NAFB Blog

Cyndi Young, Ag Operations Director for Brownfield, announced the additions of farm broadcasters Nicole Heslip and Mark Dorenkamp beginning this week to the Brownfield agriculture network team.  Nicole is the Anchor/Reporter of Michigan Brownfield, the former Michigan Farm Radio Network. Nicole lives in Michigan and is providing on-the-ground coverage of Michigan agriculture. Mark is Anchor/Reporter of Minnesota Brownfield, which replaces former Minnesota Farm Network programming this week. Both will be backed by an award-winning team of 10 agricultural journalists, all Broadcast Council members of NAFB, along with an ag meteorologist, Washington, DC policy analyst and two market analysts. 

Nearly 600 members of the St. Joseph, MO, business community attended the 11th Annual Farm City Breakfast March 20, where Tom Brand, the NAFB Executive Director and former longtime farm broadcaster at KFEQ (St. Joseph, MO) was named the 2015 Hall of Fame Award winner. 

Russell Pierson (WKY, Oklahoma City, OK) died March 31, 2015. He was 103. He became farm director at WKY in 1959 and retired in 1980. He was elected NAFB President in 1973 after being named NAFB Farm Broadcaster of the Year in 1972. He was inducted into the NAFB Hall of Fame in 1992.

“February has been the coldest month on record for most of the Northeast. Many places across the region have endured record snowfall as well,” reports Tom Cassidy, (Ag Radio Network, Inc., Barneveld, NY). “Locally, we haven't seen a temperature above freezing since January 28, and there are none in the forecast. Snow can be moved, pushed or piled but there isn't much one can do to prepare for the wicked, bitter cold,” he added. “Water freezing has been a big problem on farms. Many places have had to dig for new water lines (and then insulate them) to their water source.” Fire companies are trucking water to some farms; bulk milk trucks are back-hauling water to others. Rural municipalities are having record numbers of water and sewer main breaks and frozen service entrances. “These cold temperatures are a true testament to the hardiness of farmers,” Tom said. “Livestock need to be fed, milked, cleaned up after and cared for, not to mention the extra work required in the deep freeze like equipment that doesn't want to work and snow to move.”

The 2015 Pennsylvania Farm Show, January 9-16, drew an estimated 700,000 people, reports Dave Williams (Pennsylvania Farm Country Radio Network, Honesdale, PA). The majority of the attendees were not farmers, but consumers wanting a better understanding of where their food comes from, he added. The show offers the farming community of Pennsylvania the opportunity to help the general public gain a much better understanding of modern production agriculture.