The National Association of Farm Broadcasting has named Janet Adkison and Gale Cunningham as the 2025 inductees in the NAFB Hall of Fame. The duo will be recognized on Nov. 20 as part of the 82nd NAFB Convention in Kansas City, Mo.
Both Adkison and Cunningham have served in regional and national leadership roles within NAFB. Adkison, a longtime broadcaster who is now director of public affairs and advocacy for the Missouri Farm Bureau, served as NAFB president in 2014. Cunningham, farm director at WYXY Classic 99.1 FM Radio in Champaign, Ill., was the association’s president in 2021.
“Janet and Gale have been strong leaders within the NAFB and have reputations for selflessly giving back to their communities and supporting the next generation of ag communicators and youth in agriculture,” said Carah Hart, chair of the 2025 NAFB Hall of Fame Committee, in a press release.
Every year since 1986, NAFB has recognized members who have made long-lasting contributions to the farm broadcast industry. Inductees are nominated by members and honored for their leadership, outstanding career achievements, NAFB contributions and impact on the agriculture industry.
According to the NAFB, Adkison has served as a long served as an on-air voice of agriculture, having worked at RFD-TV for 10 years. During her tenure at the network, she served on the anchor desk for Market Day Report and Rural Evening News, hosted coverage of the National FFA Convention, structured programs for Rural Radio 147 on Sirius XM and led the news bureau for RFD-TV in Washington, D.C.
Prior to that position, she served in broadcaster roles at Arkansas Radio Network, Brownfield Ag News, KFRM Radio and served seven years as the farm director for KMZU Radio.
Cunningham, according to the NAFB, has been described as a farmer’s friend and advocate of agriculture for more than 50 years. “He has been a longstanding and trusted ag broadcaster voice in Illinois and Indiana, delivering local, regional, state and national ag and rural policy news to listeners for many years,” said the organization in the release. “Today, Cunningham keeps a tireless schedule reporting on agriculture and covering state and county fairs, state FFA conventions and many other industry events on a state and national level.”
