Herbert Plambeck (February 29, 1908 – January 15, 2001) was an American farm reporter, agriculture public affairs assistant, and founder of the Iowa Master Swine Producers awards. Plambeck won over 80 honors and wrote multiple publications. An award was named after him.

Life and career

Plambeck was born on February 29, 1908, and lived in

Scott County, Iowa Scott County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 174,669, making it the third-most populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Davenport, Io ...

, during his childhood. He started as a

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

College County Extension employee and became the '' Davenport Times-Democrat'' Farm Editor in 1935. In 1936, Plambeck graduated with a major in agriculture from

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

and became the Farm Director for the

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

, radio station

WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...

. Plambeck broadcast the first radio farm report from Russia as a part of the U.S. Agricultural Delegation to the Soviet Union in 1955. He left WHO radio in 1970 to become the assistant of the

United States Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments The department includes several organi ...

, in which he dealt with public affairs. In 1976, Plambeck broadcast the first radio farm report from China. He was the founder of the National Plowing Match in Dexter, Iowa. He was part of the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame Board of Directors. Plambeck died on January 15, 2001.

Awards

Plambeck won over 80 honors from state-level to international-level such as the Herbert Hoover Citizenship Award, the National Soil Conservation Award, and the Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award. Plambeck was a founder of the Iowa Master Swine Producers awards during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

to award some of Iowa's most efficient pork producers. The Plambeck Award from the National Association of Farm Broadcasting was named after him.

Publications

Plambeck wrote books and booklets such as ''Iowa’s Heritage of Pioneer Family Farms'' and ''"This Is Herb" with Never a Dull Moment''. Elaine H. Edwards wrote a review in the ''Annals of Iowa'' for ''This Is Herb'' saying, "Whatever the case, the book provides a glimpse of Iowa's rich agricultural history. For historians, the book provides a starting place for finding out little nuggets of information on Iowans."

References

1908 births 2001 deaths People from Scott County, Iowa Iowa State University alumni Writers from Iowa American radio reporters and correspondents 20th-century American people 21st-century American people {{authority control