ST. LOUIS, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- America's Heartland, the weekly public television series that celebrates the contributions of America's farmers and ranchers, has launched its third season this fall.
Twenty-two new half-hour segments will be featured in the magazine-style program this year. By the middle of the third season, America's Heartland will have profiled unforgettable people, places and products of U.S. agriculture in all 50 states.
The program is made possible with funding from the series' two flagship supporters -- Monsanto Company and the American Farm Bureau Federation. The series also receives support from the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Cotton Council, United Soybean Board, the National FFA Organization, the U.S. Grains Council and National Association of Wheat Growers.
"As a company focused solely on agriculture, Monsanto is dedicated to raising public awareness about the important role of U.S. agriculture in feeding, clothing and fueling the world," said Carl Casale, Monsanto executive vice president. "More urban viewers are tuning in to the show and providing some great feedback about how much they are learning about agriculture."
Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, said the program is building a better bridge to agricultural awareness and understanding. "America's Heartland is living up to all its promises by helping us tell the story of America's farm and ranch families, and by sharing the miracle of American agriculture," he said. "It provides an opportunity for consumers and opinion leaders to learn about the challenges and opportunities we face today on our farms and ranches."
Season 3 segments include stories about five members of a hard-working North Dakota ranch family located in a remote corner of the state; a young Kansas farmer who's laboring to keep his family's farm going; a Las Vegas casino buffet operation that illustrates the farm-to-consumer connection on a very large scale; and an Anchorage, Alaska innovator who figures out something profitable to do with the scraps from the state's salmon industry.
Produced by KVIE, the public television affiliate in Sacramento, America's Heartland is available on many PBS stations across the U.S. and on RFD-TV, and each story is streamed to the program website, http://www.americasheartland.org/. Last year, the show reached over one million consumers.
