By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist
For more than two decades, Voices of Agriculture has brought the stories of rural America into living rooms across the country and highlighted the people, challenges and successes that define agriculture.
Now in its 26th season, the 30-minute agricultural news magazine-style television program continues to connect viewers with the farmers and ranchers who help feed and clothe the nation.
The program airs on RFD-TV every Thursday at 7:30 a.m. (Central) and offers a unique, state-by-state look at agriculture.
Each episode is produced through a collaborative effort among state Farm Bureau organizations, including Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Arkansas.
Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) contributes four episodes annually, and each showcases six to eight stories from across the state.
The next Texas-produced episode is set to air May 14, with additional broadcasts scheduled for Sept. 10 and Nov. 12.
“Voices of Agriculture gives us the opportunity to take viewers behind the scenes of Texas agriculture and introduce them to the people who make it all possible,” said Ed Wolff, TFB Communications video services manager. “Each story is a chance to highlight the resilience, innovation and faith that drive our farmers and ranchers every single day.”
The program’s roots trace back to an idea born in Texas.
When Patrick Gottsch launched RFD-TV, he sought rural-focused programming to help build the network. At the time, several state Farm Bureaus were already producing local television content, and that sparked an interest in expanding those efforts nationally.
TFB members expressed strong support for joining the lineup, but producing a weekly show independently proved unrealistic due to the state’s size and limited video staff.
That’s when Gene Hall, former TFB communications director, had a collaborative solution—partnering with other state Farm Bureaus to share production responsibilities.
The result was a program that would eventually become Voices of Agriculture.
Originally, each participating state produced episodes under different titles. Texas’ program was known as Rural Texas before adopting the shared name Voices of Agriculture around 2007.
Over the years, the show has evolved in both style and scope. What began as a traditional news-style broadcast has shifted toward more in-depth, documentary-style storytelling. The program has featured multiple hosts and production teams, adapting to changes in technology and audience preferences along the way.
Despite shifts in format and timeslot, the show has maintained a consistent presence on RFD-TV—an achievement not all early network programs can claim.
“Over the past 26 years, we’ve seen a lot of change—not just in how we produce the show, but in how we tell stories,” Wolff said. “We’ve moved toward a more documentary style that allows us to slow down and really capture the heart of agriculture and the people behind it.”
At its core, Voices of Agriculture remains committed to its original mission: sharing authentic stories from the field.
“Whether someone lives in a rural community or a major city, we want them to feel connected to agriculture,” Wolff said. “As long as we have the opportunity to share these stories, we’ll keep telling them, because they matter, and the people behind them matter.”
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