NAFB Blog

Congratulations to all of the 2014 NAFB Award Winners. Awards were handed out during the recent 71st NAFB Convention held in Kansas City, MO, November 12-14, 2014.

Rose Marie Lawrence and her husband, Everett, celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary in late October. Rose Marie retired from NAFB two years ago, but she still comes back to help with the Annual NAFB Convention. You can congratulate her in person at this year’s convention. She was hired by Ken Root in 2003.

As Carrie Muehling celebrates 10 years as Agribusiness Director at WJBC (Bloomington, IL), this month, she reports on a unique Moms Tour. “This fall it has been fun to ride along with area farmers as they bring in a record harvest of corn and soybeans. One of those opportunities came with McLean County farmers, Gerald and Tyler Thompson (father/son), as they hosted a group of local moms who are part of the Illinois Farm Families program.” Illinois Farm Families began this program a few years ago with Chicago-area field moms, and while that original program continues, others have popped up all over the state.

Ken Root was part of a small delegation that traveled to South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia in October to look at investing in farm land. Underwritten by People's Company, a farm real estate firm based in Des Moines, IA, Ken was accompanied by a videographer and an investment analyst. Trip video will be used at the January 23 Land Investment Expo in Des Moines. Ken’s group was shown several farms by Koos DeKlerk, general manager of Emvest Investments, and Susan Payne, Executive Chairman of Emvest Investments.

KICD/KLLT Radio hired Ben Maurer for a 10-week internship this past summer. “Ben assisted us in the news, weather and farm departments. He traveled with our farm broadcasters, Dan Skelton and Troy Leininger, to some of the county fairs this summer, and he conducted interviews with 4-H’ers showing at the fair,” reports Kevin Tlam, Operations Manager of KICD. Ben is in his senior year at South O’Brien High School and plans to attend Iowa Lakes Community College.