I told him I really wasn't sure, and we agreed to talk again after the holidays. Little did I know that phone call was the door opening to the next stage of my career. When we talked again in January, Lance explained he wanted to start a syndicated radio show based on news content and using the contacts and experiences I had gained over the years. It seemed too good to be true. A few days later I talked again with Lance and Mark Swendsen about different ideas and possibilities. The more we talked the more interested I became, and we soon reached an agreement.”
Mike continued, “I started with them on February 1 with a plan of going on the air March 5. There was a lot to do in a short period of time; and looking back, I'm still not sure how we did it. Equipment had to be ordered, satellite service worked out, and we had to find stations to carry the show.” The American Ag Network team took care of the technical side, and Mike started calling radio station owners and managers he knew. “I'll be forever grateful to the several stations that trusted me and said they would carry a show that at that point was just a concept. Every day brought new challenges to be resolved as we prepared to meet the launch date of Adams on Agriculture. It had been almost three months since I was last on the air, by far the longest stretch I had ever gone in more than 40 years. I had kept up on the news and issues as best I could and started to put together a guest list for the new show.” Mike said they were still testing equipment the day before they went on the air, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when that first show was finished. “There were plenty of rough spots those first few weeks, but we were able to quickly work through them. The show focuses on issues important to farmers and rural America, and there has been no shortage of topics to talk about thanks in large part to President Trump who seems to supply topics of discussion every day. As both host and producer of the show, I try to have guests that provide good perspectives and analysis of issues such as the farm bill, trade, renewable fuels, immigration, markets and health care. I have four guests each day and work closely with ag groups, members of Congress, and the USDA. I also enjoy talking with other journalists, both print and broadcast, to find out what they are hearing and reporting on. Basically, I get to moderate a panel discussion on the hot topics of the day.” Mike concludes, “We've come a long way in less than a year and have had good response from listeners and our affiliate stations, with several more planning on joining us after the first of the year. My thanks to all who have helped make 2018 a year I will never forget.”
