Bridgette Readel’s love for agriculture began during her childhood on a North Dakota dairy farm, along with her lifelong passion for FFA. With over 25 years of agronomy experience, Bridgette is now a passionate advocate for farmers and rural life, using her voice as a radio host to educate. Her dedication goes beyond just sharing knowledge—she cares deeply about the well-being of rural communities, speaking on issues like mental health and the importance of understanding agriculture. As a business owner and partner in many an ag initiative, her commitment to uplifting the industry is blatantly obvious.
Early Life in Ag
Bridgette’s story began on a small dairy farm in North Dakota, where early mornings milking cows and attending FFA events shaped her passion for farming. Her involvement with FFA allowed her to explore leadership and communication skills, which eventually led her to pursue a career in agronomy.
“Growing up, I was always handson with our farm, but FFA is where I really developed my love for leadership and communication in agriculture,” she said.
After graduating from NDSU with a focus on agricultural education and crop consulting, Bridgette’s career took off as she joined Dow AgroSciences, which later evolved into Corteva Agriscience. Initially, Bridgette was hired as a sales representative, but seeing a need for expertise in her territory, she essentially created a new position for herself—technical agronomist. This role allowed her to merge sales and agronomic support, providing both farmers and internal teams with in-depth knowledge about crop protection and seed technologies.
Bridgette’s technical agronomy role involved everything from product training to field research. She became a trusted advisor to both her clients and her colleagues though education on best practices for managing crops and understanding new products. Bridgette also worked closely with the company’s research teams, helping to evaluate new compounds and their suitability for various regions.
Advocating for a more hands-on, technical approach to supporting farmers in this self-developed role, Bridgette trained over 70 interns and new employees, becoming a mentor and leader within the company. Her technical expertise, along with her ability to teach and connect with people, secured her long-term success and influence in the agricultural education sector.
All the while, Bridgette was creating online communities on various social media platforms where she could share her knowledge and passion for the industry with those just as eager. And this online connection brought her to her current role.
Online Connection to New Venture
After spending 25 years in agronomy and working as a technical agronomist with Corteva, Bridgette was ready for a change but not away from the field of ag. A Twitter follower suggested her name to the team at Flag Family Media, recommending she speak about agriculture on a regular basis on the radio. Soon after, WDAY contacted her, initially offering her a once-a-week segment discussing agriculture.
But, within a month, her appearances were so well-received that they extended an offer for her to join the team full-time. She transitioned into the role of ag director for Flag Family Media, where she now hosts daily segments on agriculture, bringing her knowledge, humor, and passion for farming to a broader audience.
Her role has grown beyond traditional broadcasting, as she also hosts other shows in collaboration with meteorologists and interacts with listeners through live streaming on platforms like YouTube and AcresTV. This career shift has allowed her to explore new avenues, while she still can leverage her expertise in agronomy—where her passion lies.
AcresTV is an online platform dedicated to advancing agricultural education and promoting rural life. Catch content from farmers, researchers, and industry leaders, with insights into agriculture.
Enjoy unlimited streaming anywhere and anytime! Learn more at watchacrestv.com
Ag Advocacy
Bridgette continues to influence the ag industry through her media presence, which includes the radio shows mentioned previously, as well as her company Lilac Lane Media and her partnership company the Ag Mafia.
Whether it’s sales strategy, negotiation skills, or customer interactions, through Lilac Lane Media, Bridgette works to elevate her client’s agribusiness game by offering dynamic agricultural sales training and media coaching. Learn more at lilaclanemedia.com
Bridgette’s newest joint venture, along with Jason Hanson and Kyle Okke, Agmafia is redefining agronomy with fresh insights and solid practices in agriculture. They offer interactive training for agronomists, engaging collaborations, and expert consulting services to make learning both enjoyable and applicable to real-world scenarios. Learn more at agmafia.com and mark your calendars for the org’s event, Agronomy On Ice on February 5 at Woodland Resort, Devils Lake, ND!
Bridgette’s driving force for her passion for ag, along with her packed schedule, lies in education. She is all too aware of the challenges and rewards that farmers face every day. Beginning early in FFA and continuing throughout her career, whether she was working as a technical agronomist, mentoring interns, or now, as a radio host and media personality, Bridgette has consistently focused on making agriculture understandable and approachable.
“I want to educate people; educate them to know what we do on a daily basis. Because here’s the thing—there’s a lot of consumers that think that farmers are trying to kill them and we’re doing all these nefarious things in the field. Why would we kill our customer? So my whole goal every day, whether it’s through social media or radio or what I was doing while working for Corteva, is to make sure that folks are aware of the positivity of what we do,” Bridgette said.
Her goal is to bridge the gap between consumers and producers, be it through her various platform’s audiences or face-toface. Bridgette’s philosophy centers around the idea that farmers are not only stewards of the land but essential providers for the world, producing safe and abundant food.
“We have the safest, cheapest, most abundant food supply in the world,” Bridgette said.
A Woman in Agriculture
As one of the few women in her field when she started, Bridgette has witnessed firsthand the evolution of women’s roles in agriculture. She’s passionate about mentorship and paving the way for more women to join the industry. While she may have often been the only woman in the room when she began in agriculture, gender didn’t and doesn’t sway Bridgette’s role in the industry; she views her work as not only many of our other features do but as many farmers do in general.
Bridgette's Podcast Lineup!
“The Agronomists Happy Hour Podcast”
This features two agronomists (Jason Hanson & Kyle Okke), including Bridgette, talking about various ag topics over a beer. Relaxed and fun, covering everything from crop management and plant pathology to new ag tech. It’s a blend of technical discussions and conversations for both experts and those interested in ag!
“The Rural Well”
Centered on farmers’ mental and physical health and created in partnership with the National Farmers Mental Health Alliance, Bridgette and her co-host, Lauren Van Ewyck of the National Farmers Mental Health Alliance in Ontario, focus on issues affecting rural communities, especially the mental health challenges faced by farmers, helping to shed light on this critical but often overlooked area of agriculture.
“The Nooner Chat”
This is currently hosted in a live Twitter space chat and focuses on diverse ag-related topics. This is an interactive platform where listeners can engage with the hosts and guests. It’s casual but informative, providing insights on a wide range of agricultural issues from industry experts. Bridgette has plans to transition this into a full-fledged podcast this month!
“My bottom line with every trainee and intern that I had was just do your job and do it well, I don’t care who you are, just do your job,” she said.
For Bridgette, the future of agriculture is bright. She remains optimistic about the role of technology in the industry, as she will continue to advocate and highlight the importance of rural communities and education. The connection between the public and the farming world is at the forefront of her efforts, whether on the radio, in the field, on the screen, or directly from her.
Follow along with Bridgette’s busy life online, tune into her shows, and more!
Check out Bridgette’s podcast with WDAY Meteorologists Dean Wysocki and Justin Storm, “Weather & Ag In Focus” on our region’s weather and its relation to agriculture
Tune into Bridgette’s radio shows!
Morning Show:
Every morning on
WDAY (970 AM / 103.9 FM) and The
Flag (1100 AM), between 7:00 AM
and 7:30 AM.
Afternoon Show:
Weather & Ag In Focus live on-air
from 1 to 2 p.m. on WDAY
Follow Bridgette's socials at
Facebook | /bridgette.readel
Instagram | @bridgettereadel
Twitter | @bmreadel
Tiktok | @bridgettereadel
