About Us

Ohio’s Country Journal and the Ohio Ag Net are affiliated companies of Ag Net Communications, LLC. The goal of Ag Net Communications is to provide the Ohio farming community the information they need to help make their farm profitable, while also providing an enjoyable and entertaining experience through our print, radio, and online offerings.

Ag Net Communications, LLC is located in Columbus, Ohio. The company is owned by the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, which purchased assets of Ohio’s Country Journal and Ohio Ag Net from the Johnson family in 2020. The original company was founded in 1972 by the late Ed Johnson as Agri Communicators, initially producing daily radio reports for the ABN Radio Network and the then the weekly television show Agri Country.

About Ohio’s Country Journal

Ohio’s Country Journal was first published in 1992.  The Johnson family saw a need for a farm publication that focused solely on Ohio’s Agriculture and the people and events that make up Ohio’s largest industry.  Originally the Country Journal was published monthly; it is now published twice a month and is recognized as the premier farm publication that’s focus is only Ohio.

About The Ohio Ag Net

The Ohio Ag Net was founded by Bart Johnson, son of the late Ed Johnson, and Dale Minyo in 2007. Dale worked for the Johnson family after graduating from college in 1989 until 2002. The opportunity to start a new Farm Radio Network presented itself in early 2007. Dale and Bart rejoined forces and launched the Ohio Ag Net with the first day of programming in April 2007. The network started with 23 stations and has currently grown to more than 50 stations.

Ty Higgins is the general manager for Ag Net Communications, LLC.

Higgins has an extensive career in agricultural media in Ohio. Since 2019, he has served as Senior Director of Communications at Ohio Farm Bureau, where he has led the organization’s media relations and social media efforts. Prior to joining Ohio Farm Bureau in 2019, Ty served as network director, broadcaster and journalist at Ohio Ag Net and Ohio’s Country Journal.

Kim Lemmon graduated from The Ohio State University in June of 1999. Since that time, she has been employed by Ohio’s Country Journal. In 1999 and 2000, she served as graphic designer. In 2000, she was promoted to managing editor. In 2022, Kim added director of operations to her duties. She lives in Morrow County where she enjoys showing miniature horses at local county fairs.

Beth Carper handles the network traffic for Ohio Ag Net. She has years of experience working in agricultural communications and with the Johnson family as she began her career working for the late Ed Johnson in 1989. Beth lives on a farm in Delaware county with her husband Mike. They own a small herd of Shorthorn cattle and both serve on the Ohio Shorthorn Board of Directors. Together they have three daughters; Lauren, Jennifer and Marla and five grandchildren. Beth enjoys reading and cooking.

Jeff Reese joined the Ohio’s Country Journal/Ohio Ag Net staff in 2016 as the newest marketing specialist. He had been the grain originator and transportation manager at Legacy Farmers Co-op in Findlay. He graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in agricultural communications in 2006.

Jeff grew up in Hancock County working on his family’s Christmas tree farm. He and his wife,  Haley, currently reside in Findlay.

Dusty Sonnenberg joined the staff of Ohio’s Country Journal and Ohio Ag Net with Field Leader, an Ohio Soybean Council and soybean checkoff program. He provides Ohio Field Leader content about soybean agronomics, production research, and nutrient management, among other topics. The goal of Ohio Field Leader is to bring the most up-to-date agronomist, research, and best management practice information to Ohio soybean farmers.

Dusty also regularly contributes to Ohio’s Country Journal and Ohio Ag Net in his role. He is a Certified Crop Advisor and Technical Service Provider writing nutrient management plans. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from The Ohio State University in Agriculture and earned his Master’s Degree in Business from Defiance College.

Dusty and his wife Cheryl, with their sons Cody and Bailey, own and operate Sonnenberg Farms, which is a cash grain and freezer beef operation in Henry County. They raise soybeans, corn, wheat and hay. They also own and operate Jay Calf Ranch, where they start replacement heifer calves for a local dairy. Dusty is a member of the Board Directors for Ag Credit, ACA. He is a part owner and Operations Manager of Tri-State RTK Network, LLC. He is a Trustee and currently vice president for Tricounty Rural Electric Cooperative. He serves as Executive Director for the Henry County Community Foundation. Dusty is a member of the Henry County Dairy Producers, Henry County Cattlemen’s Association, and Holgate FFA Alumni. He is a past trustee for the Henry County Farm Bureau Board.

Bernadette Arehart is a project consultant for Ohio’s Country Journal and Ohio Ag Net. Bernadette shares her talents on event planning, client relations, station relations, video production support, and voicing commercials. Bernadette grew up on a dairy farm in Darke County and is a graduate of the Ohio State University. She and her husband Randy live in Franklin County.

Joe Everett of Shelby County joins the Ag Net Communications team as a marketing specialist in 2022.

Joe works with his father, uncle and cousin on the family cash grain operation where they raise corn and soybeans where they farm around 4,000 acres in the Shelby County area. He is a key contributor to the farm’s marketing, crop inputs strategy, planting, and grain hauling.

Joe is the winner of the 2021 Ohio Farm Bureau Excellence in Ag Award. He has been a member of the Shelby County Farm Bureau since 2017 where he currently serves as the County president and has served as a delegate to the Ohio Farm Bureau annual meetings. In 2021 he was also a part of the state Policy Development Committee. He is a member of his rural electric cooperative board, Farmer Veteran Coalition, Sidney American Legion, Homegrown by Heroes, the Troy City Schools Lunch Buddies Program, and the Valley Church.

Joe earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Bluffton University and served 6 years in the U.S. Navy where he deployed on two different tours and completed two Naval Schools in Electronics and High Frequency Communications. He and his wife, Casey, are the parents of two children Addison (3) and Brooks (1).

Kristin Flowers of Henry County is also lending her talents as a marketing specialist.

Kristin and her husband, Greg, and their three children, Griffin (6), Reagan (6), and Sailor (11 months), live in Henry County where they raise corn and soybeans for their row-crop operation and cut flowers and pumpkins for their u-pick farm. Kristin launched their u-pick operation, Talisman Farm, in 2018 and enjoys working with specialty crops. Kristin handles farm planning, planting, marketing, social media, design, and guest relations for the u-pick operation.

Kristin studied agricultural communications and animal science at The Ohio State University where she was active on the CFAES student council, agribusiness, and NAMA clubs. She graduated in 2014 and began working as a communication director for Luckey Farmer’s Cooperative. She then served as an organization director for Ohio Farm Bureau working with Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca and Wood Counties before transitioning to her current role at Farm Bureau working in advertising. Kristin coordinates and cultivates advertising relationships for Farm Bureau’s leading print, digital, and radio media platforms on a local, regional, and national level. When they have a break from the farm, the Flowers family enjoys trail riding with their horses. 

Joel Penhorwood returns to Ag Net Communications as video manager.

He works with a heavy emphasis on video production, but also works with radio, print, and the podcast production in addition to a variety of other tasks. Joel started as an intern and worked for Ohio Ag Net as a radio news broadcaster from 2013 to 2019. He also worked extensively with video and print.

In 2019, Joel went to Select Sires Inc. to serve in the cooperative’s communications department as the multimedia communications specialist where he developed multi-channel digital marketing and communications for external and internal use. Joel is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a bachelor of science in agricultural communications. Joel serves his local and agricultural communities as a member of the Goshen Friends Church Discipleship team, as well as a 4-H advisor and Logan County Farm Bureau Trustee. Joel also works on his family’s row-crop and hay operation and enjoys spending his free time carving rocks with a hammer and chisel. He and his wife, Katie, recently welcomed their newborn son, Maverick.

Lauren Gerig joins our team member in the role of graphic designer.

An alum of Ohio State’s agricultural communication program, Lauren has remained firmly rooted in Ohio agriculture during her creative career, offering freelance design services to Ohio’s family farmers. She lives in New Madison, Ohio with her husband and three children and is actively involved in Christ Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Indiana.

When she’s not behind the computer, Lauren is running the show at Butter Hill Heritage Pork, a first-generation pastured pork operation offering direct from the farm charcuterie meats through local farmers markets and e-commerce. Aside from graphic design, Lauren has a huge passion for niche market agriculture, value added products, industry mentorship, and small farm grant writing.