Ag Information Network of the West: History, Programs and Reporters
Profile updated November 2026
The Ag Information Network, also known as the Ag Information Network of the West or AgInfo, is a family-owned farm radio network based in Walla Walla, Washington. It supplies short daily agriculture and natural resource reports to about 135 affiliate stations in nine western and plains states, along with podcasts and a news website. This page covers its history, its programs, its reporters and its listeners.
| Owners | Kelly and Susan Allen (Allen Media) |
|---|---|
| Base | Walla Walla, Washington |
| Affiliates | 135 radio stations in 9 states |
| States served | California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska |
| Legacy | Describes itself as a heritage family company with a 35-year history |
| Format | Syndicated daily radio reports, podcasts and website |
| Official website | AgInfo.net |
History of Ag Information Network
Kelly Allen came to the farm broadcasting business through consulting work and bought what he later described as a small farm broadcast company in the 1990s; a 2015 National Association of Farm Broadcasting profile said he had owned it for more than 20 years. Allen, who served on the NAFB board as director of marketing in 2000, and his wife Susan built it into a network that by 2015 delivered daily agriculture and natural resource news to 87 stations in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Northern California and Colorado.
Growth continued through hiring and acquisition. Bob Larson, an Oregon State University technical journalism graduate who had worked in Seattle news radio at KOMO and KIRO, joined in September 2016 after reconnecting with Allen. In 2019 veteran California farm journalist Patrick Cavanaugh sold his California Ag Today Radio Network to Allen Media, and in October of that year he began a daily California Tree Nut Report for the network.
With California Ag Today folded in, Allen Media courted commodity groups such as the Almond Board of California, American Pistachio Growers and the California Walnut Board to support programming and affiliates. NAFB coverage has called the Ag Information Network the largest farm radio network in the West.
Ag Information Network Today
The network now lists 135 affiliate stations across nine states, from California and the Pacific Northwest to Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska, and presents itself as a heritage family-owned company with a 35-year legacy. Its website, AgInfo.net, carries each program's daily episodes and reporter pages.
Cavanaugh, based in Tucson, Arizona, has stepped back from print editing of Pacific Nut Producer and Vegetables West to concentrate on broadcasting and CaliforniaAgToday.com.
What the Ag Information Network Is Airing Now
Regional farm reports
Programs include California Ag Today, Idaho Ag Today, the Washington State Farm Bureau Report, the Land and Livestock Report and the Southeast Regional Ag News.
Commodity and business shows
The Agribusiness Update, the California Tree Nut Report, the Fruit Grower Report and Line on Agriculture serve specific crops and business audiences.
Technology
Farm of the Future looks at agtech, automation and new tools coming to western farms.
Ag Information Network Editors and Staff
AgInfo.net's reporter page and NAFB profiles name these people:
- Kelly Allen - Owner
- Susan Allen - Co-owner
- Patrick Cavanaugh - Broadcaster; editor of CaliforniaAgToday.com
- Bob Larson - Reporter, since 2016
- David Sparks - Reporter
- Tim Hammerich - News Reporter
- Lane Nordlund - Reporter
- Lorrie Boyer - Reporter
- Haylie Shipp - Reporter
- Russell Nemetz - Reporter
Who Listens to the Ag Information Network
Listeners are growers, ranchers and agribusiness people across the West who catch farm news in the truck or tractor cab: almond, pistachio and walnut growers in California, tree fruit and wheat farmers in Washington and Idaho, and cattle producers on the northern plains.
That mix mirrors western agriculture itself. USDA NASS Quick Stats shows California leading the nation in many fruit, nut and vegetable crops, while Washington State University Extension supports the Northwest's tree fruit, grain and livestock producers who make up much of the network's home audience.
Ag Information Network listeners get their farm news in quick reports between weather and markets, so they appreciate a story that gets to the point. Those with a spare minute in the cab can try farm.FM, where farm satire covers everything from orchard frost fans to irrigation district meetings. Nut growers, wheat farmers and cattle folks will all find farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes that fit a western drive time.
For context, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site and the home of Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Its contributors each keep an archive, and this one is a good sampler of ranch humor and farm jokes.
Ag Information Network Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- AgInfo.net: Reporters and programs - the network's staff, affiliates and shows.
- NAFB: College radio job led to Larson's career - Bob Larson's path to the network.
- NAFB: From California to Arizona but still in ag broadcasting - Patrick Cavanaugh and the California Ag Today sale.
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - crop and livestock data for western states.
- USDA NASS: Census of Agriculture - state and county farm data for the network's region.
Ag Information Network FAQ
Who owns the Ag Information Network?
Kelly and Susan Allen of Walla Walla, Washington, through Allen Media.
How many stations carry the Ag Information Network?
The network lists 135 affiliate stations in nine western and plains states.
Is California Ag Today part of the Ag Information Network?
Yes. Patrick Cavanaugh sold the California Ag Today Radio Network to Allen Media in 2019, and it airs as a network program.
Is the Ag Information Network the same as the Ag Information Network of the West?
Yes. Both names, along with AgInfo, refer to the same Walla Walla-based farm radio network.
From a small farm broadcast company to a nine-state service, the Ag Information Network keeps western producers informed one short radio report at a time.