Shannon Yokley (Brownfield Ag News, Jefferson City, Missouri) was named the 2019 recipient of the NAFB Horizon Award, which honors high-achieving farm broadcasters early in their careers. The Jefferson City native had not realized that her degree in science and agricultural journalism would lead her right back from where she came. Yokley grew up raising and showing livestock, with her passion focused on the Angus cattle business.
4-H and FFA were big staples in her youth. She was the first one from her Catholic high school to attend the public school’s career center for agricultural education classes. Yokley served as high-school newspaper editor and freelanced for the Jefferson City News Tribune in her spare time.
The University of Missouri was always the school she wanted to attend; Yokley joked that her father might disown her if she went anywhere else. Her parents are alums; and her father, Wayne, made sure she never missed a Mizzou football game or alumni outing, parade, or tailgate. The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) was a natural home for Yokley. When combined with her love for writing and storytelling, and her lackluster talent for math, the journalism school seemed like a great fit for her as well.
While in school, Yokley was an NAFB student member. She can recall the day she signed up for her membership from a flier on the bulletin board in the science and ag journalism lab. Involvement is important to Yokley. Some of her favorite college memories were serving as president of Sigma Alpha Professional Agricultural Sorority, being a Litton Leadership Scholar, studying abroad in France, and traveling on the Mizzou Livestock Judging Team. She was named CAFNR’s Outstanding Junior in 2014.
In 2014, Yokley’s cattle connections led her to Simmental producer and Brownfield’s Cyndi Young, who was seeking an intern for the summer. She was accepted for the internship and continued to work on Fridays during her last two college semesters. While at Brownfield, Yokley received an NAFB Foundation Scholarship, which helped her in her last semester of college. When Brownfield’s opening for the digital products coordinator position came open, she applied with no hesitation. She accepted Young’s offer before her graduation in May 2015. Next year will mark five years for Yokley in this role.
Yokley describes her job as a lot of digital and a little radio. She manages the Brownfield website, social-media platforms, metrics reporting, client projects, video projects and editing, design work, and her AgriAmerica radio show. She also helps produce market programs such as the twice-daily Market Minute and the Weekly Livestock Market Update. Yokley also describes herself as a professional troubleshooter and problem solver.
In 2018, Yokley attended the NAFB and Friends Journey to China as the only female broadcaster. Her favorite parts of the trip were climbing as far as she could go on the Great Wall of China, experiencing the Wet Market in Guangzhou, and walking around Hong Kong and Beijing. She produced a video featuring a farmer and industry member, who both attended the trip, which won first place in NAFB’s 2018 Marketcast Video Feature contest.
At the 2019 NAFB Convention, Yokley was honored with the Horizon Award. She said she shares this honor with her team and all her mentors who helped her start her career – Cyndi Young, Meghan Grebner, Kent Faddis, and Christine Tew, to name a few.
One of Yokley’s favorite parts about NAFB is the camaraderie. With her team members including Cyndi Young and Tom Steever, she has heard many stories of the “old days” of NAFB. She enjoys hearing the wild tales of the past and looks forward to adding new chapters from NAFB’s newer generation, the Young Gunz.
