State Farm Bureau Professionals Recognized for Excellence in Communications

The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2025 Communications Award winners named at this year’s Communications Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, include 16 standout states. The competition recognizes state Farm Bureau professionals from across the country for their exceptional work in communications.

Judged against states with similar membership sizes, California, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kansas and Texas rose to the top, receiving the most awards overall. States could submit one entry per category, with 17 categories to choose from, in the areas of writing, print, media relations, social media, graphic design, video, audio and website. Nearly 200 entries for work produced in 2024 were submitted for the 2025 contest.

“State Farm Bureau communicators remain committed to sharing the voices of farm and ranch families across the country,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “The work of our communicators is exceptional and I’m proud of how they share agriculture’s story. Congratulations to the winning states and my thanks to all Farm Bureau communicators.”

Awards were presented to Farm Bureau communicators in California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Each award is divided into groups based on membership size with up to two winners possible per category. The number of winners per category is based on the number of submissions received for the division. Each category was evaluated by two independent judges with experience in the field. A list of award winners follows.

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

Wisconsin, for “WisGO,” a program to train members as advocates for agricultural issues – Cassie Sonnentag, Wendy Volkert, Jason Mugnaini

Kansas, for “Rural Minds Matter,” a program to raise awareness about mental health issues in the farming and ranching community – Sheridan Wimmer, Meagan Cramer, Greg Doering, Claudia Hissong

Best Agriculture Story

California – Caleb Hampton

Virginia – Nicole Zema

Best Single Blog Item, Editorial or Column

Maryland – Jeb Burchick, Jamie Raley, Parker Welch

Illinois – Tim Eggert

Best Newspaper

California – Barbara Arciero, Shawn Collins, Linda DuBois, Caleb Hampton, Ching Lee, Christine Souza

Illinois – Dan Grant, Rhiannon Branch, Phyllis Coulter, Hannah Spangler, Tammie Sloup, Catrina Rawson, Jenny Carr, Jessica Wells, Michelle Pazar, Deana Stroisch

Best E-Newsletter

New York – Brooks Brown, Amanda Powers

Kansas – Sheridan Wimmer, Neva Roenne, Meagan Cramer

Best Magazine

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

Kansas – Sheridan Wimmer, Greg Doering, Sandi Cowdin, Meagan Cramer, Debbie Hargrave

Best Graphic Design

Wisconsin – Lynn Siekmann, Cassie Sonnentag, Rachel LaCount, Amy Eckelberg

Illinois – Tifani Shea, John Lock

Best Audio News Story, Feature Story or Commentary/Editorial

Minnesota – Rachel Reisig, Whitney Pittman Visser, Dylan Wohlenhaus

Idaho – Kristy Lindauer, Ott Clark, Cam Hammond, Joel Benson

Best Video News Story

Pennsylvania – Will Whisler, David Varner

North Carolina – Lynda Loveland, Mark Stebnicki, Jamie Thomas

Best Video Feature Story

Colorado – Melissa Weaver

Illinois – Mark Pressburger, Scott Anderson, Tammie Sloup

Best Website

California – Christina Apkarian, Alex Eickmann, Connor Duncan, Darren Lee

Illinois – Gracie Pierson

Best Social Media Video

Wisconsin – Rachel LaCount

Texas – Julie Tomascik, Ed Wolff, Pedro Rosas, Emmy Powell

Best Social Media Campaign

New York – Erik Flora

Texas – Julie Tomascik, Ed Wolff, Pedro Rosas, Angela Lujan, Emmy Powell, Shelby Shank

Best Social Media Presence

Maryland – Jeb Burchick

Texas – Julie Tomascik, Ed Wolff, Pedro Rosas, Angela Lujan, Holly Herren, Emmy Powell, Shelby Shank, Penny Cox

Best Media Relations Event

Iowa – Sara Payne, Andrew Wheeler, Caitlyn Lamm

Best Public Relations Campaign

Nebraska – Abby Durheim, Kenzie White, Oscar Diaz, Devan Kirkpatrick

Illinois – Gracie Pierson

Best Unique Tactic or Execution

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

Florida – Rachael Smith, James Neville, Shelby Martin