What began with a handful of radio stations more than two decades ago has reached a new milestone: the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network now has 150 affiliates carrying farm programming across the state.
For Carey Martin, general manager of the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network, the milestone is evidence that farm radio continues to have an important place in rural communities.
“To me, it shows that radio is still very important to farmers and ranchers because these radio stations that are adding our programming see a need in their local area to service the farm and ranch audience,” Martin said.
The network was founded in 2002 by then-Texas Farm Bureau director of communications Gene Hall and longtime Texas farm broadcaster Curt Lancaster, a past NAFB president and NAFB Hall of Fame member.
Martin said the network was created as farm broadcasters disappeared from stations across the state.
“Texas Farm Bureau stepped up and provided the resources to start a network to try to get farm broadcasting on more radio stations,” Martin said. “It’s been a very successful venture.”
When Martin joined the network nearly seven years ago, it had 62 affiliates. Since then, the team has continued fine-tuning its programming for stations and their audiences, and the network now has 150 affiliates
The network offers 14 daily programs ranging from 60-second market updates to its 30-minute “Texas Ag Today” morning show. Other programming covers agricultural news, Washington policy, veterinary topics and auction barn results.
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Its weekly “Farm Bureau Roundup” predates the network itself and has aired for more than 70 years, featuring reports from different regions of Texas.
For Martin, reaching 150 affiliates also demonstrates what local radio can provide that other platforms cannot.
“For a radio station to survive today, it has to serve its local community,” he said. “They’re looking for programming that will make them different from an internet jukebox playing music.”
While the network continues to grow, Martin said the loss of local stations remains concerning.
“It breaks my heart every time a local community loses their hometown radio station,” he said.
Those changes have made expanding beyond traditional broadcasting increasingly important. “Texas Ag Today” is available as a daily podcast, while KTFB 89.3 FM in Waco is promoted statewide through online streaming and the station’s app. Martin said app downloads and listening minutes continue to increase.
Regardless of what technology delivers farm programming in the years ahead, Martin said the mission remains reaching agricultural audiences.
“If that’s where the farmers and ranchers are, we’ll go to them there,” Martin said. “We may not look the same in the future, but I still believe we will be relevant.”
Photo: From left, Tom Nicolette, Carey Martin and Jessica Domel
