A trusted voice for the state’s farmers and ranchers
Colorado is home to more than 67,000 farmers and ranchers who rely on specialized industry news and information to support their daily operational decisions. It’s no exaggeration to say local farm broadcasters are essential to the state’s agriculture industry and rural communities in general.
Farm broadcasting is a craft nearly as old as commercial radio itself, with the first farm reports hitting the airwaves in the early 1920s. Ag broadcasters are a trusted, consistent source of vital news, weather, and market information, and Colorado is home to one of the best.
Lorrie Boyer, also known as the Ag Queen, has delivered the ag news farmers and ranchers rely on for nearly 30 years. Through her skill, ambition, and expertise, she has earned her respect throughout both the agricultural and farm broadcasting industries.
“It’s good hearing from the different people she talks to on topics from water to fertilizer to livestock,” said David Blach, a fourth-generation farmer in Yuma County. “It helps educate the farmers and lets us hear different perspectives. She can ask some great questions.”
For producers working long hours in often remote fields and feedlots, reliable information matters. Through decades of farm reporting, Lorrie has become one of the most familiar voices connecting Colorado agriculture to the wider world. “Lorrie rightfully earns her audience’s trust through her reliable reporting and genuine connection,” said Corryn LaRue, a Missouri-based farm broadcaster for the American Ag Network.
Motivated by a sincere desire to elevate Colorado’s agriculture industry and its people, along with an entrepreneurial spirit and plenty of ambition, Lorrie was destined to become a renowned farm broadcaster. It’s a personally rewarding career and work that has earned her countless accolades, including being named the Farm Broadcaster of the Year in 2024 by the National Association of Farm Broadcasting.
“A couple of things keep me motivated in doing this every day,” Lorrie said, “I learn at least one new thing every single day, and I’m providing important information that farmers and ranchers can use to make operational decisions. They’re out in the field producing my food. This is what I can do for them.”
ROOTED IN AGRICULTURE
Raised in rural Boulder County, and the daughter of a Paint Horse breeder and trainer, Lorrie grew up loving and showing horses. In 1992 she was crowned Boulder County Rodeo Queen, an experience she credits for laying the groundwork of her interest in communication and leadership. “She’s very proud of her roots,” David said, “She grew up around 4-H and FFA and has a lot of savvy about agriculture.”
After attending Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Lorrie transferred to Colorado State University where she earned a degree in technical journalism with an emphasis in agriculture. She and her husband Brian married the day after graduation.
Her career took off soon after, with a first job at the Ag Journal in La Junta. Her next opportunity at KLMR radio in Lamar officially set her on a career path in broadcasting. For the next five years, Lorrie focused on delivering ag news and farm reports to listeners across southeastern Colorado, developing her reporting skills, and deepening her industry knowledge.
Joining the region’s competing station KVAY was the next level in her career trajectory. There she was charged with building the station’s ag department from scratch. “I love a good challenge, and it was an opportunity for me to not only to have that on my resume but also to mold it into what I wanted it to be.”
Lorrie and Brian’s first son was born during the four years she worked at KVAY. She was able to shift to part-time work, but it wasn’t long until she was ready for a new challenge.
“My next natural progression was to ask, ‘Now what can I do?’ So, I started my own network. It was called the Colorado Agriculture News Network. It was crazy because I was literally feeding my son in his high chair while I was creating my website and getting it going.”
Through the Colorado Agriculture News Network she created, Lorrie distributed three daily agricultural news reports. The network eventually reached 20 stations across Colorado, and some in Kansas and New Mexico.
Then came a call from KSIR radio in Fort Morgan. While her young family wasn’t ready to move at that time, the station was so eager to bring her on, they hired her anyway. Broadcasting equipment was shipped to her, and she worked remotely long before it would become commonplace.
Eventually her family moved to Morgan County, and Lorrie remains a fixture at KSIR today, delivering daily market reports and ag news, interviewing people from all walks of ag life, and covering farm news with award-winning skill and her own unique style. “I’ve done my ag news and interviews from a swather, a combine, a sugar beet picker, feedlots — and so many shows from the sale barn.”
LEADERSHIP AND LEGACY
Among the U.S. farm broadcasting industry, Lorrie’s influence and leadership reaches far beyond Colorado. She has been a key leader for the National Association of Farm Broadcasting, an organization that represents, supports, and promotes the success of farm broadcasting nationally. She was a board director, served as regional and national vice president, and ultimately as the NAFB national president in 2019.
“Lorrie elevates the standard of farm broadcasting by setting an example of professionalism which is helping shape the next generation of farm broadcasters,” Corryn said. “She represents the kind of journalism that reinforces the importance and credibility of agricultural media.”
It was through the NAFB Leadership Academy that Lorrie met Jesse Harding Campbell a decade ago. Fresh out of college, Jesse appreciated having an experienced farm broadcaster to look up to. “I still to this day consider Lorrie a mentor. I started my own business a couple of years ago, and she’s someone who I’ve looked up to, and we’re really close friends as well,” Jesse said.
Lorrie is widely known for being supportive and generous with her knowledge, while also open to learning from the next generation of farm broadcasters, calling them her mentors. She founded the NAFB Mentorship Program in 2017, which pairs new members with experienced mentors to support their confidence and help them build professional relationships.
“She’s fantastic with other broadcasters, especially those up and coming,” said Sabrina Halvorson, former NAFB member and CEO of the North Dakota News Cooperative. “She has made it a point to be a role model for other women in the industry. She is really good at having other women’s backs.”
When Lorrie was starting out in the industry three decades ago, women farm broadcasters were rare. She knows the challenges that can come with forging a new trail and believes in supporting those who are just starting out.
“Her faith is very important to her,” Sabrina shared. “She actually walks the walk. To take care of people, help people — she just lives that life, and I’ve always respected that about her.”
BECOMING THE AG QUEEN
Not one to rest on her laurels, Lorrie’s growth mindset led her to launch her own podcast seven years ago to adapt to evolving media platforms, expand her reach, and build credibility with a new generation of ag leaders. Her top-rated Ag Queen Podcast, with listeners across the U.S. and beyond, is a platform for long-form interviews with “movers and shakers” in the ag industry. She enjoys the chance to have deeper conversations than traditional radio segments allow and says her many years of delivering morning, noon, and mid-afternoon shows as well as working in both entertainment and talk radio formats prepared her well for the podcast format.
“The podcast was the first way for me to go national on my own with my own brand,” Lorrie said. “I strive to keep authentic to who I am. You must be accurate, relevant, nonbiased, but also have a personality. And why not? That’s how people connect to me.”
The Ag Queen nickname was bestowed upon her by colleagues early in her radio career. Once a moniker, she’s turned it into a unique brand that has proven itself to be engaging, memorable, and perfectly Lorrie. “I just kind of glommed onto it, being a rodeo queen. My parents will tell you that I still think I’m a queen. And my husband calls me his queen.”
With industry acumen and care, Lorrie expertly balances credibility and journalistic professionalism with a style that resonates and challenges stereotypes in a traditional field. “I want to be different. I want to be memorable, and I want to have bright colors on my business card and wear fun cowboy boots and still provide the information that our farmers and listeners need to make their operational decisions every day.”
LIFE BEYOND THE MICROPHONE
Like farmers and ranchers, farm broadcasters don’t come close to keeping regular business hours. Life and activities outside of work require flexibility. It’s one reason Lorrie has been a longtime fitness enthusiast and former CrossFit coach and competitor. When she’s not in the field or studio, she can be found weight training, spinning, or getting in a barre workout. And now that her sons are young adults, she has also begun to reconnect with her equestrian roots and is filling a big need in Colorado as a certified horse judge for all types of shows and competitions.
With an inquisitive mind, a generous heart, and authentic spirit, it’s exciting to imagine where Lorrie’s next 30 years will lead and what it could mean for the ag industry in Colorado and beyond. “I like to just be who I am and have a little fun along the way. I don’t think you have to be boring to be a farm broadcaster. You need to be accurate, relevant, and nonbiased, but also have a personality. And I think that that’s probably what makes me different in this industry.”
Mary Peck is a freelance writer based in Northern Colorado and enjoys sharing stories of rural communities.
Photos courtesy of Lorrie Boyer and Chris Coleman
