U.S. Farm Report
Encyclopedia
The U.S. Farm Report is a weekly syndicated United States
television news program, presented in magazine format, which has a focus on agriculture
and agribusiness
.
USFR is currently hosted by John Phipps and is based in South Bend
, Indiana
. The program is owned by Farm Journal Media, a Philadelphia based company that owns a number of agricultural media properties including Farm Journal magazine.
Full episodes of the USFR broadcasts are available via streaming Internet television
for free on the station's web site.
, weather
, agricultural business profiles, and some environmental conservation
. The U.S. Farm Report is commonly broadcast in the early mornings on Saturdays or Sundays, but some stations show the program at different times.
The first half-hour is aimed at producers (particularly those who produce the "cash crop
s" of corn
, wheat
, and soybean
s) and focuses heavily on agribusiness
and the discussion of market futures, along with a precipitation forecast. The five segments consist of top stories with news anchor Scott Kinrade, two market-related discussion segments in a roundtable format with Agribusiness Director and Substitute Anchor Al Pell, a seven-day weather and climate forecast (geared at farmers and focusing on precipitation) with WNDU
meteorologist Mike Hoffman, and commentary by host John Phipps.
The second half-hour is aimed at consumers, with stories on current events, discussion of agriculture-related consumer items, and rural
life, as well as a more general weather forecast. The five segments consist of top stories with Scott Kinrade/weather with Mike Hoffman, a feature story known as "Spirit of the Heartland", Machinery Minute, Tractor Tales/Country Church Salute, and a mailbag response from John Phipps.
, who produced and hosted it until 2005. At that time, the show changed its name to U.S. Farm Report - Town and Country Living, attempting to expand into such items as outdoor sports and recreation, but it soon reverted to its original title and format.
Tribune acquired agricultural magazine Farm Journal in 1993; when Farm Journal was acquired by its management in 1997, Farm Journal Media became the new producer of USFR.
USFR was distributed by Tribune Entertainment
and carried on Superstation WGN
until the end of 2007; at that time, Tribune Entertainment ceased operations, and Superstation WGN became WGN America, replacing the show with sitcom
reruns; its time slot (Saturday at 6 a.m. Eastern) is currently held by Singsation!, another long-running WGN program that originally aired on Sundays.
In 2009, RFD-TV
picked up the show, and airs the program twice weekly, on Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons. Orion Samuleson and Max Armstrong
have had a longtime working relationship with RFD-TV even before the move of USFR.
and in syndication. The similarities between TWA and USFR prompted the producers of USFR to sue Tribune for breach of contract. The USFR producers lost the lawsuit, however, since judges determined that Samuelson, although primarily working for Tribune, was not working for Tribune when producing TWA.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television news program, presented in magazine format, which has a focus on agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and agribusiness
Agribusiness
In agriculture, agribusiness is a generic term for the various businesses involved in food production, including farming and contract farming, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, wholesale and distribution, processing, marketing, and retail sales....
.
USFR is currently hosted by John Phipps and is based in South Bend
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. The program is owned by Farm Journal Media, a Philadelphia based company that owns a number of agricultural media properties including Farm Journal magazine.
Full episodes of the USFR broadcasts are available via streaming Internet television
Internet television
Internet television is the digital distribution of television content via the Internet...
for free on the station's web site.
Format
Common topics covered on USFR include market forecasts for various agricultural commoditiesCommodity
In economics, a commodity is the generic term for any marketable item produced to satisfy wants or needs. Economic commodities comprise goods and services....
, weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
, agricultural business profiles, and some environmental conservation
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
. The U.S. Farm Report is commonly broadcast in the early mornings on Saturdays or Sundays, but some stations show the program at different times.
Versions
Each week, two separate half-hour versions of USFR are produced, each with a different focus. Television stations can air either one of the half-hour shows as a stand-alone program or air both shows back-to-back as a single one-hour program. Most stations air the full-hour show.The first half-hour is aimed at producers (particularly those who produce the "cash crop
Cash crop
In agriculture, a cash crop is a crop which is grown for profit.The term is used to differentiate from subsistence crops, which are those fed to the producer's own livestock or grown as food for the producer's family...
s" of corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, and soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
s) and focuses heavily on agribusiness
Agribusiness
In agriculture, agribusiness is a generic term for the various businesses involved in food production, including farming and contract farming, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, wholesale and distribution, processing, marketing, and retail sales....
and the discussion of market futures, along with a precipitation forecast. The five segments consist of top stories with news anchor Scott Kinrade, two market-related discussion segments in a roundtable format with Agribusiness Director and Substitute Anchor Al Pell, a seven-day weather and climate forecast (geared at farmers and focusing on precipitation) with WNDU
WNDU-TV
WNDU-TV is a television station in South Bend, Indiana. The station is an affiliate of the NBC television network. Its transmitter is located in South Bend. WNDU-TV broadcasts in HDTV on Channel 42, additionally simulcasting a local Doppler radar image...
meteorologist Mike Hoffman, and commentary by host John Phipps.
The second half-hour is aimed at consumers, with stories on current events, discussion of agriculture-related consumer items, and rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
life, as well as a more general weather forecast. The five segments consist of top stories with Scott Kinrade/weather with Mike Hoffman, a feature story known as "Spirit of the Heartland", Machinery Minute, Tractor Tales/Country Church Salute, and a mailbag response from John Phipps.
History
USFR was founded in 1975 by longtime Tribune farm broadcaster Orion SamuelsonOrion Samuelson
Orion "The Big O" Samuelson is an American broadcaster, most widely known for hosting U.S. Farm Report. He was inducted in to the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2003.-Biography:...
, who produced and hosted it until 2005. At that time, the show changed its name to U.S. Farm Report - Town and Country Living, attempting to expand into such items as outdoor sports and recreation, but it soon reverted to its original title and format.
Tribune acquired agricultural magazine Farm Journal in 1993; when Farm Journal was acquired by its management in 1997, Farm Journal Media became the new producer of USFR.
USFR was distributed by Tribune Entertainment
Tribune Entertainment
Tribune Entertainment was a television production and syndication company owned and operated by Tribune Broadcasting in the mid-1980s. Many programs offered from Tribune Entertainment have been broadcast on the company's television stations....
and carried on Superstation WGN
Superstation WGN
WGN America is a Chicago-based American superstation feed of WGN-TV, owned by Tribune Broadcasting. WGN America offers its national programming across North America without the CW network programming and most syndicated programs that are carried on the Chicago area feed...
until the end of 2007; at that time, Tribune Entertainment ceased operations, and Superstation WGN became WGN America, replacing the show with sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
reruns; its time slot (Saturday at 6 a.m. Eastern) is currently held by Singsation!, another long-running WGN program that originally aired on Sundays.
In 2009, RFD-TV
RFD-TV
RFD-TV, or Rural Free Delivery TV, is a United States satellite and cable television channel devoted to rural issues, concerns, and interests. The channel's name is a reference to Rural Free Delivery, the name for the United States Postal Service's system of delivering mail directly to rural patrons...
picked up the show, and airs the program twice weekly, on Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons. Orion Samuleson and Max Armstrong
Max Armstrong
Max Armstrong is an American agriculture broadcaster from Chicago, Illinois.He is almost universally associated with being the associate of Orion Samuelson, and co-hosts with Samuelson the Morning Show and Noon Show on WGN radio in Chicago, and This Week in Agribusiness on RFD-TV and in television...
have had a longtime working relationship with RFD-TV even before the move of USFR.
Controversy
Samuelson now co-hosts a similar show, This Week in Agribusiness (TWA), on RFD-TVRFD-TV
RFD-TV, or Rural Free Delivery TV, is a United States satellite and cable television channel devoted to rural issues, concerns, and interests. The channel's name is a reference to Rural Free Delivery, the name for the United States Postal Service's system of delivering mail directly to rural patrons...
and in syndication. The similarities between TWA and USFR prompted the producers of USFR to sue Tribune for breach of contract. The USFR producers lost the lawsuit, however, since judges determined that Samuelson, although primarily working for Tribune, was not working for Tribune when producing TWA.
External links
- Official site
- U.S. Farm Report, Tribune Entertainment
- U.S. Farm Report channel listings
- John Phipps's official Web site