Mid-West Farm Report: Wisconsin's Farm Broadcast, the Fabulous Farm Babe and More
Profile updated November 2026
Mid-West Farm Report is a Wisconsin farm broadcasting service with operations in Madison and Eau Claire, producing daily radio reports, podcasts and video for the state's dairy farmers and crop growers. Its best-known voice is Pam Jahnke, the self-styled Fabulous Farm Babe, a former National Association of Farm Broadcasting president who has been on Wisconsin radio since the late 1980s.
| Home bases | Madison and Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Lead broadcaster | Pam Jahnke, the Fabulous Farm Babe |
| Madison base | Mid-West Family Broadcasting's west-side Madison studios, per a 2014 profile |
| Format | Radio reports, a daily early-morning show, podcasts and video |
| Distribution | Wisconsin radio stations, including Civic Media stations since 2024, plus Omny.fm podcasts and YouTube |
| Signature events | Harvest of Hope; Wisconsin Century and Sesquicentennial Farm salute |
| Official website | MidWestFarmReport.com |
History of Mid-West Farm Report
Pam Jahnke grew up on her family's 200-acre dairy farm in northeastern Wisconsin, showed dairy cattle at county fairs and served as Oconto County's Dairy Queen. At UW-River Falls she studied broadcast journalism and agriculture and in 1983 started the campus station's first farm show, believed to be the first student farm broadcast in the state, earning a top national scholarship from the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. She interned at WAXX in Eau Claire under veteran farm broadcaster Bob Bosold.
After farm radio and television work from Green Bay to Eau Claire, Jahnke moved to Madison in 1990. Working from the west-side Madison offices of Mid-West Family Broadcasting, she built a farm program that by 2014 aired on 17 Wisconsin radio stations and on WISC-TV's noon news, ranging from 30-second reports to a one-hour show at 5 a.m.
Jahnke served as NAFB president in 2010 and was named Farm Broadcaster of the Year in 2013. She also received a Friend of Agriculture award from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture for the Harvest of Hope program, an honorary American FFA Degree and an honorary recognition award from the UW-Madison College of Agriculture.
Mid-West Farm Report Today
Jahnke is farm director at Madison's WOZN and continues to farm with her brother, sister and parents. In January 2024 Civic Media, a Wisconsin radio company launched in 2022 with a statewide network of stations, began airing her 5 a.m. broadcast on seven of its stations, including WAUK in Waukesha, WRJN in Racine, WGBW in Green Bay, WISS in Oshkosh and WRCE in Richland Center.
The website organizes content by its Madison and Eau Claire operations, distributes podcasts through Omny.fm and Apple and Google apps, and posts video on YouTube. In 2026 it is running a salute to Wisconsin's Century and Sesquicentennial Farms, families that have held the same land for 100 or 150 years.
What Mid-West Farm Report Is Covering Now
Dairy and markets
Milk production reports, dairy policy and cooperative news are staples for an audience in America's Dairyland, along with grain and livestock markets.
Farm family features
Interviews with century farm families, county fair news and youth programs reflect Jahnke's own 4-H and FFA roots.
Community and gardening
Harvest of Hope farm assistance appeals, local endorsements and lawn and garden tips round out the daily mix.
Mid-West Farm Report Editors and Staff
Mid-West Farm Report's site and press coverage name:
- Pam Jahnke - Farm Director, WOZN; the Fabulous Farm Babe
- Bonnie Oleson - Longtime colleague and Jahnke's first intern
- Bob Bosold - Veteran Eau Claire farm broadcaster and Jahnke's mentor
Who Listens to Mid-West Farm Report
Listeners are Wisconsin dairy farmers, corn, soybean and forage growers, cattle and specialty crop producers, and the cooperatives and agribusinesses that serve them, from the Madison area to the Chippewa Valley.
Dairy defines that audience. USDA's Economic Research Service reports that dairy brought in $41.8 billion in 2021, and its dairy topic page tracks the milk prices and supply trends that Wisconsin farmers follow in every Mid-West Farm Report market update.
Mid-West Farm Report listeners start the day at 5 a.m. with a broadcaster who calls herself the Fabulous Farm Babe, so they clearly enjoy a little fun with their milk prices. farm.FM keeps that going, with farm satire about barn cats, cheese curds and parlor schedules. Dairy families will find farm humor, some ranch humor and plenty of farm jokes there.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
Mid-West Farm Report Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Mid-West Farm Report: About Pam - Pam Jahnke's background and honors.
- Civic Media: Civic Media airs Pam Jahnke - the 2024 station lineup.
- Isthmus: Fabulous Farm Babe Pam Jahnke - a 2014 profile of her career.
- USDA ERS: Dairy - milk market and dairy sector data.
- USDA ERS: Animal product receipts - the national value of dairy and livestock.
Mid-West Farm Report FAQ
Who is the Fabulous Farm Babe?
Pam Jahnke, Mid-West Farm Report's farm broadcaster and WOZN farm director, a former NAFB president and 2013 Farm Broadcaster of the Year.
Where is Mid-West Farm Report based?
It has operations in Madison and Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Where can I hear Mid-West Farm Report?
On Wisconsin radio stations, including several Civic Media stations at 5 a.m., and as podcasts on Omny.fm and major podcast apps.
What does Mid-West Farm Report cover?
Wisconsin dairy, crop and livestock news, markets, farm family features and community programs such as Harvest of Hope.
For Wisconsin's farm families, Mid-West Farm Report and its Fabulous Farm Babe remain a familiar early-morning companion.