Last Saturday, American agriculture lost a noble warrior. Robert J. Wanzel, a film producer and agricultural communicator with an extraordinary combination of creativity, insight, candor, pragmatism, and work ethic, died and passed on to his own next episode in God’s eternal story.
Bob was my friend and my creative sparring partner across four decades. Together we produced films, TV and radio, published magazines, launched websites, and built a little business. His profound ability as a storyteller improved the lives of many by making new technology understandable and more accessible to farmers and their allies. Through the years, his impact was felt on everything from ag education and technology adoption to crop input stewardship and ag retail facility improvement.
Bob didn’t start out to apply his unique mix of profound creativity and nuts and bolts practicality to agriculture. After gaining a bachelor’s degree at Iowa State, he went to the University of Iowa and earned a masters in film production. His impact on agriculture began at the University of Illinois Extension Service and then Venard Films Ltd. in East Peoria, Ill., where he produced Stars Over America for the National FFA and helped DuPont with movies teaching “Application Accuracy.”
When the National FFA called and wanted to figure out how to produce a nationally syndicated television show documenting the need for more young people to choose ag careers, it was Bob who did the shooting and editing, weaving stories from young farmers, ag students, college deans and even U.S. Senators. When Bob produced “Precision: At the Point of Revolution” in the mid-90’s, few had seen a geo-referenced yield monitor on a harvester or even knew what GPS was. It was Bob’s ability to serve as a translator for the inventors of high-tech solutions that made it understandable to users at field-level. When we launched the PrecisionAg brand in 1995 in print and online – it was Bob who got up to his elbows in that pioneering website and learning what the Internet might mean to agriculture.
Across the years, Bob also helped launch DuPont’s Environmental Respect Awards, boost TFI’s 4R Nutrient Stewardship Program, and worked with Doane, CTIC, and a host of others. In the midst of it all, he suffered the scare of a heart attack, the loss of his first wife Mary and the profound joy of raising three fine sons, Mark, John and Eric, and one grandson, Alex. In recent years, he and his wife Barb worked with their St. Louis-area church to create opportunities raising lavender as an inner-city crop. Of course, it was Bob who shot the video documenting the project and saw it aired on local television.
Godspeed, my friend! I’ve been blessed to be a part of your story. I’d like to think you are, at this very moment, out standing in another golden field of waving grain and enjoying the best red wine you’ve ever tasted. Yes, that sounds like heaven for you: Outstanding in yet another field. Cheers!
Editor’s note: A memorial will be held for Robert J. Wanzel on Saturday, August 19 at Messiah Lutheran Church, St. Charles, Mo. Visitation at 9:30 – 11:00 am. A service will begin at 11:00, followed by a light lunch.
