Voices from the industry NAFB celebrates 75 years
From its humble beginning, farm broadcasting still grows and thrives 75 years later. By Tom Brand
F
arm broadcasting is nearly as old as the broadcast industry itself. Early radio broadcast licensees knew
providing agriculture programming on their stations would give their signals more appeal to listeners outside their metropolitan areas, and the information shared would solidify the relationship each station had with its audience.
As the National Association of Farm Broadcasting celebrates its 75th year, it is worth turning back the hands of time to take a look at the history of broadcasting and how far we have come since those early days.
In March of 1921, James Bush, a grain dealer in Tuscola, Illinois, put his radio station, WDZ, on the air for the sole purpose of reporting grain prices to elevator operators without having to spend money on telephone calls. By May 1921, KDKA radio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, began carrying market reports by J.K. Boyd, the local U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s market reporter. Less than a year later, the staff of the National Stockman and Farmer began to broadcast news and advice to farmers. Mason Gilpin made the first broadcast and was a frequent spokesperson until 1923, when the magazine created the new job of radio editor, someone who would devote full time to radio.
Soon, radio stations were popping up across the country, and information for farmers and ranchers was commonplace. University extension agents at land-grant universities and USDA market reporters were the farm broadcasters of the day, sharing industry information and advice on how to grow better crops or raise better livestock. Soon, networks had programs like the NBC National Farm and Home Hour, Columbia’s Country Journal, Mutual’s Farm News and ABC’s American Farmer. United Press, the Associated Press, Reuters and others were providing wire services with information specifically about agriculture for broadcasters to use.
An organization takes shape
The idea of creating an organization for farm broadcasters had been discussed for several years, but it took until 1943 at the Institute for Education by Radio before a formal attempt at organizing an association began. Larry Haeg, farm director at WCCO in Minneapolis, spoke his mind at the Institute, and the idea of an organization was welcomed with applause and cheers.
Discussion of the new group continued at various meetings across the country, and the momentum continued to build. Art Page, WLS Radio, suggested Radio Farm Directors in the title of the organization since the initials RFD were familiar to the agriculture community already. A year later at the Institute’s annual meeting with about 35 farm broadcasters in attendance, the National Association of Radio Farm Directors began.
Over the next 75 years, the organization adapted to the changing landscape of
Farm broadcasting has changed since its early days in the 1920s, although the focus remains the same — to provide understandable, accurate, timely and credible information to listeners in a personal way.
36 Irrigation TODAY | January 2019
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