ND Department of Agriculture Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 31, 2008

JOHNSON NAMED TO TV AGRICULTURE PROGRAM ADVISORY PANEL

BISMARCK – Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson has been appointed to the advisory board for the public television series “America’s Heartland.”

“As our country becomes increasingly urbanized, it is vitally important that the story of agriculture is accurately and vividly presented,” said Johnson, who left Monday for an advisory board meeting in St. Louis. “‘America’s Heartland’ is doing an outstanding job of helping city dwellers better understand where their food comes from and the importance of agriculture in their lives.”

Johnson, who is president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), will represent NASDA on the 27-member panel. Other members include commodity groups, general farm organizations, farm broadcasters, rural cooperatives and agri-businesses.

Now in its third year, “America’s Heartland” is a magazine-style, half-hour series devoted to agriculture in the 50 states. The program is carried by more than 80 percent of the public television stations in the country and is seen by an estimated 1.25 million viewers.

America’s Heartland can be seen across North Dakota on Prairie Public Television at 1:30 p.m. (CT) Saturdays. Sponsored by Monsanto Co. and the American Farm Bureau Federation, the program is produced by KVIE, a public television station in Sacramento, CA. More information about the program is available at www.americasheartland.org.

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MEDIA: For more information, please call Ted Quanrud at (701) 328-2233 or tquanrud@nd.gov or Patrice Lahlum at (701) 239-7210 or plahlum@nd.gov.