Where it Started

Growing up on a farm was always a dream of mine. Both of my parents grew up on farms; my dad raised swine with my grandpa and bought a couple dairy heifers to show at county fairs and my mom was raised on a beef farm and showed steers at local, county, and state fairs. My grandparents sold both of those farms long before my brothers and I were born, but agriculture was still a huge part of my family. My mom’s dad, who we call Poppa, owned a livestock hauling business. Summer, spring or winter break, or even on snow days, we’d call Poppa and load up in his truck to ride along to all the different farms to pick up animals and haul them to different farms, sales, the stockyards, you name it. We joined 4-H as soon as we were old enough, and FFA once we got to middle school. 

The most exciting week of the year in our household was fair week. We exhibited at the Stoughton fair, which takes place the week of the Fourth of July, and Jefferson county fair, which is the week after. These two weeks were exhausting, but so much fun. We started off by bringing projects to be judged at the fair, such as baking, woodworking, vegetables grown in our garden, arts and crafts, you name it, but we always wished to show animals. When my oldest brother got to high school, he got the opportunity to purchase, raise, and show pigs; keeping them at our school farm. My middle brother joined in the following year, and for the third year, we decided to keep them at our house. We live on the property that my dad grew up on, so we still have all the sheds and barns from their pig operation. My dad and brothers fixed up one of the smaller barns to be the perfect set-up, and from then on we raised them at our house. I wasn’t completely sold on pigs yet, so I started out by showing dairy heifers for a local farm. I fell in love with it, and stuck with it the rest of my time in FFA. I still thought that pigs were more of my brother’s expertise and not mine, so I decided to try showing a lamb as well as my heifers one year… turns out, sheep are not my favorite. I finally decided to try pigs one year, and I was hooked. From that year forward, it was pigs and heifers. 

There’s not enough time in the world to share all the experiences, knowledge, and memories that I gained from growing up in this lifestyle. I am so grateful for the way my brothers and I were raised and the opportunities we had in the industry. My passion for agriculture began at a young age and still continues to grow today as I pursue a career in the industry.