Farm Bureau TV program earns national recognition

» June 22, 2010 «

The weekly television program California Country, produced by the California Farm Bureau Federation, has been judged the top program of its type in a national competition.

California Country was recognized as Best Video Program during the American Farm Bureau Federation Public Relations Awards, presented last week in Madison, Wis. The AFBF awards program honors communications work by state Farm Bureaus from across the country.

In choosing California Country for the national award, the competition’s judge cited its “excellent video” and said the program “shows off California agriculture” while “recognizing the diversity in people.”

The program also showcases the diversity of California’s farms, ranches and food businesses. The three sample programs submitted for the awards competition featured stories about artisan lettuce, rose production, an agricultural museum, the shortage of large-animal veterinarians, colorful cauliflower varieties, goat cheese, community-supported agriculture ventures, a San Diego restaurant that serves “twisted farm food” and a new line of school lunches that feature fresh produce.

“Many people now live far from farms and ranches and may not be aware of the role agriculture plays in their daily lives. California Country aims to change that,” California Farm Bureau President Paul Wenger said. “In an entertaining way, the program provides information about how dynamic and valuable agriculture is, and how products move from farms and ranches to restaurants and retail outlets.”

California Country airs on approximately 200 commercial, public, cable and satellite television stations, including broadcast affiliates in San Diego, Sacramento, Bakersfield, Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Rosa. The program also airs nationally via the RFD-TV network, available on Dish Network, DirecTV and Verizon FiOS. A broadcast schedule may be found at www.californiacountry.org.

Members of the California Country production team who shared in the AFBF award include Scott Monaco, executive producer; Tracy Sellers, reporter and associate producer; Kim Mims, production assistant; Kevin Burke, videographer; and Todd Popple, associate producer.

The California Country program also earned an honorable mention in the AFBF awards for a feature story that profiled members of the Association of African-American Vintners.

The California Farm Bureau magazine California Country also earned an honorable mention in the AFBF competition.

The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of 81,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than 6.2 million Farm Bureau members.

Contact: Dave Kranz
Phone: 916/561-5550
news@cfbf.com

Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item.