Reba McClone is a new farm assistant at the Wisconsin Farm Report and will be learning from Pam Jahnke. Agricultural broadcasting is not what she originally planned to have as her career, but she is glad that those original plans have changed. Since she was little, McClone remembers loving animals — from playing with the barn cats that jumped into the playpen that her dad pulled down the barn isle when she was little, to feeding calves as she got a bit older, and even to training her own horse. McClone has always held an affinity towards animals. This had inspired her original career plans to become a large animal veterinarian. (At left, Reba McClone interviews Abigail Martin, newly selected 72nd Alice in Dairyland.) From 2013-2014, McClone served as the Wisconsin State FFA Reporter; during that time, she found that many people don’t know much, if anything, about agriculture. When at the Wisconsin State Fair, she was asked by an adult, “Which cows produce chocolate milk?” Realizing it wasn’t a joke, she decided to use her life experiences to teach people about the ag industry.
McClone is a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate with a degree in life sciences communications and a certificate in agriculture and life sciences business management. During her college years, she was involved in campus groups and worked at the Dairy Cattle Center, milking cows and occasionally giving tours. She greatly enjoyed when her course work pushed her to think about how those outside of agriculture might think about the industry and how she could work to help improve that perception.
“I think a lot of people aren’t as lucky as I was to have grown up in farming their whole lives. If I can help people understand and learn about what I considered to be normal while growing up, I’ll at least have made some impact on the industry,” McClone said.
McClone is excited to start a career in agricultural broadcasting. She finds the pace to be exciting and is anxious to learn more about the industry. Connecting with people and spreading the word of agriculture is so much more than just a job to her, and she can’t wait to get going. Showing horses and beef cattle, and staying involved with dairy after her family sold its cows, allowed her to gain a sense of responsibility and a hard work ethic that she credits with getting her to where she is today. In her free time, McClone likes to read, volunteer, and spend time with her rescued pit bull. (At left, Reba McClone interviews Omar Guerrero, co-owner of Drake Dairy.)
