After a five-year stint teaching college, Mike Davis, the new News Director for the Southern Farm Network (Raleigh, NC), is excited to be a part of this staple for rural and small-town families. “For 43 years, SFN has been the go-to place for information about agriculture news, crop markets, agritourism and informative reports and interviews with the agricultural newsmakers in the Carolinas,” Mike said. He grew up in Knightdale, NC, back in the days when it was a “wide place in the road” outside of Raleigh, so his heart has always belonged to rural families. “Even though I am not a farmer, I feel a connection with rural America dating back to my roots,” Mike said. “All my family are from small towns and farming communities in eastern North Carolina, and I have an appreciation for the work ethic they demonstrated to me. It's an unpretentious and honest way of life, and I love that.” From his roots in rural North Carolina, Davis ventured to NC State University, where his father, Walter Davis, worked in crop science for 40 years, including instrumental research on Raleigh St. Augustine grass. From there, the younger Davis finished his undergraduate degree in communication (mass media) at Toccoa Falls College in Georgia and received his master’s degree in business communication from Louisiana Baptist University. It wasn’t long after he returned home that his talent was recognized, and he moved his young family to the remote island of Guam to serve as a director for international Christian broadcaster Trans World Radio. The gentle and kind Guamanian people made the Davises feel right at home. The Chamorro people of the western Pacific paradise had much the same spirit as the good, solid people of North Carolina. The tropical climate and landscape also made Guam feel like a North Carolina summer to the Davis family, enhanced by a similar agricultural balance in the economy (Guam is 33% agricultural and North Carolina is 27%). Another nod to his father comes in the form of a passion for old cars, especially Studebakers. Davis owns a 1964 Champ pickup truck that began its life on a strawberry farm in Oregon. Affectionately naming the truck “Stuey,” Davis says, “It reminds me of my dad. I was driving down a country road and passed a farm that had the truck for sale. When I saw it, I thought ‘That’s my Dad, right there!’ I knew that the truck had to be mine, so it followed me home.” Stuey is the same model as the one the senior Davis drove to the vast family garden in the 1970s. Davis is an avid supporter of the Farm-to-Fork movement and has been actively promoting this grassroots effort for years. He volunteers to emcee many events surrounding the movement and his upbeat, inclusive style invites everyone to have a good time while enjoying “Got to Be NC” grown foods. Mike says, “Don’t look for any huge difference right away with SFN, but over time, you will notice a movement toward more family and consumer-oriented programming. We want to expand our reach by providing news, features and information that is vital to the people in small-town and rural North and South Carolina. That will include consumer news, entertainment, education issues, and national and international issues pertaining to agriculture and more.”
