NAFB Emeritus Member and 1984 NAFB President, Art Sechrest (Bloomington, IL), center, is presented his award by 2017 President Max Armstrong, left, and 1999 NAFB President Mike Adams. Mike presented the 1999 award earlier when Mike was President. 

Farm Director Jim Dewey (WTAD, Quincy, IL) will be playing the role of Kris Kringle, aka Santa Claus, in the Studio 57 production of Miracle on 34th Street. The production will be done in a radio broadcast-style based on a script that was used on radio in the 1940s. The script for this production was adapted by Clark A. Cruikshank who is also voicing several roles.

Ag PhD, a regular feature carried on RFD-TV, has officially announced the company’s first-ever float in the 2018 Tournament of Roses® Parade. Their float, Salute to Farmers, brings a whole new meaning to Making a Difference. "RFD-TV is proud to support the Ag PhD float in the Rose Parade in every way possible," said Patrick Gottsch, Founder & President of RFD-TV

During the 74^th NAFB Convention, the 2018 NAFB Board of Directors were elected during member meetings. Congratulations to the following NAFB members as they will lead the association in 2018.  

Farm broadcasting has been a constant in the daily lives of farmers and ranchers for more than 75 years and continues to prove its worth in delivering live, local and current agricultural news today. Recent research conducted by the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB), found 88 percent of farmers in the U.S. listen to farm broadcasting three or more days per week. Farm radio continues to connect with the agricultural community daily, providing key knowledge on the day’s biggest ag news. 

Nebraska radio station KRVN 880 and the Rural Radio Network will add a news bureau and production studio at Nebraska Innovation Campus (NIC) this fall. NIC Executive Director Dan Duncan said, "KRVN's radio network across the state will enable NIC to connect to everyone in Nebraska and share our stories" KRVN is the 50,000-watt flagship of a nine-station network spanning Nebraska with coverage into Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming.

A series of 16 wildfires that initially began October 8, have consumed large areas of California’s wine growing regions in Yuba, Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Butte and Lake counties, reports Brian German (Multi-Media Journalist, AgNet Media, Inc., Fresno, CA). More than 210,000 acres have burned in total, destroying approximately 8,400 structures as of October 25, Brian said.

Tony Purcell (Texas State Networks, Dallas, TX) reports that Hurricane Harvey made landfall August 25, between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor, TX, as a Category 4 storm with winds of 130 mph. “In a four-day period, many areas received more than 40 inches of rain as the slow-moving storm meandered over east Texas causing catastrophic flooding. 

First reports of Florida crop damage from Hurricane Irma were conservatively estimated at about 50 percent crop loss, but Florida Ag Commissioner Adam Putnam stated he thinks it is more in the 80-plus percent crop loss range, reports Gary Cooper (Southeast AgNet Radio Network, Gainesville, FL). “Citrus damage was in all citrus growing areas, both east and west coast.

The first person to sit behind the Red River Farm Network (RRFN) microphone is retiring. Mike Hergert (RRFN, Grand Forks, ND) is an NAFB Hall of Fame (2015) broadcaster who co-founded the company and has been its guiding force over the past 21-plus years.