WJFF’s Farm and Country, a mainstay of Saturday mornings in the Catskills, is entering a new chapter with Kim Izar as its new host. Izar takes over the microphone from Rosie Starr, who led the beloved program for more than a decade.

Heard weekly at 10 a.m., Farm and Country has long offered listeners a window into the region’s agricultural life and natural landscape. With Starr stepping back, Izar brings both a fresh voice and a strong sense of continuity to the show.

“Rosie is someone who really connects with the work,” Izar said.

While the heart of the show remains the same, Izar is adding new elements that reflect the changing times.

Together with producer Ronald Kelson, Izar is introducing listeners to broader topics. In addition to local voices like farmers and riverkeepers, the show now includes segments about land preservation, local museums, and environmental concerns.

“Farm and Country is also a way for us to connect the dots,” Izar said, “whether that’s a local farmer at the Callicoon Farmers’ Market to the broader policies that impact farmers.”

Izar is a first-generation Filipino American who grew up in Jersey City. “I always wanted to be a journalist, but I didn’t see many journalists who looked like me,” she said. After nearly a decade in nonprofit fundraising, she returned to her long-held goal and earned a master’s degree from the CUNY Newmark School of Journalism.

While in school, she developed a deep appreciation for radio. “Radio is humbling,” she said. “You have to be present and let the conversation lead you.” For Izar, it became clear that radio offered something uniquely intimate and dynamic.

“You have to allow yourself to be surprised by what you hear,” she said. “And pursue that with your guest.”

“I grew up going to Chinatown every weekend,” she said. That was her connection to culture, but the connection to land, she added, had faded. Though raised in the concrete jungle of Jersey City, Izar draws inspiration from her family’s rural roots. Her mother was raised on a rice farm in the Philippines, where she grew and sold rice, legumes, and corn. Izar recalls that during a visit to the Catskills, her mother was struck by how familiar the landscape felt.

“She was like, ‘Oh my gosh, the Catskills are so similar to the Philippines,’” Izar said. That moment helped her realize how much of her family’s bond with the land had been lost and how excited she was to rediscover it in Sullivan County.

Izar said success comes when listeners feel compelled to reach out. “When people come to us with story ideas, that’s when I know we’re doing something right,” she said. A recent tip about aquatic invasive species led to a full segment featuring an expert from the Catskill Center.

She also enjoys the craft of shaping stories through sound. “It takes a lot of time [to do radio],” Izar said. “You might have eight hours of tape and need to turn that into a 10-minute story. When it comes together, it’s incredibly rewarding.”

As she settles into her role, Izar wants Farm and Country to remain a space where the region’s history, environment, and people come together—whether they’ve lived here for generations or just arrived.

It’s still a show about the land and those who care for it. Under Izar’s leadership, the show remains a place to share stories, build connections, and deepen our understanding of what it means to live in the Catskills.

Farm and Country airs Saturdays at 10 a.m. on WJFF Radio Catskill.