Ben Nuelle rejoins the agricultural broadcasting and news community as an associate editor for Agri-Pulse Communications in Washington, D.C. He began working for the company in December. “It’s great to be back,” the Higginsville, Missouri, native said. “Sara Wyant and Al Johnson are great to work for and the thrill of reporting on agricultural policy from Capitol Hill is exciting.” Before joining Agri-Pulse, thinking he wanted to work in politics and government, Nuelle spent roughly a year working for Senator Joni Ernst as an agriculture assistant in Des Moines, Iowa. He visited almost all of the state’s 99 counties, helping the senator with agricultural and press duties as she traveled across the state. Nuelle said he “had a great time working for the senator and doesn’t discount a single moment,” but knew telling other people’s stories was what he enjoyed most. “I am so excited to have Ben on board,” Agri-Pulse President Sara Wyant said in a December release. “He was a freelancer for us while he worked at the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network, and we’ve continued to be impressed by his interest in the intersection of policy and politics.” Nuelle began his broadcasting career with 100.7 “The Farm” KMZU Radio in Carrollton, Missouri, as an overnight and weekend disc jockey. There he met RFD-TV’s Janet Adkison, then a farm broadcaster at the station. After attending college, Adkison encouraged Nuelle to move to Iowa and meet Ken Root, who runs Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network (IARN). While at IARN, Nuelle learned from Root the ins and outs of covering Iowa agriculture while knowing how to ask the right questions. “You’ll be drinking out of a firehose the first year, but keep at it,” Nuelle recalls Root telling him as they talked almost every weekday morning about the news of the day and what to follow. To follow, Nuelle received the coveted Doan Award presented by Agri-Pulse and NAFB later that year. As a triplet, Nuelle grew up on a hay-and-cattle farm and studied multimedia journalism at Northwest Missouri State University. While attending college, he worked for KXCV/KRNW radio as a morning news anchor and reporter. He also studied economics at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia, and interned for Radio America. You can hear Nuelle on Agri-Pulse’s DriveTime podcast released at 5 p.m. Eastern Monday through Friday as well as read his stories at Agri-Pulse.com.
