WASHINGTON, DC – If you follow the politics of agriculture in the U.S., you know the name Jerry Hagstrom. A long-time journalist, creator of
The Hagstrom Report, and denizen of the halls of power here, Jerry came to Washington in the 80s and is considered the Dean of the Agriculture Press Corp. Last month, USA Rice’s Michael Klein and Deborah Willenborg took a break from pitching Jerry stories about rice and asked him to tell them his origin story in the
latest podcast episode, over food and wine that connect us all.
“I have always appreciated Jerry’s straightforward approach to covering our industry, but with his own flair that in itself, drives home important messages,” said Willenborg, referencing Hagstom’s custom in his newsletter to include food photos from ag events he attends around the country. “The story of how he started that is fascinating … and very Jerry!”
Hagstrom shares how a North Dakota farm kid got into journalism and everything he is doing now to support the next generation of ag journalists.
“USA Rice is a supporter of and regularly attends the annual North American Agricultural Journalists events, including the fundraiser for the
NAAJ-Sonja Hillgren Journalism Scholarship,” said Klein who attended this year’s event with USA Rice President & CEO Peter Bachmann.
Hagstrom talks about what it takes to cover ag policy and how it’s changed over time – everything from access and secrecy to the intersection of ag, art, and food.
New episodes of
The Rice Stuff are published twice each month and can be found on your favorite podcast services, or
www.TheRiceStuffPodcast.com.