As I look at the calendar and wrap my head around the idea that it’s almost July, I reflect back on the excitement of the last 15 months.  In April 2013 I moved to Nashville, Tenn., when I joined the team at RFD TV. Between NAFB activities and a new job, the end of 2013 came around in the blink of an eye.

FORMER FARM BROADCASTER NAMED TO AGRICULTURAL PUBLIC RELATIONS HALL OF FAME…Richard “Rich” Howell was one of two inductees named at the 2014 annual meeting of the Agricultural Relations Council.

KSIR Farm Director, Lorrie Boyer recently had the opportunity to tour Brush Meat Processing, the largest bison processing plant in the United States, processes over 200 buffalo per day.

NAFB Member, Marlin Bohling begin his new assignment last February, moving from KRVN and the Rural Radio Network (Lexington, NE) to RFD-TV and Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 80 based in Nashville, TN.

MINNESOTA FLOODING…near Mankato occurred where they had anywhere from 5 to 7 inches of rain on the night of June 17, reports Emery Kleven (Minnesota Farm Network, Minneapolis, MN).

STORMY WEATHER…Weather is always a popular topic of conversation in farming country, but it absolutely dominated the conversation in northwest Iowa and southern Minnesota in the past few weeks, reports Dan Skelton (KICD, Spencer, IA).

ABOUT HIS 57-YEAR RADIO CAREER…Neil Trobak (KCIM-KKRL-KIKD, Carroll Broadcasting, Carroll, IA) said, “I wouldn’t have wanted to do anything else.  It was fun!”  Neil officially retired on June 2 and was honored by about 150 of his station colleagues and local listeners on June 20.

A banquet celebration marking the 25th anniversary of the Classic Farm Tractor Calendar, along with a giant birthday cake, and an auction promise a fast start for this year’s Historic Farm Days in Penfield, IL, beginning on July 10 and sponsored by the I&I (Illinois and Indiana) Antique Engine and Tractor Club on their show grounds.  The banquet begins at 5:25 p.m. with Max Armstrong (WGN Radio, Chicago, IL) as emcee and is called the “John Harvey Hootenanny”— a roast and toast – to John Harvey.