“We are excited to have Rhiannon Branch join Brownfield as an anchor/reporter,” says Cyndi Young, Director of Brownfield and Ag Operations. Rhiannon will be based in south central Illinois. “Her developing skill set as a farm broadcaster coupled with a passion for agriculture make her the perfect fit for our team.” Rhiannon adds, “Two years ago, I had never considered broadcasting as a career. I took an internship with the Illinois Farm Bureau and RFD Radio because of my interest in their printed publication, but it is obvious that Rita Frazer and DeLoss Jahnke had different plans for me. After being notified about receiving the Orion Samuelson Scholarship and being invited to my first NAFB convention, Rita and DeLoss took me under their wings and set me loose at Trade Talk. It was chaotic, but it was the most fun I had ever had behind a microphone. I made up my mind that day that farm broadcasting was my ‘dream job’ after college. After my scholarship acceptance speech, a woman I had never met came up to me with a business card and told me to call her sometime. A week later, a phone call to Cyndi Young snowballed into an internship and now a full-time position with some of the best in the business. It is obvious that I would not be in this position without the opportunities provided through NAFB and the guidance of the incredible broadcasters involved in the association. Knowing that agriculture is a huge industry, I was always open to taking a position in whatever location I was directed, but Illinois has been and always will be home. I am excited to be on the ground in my home state, serving the industry that helped shaped me into the person I am today.”
Rhiannon grew up in Iuka, Illinois, and was an active member on the local, state and national levels in both 4-H and FFA. Beef cattle, poultry, public speaking, and communications were a few of her activities. She graduated with an associate of arts degree from Kaskaskia College in 2017, where she was a member of a national champion dairy judging team and the Post-Secondary Agriculture Students organization. She then went on to Murray State University (MSU), where she was a member of the Alpha Upsilon chapter of Sigma Alpha Professional Agriculture Sorority and earned a BS in agri-science technology with an emphasis in communications and public relations. She completed her education at MSU studying abroad in Ireland. Her background and passion for agriculture coupled with her talent for public speaking led her to complete an internship with RFD Radio in 2017. Her love for farm broadcasting was discovered through working at RFD Radio, traveling to county fairs, and interviewing ag students, farmers, and ag professionals. In the fall of 2017, Rhiannon was awarded the Orion Samuelson Scholarship from NAFB. She then secured and completed an internship with Brownfield Ag News in the summer of 2018, where her passion for informing the agricultural community grew even more. Rhiannon and her fiancé, Ian, reside in southern Illinois where they enjoy camping, volunteering as 4-H leaders, attending country music concerts, and spoiling their Blue Heeler puppy, Freedom. She is excited to represent Brownfield as a fresh, informative voice to Midwestern farmers. Brownfield Ag News creates and delivers original content across multiple media platforms. Brownfield includes the largest and one of the oldest agricultural news radio networks in the country. More than 500 affiliate radio stations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin are in a contractual partnership to carry agricultural programming created by Brownfield’s team of 12 full-time farm broadcasters.
