RFA salutes farm broadcaster Mike Adams on his retirement

This week, award-winning farm broadcaster Mike Adams, a longtime friend to farmers and a powerful media voice for ethanol producers, is retiring after nearly 50 years behind a microphone. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper was proud to be invited as part of Adams’s final show that aired Thursday (Dec. 23, 2021).

“While the ethanol industry and farmers will certainly miss hearing Mike’s distinctive voice on the radio every day, we wish him all the best in his retirement and congratulate him on a distinguished and influential career in the broadcast booth,” Cooper said. “Mike is a true professional who intimately knows his subject matter, and he always took an evenhanded and fair approach to reporting and analyzing the news of the day. He was never afraid to ask the tough questions, but always treated both his guests and his listeners with respect. Because of that, Mike always had a dedicated and loyal audience that followed him throughout his career. Whether tuning in to his podcast, reading his insightful blog posts, or listening to his show live on their local station, listeners across the country have a better understanding of, and appreciation for, American agriculture and biofuels because of Mike Adams.”

Adams, who grew up on an Illinois grain and livestock farm, started his radio career in Jacksonville, Ill., in 1974. He spent 27 years at the local station before becoming host of AgriTalk, a nationally syndicated program, in 2001. In 2018, Adams joined the American Ag Network to create a new syndicated program called Adams on Agriculture. Adams is a past recipient of the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year award, past NAFB President and a member of the NAFB Hall of Fame.

Over the years, Adams has hosted RFA staff and members dozens of times on his show to update listeners on the latest ethanol policy and marketplace developments. Each February, for more than a decade, he broadcast his show live from the floor of RFA’s National Ethanol Conference.

Audio of Adams on Agriculture is available as a podcast at this link.