Australian agricultural journalist and broadcaster Kallee Buchanan has been named the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s second Visiting Global Agricultural Journalist.

As a senior rural reporter for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Buchanan presents the Queensland Country Hour, the country’s longest running radio program, which has aired since 1945. She also produces a daily podcast dedicated to bridging the divide between rural and urban audiences.

Buchanan holds a bachelor’s degree in communications with a focus on radio and print journalism from the University of Canberra. She is an executive member of the Australian Council of Agriculture Journalists and of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists. She was also awarded the 2021 IFAJ-Alltech International Award for Leadership in Agricultural Journalism.

“I am honored to be able to spend time at such an impressive educational institution that is developing the next generation of agricultural communicators,” Buchanan said. “Telling the story of the people and places that feed the world is a privilege, but also crucial to furthering the understanding of this vital industry. I am looking forward to gaining valuable insight into the challenges American farmers face, the solutions they pursue, and the people who tell their story.”

The Visiting Global Agricultural Journalist program is designed to introduce students in agricultural communications courses in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) to leading global agricultural journalists who are members of IFAJ. The program also offers prominent agricultural journalists from outside the U.S. an opportunity to study at the U. of I. and experience the agri-food sector in the state of Illinois.

Buchanan’s visit will take place Sept. 9-18, 2024. It is sponsored by the James F. Evans Global Center for Food and Agricultural Communications.  

On campus, Buchanan will guest lecture in agricultural communications courses such as International Agricultural Communications and Communicating Agriculture. She will meet with the Illini Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow and Agricultural Communications Documentation Center administrators. She will also be part of a public forum on the divide between agriculture and urban people on Friday, Sept. 13 at 3 p.m. in Turner Hall, and later that evening she will address students, alumni and friends at the annual agricultural communications Homecoming Huddle.

Off campus, Buchanan will interview Illinois farmers and agri-food officials to learn more about the sector and prepare stories for broadcast in Australia.

Buchanan has almost 15 years of experience as a print, radio, digital, and television journalist. She has extensive experience reporting on agriculture in Australia's mainstream national media and agricultural media. Her work has earned her many honors from both Australian and international organizations.

“Kallee is a dynamic professional and is highly respected among her peers,” said Owen Roberts, director of agricultural communications in the Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications (ALEC) program in ACES. “Her skill set, experience, and enthusiasm for agricultural journalism will be inspirational for our students, and her perspectives from an important agriculture-producing and exporting country like Australia will be fascinating.”

For more information or to interview Buchanan during her visit to Illinois, contact Roberts at oroberts@illinois.edu.