{"id":17714,"date":"2026-09-30T18:44:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T18:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/funkaces\/?p=17714"},"modified":"2026-09-30T18:44:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T18:44:42","slug":"acdc-news-issue-26-09","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/funkaces\/acdc-news-issue-26-09\/","title":{"rendered":"ACDC News – Issue 26-09"},"content":{"rendered":"

Download a printer-friendly PDF<\/a> of this issue.<\/b><\/h2>\n
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2026 honored farm broadcast journalists<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Congratulations to Rita Frazer and Tom Cassidy on being 2026 Hall of Fame inductees into the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB). They will be honored November 19 at the 83<\/span>rd<\/span> NAFB convention in Kansas City, Missouri.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrazer has 35 years of experience in agricultural broadcasting and is one of Illinois agriculture\u2019s most trusted voices, delivering timely news, markets and public policy information through the Illinois Farm Bureau\u2019s RFD Radio Network.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In his 30-year career, Cassidy served the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region. Under his leadership, the family-owned Ag Radio Network has delivered timely ag news tailored to the region\u2019s diverse agricultural industries.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can read \u201cNAFB names Rita Frazer and Tom Cassidy as 2026 Hall of Fame inductees\u201d<\/a> by open access.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/span>How Americans think about food safety today: A paradox revealed<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Two 2026 research studies from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) \u201ccapture a paradox at the heart of how Americans think about food right now: food additive, ingredient, and chemical concerns have never been more present in the national conversation, yet overall confidence in the safety of the U.S. food supply has actually risen.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe two findings aren\u2019t contradictory so much as a sign that people are paying closer attention \u2013 forming perceptions from a shifting mix of what they hear and what they experience, and using new criteria to decide what to trust.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Becoming a department<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

How pleased we are to share word that the Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communications (ALEC) program here at the University of Illinois is becoming the eighth academic department in the College of ACES.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something worth celebrating,\u201d said ACES Dean Bollero in his announcement memo of August 25. \u201cIt recognizes what ALEC faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends have built over the years \u2013 and gives us an even stronger foundation for the future. \u2026 The work represented by ALEC is important to the future of agriculture and to our land-grant mission. We need talented communicators, educators, and leaders who can connect knowledge with people and help communities and organizations navigate change.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Director named for a new global food\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

and agricultural communications center<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Amy Roady has been named inaugural director of the new Center for Food and Agricultural Communications based at the University of Illinois.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRoady brings more than two decades of experience spanning agricultural communications, Extension, journalism, nonprofit leadership, and corporate communications,\u201d reports a recent announcement. The endowed Center was created through support from alumni and others. It is named for James F. Evans, long-time agricultural communications faculty member in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES). It will help advance collaboration, professional engagement, and public dialogue surrounding agriculture and food systems.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can read \u201cAmy Roady named inaugural director of Evans Center at Illinois\u201d<\/a> by open access.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/span>Fiber \u201chaving a moment on social media\u201d<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cThe trend known as \u2018fibermaxxing\u2019 encourages people to eat more fiber by increasing intake through high-fiber recipes, meal plans, and daily challenges.\u201d This introduction to a timely article from University of Utah Health addresses questions consumers may have:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>You can read \u201cFood safety is everywhere in the conversation. So why is consumer confidence ticking up?\u201d<\/a> by open access.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n