Pam Jahnke Receives Lee Heine Good People Award

In November 2023, the WHPA named Pam Jahnke, “The Fabulous Farm Babe” from the Midwest Farm Report as the inaugural recipient of the Lee Heine Good People Award. Pam was awarded this WHPA-sponsored national award in December 2023 in Madison, WI.  A staple to the Wisconsin agricultural community, Pam has been in agricultural broadcasting for decades. While her background originated in the dairy industry, Pam has taken her passion for agriculture to new heights, becoming the premier agriculture broadcaster in the State of Wisconsin. Understanding the importance of agricultural promotion, she has been a champion of furthering important causes through her reporting. Lee Heine understood and fostered relationships with the media and with people who would come to advocate for honeybees and beekeeping. Pam is a key example of the type of person he’d work with to champion beekeeping causes.

Never does Pam say no to a request for an interview for the beekeeping industry, whether it’s covering the larger issues of the industry, such as bear regulations in Wisconsin and how that affects honeybees or working with a Wisconsin Honey Queen during her first media interview. Always wanting to tell the story for the beekeepers and her audience the best she can, she’s been known to say, “That didn’t go as well as I think we would have wanted, so let’s try it again now that we’re both more relaxed.” Pam embodies Lee Heine’s spirit and mission in many ways. A friend to many, she isn’t shy about talking to anyone and takes her time to learn about the person as well as the cause. Her relationship building skills have been instrumental to furthering the beekeepers’ messages and when she learns that there is a need to promote or publicize something in the industry, she exhibits a passion to get the job done and make everyone aware of the issue.

The Lee Heine Good People Award celebrates the importance of Pam and agriculture journalists nationwide who have befriended the beekeeping industry: celebrating a great honey crop, promoting our outreach events, connecting us with media beyond her reach, and making known issues that affect the industry in ways that the general public understands to affect change. Beekeepers are grateful for the friendship and passion that Pam has provided to the industry. We found her to be an outstanding candidate for the inaugural award – a tried and true agricultural professional in the Midwest, with a great sense of humor and a no nonsense approach to spreading the word about our small, yet vital industry. Congratulations Pam Jahnke!