Maddie Weber – Rural Radio Network – Lincoln, Nebraska
Intern Updates
June 2026 Update
Hi again! I'm so excited to be back on the Nebraska Corn Board internship team this year as the Agriculture Broadcasting and Digital Communications intern for the Rural Radio Network. Since my first internship with the Nebraska Corn Board in St. Louis in 2024, I've grown my skills and become an even better communicator. I'm excited to bring those skills to the Rural Radio Network to serve Nebraska agriculture this summer.
My time with the Rural Radio Network so far has been hands-on, fast-paced, and educational. Each week, the team here is sharing agricultural news, creating content, and traveling across Nebraska, and I've gotten involved with all aspects of that work!
I've taken on at least one agricultural newscast each day, where I research ag news and then record a radio report about those topics. I've improved my interview skills by conducting interviews with numerous farmers and industry professionals. And, I've started recording the ag news segment for NTV News, a local Nebraska TV station that has a partnership with the Rural Radio Network.
On top of my radio and TV broadcasting duties, I've also been creating content for social media, the Rural Radio Network website pages, and podcasts.
This internship has given me the opportunity to travel with our team of broadcasters to cover events: I traveled to World Pork Expo with Chad this June, where we attended sessions, conducted interviews, wrote stories, and ate a lot of bacon! Steve and I headed out to Cozad for the Nebraska Cattlemen Mid-Year meeting, where we connected with producers about New World Screwworm and other concerns affecting the cattle industry. Alex leads a Specialty Crops video series, and we've traveled the state visiting orchards, greenhouses, and farm stores to share the stories of those businesses. This week, Rayley and I visited the Kearney Fire Department to see soybean-based firefighting foam in action. And each week, the team visits a farmer to share an update on crop progress through the series Fridays in the Field.
All of these experiences have contributed to the well-rounded internship experience I'm getting, and have reinforced that ag communications is the industry I'm meant to be in. While we were at World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa, Chad gave me a piece of advice: the best way to succeed in agricultural communications is to be curious. While I consider myself a naturally curious person, this internship has intensified that curiosity and made me a better communicator.
Each day I learn more about agriculture through stories in crops, livestock, policy, natural resources, and ag markets as we report about them. And not only am I learning about those topics through news stories I'm covering, but I'm also meeting farmers and ranchers and seeing the topics we cover on the radio impact them directly.
I've grown so much through this internship already, and I can't wait to see what the next few weeks brings! If you want to see some of the work I've been up to, check out the Rural Radio Network on social media, or listen for my radio spots on any of our radio stations across the state!
July Update
It’s hard to believe July is already over! It feels like it flew by, yet as I reflect on this month, I realize just how jam-packed it’s been.
Since my last blog, I’ve continued my daily duties of recording radio newscasts and TV newscasts, designing social media posts, writing website articles, and editing podcast episodes.
I’ve also continued traveling! For the Fridays in the Field series, we visited a wheat farmer near Clatonia, Nebraska and a BASF Field Day near Beaver Crossing, Nebraska. We’ve also stopped by Harmony Nursery and Daylily Farm near York and Popcorn County USA in North Loup, Nebraska as part of the Specialty Crops series. Additionally, our team highlighted an FFA welding camp and the campers’ visit to Reinke Irrigation.
My travels also brought me to Denver, Colorado, for the Cattle Industry Summer Business Meetings. While there, we heard updates from committees on everything from New World Screwworm to tax policy. We visited with Nebraska cattlemen and shared important news to producers back home through radio, social media, and website updates.
Most recently, the Rural Radio Network farm broadcasting team traveled to Brewster, Nebraska, for a team retreat. Since the team is spread out across the state, this allowed us all to reconnect and discuss new ways to accomplish the network mission of delivering up-to-date news and market content to farmers and ranchers. It was great to finally meet the full team in person after seeing so many of them virtually over the summer! We came up with some great ideas for new projects and ways to improve our existing projects to better serve our listeners.
In addition to assisting with the existing work of the RRN team, I’ve also started a few projects of my own. One of these is my Nebraska Corn Board project. This project is a series of interviews highlighting corn innovation in our state. So far, I’ve talked numerous companies about unique corn uses. Corn is so integrated in our lives, that I think it’s important to highlight! Some of the most surprising things I’ve learned corn is in or could be used in: fireworks, plastic, adhesives, disposable utensils and cosmetics.
I’ve also started filming short ag news segments for the Rural Radio Network’s social media. This has given me great practice condensing information into a short news story and presenting it in an interesting way to grab attention. Check out the RRN social media pages to see these videos!
This summer, I’ve talked to producers about corn, soybeans, wheat, popcorn, cattle, hogs, dairy, flowers, fruit, and more. I’ve interviewed individuals doing local, state, and national level. And I’ve been able to learn from a strong team of communicators to effectively share messages about these topics.
I am so grateful for the skills I’m developing through this internship. I feel much more confident in my speaking, writing, design, and overall communication skills. The tasks the RRN team has trusted me with have taught me so much and have given me the opportunity to continue learning. I’m excited to see what the last month of my internship brings! amazing things on the
August Update
I’m officially wrapping up my summer with the Rural Radio Network, and it has been a fun, educational, and fast-paced summer. It feels like the summer flew by, and now it’s time to head back to school!
I’ve been busy since my last update, covering events across the state. Chad and I traveled up to Wayne, America, for the North American Manure Expo. The Expo is a national event for manure managers, livestock producers, and crop nutrient consultants. While we were there, Chad and I conducted numerous interviews and visited with industry professionals. I got to watch the manure agitation demonstration, and I created a social media post about the event.
I also traveled to Gothenburg, Nebraska, for the North Central Weed Science Society student weed contest. This contest hosted undergraduate and graduate students competing in weed identification, herbicide injury diagnosis, sprayer calibration, mathematical calculations and simulated “farmer problems” that require participants to diagnose field issues and recommend solutions. I recorded interviews and took pictures of these events to share on the radio, our website, and social media platforms. This was such an interesting event to cover. I compete on the Crops Judging team at UNL, so it was neat to see a similar agronomic competition!
The biggest thing I’ve worked on since my last blog is finalizing my Nebraska Corn Board project. For this major project, I created a podcast series called “The Corn Catalyst.” This series features interviews with industry professionals, researchers, and experts about innovative uses of corn. Through this project, I’ve learned more about the surprising products corn is in, corn refining, genetic and molecular research, and new sources of demand for the corn industry. This project has been a great way to connect my agricultural communications studies with my agronomy degree and row crop background. You can learn more about these stories at the links below!
Overall, this internship has taught me so much about storytelling, writing, broadcasting, and interviewing. I’ve also developed a more comprehensive understanding of the Nebraska agricultural industry through my travels across the state. I’m grateful to all of the members of the Rural Radio Network team who have taught me new skills, worked alongside me on projects, and trusted me with responsibilities. This internship has made me a stronger communicator and advocate for the agricultural industry.
Now, I’ll head back to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for my final year of school where I know the skills I’ve learned this summer will continue to have an impact on me. I’m grateful for this internship experience, and I’m thankful that the Nebraska Corn Board sponsors student opportunities like this one.
See some of the projects I’ve been working on this summer:
Corn-Based Products Create New Opportunities for Farmers, Rural Communities
Corn Refining Turns Nearly Every Part of the Kernel Into Valuable Products
Nebraska Project Aims to Turn Corn Ethanol Into Sustainable Plastic
UNL Research Aims to Develop More Nutritious, Better-Tasting Popcorn
