State Farm Bureau Communicators Honored for Outstanding Work

The American Farm Bureau Federation announced a slate of top state Farm Bureau communications projects during the 2026 Communications Awards, held at this year’s Communications Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. The competition recognizes state Farm Bureau professionals for their exemplary work in communicating about agriculture.

Nearly 200 entries for work produced in 2025 were submitted for the 2026 contest. Judged against states with similar membership sizes, California, Iowa, Illinois, Texas and Wisconsin stood out, receiving the most awards overall. Among 18 categories, states could submit one entry per category in the areas of writing, print, media relations, social media, graphic design, video, audio and website.

“State Farm Bureau communicators play a vital role in sharing the stories of farmers and ranchers across the nation and helping Farm Bureau fulfill its mission as the Voice of Agriculture,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “I’m proud to congratulate the winning teams for their remarkable work to highlight the issues facing agriculture and rural America. My thanks to all those who work diligently to amplify the challenges and triumphs of America’s farmers and ranchers.”

Awards were presented to Farm Bureau communicators in: California, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.

Award categories were evaluated by independent, experienced professionals in the field. A list of award winners follows. Most award categories were divided into two groups – one for small membership states and one for larger membership states.

Anne Marie Moss Team Effort Award – recognizes outstanding collaborative engagement on a regional or national issue.

• California, for a broad range of public relations tactics to elevate agricultural workforce and immigration issues: Barbara Arciero, Mahek Pandya, Ching Lee, Caleb Hampton, Connor Duncan, Samantha Adams, Shawn Collins, Bryan Little

• Texas, for a coordinated, multi-platform approach to elevate awareness of the New World screwworm issue: Gary Joiner, Julie Tomascik, Ed Wolff, Shelby Shank, Emmy Powell, Angela Lujan, Pedro Rosas, Jessica Domel, Carey Martin, Tom Nicolette

Trailblazer Award – recognizes an innovative tactic or execution of a communications project.

• Nebraska, for “Sincerely, Yours,” a docuseries of farm and ranch stories: Cassie Hoebelheinrich, Kenzie White, Abby Samuelson

• Iowa, for an innovative initiative to enhance county Farm Bureau Facebook pages: Zach Sturgeon, Zach Bader

Best Agriculture Story

• Wisconsin: Cassie Sonnentag

• South Carolina: Stephanie Sox, Carey Henderson

Best Single Blog Item, Editorial or Column

• California: Shannon Douglass, Steven Fenaroli, Bryan Little

Best Newspaper

• California, Ag Alert: Barbara Arciero, Shawn Collins, Caleb Hampton, Ching Lee, Christine Souza, Paula Erath

• Iowa, The Spokesman: Tom Block, Bob Bjoin, Teresa Bjork, Corey Munson, Conrad Schmidt

Best E-Newsletter

• Wisconsin, Gather Wisconsin: Rachel LaCount, Cassie Sonnentag

• Illinois, Daily Update: Lyndsay Jones

Best Magazine

• California, California Bountiful: Barbara Arciero, Linda DuBois, Caleb Hampton, Ching Lee, Christine Souza, Nicole Love, Paula Erath

• Tennessee, Tennessee Home & Farm: Lee Maddox, Amy Beckham, Stacey Warner, Jessy Yancey

Best Overall Graphic Design

• Wisconsin: Raegan Statler, Rachel LaCount, Cassie Sonnentag, Amy Eckelberg, Kylie Ver Kuilen

• Texas: Angela Lujan

Best Farmer or Rancher Photo

• Maryland: Jeb Burchick, Rachel Eck, Alan Eck

• Iowa: Conrad Schmidt

Best Audio News Story, Feature Story or Commentary/Editorial

• New York: Amanda Powers, Erik Flora

• Idaho: Kristy Lindauer, Joel Benson, Jacob Christensen, Ott Clark, Cam Hammond

Best Video News Story

• Illinois: Mark Pressburger, Scott Anderson

Best Video Feature Story

• Nebraska: Kenzie White, Cassie Hoebelheinrich, Abygail Petersen

• Illinois: Steven Salinas, Emily Hall, Kelly Spicer

Best Social Media Video

• California: Brian Farinas, Connor Duncan, Samantha Adams

• Illinois: Morgan Donaldson, Emily Hall, Steven Salinas, Kelly Spicer

Best Website

• Wisconsin: Cassie Sonnentag, Rachel LaCount, Amy Eckelberg

• Illinois: Kevin Daugherty, Gracie Pierson

Best Social Media Campaign

• California: Connor Duncan, Bryan Little, Brian Farinas

• Iowa: Dana Ardary, Sara Payne, Zach Bader, Zach Sturgeon, Bo Geigley, Aaron Siskow, Caitlyn Lamm, Tanner Nissen, Conrad Schmidt

Best Social Media Presence

• California: Connor Duncan, Samantha Adams

• Iowa: Zach Bader, Zach Sturgeon, Dana Ardary, Bo Geigley, Aaron Siskow, Caitlyn Lamm, Teresa Bjork

Best Media Relations Outreach

• Missouri: Jacob King, Chris Cline, Tyler Madsen, Rebecca Hoelscher, Janet Adkison

• Utah: Matt Hargreaves

Best Public Relations Outreach

• Wisconsin: Cassie Sonnentag, Tyler Wenzlaff, Brad Olson

• Texas: Gary Joiner, Julie Tomascik, Carey Martin, Ed Wolff, Shelby Shank, Emmy Powell, Angela Lujan, Jessica Domel, Tom Nicolette, Pedro Rosas, Shaler Keenum