Michigan Farm Radio Network broadcaster, Nicole (Schaendorf) Heslip was featured in the March issue of Michigan Farmer as part of their Women in Agriculture series. She was the youngest to be featured. Nicole graduated with a degree in Agricultural and Natural Resources Communications at Michigan State University (MSU) in 2010. After graduation, she had the opportunity to work at Michigan Farm Radio Network. “My love for Michigan agriculture, public speaking and food was a great fit for the role as the Agri-News Reporter,” she said. Nicole grew up on a family dairy farm in West Michigan. Her parents bought the farm with just 32 milking cows and continuously expanded it over the past 20 years to the 2,800 they milk today. The family also runs a custom harvesting business, which employees about 100 seasonal workers to harvest crops for large dairies in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. The business also provides a variety of farm products and services including commodity, milk and manure hauling
At MSU, she specialized in Public Relations and Agri-Business Management. “While I did not take any broadcast- specific classes, I had a few projects that were broadcast related. My first interview with MFRN was actually in high school on my SAE project for FFA, which included serving as a national farm safety ambassador for Farm Safety 4 Just Kids and creating a chapter in Michigan. I also came in to the studios in college while serving as an FFA State Officer for an interview on our state convention.” As a student, she worked for the ANR Communications Department at MSU with event services. “Many of the events I now cover for MFRN, I actually helped coordinate and supported their communication efforts. I also served as a Michigan Dairy Ambassador promoting Michigan’s dairy industry.” Also, she interned with Filament Marketing, a public relations firm in Madison, WI, with a beef and dairy focus.
Michigan Farm Radio Network provides 19 daily broadcasts and one long-format weekend program to 26 affiliates throughout Michigan. Those reports are aired anytime from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Daily noon and morning reports are posted on-line as is the weekend Ag Focus program. During National Ag Week, Michigan celebrated its 10th Annual Ag Day at the Capitol in Lansing. More than 30 agriculture groups filled the halls of the Capitol to share more about the state’s second largest industry and the issues important to farmers.
The month of March in Michigan was also declared “Food and Agriculture” Month by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. Michigan agriculture generates more than $96 billion in economic activity each year from the 300 food and ag commodities produced on 52,194 farms. The month featured a variety of events throughout the state and on social media platforms that brought attention to the diversity of Michigan agriculture and the farmers who feed us.
As for the role of farm broadcasters, Nicole said, “I believe it’s our duty to provide the most up-to-date and accurate information available that is important to the daily lives of farmers. Just as farmers are passionate about their crops and animals, I share that same passion to communicate for agriculture. I’ve heard many stories about how some farm broadcasters even farm themselves, but is it a higher calling? I think it’s more about doing what we love and helping those who don’t know the business of agriculture learn a little something about where their food comes from. We are still journalists, reporters and news media. It’s important to present the facts, wherever they may fall. Sometimes stories pop up that might not be ideal for agriculture. When stories like “pink slime” come up and GM labeling becomes a ballot issue, I do believe it’s our job to tell the story from agriculture’s perspective and present the facts to the best of our abilities.” We asked her for her thoughts about “airing on the side of agriculture.” She said, “I think of it as a newsletter that offers me a chance to learn more about my fellow broadcasters and their issues in other parts of the county. We have just four farm broadcasters in Michigan. Learning about others and their activities provides a sense of camaraderie throughout the year, even if we might see each other once or twice a year.”
