Reporting live from Fort Worth, Texas, University of Illinois agricultural communications students Jennie Abbott and Taylor Talbert shared updates on the James F. Evans Global Center for Food and Agricultural Communications during AgRally 2025, a live, nationwide broadcast on RFD-TV celebrating National Ag Day. 

The storied RFD-TV studio in Fort Worth, Texas, is tucked away at the far end of East Exchange Avenue, right in the heart of the Stockyards, where a herd of longhorn cattle still parades through the cobblestone street twice a day. The studio’s unassuming entrance is easy to miss, blending into the western infrastructure of the area…but stepping inside reveals a unique studio setup. 

And in March, that’s where we had the opportunity to tell rural America about how students could be involved in the fledgling James F. Evans Global Center for Food and Agricultural Communications. 

The studio is distinguished by a low-lit theater, where rows of stadium seating wrap around a brightly lit stage. Behind it, a backdrop reads AgRally 2025. We were guests of AgRally co-founder and ACES agricultural communications alum Lyle Orwig, a key supporter of the center, who invited us to give a live on-air update on the center. 

We took our seats in the theater’s front row, the staging area for the program’s many guests that day, anticipating moving into the interviewees “hot seats” shortly. Cameras pointed to the stage from every direction in the studio – even swiveling around overhead, getting aerial views of the audience. 

Before we knew it, our assigned interview at 2:40 p.m. was just a few minutes away. We were called up to the stage, and we could feel the heat from the lights as we took our places, facing interviewer Pat Driscoll. 

We thought: Is this really happening? We’re about to be on live television! 

Microphones in hand, the countdown began. Live in three, two, one… 

It was all happening so fast. Once we were on air, we had to be ready to adjust and think on our feet. Despite several weeks’ worth of preparation with our instructor Dr. Roberts and off-camera with Amanda Shoemaker from the ACES advancement office, as well as practice runs with our interviewer, we were both nervous to speak on national television. However, in the moment, we shook off the nerves and confidently spoke about our positive experiences in the agricultural communications program. 

It’s easy to talk about something you believe in. We’ve seen firsthand how this program has shaped us. And to be able to share that with everyone was so special. 

In fact, for both of us, the moment was bigger than the broadcast. It was indeed an honor to share on national television the importance of agricultural communications and how the Evans Center will make a difference globally. And getting to be the voice of ACES and everything the Agricultural Communications program has been working toward was bigger yet. 

We can’t wait to see what’s next for the Evans Center…and maybe even return one day to be part of the program in a new way. 

Watch the live broadcast or watch a post interview with Taylor and Jennie.  

To learn more about the Evans Center, visit: https://evans.aces.illinois.edu/ 

To give a gift, visit: https://alec.illinois.edu/give 

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