Lenexa, Kan., (May 16, 2022) — Farm Journal announces Michelle Rook, one of the most experienced and respected reporters in agriculture media, has joined the company as a national reporter. Working as part of Farm Journal’s award-winning broadcast team, Rook will serve as the lead field correspondent for the nationally syndicated television shows AgDay and U.S. Farm Report, as well as agriculture’s top-rated national radio show AgriTalk.
“Michelle brings deep agriculture knowledge and strong rural roots to our Farm Journal team,” said Charlene Finck, president of Farm Journal. “From broadcast to digital to print, she’ll provide our agriculture audiences with news and information that is important to them and their business. I’m proud to welcome her to The Farm.”
Rook is an award-winning journalist that most recently led the farm department at WNAX Radio in South Dakota. She has reported on agriculture from the nation’s capital to the soybean fields of Brazil and has interviewed countless newsmakers, including President Barack Obama and several U.S. agriculture secretaries. Rook has worked as a reporter and anchor for Agweek Television and has served as a meteorologist and reporter for KSFY-TV in Sioux Falls and KTIV-TV and KMEG-TV in Sioux City, Iowa.
She is a member of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) and in 2006 served as the organization’s President. Rook grew up on a dairy and crop farm in eastern South Dakota and her parents are still involved in the operation. She has bachelor’s degrees in dairy manufacturing and ag journalism and a master’s degree in journalism from South Dakota State University. She also earned her broadcast meteorology degree from Mississippi State University.
“I am excited to join the Farm Journal team and appreciate the company’s vision of serving America’s farmers and ranchers with the key information they need daily to drive the important business of agriculture,” said Rook.
About Farm Journal
Farm Journal is the nation’s leading business information and media company serving the agricultural market. Started 146 years ago with the preeminent Farm Journal magazine, the company serves the row crop, livestock, produce and retail sectors through branded websites, eNewsletters and phone apps; business magazines; live events including conferences, seminars and tradeshows; nationally broadcasted television and radio programs; a robust mobile-text-marketing business and an array of data-driven, paid information products. Farm Journal also is the majority shareholder of the online equipment marketplace, Machinery Pete LLC. In 2010, the company established the non-profit, public charity, Farm Journal Foundation, dedicated to sustaining agriculture’s ability to meet the vital needs of a growing population through education and empowerment.