NAFB Blog

On December 1, Rhonda Garrison (Southern Farm Network, Raleigh, NC) concluded a near 20-year career in ag radio, 15 of those years behind the microphone and more than 10 of those years with Southern Farm Network. Rhonda got her start in ag broadcasting with KGNC-AM (Amarillo, TX).  She began first in ag advertising sales transitioning into broadcasting full-time in the spring of 2003.

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.

Carey Martin said his interest in radio started in high school when he would listen to the DJs count down the top-10 hits each night on the radio.  “Since I was a farm boy growing up on a beef cattle and dairy farm, it made sense that I would pursue a career in farm broadcasting. During college, I was fortunate to work internships with Doug Thomas at the Southern States Network, Don Molino at the Louisiana Agri-News Network and Mike Danna at the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation.

“I love an adventure.” That’s the first thing Sabrina Hill says when asked why she has chosen to leave California, and a network she helped build, for the Northern Plains. Hill was Farm News Director for AgNet West from 2012 until December 31, when love of adventure and love otherwise led her to North Dakota.

Gary Cooper (AgNet Media, Ocala, FL) attended the 26th Annual “Sommet de l’Elevage” in Clermont-Ferrand, France, an event that has become one of the largest livestock shows in the world. Translated from French, it’s the Livestock Summit, and it’s held there at its permanent facility early each October. This year’s three-day Sommet involved more than 93,000 visitors from 32 countries, nearly 1,500 vendor exhibits, and more than 2,000 live animals on display.