David Brown: Telling the Story of Agriculture

David Brown

Telling the Story of Agriculture

“It is extremely important for us all to know where our food comes from, and equally as important that we in agriculture do our part to educate others,” says David Brown. With agriculture in his blood, paired with a love for broadcasting, David Brown combined his passions to create a successful career to have an impact on others, all while telling the story of agriculture.

David grew up with his brother Joe, sister Sharon, and parents, Nathan and Bona Gene in Decatur, Illinois on his family’s farm that dates back over 150 years. In 1867, his ancestors left their farmstead in New Hampshire to move to Central Illinois for better farming opportunities. They had heard of the valuable soil here in the Midwest, and sought expansion, growth, and a brighter future for their family and their farm.

They found 40 acres of land in Macon County and began what would become a centennial family farm in the heart of Illinois. Today, David and his brother Joe are the fifth generation to carry on the family farm and would not want it any other way.

Growing up, farming was all David ever knew. His mother and father were both actively involved in the operation, so every day he was right next to them. “From a young age, I learned about agronomy, the importance of rainfall, taking care of a sick cow, and what a good field looked like; I never stopped learning,” says David.

He doesn’t remember a time when he was not involved in the operation, but as he got older, his chores and responsibilities gradually changed. What began as gathering eggs and riding in the wagon behind the two-row corn picker, quickly became walking beans and baling hay with a 1953 Farmall M tractor, which is still on the farm today.

David harvesting soybeans in Macon County. Behind the scenes of the WANDTV team on air.

Eventually he went off to study Communications at Millikin University but knew that the farm was always where he wanted to end up. Being a smaller private school, David was provided with many leadershipbuilding opportunities throughout his four years, one of which being broadcasting.

At the start of sophomore year, he was given the chance to broadcast for Millikin football and basketball games on the school’s campus radio station WJMUFM which he accepted and continued for the next 3 years. Additionally, he became the sports editor for the campus newspaper. With these wonderful experiences, he developed a love for reporting, which stuck with him for years to come.

As planned, David returned to the farm after graduation and in 1975 began farming with his brother, raising Hereford cattle as well as corn, soybeans, and wheat in Macon and Logan counties. “Sure there were easier careers I could have chosen, but I have always been proud to be a farmer,” says David. “It is humbling and motivating to have something to do each day that gives my life a purpose.”

Along with farming, however, he continued to work at several radio stations reporting on news and sports and as a radio DJ. Then in 1991 WANDTV out of Decatur was looking for a broadcaster for The Farm Progress Show who had a background in agriculture, and they ended up reaching out to David. He accepted the job thinking it would be a one-time commitment, but afterwards, WANDTV offered him an opportunity to continue reporting on agriculture. endeavor, but to have the chance to educate the public through TV about the agriculture industry surrounding them. “There is a lot of misinformation out there, so when I was given this opportunity, I felt that I had a responsibility to tell the right story,” says David.

Since that day, David has spent 30 years reporting for WAND with his very own segment, Agribusiness Today, which reaches 32 counties in Illinois. Throughout the years, he has had the freedom to choose ag topics that he felt were important and create his own stories on them. “TV should have local content and there is nothing more local than agriculture here in Central Illinois,” he says. Through writing, directing, and producing his work, David soon became the face that so many recognized and looked up to as the agricultural expert in Decatur and surrounding areas. “I look at myself as an ag educator,” says David. “My goal was to appeal to a diverse audience, because we all eat.” He soon found out that those who were not as familiar with agriculture were often the ones who would approach him in public and thank him for teaching them something new, which he says was one of the highlights of his time on TV.

While he loved reaching such a broad audience, producing five TV segments per week while simultaneously farming full-time was sometimes challenging, but he always made it work. Most days, David would be in the studio by 5:00 A.M. and be back out to the farm by 7:00 A.M. during planting and harvest. On busier days, he would have to get creative and utilize his time in the field to record segments. “I had the best of both worlds: I got to do what I love, and I got to talk about it on TV,” he says. From being in the field planting, to baling hay, to working with cattle, David always found a way to take what he was doing on the farm to create an educational story out of it. Viewers on the other hand, got to see the ins and outs of agriculture from a farmer himself who was a local, credible source for them to learn from for 30 years.

At the end of 2021, David decided it was time to retire from TV, and pass down the Agribusiness Today segment to Sarah Michaels. He continues to farm today with his brother, Joe, and his son, Chase, who is now the sixth generation operator of the farm.

He is hopeful that their farm will remain within the family for generations to come because of what his ancestors risked for it so many years ago. “This all started because two brothers were brave enough to leave the comfort of their home and convince their family to move across the United States for the opportunity to start a new life,” says David.

Because of the farm’s history, it is more than just an occupation to David. He takes pride in his responsibility to take care of the land that they have worked hard to keep generation after generation. “This farm has a life of its own,” says David. “Although we have an emotional tie to the land, we are only the caretakers for so long until the next person gets the opportunity to carry on the legacy.”

David Brown and Sarah Michaels.

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