Convention Honors 50-Year Member Trio, Stewart Doan
National Rural Lifestyle Research Results Rolled Out
Leadership Elected for 2007, Pam Jahnke to National VP
NAFB Foundation Raises Dollars, Scholarship Levels
Bylaws Rewrite Introduced, Amended Charter Approved Gene Ragan and Harry Martin Inducted into NAFB Hall of
Fame 2006 Convention Sponsors
Coming in November 2007, the 63rd Annual Convention
National Association of Farm Broadcasting | P.O. Box 500 | Platte City, MO 64079
Convention Honors 50-Year Member Trio, Stewart Doan A visit and news conference by Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and special recognition of 50-year members Roddy Peoples, Orion Samuelson, and Evan Slack highlighted the 62nd annual NAFB Convention that gathered in Kansas City. Upwards of 700 total registrants were on hand during the 3-day "Farm and Rural Horizons" event, November 15-17, with attendance heaviest on Trade Talk day.
With their 50-year recognition plaques: (left to right) Roddy Peeples, Orion Samuelson, and Evan Slack.
Secretary Mike Johanns awarded the three scholarship winners with their special edition NAFB Foundation tractors, courtesy of Charleston|Orwig. Glenn Kummerow Scholarship winner Wravenna Phipps is pictured here.
About 250 attended a special session introducing NAFB's new Rural Lifestyle Research, a qualitative national survey yielding market demographics and media preference information. Roger Olson, Michelle Rook, and Ted Haller previewed the outcomes (see next item for more details), following the day's 6-hour Trade Talk News Forum. Lyle Orwig, chief executive officer of the Charleston |Orwig agency, Hartland, Wis., was celebrated on opening night in Kansas City's historic Union Station as 2006 recipient of the Association's Meritorious Service Award, now named in honor of retiring Historian Dix Harper. The only living signer of the Association's original Articles of Incorporation, in 1956, Dix was honored just prior to the Meritorious Service Award presentation.
Lyle Orwig accepts his Dix Harper Meritorious Service Award: (left to right) Pam Fretwell, Lyle Orwig and Dix Harper
Stewart Doan, a member since 1983 and Delta Regional Farm Director of the Yancey Ag Network/Clear Channel Communications, Little Rock, Ark., was introduced November 17 as NAFB "Farm Broadcaster of the Year" for 2006, while Andy Vance of the Buckeye Ag Radio Network, DeGraff, Ohio, was recognized with the Association's "Horizon Award," honoring a top broadcaster member active for five years or less.
Michael Vanausdeln (left) with Syngenta awarding Stewart Doan the 2006 Farm Broadcaster of the Year.
Dr. Kris Boone presents Marlin Bohling with the New Holland "Oscar in Agriculture."
You can see more of the 2006 NAFB Convention photos here. National Rural Lifestyle Research Results Rolled Out
On November 16, NAFB officially released the results of a comprehensive national research study on the rural lifestyle market. The 2006 Rural Lifestyle Innovations will assist NAFB members in creating programming and advertising opportunities to serve this audience. Project sponsors include the NAFB Foundation, J.L. Farmakis, Propane Education and Research Council, and American Farm Bureau Federation.
Some of the most revealing results of the study included radio being the rural lifestylers' media choice. Eighty-seven percent could name the radio stations they listen to, and 45 million of those age 18 and older said they were "frequent radio listeners." And 78 percent said weather was their programming preference, followed by business and financial reports. Also ranking high in listener-ship were yard and garden advice, property maintenance, "how to" advice, and business programs. Prior to the Rural Lifestyles Innovation Research Study, the NAFB commissioned two preliminary research studies on the rural lifestyle market. A 2004 study was conducted in a number of Iowa counties, and a 2005 study focused on the four-state region of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Georgia. More details on the 2006 study can be found on the NAFB Web site, www.nafb.com. Leadership Elected for 2007, Pam Jahnke to National VP The leadership of 2006 NAFB President Michelle Rook of WNAX was celebrated during the traditional closing President's Banquet on Friday evening. Effective with the 2007 business year, Illinois broadcaster Pam Fretwell of WTAD/WKAN will become NAFB President, and Nebraska member Randy Koenen of KTIC/Rural Radio Network moves up to President-Elect of the organization. During the Annual Business Meeting on Thursday, Wisconsin broadcaster Pam Jahnke of WTDY/Q106 Radio was elected National Vice President. Also elected to join the 2007 Board of Directors were Don Schultz of Clear Channel Radio Ag Networks, to represent Management Council; and Hugh Whaley of Osborn & Barr, as the Allied Industry Council representative. Broadcaster Tom Cassidy of Ag Radio Network, Utica, N.Y., will represent the East Region, succeeding Karen Tremble of the Michigan Farm Radio Network. Cindy Cunningham of the National Pork Board becomes vice chair of the Allied Council. In non-voting seats, Denny Waddle of Nebraska's Rural Radio Network was re-elected chairperson of the Marketing & Promotion Advisory Board, and Todd Gleason of the University of Illinois Extension and WILL-AM was appointed Historian, succeeding Dix Harper. Others remaining on the Board include Regional Vice Presidents Tom Steever of Brownfield, Jefferson City, Mo. (South) and Susan Littlefield of KZEN, Columbus, Neb. (West); and Mark Vail of Eagle Communications Inc., representing the Management Council. NAFB Foundation Raises Dollars, Scholarship Levels
Additionally, the Foundation's fourth annual model tractor sale -- this year featuring John Deere vintage model 3010 -- enjoyed heavy demand. Tractors numbered 1 through 5 of the 200 available sold for a collective $3,100 during the live auction. NAFB Foundation President Taylor Brown of Northern Ag Network announced during the opening Foundation Scholarship Luncheon that the Foundation Board of Directors the prior evening had voted to increase its scholarships to support student farm broadcasters, to a value of $5,000 for the Glenn Kummerow memorial, and to $4,000 each for the two other scholarships. The three scholarships, originated 10 years ago and now having awarded $80,000 in total, will increase in the coming year from the levels of $3,000 and $2,500, respectively.
Taylor was marking his 10th year as Foundation President and 17th year as a member of the governing Board. This year's scholarship recipients are Wravenna Phipps, Matt Dolch, and Kurtis Harms. Bylaws Rewrite Introduced, Amended Charter Approved During the coming year, with the guidance of legal counsel, NAFB's governing Constitution will be fully rewritten as Bylaws, to be simplified and to conform with the Tennessee Non-Profit Corporation Act. The Association remains chartered in Tennessee, where it was first incorporated as the National Association of Television and Radio Farm Directors in 1956. Members of all three NAFB Councils -- Broadcast, Management, and Allied Industry -- were presented an overview of the intended process on Thursday, before individual Council meetings. On Thursday, Broadcast Council members approved the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, as authored and submitted by consulting attorney Mike McCann of Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP, Kansas City. Voting members also:
Gene Ragan and Harry Martin Inducted into NAFB Hall of Fame Two distinguished members of farm broadcasting were added into the NAFB Hall of Fame at the Wednesday evening banquet held at Union Station. Gene Ragan attended the event in person to celebrate his induction. Harry Martin's son was present to represent his father, who passed away in 2005. The NAFB Hall of Fame was established in 1986 to recognize the best of the best in farm broadcasting. The actual exhibit of all members is on permanent display at the National Agriculture Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, Kansas. Thanks to Our 2006 Convention Sponsors Each year the Annual Fall Convention is made possible by the generous sponsorship of several companies. We sincerely appreciate their continued support of farm broadcasting and the NAFB. Our 2006 Sponsors: Chicago Board of Trade Coming in November 2007, the 63rd Annual Convention The 2007 NAFB Convention is scheduled November 14-16 at the Westin Crown Center, Kansas City. National Association of Farm Broadcasting | P.O. Box 500 | Platte City, MO 64079 |
They make up one-fourth of the population
in the United States, or an estimated 69 million people
representing 27-million households. They are the rural lifestyle
market, a rapidly growing segment of the U.S. economy.
NAFB commissioned Ag Marketing Research
(AMR), Sioux Falls, S.D., to administer the study during the
third quarter of this year. A total of 2,000 interviews were
conducted in the 48 contiguous states. The study was broken into
two result categories: one encompassing all of the results, the
other encompassing the NAFB target household which was defined
as a household that listens to an NAFB station/affiliate within
32 NAFB-mentioned states, lives on 3-plus acres of land, and has
a household income of $75,000 or more.
The
NAFB Foundation raised $12,500 during its live and silent auctions, to support
the scholarship and internship programs it funds, as well as investment in
educational projects -- including the new 2006 Rural Lifestyle
Research national study. 