Did you meet someone in your career and walk away thinking “that person was really nice.” I remember meeting Tom Brand at the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (that’s what it was called then) convention in 1996. My old boss, Rob McClendon, introduced me to him. A few days later, he won the organization’s Horizon Award – the NAFB version of Rookie of the Year or Best New Artist. Tom Brand has crushed it as a broadcaster, now as the director of the organization, ever since And he’s still really nice.

National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) is a professional organization for professionals working in agricultural broadcasting as well as those working in marketing, advertising, and public relations. It’s a great group that has evolved and worked to create opportunities for leadership and professional development and fosters technological change.

Agricultural radio is as ingrained in our society as the radio itself. It is a vital source of information for our nation’s farmers and ranchers, and it will continue to be so for years to come. Like agricultural technology, broadcast technology will evolve, but as long as farmers and ranchers drive tractors and pickups, there will be a critical need for agricultural broadcasting.

We delve deeper into to this in my interview with Tom Brand.