Bob Quinn's microphone serves as a megaphone for Iowa ag

March 2, 2026 | Bethany Baratta

The radio threaded itself into the fabric of Bob Quinn’s life long before he claimed it as part of his identity in Iowa agriculture.

At his grandparents’ farm, where he first encountered agriculture, the radio provided “the soundtrack of the farm.” He recalls his grandfather reaching up to the radio atop the fridge to turn it on in the morning. The voices of Herb Plambeck, Jack Shelley and Ev Hickman boomed from the speakers of the radios in the house, in the shop and in the pickup truck.

Decades later, farmers tune their radio to AM 1040 WHO to listen to Quinn.

The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) recently named Quinn the recipient of the 2026 Advocate for Iowa Agriculture award. His ability to communicate about Iowa’s ag industry and connect how policies, weather and news affect Iowa farmers marks him as a standout recipient. Quinn exerts a positive impact on Iowa agriculture both behind the glass studio wall and in the community. He hosts “The Big Show,” which airs weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on NewsRadio 1040 WHO.

He connects with farmers because he grew up around the farm. He and his parents (nonfarmers) lived just one mile from his grandparents’ farm, a quick commute to assist his retired grandparents.

Paved paradise

Quinn envisioned agriculture as his life’s work — until his grandparents’ farm closed while he attended high school. The Southridge Mall on Des Moines’ south side now occupies the land where his grandparents once raised corn, soybeans and cattle.

He became the first in his family to go to college — first to Grand View, then to Iowa State University (ISU) to pursue a degree in telecommunicative arts (broadcast journalism just emerged at ISU).

While attending ISU, Quinn worked for Extension Information, where he met broadcasters and ag journalists. Those contacts led him to his first job at a small radio station in Ottumwa after graduating from ISU in 1978.

In 1983, Quinn joined WHO Radio — his dream job.

“For me, that was … the pinnacle — talking to agriculture and being able to tell the story of agriculture was being on WHO with the guys that I listened to,” he says. Notably, he shared the airwaves with Lee Kline and Mark Pearson, a few of the farm broadcasters and radio personalities Quinn listened to on his grandparents’ farm.

The soundtrack

Today, Quinn contributes to the soundtrack on farms throughout Iowa. Quinn ranks as just the third farm director in WHO Radio’s 87 years of farm broadcasting, following the footsteps of Plambeck and Keith Kirkpatrick.

Through his interviews and reporting, he leads farmers to insights on the farm bill, biofuels policy, tariffs, commodity markets, weather and global events that help shape their livelihoods. He empathized with farmers and listeners through the farm crisis, 9/11 and COVID-19. He supports youth on-air in the broadcast booth at the Iowa State Fair.

He works alongside the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers (CSIF) to recognize farmers who take a proactive approach in growing their livestock farms by connecting with CSIF first. He visits farms to recognize the recipients of the Good Farm Neighbor Award, which honors the care livestock farmers take not only of their animals but of the environment and their community. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship named Quinn the 200th recipient of the Good Farm Neighbor Award in 2025.

He uses his microphone as a megaphone for Iowa agriculture. He created Clean Water Wednesdays on WHO Radio to further showcase farmers’ efforts.

“There’s a lot of good things that farmers are doing to prevent nitrogen runoff. Sheer economics dictate that you want to keep as much of that nutrient available to the crop and not let it get away,” he says. “I decided we’re going to find some of these projects that are working, that have measurable, good results that reduce nitrogen runoff, and we’re going to talk about that on the radio.”

After tuning in to his broadcast on AM 1040, some Quinn loyalists transform into clean water enthusiasts, trying practices like cover crops and bioreactors that Quinn highlights during his programming.

“It’s called Clean Water Starts Here because everyone has a stake in it — whether you’re a user or someone who is handling that water off the field or you’re using it to raise a crop.”

And he connects with his listeners because he lives as a farmer— at heart and in practice. He and his wife, Ann, operate a farm near St. Charles where they have a sawmill and keep bees. He even drew inspiration to build the couple’s 20,000-bushel grain bin home there after covering stories of Sukup Manufacturing building grain bins for Haiti to use for housing after the devastating earthquakes hit that country.

A trusted frequency

Though farm markets rise and fall, Bob Quinn remains a fixture — in the studio, the sawmill, or on the farm — bringing clarity to Iowa farmers and adoring listeners. Just as his grandfather’s weathered hands clicked the radio on and off to begin and end the day, Iowa farmers continue to tune in to AM 1040 to hear the voice they trust — the soundtrack of their farm.

Written by Bethany Baratta.

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