By Chelsea Dinterman, Byline co-editor
You may have heard Andy Castillo’s name a few times at Ag Media Summit last month. The Farm Progress machinery editor received the Andy Markwart Horizon Award and was recently named a 2026 IFAJ/Alltech Young Leader.
Andy didn’t get his start in agriculture. He was an Air Force firefighter when a sergeant noticed he was always taking pictures and asked if he’d ever considered a creative career.
After returning home, Andy enrolled in community college for photography. He later received an undergraduate English degree in a master of fine arts in creative nonfiction writing.
“I got a job as a cameraman at the local television station,” he said. “From there, I got into newswriting with television, and then moved over into newspapers. I wrote for local newspapers for about five years doing all sorts of stuff.”
Andy joined the Farm Progress team in late 2023. He said his diverse background has helped him in the role.
“My beat focuses on technology, and I’ve written a lot about technology in other industries,” Andy said. “The heart of all that technology is the exact same. For example, the fundamentals of artificial intelligence, which I understand really deeply, are all the same. And that’s coming into agriculture right now.”
Andy is also involved in ACN, serving on both the membership committee and IFAJ’s freedom of the press committee.
Outside of work, Andy is an avid powerlifter and enjoys other creative hobbies like drawing and creative writing. He and his wife, Brianna, have a home in Massachusetts, but spend a lot of time on the road for Brianna’s travel nursing career.
-Dinterman is an Agronomy & Livestock Editor for Successful Farming.