NAFB Blog

In January 2026, NAFB President DeLoss Jahnke wrote a column for Radio World, where he described the connection that farm broadcasters make every day with farmers and ranchers.

In the column, he tells the story of how farm broadcasters break through the noise every day with trust and relevancy to reach farmers, ranchers and rural audiences.

For Anita Vanderwert, agriculture has never been a phase or a profession—it has been a lifelong calling shaped by family, experience and service. Raised in Missouri’s cattle community, Vanderwert grew up learning the industry from the ground up, spending her formative years alongside her parents in barns, show rings and pastures across the Midwest.

Growing up in a family deeply rooted in agriculture, Sydney Septer was introduced to the industry at an early age. Raised on an acreage in southern Iowa, she began her agricultural journey through a cow-calf operation, raising Angus cattle as part of her FFA supervised agricultural experience.

Growing up on a corn and soybean farm in central Ohio, Maci Carter was immersed in agriculture from a young age. From delivering meals to the field with her mom to riding in the cab of a tractor with her dad, agriculture was part of everyday life.