Orwig pays it forward to inspire future agricultural communicators
Two short years ago, during National Ag Day at AgRally in Fort Worth, Texas — an event sponsored by John Deere and broadcast on the RFD-TV network — ACES alum and AgRally co-founder Lyle E. Orwig helped introduce the vision for the Evans Center.
Fast forward to the fall of 2025 and the James. F Evans Global Center for Food and Agricultural Communications reached its first major fundraising milestone of $5 million, an important step toward launching its programs and building long‑term sustainability.
The Evans Center will advance research, prepare future professionals, and strengthen the connection between food, agriculture, and society on a global scale.
For Orwig, giving back wasn’t just about honoring his alma mater, but about recognizing professor emeritus Jim Evans, who shaped Orwig’s career and so many others.
"When you become part of Jim's family, you're part of that family forever," Orwig said. "He wasn’t just a professor who got you through those four years; he cared about you after graduation, too."
Orwig’s passion for communications started early. In high school, he served as the reporter for the Clifton Central FFA Chapter in Clifton, Illinois. He started reporting for local newspapers on everything from football games to community events.
“The Watseka Times asked me to cover the Iroquois County Fair, so I captured all the winners, and they published my first photos,” Orwig said.
These experiences sparked his interest in reporting and helped him see the opportunities available through storytelling.
That interest led Orwig to an FFA reporter’s workshop at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he first met Evans and toured the agricultural communications program.
At the time, he had considered a future in football coaching, but Evans’ talk changed his path. "That's what I needed to do," Orwig said. "I wanted to use my agriculture background to help communicate agriculture to the world."
Orwig came to Illinois the fall of 1968, shortly after being elected to serve as the State Reporter for the Illinois FFA Association 1968-1969 State Officer team. Traveling across the state, he helped facilitate events and became a leader in sharing the story of an organization he loved.
After serving as a state officer, he participated in the FFA Work Experience Abroad (WEA) program, where he worked on a farm in England and gained an international perspective on agriculture.
After the WEA experience, he returned to Illinois ready to continue college, but his funds had run out. He considered enlisting in the Army during the Vietnam War, but a courthouse clerk encouraged him to work and stick with school instead, a piece of advice that Orwig believes changed his life.
Orwig would spend two semesters balancing classes at Kankakee Community College and working at a factory before he had saved enough to return to Illinois, ready to take advantage of every opportunity.
Back at Illinois, Orwig gained hands-on experience working with Illinois Extension, drafting articles on agronomy and animal sciences, and honing his photography skills in the university’s photo lab.
By his final semester, he was managing 17 credit hours, working in a photo lab, and engaged to his college sweetheart, all while gearing up for a career in agricultural communications. Orwig graduated in December 1973, feeling prepared for the “real world.”
An entry into that world came when Evans brought Orwig and other members of the Illinois chapter of the National Agricultural Marketing Association to Chicago to attend a meeting. There, Evans introduced Orwig to leadership at Milwaukee-based RA Associates, the PR division of Reiman & Associates, where Orwig was later hired for his first job out of college.
After two years, he joined Century Communications, publishers of Agri Marketing and Agri Finance magazines. After six years in Chicago, he joined Bader Rutter, where he spent a decade, working his way up to vice president and director of public relations. That experience fueled his longtime dream of starting his own firm.
“Entrepreneurial spirit has always been in me from being a farm kid,” Orwig said.
He went on to co-found and lead Charleston Orwig, Inc. for 26 years.
Even after “retirement” from Charleston Orwig, Inc., he remains active in agricultural communications as managing partner and COO of The Certified Agriculture Group, supporting rural communities through its Certified Agriculture Dealers network and by creating the AGwagon, the world's first purpose-built farm and ranch truck.
Throughout his career, Orwig has consistently made it a priority to support the agricultural community and give back to the people and places that helped launch his success.
“I believe that investing in people and programs helps grow the future of agriculture,” Orwig said. “Supporting the next generation is the most meaningful way I can give back.”
Orwig established the Lyle E. Orwig International Travel for Ag Educators Fund through the Illinois FFA Foundation, which provides opportunities for FFA advisors to gain a global perspective on agriculture — like he did in England.
He has donated his time and resources generously to the agricultural communications program at Illinois. Just last year, Orwig returned to campus to speak with the Illinois chapter of Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow about his professional experience and share his advice with current students.
His financial support and role in establishing the Evans Global Center for Food and Agricultural Communications were integral to bringing this long-time vision to life.
"Everything I have done for the agricultural communications program at Illinois has been a labor of love because I wouldn’t be where I am today without the basic training I got there," Orwig said. "I wouldn’t be where I am today without Dr. Evans. He wasn’t just a professor, he is a mentor, and that’s what makes him stand out.”
Orwig has become a mentor to generations of agricultural communications students, just as Jim Evans mentored and inspired him.
While the initial funding milestone has been met to launch the Evans Center, continued investment will ensure it reaches its full potential. Ongoing support will expand opportunities for professional development events, visiting journalist programs, executive seminars, consumer outreach, and unbiased media research.
To learn more about supporting the Evans Global Center for Food and Agricultural Communications, contact Stacey Cole in the College of ACES Office of Advancement at 217-244-1676 or smcole@illinois.edu. Gifts can be made online at evans.aces.illinois.edu/give.