How I got started in agriculture

After I came back from college, I bought some commercial cattle with dad and finally started farming this year. I had the opportunity when I finished school to rent some pasture that borders our operation and got an operating line of credit to pay my feed bills through the year.

Working with FCSAmerica from the start

I went through the beginning farmer and rancher program and got a lower rate. When I was able to do that with Farm Credit it just made my life a lot easier in getting started. Without having that Farm Credit team and the knowledge they provide, it would have been a lot tougher. There are a lot of opportunities out there for young producers, but this has been by far the best choice I've made for the operation.

The challenges of being a young producer

Trying to rent farm ground around here is hard to come by, so you've got to be patient and not pay too high of a rent. Wait for the right opportunities to come along and know that your lender will be there when you need to act.

The future of our operation

Hopefully in 10 years, dad is going to be slowing down and we can integrate my younger brother into the operation. I'd like to grow the operation, add some more cows and diversify into a feeding operation. That diversification will help us through the good and bad times.

What I love about agriculture

As soon as my feet hit the ground in the morning, I'm at work. When I want to take a day off, I can, but sometimes I've got to work 18-hour days to make up for it. I'm my own boss.