Next-Generation Farmers
The Neumillers, an Illinois potato farm family, share a 70-year legacy of farming, family and passing the torch to the next generation.
At a White House roundtable with farmers, a rice producer’s candid message stole the spotlight. Meet Meryl Kennedy, the rice producer who had a powerful message for President Trump last week.
California grape grower Jennifer Thomson saw nearly every grape go unsold in 2024. But through grit and determination, she fought back — and this year, she found a home for her entire crop, defying odds and carrying her family’s legacy.
At just 10 years old, Jackson Laux has gone from riding with his grandpa to farming his own acres — while also becoming John Deere’s first-ever Chief Tractor Kid. And now he’s teaming up with NFL quarterback Brock Purdy and John Deere to make a difference.
An Indianapolis-based agricultural cooperative has found a new way to recruit its next generation of employees.
“The 1980s farm crisis didn’t just damage balance sheets. It’s changed the interest of being involved in agriculture. That gap is being realized today in board rooms, field offices, agronomy teams and more,” said Aaron Locker, Managing Director, Kincannon & Reed.
“We must ensure that we make a way for young and beginning farmers to fill our boots,” said Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation.
From the west coast to Wisconsin and through the central corn belt, Cody Steinkamp helps ag retailers outfit their dry fertilizer warehouses to serve customers today and into the future.
“In today’s economy, the ability to farm often depends on the ability to commute,” says Daniel Munch, economist at American Farm Bureau Federation.
Amanda Freund, a Connecticut dairy farmer is headed to “Shark Tank,” where she aims to propel her creation, CowPots, into the mainstream.
With a college degree under his belt, Aaron Krueger put together a fleet of equipment and returned to his grandfather’s ground to breathe new life into the farm. He’s implemented cover crops and plans to diversify beyond corn, soybeans and cereal rye.
His senior year of high school, Dalton Dilldine’s dad unexpectedly passed away, leaving a limited succession plan and a teenager with a big decision: take over the operation, start his own farm or go to college. He chose all three.
At just 11 years old, Reed Marcum had an idea for a project: Collect toys and give them to children in his community. Eight years later, the toy drive has given away more than 64,000 toys at an annual event people wait in line for hours to attend.
Carmi, Ill., farmer Chase Sailer isn’t afraid to do things different. He learns from failures on the farm and is turning to precision tools to drill down decisions to every acre.
In 1984, Farm Journal’s personal ads connected Pat, a farm girl from Iowa, with Doug, a dairyman from New York, sparking a love story that led to marriage and the fourth generation of Fuller Acres Farm.
Eric Winans is this year’s grand prize-winning Rising Star while Chase Porter was voted the fan favorite video winner.
This group of 30 emerging leaders will be recognized at the annual ARA Conference & Expo in Houston, Texas this December.
People become close as a team when they work together on something hard. It helps to find opportunities for them to have ownership and solve things together, Runkel says.
Since Lance Dobson’s return to the family farm, he’s added cattle, cereal rye for forage and a seed dealership. “Whether it’s exercising or farming, hopefully diversification in our day will yield results that improve our longevity,” he says.
These days Keith Vodrazka works for an entrepreneurial startup with big plans and different leadership challenges than he experienced during his time in big agribusiness.
It’s not often you hear of a farmer using virtual reality or an artificial intelligence chatbot on the farm, but coupled with real-time data through OpsCenter, this Arkansas farmer is truly taking technology to a new level.
In 2022, Dalton Dilldine bought a shuttered commercial grain facility and outfitted it with monitoring and automation technologies. This year, he’s taking a hard look at spray drones and how they can fit across his acres.
From a pragmatic approach to purchasing new technology to making more of the buying decisions on the farm, there are some interesting trends transpiring as more Next Gen farmers identify as an owner/operator on their farm.
Communication between one generation to another can seem like talking a different language. “I suggest you approach looking at another generation with curiosity rather than judgment,” says Kim Lear of Inlay Insights.
Dial Ventures at Purdue University explores five factors it expects to help shape the future of ag retail.
Erin Mies and Kristen Ireland of People Spark Consulting offer insights on how to create process and equip people.
In 2022, when Alex Harrell cut his land base in half, yield instantly became even more crucial. Little did he know, the next year he’d break the soybean record. Drones play a big role in his high-management approach.
When Rob Clayton thinks about the future, he says one of the biggest challenges forthcoming is having the professional talent required to help move the industry forward.