Tony Purcell: Agri-Business Director

TSN Ag Director Tony Purcell brings together a farm and ranch background with 45 years of broadcast experience.  This allows him to not only report what the market does, but understand why it is doing it.

In the course of his journalistic career, he has interviewed five presidents and traveled abroad with three secretaries of agriculture.  Tony has earned three Oscars in Agriculture Awards.  The first was for a series on the farm credit crisis and the second was for his coverage of the 1998 Texas drought and it's effects.  The most recent was in 2004 for his coverage of Mad Cow disease and it's effect on Texas cattle producers.

He has been honored by the National Association of Farm Broadcasting as the Southern Region Farm Broadcaster of the Year; by the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association as their Broadcaster of the Year; and has received the Texas Farm Bureau Presidents Award for Excellence in Agriculture.  Tony also hosts the informative and entertaining program "Shoot the Bull", with the Texas Commissioner of Agriculture.

The Lone Star Farm and Ranch report is the most listened to farm broadcast in Texas.  It has been named the best farm broadcast in America 4 times in the last 5 years.  It was named the best overall newscast by the National Association of State Networks.  Tony has won the NAFB best market report award twice.

Tony and his wife Jeanie live in rural Collin County.  Their family includes 4 grown children and 3 grandchildren.