Members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting are sad to hear that former member Rex Messersmith, age 84, of Lincoln, Nebraska passed away April 15. Rex joined NAFB in 1956 and enjoyed a career in radio broadcasting for 55 years. He started as a Nebraska Co-op Extension Service specialist, was farm director and manager of WNAX radio in Yankton, …
Agri-Pulse Presents 2016 Doan Award
Yesterday during the Agri-Pulse Farm to Fork Politics discussion and reception the annual Doan Award was presented to Ben Nuelle, Iowa Agribusiness Farm Network. The award is sponsored by Agri-Pulse and was presented by Senator Pat Roberts from Kansas and Greg Akagi current National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) president. The Doan recognizes and encourages excellence in reporting agriculture. The …
Passing of Jack Farmakis
We just learned that Jack Farmakis has passed away and are saddened to hear it. Once upon a time his company represented the first company that Cindy, Gary Cooper and I started in Florida. And his company now represents Gary’s Southeast AgNet and AgNet West. Jack was an active member of NAFB since 1974 and left his mark on the …
NAFB Emeritus Rankin Passes Away
The National Association of Farm Broadcasting announced this week that Emeritus NAFB member Charlie Rankin has passed away. Charlie was an NAFB member for 61 years. Rankin “retired” from broadcasting in 1990, but remained on the air for several years. In addition to broadcasting, Charlie was passionate about Texas A&M and rodeo and was a founding president of the National …
Updates from Case IH at #NAFB15
The Case IH team was out in full force for the 2015 NAFB Trade Talk in Kansas City. One highlight for the well-known equipment company is their 20-year anniversary of tracks on their Steiger tractor. Mitch Kaiser, marketing manager for the Steiger tractor line, said the 2016 enhancements set the bar for high performance, operator experience and all around improvements. …
NAFB Hall of Famer Johnnie Hood Passes
So sad to hear that legendary southern farm broadcaster Johnnie Hood passed away suddenly the day after Thanksgiving at the age of 72. Johnnie was one of our very first friends in NAFB, back in the day when he served as president in 1985 at the midpoint of his career as a radio farm broadcaster on WPTF in Raleigh, North …
Ethos XB from FMC
Earlier this month FMC announced the launch of Ethos™ XB insecticide/fungicide, the first of its kind, integrated in-furrow product for insect and disease control. It just so happens that Rick Ekins, fungicide and insecticide portfolio manager for FMC, was attending the NAFB convention. We talked about the announcement and what it provides to farmers. Here’s some information on the product …
Update on John Deere Acquisitions
Earlier this month John Deere announced a couple of big acquisitions that include Precision Planting and Monosem. During the NAFB convention I got an update on those from Barry Nelson. The Monosem purchase allows John Deere to expand their planter lineup on a truly global basis when included with the Precision Planting purchase. The brand names will be continued according …
Propane Expansion is Good News for Ag Producers
Propane is expanding in production and the options for its use. During the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) convention in Kansas City, Missouri, Cindy caught up with Cinch Munson from the Propane Education and Research Council (PERC) who said that there are 102.4 million barrels of propane in storage right now – a nearly 30 percent increase from …
Update from @Better_Seed at #NAFB15
It’s always a pleasure for me to catch up with the sweet and lovely president of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), Risa DeMasi. We’ve been friends for three years now since she started her journey in the leadership of ASTA and it’s been really exciting to watch her grow into such a great spokesperson for such an important industry. …