Why I chose a career in agriculture

I’ve been farming vegetables with my family my whole life. I went off to college and tried a lot of different things, but everything kept pulling me back to this career. Every morning when I wake up, I’m excited to come to the farm and do this every day.

Growing my operation

Since I came back in 2006, the demand for the specialty crops we raise has grown. We’ve been able to get more contracts with grocery stores and there’s been more opportunities to do farmer’s markets and roadside stands. We’ve also grown in terms of acres and diversification.

How I got started with Farm Credit

I used to get my line of credit through the USDA and when I graduated out of that program, I was looking for a lender that would care about the specialty crops we produce and realize how intense of an operation it is. My loan officer at Farm Credit understood immediately and was very open-minded to what we do. It’s been a wonderful experience since day one.

Success in my operation

Success for me in my operation is not necessarily how much money you make at the end of the day because agriculture can be volatile at times. What I consider a success is working with my family and having such devoted employees, coworkers and customers.

My vision for the future

I have three boys and a little girl, and I would love to bring them into the operation to continue farming. I get to spend time with my parents and my brother every single day and I look forward to doing that with my children someday.