The people, the balloons, and the Hub Club apparel gave it away. The group showed up to announce that Bartlels is the newest recipient of the New Ulm Farm-City Hub Club Service to Agriculture Award. Pre-planning with KNUJ allowed former Service to Ag recipients to break up the business meeting.

Bartels will be recognized at the club’s annual meeting and banquet Monday, January 26 at the New Ulm Community Center.

Bartles is the 49th recipient of the club’s award that recognizes a person who goes above and beyond to serve the Hub Club and agriculture.

Bartels grew up on a dairy, hog, and chicken farm between Brownton and Winthrop and still remembers cleaning calf pens on winter Saturdays on the farm.

Jim Bartels is the 49th recipient of the New Ulm Farm-City Hub Club Service to Agriculture Award. Submitted photo

“I lived a good life on the farm with mom and dad,” he said.

A 1970 graduate of Brownton High School, Jim earned an Associate of Arts degree at Willmar Community College and majored in broadcasting at Mankato State University.

Bartels and his wife Konnie live in Nicollet County, just across the river from New Ulm. They have three grown children–Adam, Abby, and Jill–and two grandsons.

Bartels is well known throughout southern Minnesota and beyond as the voice of agriculture on KNUJ radio. He’s been at the radio station since 1975 and was the station’s general manager for over 30 years, before cutting back to part-time duties.

Using his farm background, knowledge, and experience, Bartels broadened KNUJ’s agriculture coverage from basic markets and news reports to a variety of new programs.

Jim Bartels is speechless after learning he is the latest Hub Club Service to Ag recipient. Submitted photo

National FFA Convention coverage started in 1976 and state coverage in 1977. Bartels remembers his first state convention as the year that Scott Stuckey, son of Hub Club member and New Ulm FFA advisor Frank Stuckey, was elected state FFA president.

FFA coverage has grown over the years with Bartels and his team now interviewing members from 25-plus schools for KNUJ, plus another 20 to 25 additional schools for other Ingstad Broadcasting Stations.

“It’s a fun couple of days,” Bartels said of the conventions where he interviews hundreds of members, giving each two minutes to share some of their ag experiences.

A number of decades ago, Bartels and the station’s sales team were looking for a unique Dairy Month promotion. When someone mentioned Johnny Carson holding a hog calling contest, they hit on the idea of holding the Moo-Off. With cow, bull, and calf divisions and contestants selected by calling the station, a Moo-Meter was used to select finalists. During the finals, at Vogel Arena, “Moo-ologists” picked the winners who received traveling trophies.

Additional ag promotions that Bartels helped develop included Farm-City Day at the Brown County Fairgrounds, Farm Family of the Year interviews for eight to 12 counties, and the Ag Sweepstakes banquet and/or drawing.

Bartels has been involved in the New Ulm Farm-City Hub Club almost from its start in 1974, having come to New Ulm only a year later.

“Perry Galvin encouraged me to get involved,” Bartels said. “I was a member through the radio station at first. Konnie and I are individual members now. I even have an original purple windbreaker jacket.”

Bartels played a big role in the celebration of the Hub Club’s 50th anniversary in September 2024, voicing the audio for the club’s historical video. He’s also worked at various food stands, including Farmfest. He continues to work with club advertising and does follow-up stories on club events.

In addition to the Hub Club, Bartels is involved in other organizations. He was commander of the New Ulm Sons of the American Legion group for 11 years, then vice commander, and recently returned to the commander position. He joined the Concord Singers in 2021, is a member of the New Ulm Rotary Club, is on the Fields of Grace Parish Council and the Bernadotte Lutheran Church Council, and was involved with the Brown County United Way for 10 years.

Aside from agriculture, sports–particularly wrestling–is at the top of Bartels list. He has been the public address voice for NUHS wresting meets for 30 years, has coached youth wrestling, and has been a pioneer in wrestling broadcasting–doing play-by-play at district, region, and state events for years. He officiated high school and collegiate wrestling–including three times at the state high school tournament–for 17 years. He’s a former publisher of the Guillotine, the official wrestling newspaper, and has done monthly Minnesota Wrestling Round Table podcasts for eight years.

He doesn’t limit sports coverage to wrestling, however. He’s been broadcasting from the Minnesota High School Clay Target League Championships for at least 10 years and has been taking part in Jay Buckley Bus Tours to Minnesota Twins Spring Training since 1994. Konnie is videographer for his baseball broadcasts, going by the video name Ida Hoe.

During the summer, Bartels plays summer team fast pitch softball with Adam and Abby, as well as 65-and-over and 70-and-over Masters ball, with those teams placing second and first at nationals in 2025.

He has earned numerous honors over the years, dating back to being named to the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 1988. Other awards have included Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame, 2013; Minnesota Farm Bureau Agriculture Communicator of the Year, 2017; Minnesota State High School League Outstanding Media Award in the electronics division, 2019; Minnesota Chapter of National Wrestling Hall of Fame Lifetime Service Award, 2019; and Minnesota Broadcasters Hall of Fame/Pavek Museum, 2023.

On his newest honor, Bartels said, “If you hang around long enough, people think they have to give you something.”