Julie Harker (Brownfield Ag News, Jefferson City, MO) has been covering agriculture and consumer news for Brownfield since 2007. This has included events in her home state of Missouri and beyond – from Washington, DC, to Germany. Also, she produces a daily, 90-second consumer education program, Healthy Living, aimed at informing consumers about food and nutrition, striving to dispel commonly held misconceptions about them. Some of her most meaningful interviews, she says, are the stories of heartache and resilience directly from farmers and ranchers going through tremendous challenges. She has worked in the news division of the Brownfield parent company, Learfield Communications, for 25 years and is a voice listeners rely on. She was raised mostly in rural Missouri, and her father was editor of The Ozark Mountaineer magazine. His column “Adventures in the Ozarks” led Julie as a youngster to many cultural festivals, hikes and backroads. 

Julie majored in electronic media and communications at Southwest Missouri State University. Prior to joining Learfield Communications as a reporter for the Missourinet, she worked for several local radio stations in Arkansas and Missouri. Julie said one of the most memorable series she produced for Brownfield was about returning veterans and veterans going into farming for the first time. She featured several veterans who were either developing organic or commercial operations. Julie realizes much of her work is “airing on the side of agriculture,” but as a journalist, she works to cover all sides of the story. Her mentors in farm broadcasting are Cyndi Young, Tom Steever and the Brownfield Ag News team. Cyndi hired Julie eight years ago to focus on agriculture and consumer information, and Tom is one of the extensive team members of the Brownfield agricultural reporters with whom she enjoys sharing her farm broadcasting profession. Moving into farm broadcasting was both a career-enhancing and life-enhancing experience for her. Julie is the recipient of the National Farmers Union Milt Hakel Award for Excellence in Ag Journalism and several awards for ag news and market reporting from NAFB. Beyond farm broadcasting, she aspires to another goal. “One of my goals in life is to become a Master Gardener. I have a small backyard vegetable garden and I’m chairman of our church’s community garden, which helps feed our neighbors.”