Jeff Ishee, a Shenandoah Valley farm broadcaster, has received the 2007 State Friend of Extension award for his ongoing support of Virginia Cooperative Extension through his radio and television shows.

The award was presented during the annual awards ceremony of the Alpha Gamma chapter of the Epsilon Sigma Phi, the Extension honorary organization, held in Charlottesville on May 22 as part of the Virginia Extension Service Association annual meeting.

Ishee is the producer and host of "On the Farm," a daily syndicated regional radio news program, and is the host and producer of "Virginia Farming," a weekly production of Virginia Public Television.

"His programming has brought research-based information from Virginia Cooperative Extension to 2.5 million radio listeners and into more than 28 million homes through RFD-TV," said Karen Poff, an Extension family and consumer sciences agent in Shenandoah County. "Based on advertising and sponsorship rates, the dollar value of the radio and television airtime he contributes to Extension is estimated to be approximately $26,000 per week or $1.3 million annually."

Area Extension agents are often interviewed several times a week on Ishee's radio program and Extension agents, specialists, and administrators are frequent guests on his television show. Tom Stanley, Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Augusta county, said, "Jeff has been instrumental in helping the general public, many of whom have limited knowledge about agriculture, understand the challenges and accomplishments of the agriculture industry."

In addition to his radio and television shows, Ishee serves as the farm director at WSVA radio in Harrisonburg and is a regular columnist for the Daily News Leader in Staunton and the Virginia Gardener Magazine.

About Virginia Cooperative Extension

Virginia Cooperative Extension brings the resources of Virginia's land-grant universities, Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, to the people of the commonwealth. Through a system of on-campus specialists and locally based agents, it delivers education in the areas of agriculture and natural resources, family and consumer sciences, community viability, and 4-H youth development. With a network of faculty at two universities, 107 county and city offices, 13 agricultural research and Extension centers, and six 4-H educational centers, Virginia Cooperative Extension provides solutions to the problems facing Virginians today.

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