Young Farmers

According to the US Department of Agriculture, farmers, ranchers, and producers of every kind in the United States are growing older. “The average age of farm producers increased from 56.3 to 57.5 years from 2012 to 2017.” In 2017, only 9% of the country’s beef producers were ages 35 or younger. As they age, the beef industry faces a big challenge…getting more young people involved in industry. While it is common for the children of farmers to continue in the industry, I came into the beef industry through a different path. That path has resulted in challenges, along with important life lessons.

When the avian flu canceled the poultry shows in 2015, my neighbors, Kevin and Carol Hoge, owners of Flat Rock Farm, offered me the opportunity to show one of her calves at the Aitkin County Fair. In my mind, a “calf” was a newborn, but the heifer I would name Sparkles weighed over 600 pounds on the day I met her. The Hoge family showed me the ropes. I learned how to feed, bathe, walk, and work with Sparkles. I learned how to prepare her for the show arena, along with how to be a showman. I fell in love with showing cattle and with farming.

The next year, I showed Sparkles again, this time along with her first calf, a steer I named Rocket. Every year since, I hoped that Sparkles would have a girl (a heifer) that could grow to be as great as Sparkles; every year since, Sparkles has given birth to a healthy bull calf! Each calf was raised as a market steer and has been processed into some of the highest-grade beef. In the farming industry, you want your best cows to give you a heifer or two along the way, so you can have your next generation of great cows. Beef industry lesson #1: you can’t always get what you want.

In 2018, I purchased my own heifer, a registered Shorthorn, Storm. Storm gave me my first calf, and as fate would have it, that calf was also a bull. I showed Storm and baby Kevin as a cow/calf pair. He was my first baby, and I loved him dearly. Kevin was processed as a healthy market steer, which broke my heart but gave me my first farming income. Beef industry lesson #2: raising beef is rewarding and heartbreaking, all at once.

 Over the next two years, my farming operation, Perfect Storm Cattle Company, would face challenges. I lost Storm to a rare bovine lymphoma and another Shorthorn cow, Murphy, to an infection. I had worked so hard. Isn’t hard work supposed to pay off? Isn’t hard work supposed to be rewarded? I questioned my passion for the industry, and at times, I even regretted my decision to have cattle. Beef industry lesson #3: farming is hard; it is not for weak.

 Throughout the years, I have been involved in the Central Minnesota Cattlemen’s Association (CMCA). My family and I joined the organization and have learned a lot through speakers, events, and meetings. I currently serve as the Youth Director, and this summer, I completed my year as the CMCA beef princess. Through these experiences, I have met countless people in the beef industry. These individuals have offered their knowledge, guidance, assistance, and support to me. Beef industry lesson #4: the local beef farmers in our area are kind, generous, and helpful; they help each other and do their best to promote the beef industry.

Through the CMCA, I attended several events hosted by the Minnesota Cattlemen’s Association and the Minnesota Cattlewomen’s Association. This year, I have had the pleasure to serve as a member of the Minnesota Beef Ambassador Team. I was asked to help present a training for law enforcement students on how to deal with traffic accidents involving cattle; this training was the first of its kind. The training was a success, and planning is underway to offer it again, even outside of Minnesota. Beef industry lesson #5: no matter where you are from or what position you hold, you can be a leader.

Nine years ago, my knowledge about beef consisted of little more than the fact that I liked cheeseburgers. Today, my knowledge consists of so much more. I can tell you all about different cuts of beef, the benefits of different feed components, and the reproductive cycle of cattle. I can analyze the data and select the best bull to breed with a heifer versus a cow. I am getting ready to further my education at the University of Minnesota to pursue a degree in Animal Science; after that, I plan on going to vet school. But the beef industry has provided me with much more than knowledge. It has provided me with lessons I’ll use throughout my life: grit, perseverance, generosity, and faith. Faith that there are good people in this world. I know them, and I hope to be one of them someday. I hope to bring the person who fosters a love for the industry in a young person, to give them the gift that I was given.