Next Generation Beef Producers

Empowering Youth, Feeding Communities: The Competitive Food Drive Transforming County Fairs

Wed, 13 May 2026 21:38:08 GMT

What began as a simple challenge to county junior fair boards five years ago has grown into one of the most impactful youth-led initiatives.

Fight the Hunger, Stock the Trailer was launched by Farm Credit Mid-America in 2021 as a way to support local food pantries and give back to communities. Junior fair boards compete to collect as many food donations as possible, with top counties earning cash prizes to reinvest in local programs. The competition takes place during county fairs — a time when food pantry shelves often run low.

What started as a grassroots effort in Ohio spread to Indiana the following year and has now mobilized thousands of young people, strengthened dozens of food banks and provided relief to families facing food insecurity. In just five years, the program has collected more than 1.6 million lb. of food, proving the power of youth leadership and community collaboration.

How does Fight the Hunger, Stock the Trailer work?

Accept the Challenge: Connect with your county fair leaders and let Farm Credit Mid-America know you want to compete.
Register: Indiana and Ohio .
Develop a Plan: Use your creativity to inspire community members to make donations and find ways to raise money to purchase food for your trailer.
Download toolkits: Indiana Toolkit | Ohio Toolkit These toolkits are packed with banners, flyers, signage, social media graphics and many helpful tools.
Collect Items: During your fair, collect food items and place them in your trailer.
Donate: When your fair concludes, weigh all of your items, donate to a local food bank and report your success to Farm Credit Mid-America.
Celebrate: Let your community know what you accomplished; top donors will be awarded additional winnings.

For more information, visit Farm Credit Mid-America’s Community Investment website.

Why Livestock Judging Is the Ultimate Character-Building Sport for Youth

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:47:46 GMT

When Grace showed up to livestock judging practice for the first time, I instantly got a good vibe from this freckle-cheeked third grader. She just couldn’t stop smiling.

Later that evening of our first practice of the season, I asked all the juniors (3rd through 8th grade) to write down their goals for the season. The goals ranged from getting a 50 in a contest to a five-point plan for judging success.

But when I got to Grace’s goal, it stopped me in my tracks.

“To be amazing.”

I’ve read through a lot of judging goals over the years, but this was a first. In a world obsessed with winning, Grace reminded me of something even more important.

The Long Game of Livestock Judging

Looking at Grace, I saw the beginning of a journey I am currently watching my own son conclude. As he nears the end of his 4-H judging career, I’ve realized that my husband and I haven’t just been coaching him on how to rank a class of gilts; we’ve been coaching him on how to navigate life.

Maybe I am being overly sentimental as our son nears the end of his 4-H livestock judging experience. As I reflect back, I’m honored by the unique (and sometimes challenging) seat I’ve had to watch his progress. I remind myself that while the wins that can happen in livestock judging sure feel good and keep us going back for more, it’s really about something so much bigger.

Hunter Shike judging at Black Hawk College East Campus Judging Contest

(Faith Lortie)

The Intangible Advantage

It’s easy to pinpoint the skills kids learn from livestock judging such as decision-making, evaluation, attention to detail and critical thinking. But what is even more valuable is how livestock judging helps young people develop a mindset that doesn’t go away when the final card is turned in.

Here are three ways I’ve watched this “sport” build character.

1. Turning Disadvantages into Drive

One of my favorite examples of determination comes from a boy who had no livestock experience before he joined the team. No one could deny he was at a disadvantage because he didn’t have a show pig or a steer in the barn to go look at and study. Everything he was being taught was initially done by watching video classes during practice. I wondered if he would stick with it because he came from a different place than the other judges. I was pleasantly surprised to see how this disadvantage fueled his determination to learn and absorb as much as he could every practice. He’s now in his third year of judging and has been at the top of the pack all season. He reminds me to look at disadvantages as opportunities to grow. Livestock judging is a great equalizer. It doesn’t matter if you have a million-dollar barn or a video screen; it only matters how much you are willing to “see.

2. Balancing Perspective with Belief

I’m a bit of a stickler when it comes to the topic of humility. I find it challenging to build confidence and humility at the same time. But there’s no question that livestock judging teaches it, whether you want to learn it or not. As much as we want kids to walk up to a class or into the reasons room with as much confidence as possible, we also want them to remember judging livestock is subjective. We must be able to consider others’ perspectives and not just center in on our own. I’m grateful for how judging livestock provides a training ground to help students gain open-mindedness and a desire for continual learning. Judging forces a child to stand firm in their conviction while simultaneously acknowledging that an official might see the world differently. When their confidence can lie in their ability to learn versus their ability to always be right, something powerful happens.

3. The Slow Work of Success

The transition between being a junior who places classes and answers questions to being a senior who places classes and talks oral reasons is tough. It’s one thing to answer questions about a class; it’s another to stand in front of an official and present a 1.5-minute case for why you placed the class the way you did. It takes time to hone that skill. I remember how challenging it was for our son to go from winning the state contest as a junior to struggling through his first few contests giving oral reasons. Good placings mattered, but beginning oral reasons scores kept him out of the top group. We had to remind him that becoming skilled in the reasons room simply takes time. Seeing him achieve his goal of winning oral reasons in a contest this past year remind me that good things do come eventually if you allow yourself to be molded and shaped by the less-than-great moments that are sure to happen along the way.

(Faith Lortie)

The livestock industry doesn’t just need more high-point individuals, it needs more people with the mindset that judging builds. To every coach and parent feeling the weight of this task: Keep going. You aren’t just teaching them how to rank livestock. You are building the leaders our industry desperately needs. Focus on the character, and the results will take care of themselves.

I don’t know if “Amazing Grace” will win the state contest this year. But as I watch her smile through every missed placing and every tough set of questions, I realize she’s already achieved her goal. She is amazing—not because of her card, but because of her character. And that is something we need to talk about more often.

More Than Cowboys: Feedlot Immersion Event Showcases Diverse Career Paths

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:35:06 GMT

The modern feedlot is a sophisticated hub of technology, science and commerce. A recent feedlot immersion event hosted at Irsik & Doll’s Ingalls Feed Yard, Ingalls, Kan., brought together high school students from across the region to learn more how the cattle feeding sector relies on diverse expertise far beyond traditional pen riding.

More than 40 students from eight high schools attended the event on April 8. Organizers say their focus with the event is to strengthen the workforce pipeline while creating a new generation of informed beef advocates.

“Educational programs like this are very important for kids in high school and any age,” says attendee Braylee Kraisinger from Hugoton, Kan. “It helps us see more job opportunities that most people have never really thought about before. Programs like this are helping give kids a head start in understanding different industries and what it takes to succeed in them.”

She stresses there is so much more to a feedlot than cowboys and pen riders.

“There are hundreds of other jobs,” she says. “Everyone’s job at the feedlot is very important to make sure everything runs smoothly. Each job is connected in some way, and they all have to work together to be successful.”

(Rachel Waggie, KLA)

The Workforce Pipeline: Recruiting for a High-Tech Future

One of the main goals for the event is to highlight the jobs behind the scenes; everyone sees those jobs from the highway but getting as hands-on as possible with those careers in the back office and out of sight is the real purpose.

A major theme is career awareness: showing students that feedyards and allied businesses offer many different jobs, not just riding horses.

“Our initial goal was to have every station be a real experience of getting the students to do just a snippet of what that person does on a daily basis,” says Russell Plaschka, Kansas
Cooperative Council CEO and president. “As you know, you can see it, hear about it, but if they get to do the job it starts to stick and make an impression on career decisions.”

The event organizers developed a program to showcase the diverse career paths available in cattle feeding.

“Finding skilled employees is challenging, and I wanted to help strengthen the pipeline of quality talent for our industry,” says Trevor Cox, Zoetis strategic account manager. “Many young people don’t realize how many different kinds of careers are available in cattle feeding, so this event was a way to give back — by educating, inspiring and sparking interest in roles they might not have considered. Our goal was to showcase real, rewarding career paths and encourage the next generation to see themselves in this industry.”

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From Drones to Necropsies: Seven Stations of Complexity

Cox says students had a chance to see how feedyards aren’t just about cattle and cowboys — the industry thrives on diverse expertise, from technology and safety to nutrition, equipment and marketing.

Participants were divided into small groups and rotated through a series of stations around the feedyard exposing students to potential careers in cattle feeding and adjacent industries.

Highlights of the seven sessions include:

A feed mill tour focused on animal nutrition
An animal health and necropsy session facilitated by Zoetis’ Dr. Shawn Blood
Headcount’s demonstration of drone-based cattle counting
MWI’s session on its feed technology
KLA’s safety trailer where students learned about managing risk
Equipment showcases from Roto-Mix and Murphy Tractor
A cattle marketing discussion led by Irsik & Dolls’ David Ast and Daniel Berg

(Angie Stump Denton)

The Marketing Matrix: Understanding How Cattle are Valued

Attendee Kayden Holstein from Scott City, Kan., says, “The most interesting rotation to me was the marketing portion, because it provided a new perspective on how decisions are made and how cattle are valued within the industry.”

During the cattle marketing rotation lead by Ast and Berg, students got the chance to predict quality and yield grades as well as carcass value on a pen of finished steers.

(Angie Stump Denton)

Advocacy in Action: Creating Informed Beef Consumers

Brandon Depenbusch, Irsik & Doll vice president of the cattle division and one of the event organizers, summarizes, “While the primary goal is educationally focused — exposing high school students to feedyards and the related industries that support them — we also wanted to expose them to production agriculture practices so they become informed beef consumers and advocates.”

He notes they hope students can counter misinformation later in life and “speak intelligently” when others say negative or incorrect things about feedyards.

“Students were engaged and asked thoughtful questions throughout the event,” Cox explains.

(Rachel Waggie, KLA)

During a Q&A session following lunch Cox says students shared what they learned.

“Three key takeaways for me were getting to see the marketing side of the cattle industry, learning how feedyards are increasingly focused on finishing cattle and seeing how advanced technology has become within feedyard operations,” Holstein summarizes. “I was especially impressed by how efficient and well-managed the mill was.”

Kraisinger adds three fact about feedlots that stood out to her were:

Lots of technology is used in feedlots. Technology is used from tracking feed rations to flying drones.
Safety is key in a feedlot. The most common injuries are due to slips, trips and falls. It’s important to make sure you have a safety harness on whether you’re climbing a ladder or going into a silo.
Employees need to work together and make sure they always have someone aware of where they are or what they are doing.

Both Cox and Depenbusch confirm they plan to make it an annual event and rotate it around to different locations in the region.

“It’s a small investment of time and resources with a big payoff for building the workforce our industry will rely on for years to come,” Cox says.

Sponsors of the program were Irsik & Doll, Zoetis, HeadCount, MWI Animal Health, Roto-Mix, Ascendance Truck Centers, Murphy Tractor, KLA, Kansas Cooperative Council and Kansas State University Southwest Research-Extension Center.

The Succession Gap: Why Two-Thirds of Farms Face an Uncertain Future

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 20:18:08 GMT

Farm Journal recently reported that 44 million acres of U.S. farmland are expected to change hands in the coming years - nearly 15% of American cropland by 2030.

That’s a staggering number. But what concerns me most isn’t just the acreage. It’s what that number represents: leadership transition, ownership transition and decision-making transition happening all at once across the country.

When I look at the accompanying data, I see both opportunity and vulnerability.

According to the Farm Journal Seed & Planting Survey and Consolidation Index Predictive Model Analysis, only 34% of growing operations have a formal succession plan. Among benchmark producers, that number drops to 29%. For operations identified as at-risk, just 21% have a documented succession plan in place.

Let that sink in.

Even among farms positioned for growth, two-thirds do not have a formal plan for how leadership and ownership will transition. And nearly four out of five at-risk farms are operating without one.

At the same time, consolidation risk is not limited to smaller operations. Farms under $250,000 in gross income show a 58% consolidation risk. Farms between $250,000 and $500,000 show 48%. But even operations in the $1 million to $2.5 million range carry a 32% risk. And those between $2.5 million and $10 million still sit in a baseline consolidation risk zone of roughly 27–30%.

In other words, income alone does not protect you.

Succession gaps, management transitions and strategic exits are driving consolidation regardless of size.

I’ve spent my career working with agricultural families navigating generational transition, and I can tell you this: consolidation rarely happens overnight. It happens when pressure meets unpreparedness. A health event. A lender conversation. A market downturn. A disagreement that was never resolved. A next generation that was never fully developed or clearly empowered to lead.

Agriculture has always been unpredictable. We all understand that. Weather changes. Markets move. Policies shift. But what feels different right now is how layered the uncertainty has become. Interest rates have restructured balance sheets. Input costs remain volatile. Capital demands continue to rise. Technology expectations are accelerating. And the average age of the American farmer keeps climbing.

Generational turnover is not something we can push off for “someday.” It is happening now.

So, here’s the question I would ask any farm leader reading this: If something unexpected happened tomorrow, would your operation be okay?

Would there be clarity about who makes decisions? Would ownership be clearly defined? Would compensation and reinvestment policies be understood? Would lenders feel confident in your continuity? Would your successors be prepared - not just present - to lead?

If you hesitate in answering that, you are not alone. But hesitation is a signal.

The data in the Farm Journal analysis tells an important story. Growing operations are more likely to try new technology. They are more likely to plan land investment. And they are more likely to have formal succession plans in place. That is not coincidence. It reflects intentional leadership.

The leaders that plan tend to think about the long term - not just the next growing season. They understand their profitability by enterprise. They are disciplined about capital allocation. They define leadership roles. They have hard conversations before circumstances force communication. They build clarity into the business so that transition strengthens it rather than destabilizes it.

Succession planning is often misunderstood.

It is not simply an estate planning document. It is not a will tucked in a drawer. It is not something you address only when someone retires. It is a business discipline.

It requires clarity about management transfer and ownership transfer - and those are not always the same thing. It requires fairness, which is not necessarily equality. It requires governance structure so family conversations don’t become a business crises. It requires intentional development of the next generation so leadership transition feels earned and prepared, not assumed.

And perhaps most importantly, it requires timing.

Consolidation favors clarity. It favors farms that reduce ambiguity before outside forces expose it. It favors operations that are structured - not just successful.

One of the most revealing pieces of the consolidation data is that even higher-income farms carry measurable risk. A $3 million or $5 million operation is not immune. Scale does not eliminate vulnerability if leadership transition is unclear or strategic direction is undefined.

The 44 million acres projected to change hands represent a defining moment for American agriculture. Some families will use this season to strengthen continuity and expand. Others will find themselves reacting - not because they lacked work ethic or competence, but because they delayed putting structure in place.

Planning does not eliminate uncertainty - but it does provide framework and stability.

It allows you to make proactive decisions rather than reactive ones. It gives lenders confidence. It gives the next generation clarity. It protects family relationships. And it preserves optionality.

If your farm is truly okay - strategically aligned, financially transparent, leadership-ready - then planning becomes a growth tool.

If it’s not, planning becomes urgent.

Either way, it matters.

Knowing the data should never create paralysis. Understanding your consolidation risk, your succession gaps and your financial position gives you something incredibly valuable: choice. When your business structure is clear and your succession plan is thoughtful but flexible, you can pivot as markets shift, opportunities emerge or circumstances change. You may not be able to eliminate uncertainty - but you can position yourself to move through it with confidence.

The Identity Trap: What You Do is Not Who You Are

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 18:56:52 GMT

I will never forget how helpless I felt on Jan. 24 when I watched my son stumble across the wrestling mat. He took two major blows to the head during a match – a sound I could hear from the top of the gym bleachers. As he struggled to orient himself, I felt like I was going to throw up.

In a matter of seconds, he was on his back convulsing with trainers at his side trying to take off his shoulder brace so he could breathe. Sweat poured off his body in a way no workout ever could have done.

I held my hand over my mouth and wailed, watching nearly 13 years of hard work, sacrifice and commitment get carried off the mat on a stretcher. I knew in my heart that this was not a “shake it off” moment as they raced him to the emergency room by ambulance.

By God’s grace, the X-ray of his neck was clear. He never lost consciousness. He answered his questions correctly. Minus the uncomfortable neck brace, within an hour, our son seemed a little drowsy, but normal. We were able to leave Loyola Hospital in Chicago later that day and made it home through the snow that night. With time and rest, he was expected to make a full recovery, but it just wasn’t enough time for his brain to heal to allow him to wrestle in his senior year state series starting a couple of days later.

As a parent, this was a pretty excruciating moment because for thousands of days, I watched this kid commit his whole heart to this sport – a three-time state qualifier who overcame a hip avulsion fracture suffered during his sophomore year during the state tournament, a car accident at the end of his junior season and a torn labrum in his shoulder just weeks after his senior season began. It seemed like all of that was enough. And yet the disappointment was not over.

If I can be honest, I’m angry. Not at anyone in particular, but I’m just angry at the way it played out for him. There is nothing worse than watching your kid hurt and not be able to fix it.

The following weekend of regionals was hard to sit through, though we absolutely wanted the best for his teammates. At church the next day, some friends we hadn’t seen in a while came up and talked to our son. I overheard him say, “Wrestling is something I do, it’s not who I am.”

Parallel Paths: From the Mat to the Ranch

Fast forward a few days to the Top Producer Summit where I listened to a powerful panel. Leaders of top companies in agriculture weighed in on a variety of thought-provoking topics, but one message stood out to me.

“All too often, we confuse what we do with who we are,” said Lamar Steiger with The 808 Ranch. “As farmers and ranchers, we are our job. It’s our identity. That was my problem as a young man.”

Steiger grew up on a dairy. High interest rates in the late 1970s made farming particularly challenging. When he was in his 20s, their family lost the dairy. After working so hard to make that operation work, Steiger took this as a deep personal failure.

“There was nothing I could do to save the dairy because outside forces were at hand. But it’s so hard for farmers and ranchers to separate that,” he said. “Looking back, I had depression for quite a while after that, but we didn’t talk about that then.”

When he was in his mid-30s, Steiger attempted suicide.

“I had to be removed totally from my working life and start completely over,” he shared. “I learned the hard way how to separate my identity from my role.”

Steiger said it wasn’t pretty, but he is grateful for how this time of his life changed him.

“When you come to the end of yourself, you look for something bigger and better. That’s worked out really good for me,” he said. “Being a rancher is cool to me, but it’s not who I am. I’m Lamar. I try my best and I fail. We have great successes and then we have some things that just don’t work out. But it’s not all my responsibility.”

There’s something so humbling about another person vulnerably sharing their story. We can learn so much from each other. All it takes is a willingness to share your story. Left unshared, our stories may only change us. But by sharing, we can help each other find our way through the very real burdens of life.

A Truth Worth Holding Onto

It’s easy to confuse your identity with what you do because it becomes such a big part of our lives. As another Shike kid closes one chapter and gets ready to start the next, I find myself confusing who I am with my role as a mom. I’m not sure what life looks like without Saturday wrestling tournaments and late nights posting photos of our wrestlers.

As I sat there at Top Producer Summit, I kept hearing my son’s voice in my head saying, “Wrestling is something I do, it’s not who I am.”

He’s only 17 and has a lot of life to live, but I’m grateful he recognizes this truth. I know there will be times when he will be tempted to measure his worth by his performance. But I believe when we get honest and share these stories, we can help one another avoid the mistake of confusing what we do with who we are.

Non-Family Transition Plans: A Success Story to Take Notes From

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 14:50:34 GMT

For every senior rancher looking for an heir, there is an eager member of the rising generation trying to find ways to get started. The challenge? Getting the two parties to meet with their compatible counterparts.

Lydia Carpenter and her husband are an example of adapting your business and finding a member of the senior generation to build with instead of against.

How Did You Get Started in Production Agriculture?

“We started a farm business when we were in our 20s on leased acres. I grew up in the Red River Valley where land is quite expensive,” Carpenter says. “We decided that we were going to run a livestock operation, so we moved to the western part of Manitoba where agriculture is a bit more diverse and mixed. This is where we built our direct-to-consumer meat business.”

How Did You Find a Non-Family Member Looking for Heirs?

“We subsequently started buying heifers from an individual who was living in Alberta at the time,” Carpenter says. “He was originally from Scotland, had moved to Canada in 2000 and subsequently decided to sell the land in Alberta and move to Manitoba.”

She continues: “Before doing that, he had asked us if we were interested in working with him more closely. So when he moved here, he bought a farm not too far from where we were renting at the time. And then we started working together.”

How is the Business Structured?

“We run individual operations. We file our own taxes, and we’ve got separate businesses,” Carpenter says. “Both businesses are profitable, and we have similar structures in our business.”

Additionally, she explains: “We recognize that in order for us to be able to access land and build our security, we need some support from another generation. So, we started purchasing land to build our equity from him and his wife.”

Building trust is also a part of the business structure.

“Now we’re neighbors, and we are purchasing assets from him,” Carpenter explains. “Transitions take time, and it’s not the kind of thing that happens overnight, but a relationship builds over time along with trust and accountability.”

She says: “Over time we’ve recognized we are compatible and have similar philosophies around management.”

Q: What Else Goes Into Building Trust in These Types of Relationships?

“Trust is an interesting thing that ties into accountability,” Carpenter says. “Even business acumen can help build trust if you, as the rising generation, have the financial literacy, interest and good management practices to take on the business.”

She adds: “I think clarity of expectations is really important and then it builds over time. It’s not without risk to invest in somebody.”

She explains: “I think having open conversations about written agreements, business structure and general profitability of the business are important and trust is then built over time through general accountability.”

Q: How Can Other Members of the Rising Generation Find Opportunities Like This?

“If you are interested in a specific sector of production agriculture, go work in other areas of that industry and in those communities,” Carpenter says. “Additionally, be present at different events in agriculture and open about your goals as a young individual.”

She also says: “Don’t silo yourself in any specific production type unless you have really good reason to do so. Sometimes the opportunities around you are bigger than that.”

Q: What Are Some Red Flags to be Aware of in Any Farm Transition?

“Some red flags would be no desire to have written agreements,” Carpenter says. “Another one might be just general lack of financial literacy or poor money management — that can go for either generation.”

She also shares: “Another one can be people’s general health and well-being. Are you having compatibility issues because someone is really struggling with unresolved mental health or addiction issues? There’s going to be some interpersonal stuff that could be red flags as well.”

You can listen to the full conversation on the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast .

National Blue and Corn Gold: Building Tomorrow’s Leaders

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 18:47:11 GMT

It’s National FFA Week. A special week for all of those who have worn the blue corduroy jacket. To me, the FFA jacket is a symbol of leadership, commitment to agriculture and a heart to serve.

My FFA membership opened doors, helped me create lifelong networks and prepared me for my career. National FFA Week means more to me than just wearing the blue and gold — it’s about the people who make this organization unforgettable. My FFA friends growing up were not just teammates; they’re the ones who pushed me to work harder, laugh louder and grow into a better leader every day.

There was only one Mr. Dan Palmateer — no one like him — the Valley Heights FFA ag educator. He was just what the three Stump girls — Angie, Jami and Kim — needed to find their paths in FFA and in life. He knew how to make each one of them stronger, build on their strengths and overcome their weaknesses. He challenged each sister to be the best she could be.

(Stump Family)

I am who I am today because of my ag teacher, Dan Palmateer. He didn’t just teach agriculture — he taught me confidence and how to believe in myself even when things got tough. My two sisters — Jami Stump Gillig and Kim Stump Schmidt — and I were so blessed to call him our FFA advisor. He knew how to make each one of us stronger, build on our strengths and overcome our weaknesses. He challenged us to be the best we could be. I’m so thankful for my time in his classroom and the many lessons he taught me.

Like Mr. Palmateer, ag educators and FFA advisors are so critical to FFA’s success. Teaching is not an easy career. I’m so thankful for those who are majoring in agricultural education and have a passion to teach agriculture to the next generation. This profession is so essential as more and more generations are removed from the farm.

From an FFA Member to FFA Mom

I’m so thankful for my time in the jacket and the skills I developed because of this great organization. Now, as an FFA mom, I feel even more blessed to have watched both of my boys grow and develop because of their time as FFA members. From the classroom to the community, the organization empowers students with the skills and confidence to lead in agriculture and beyond.

Dustin Denton

(Kansas FFA)

My son, Dustin, is currently serving as a state FFA officer. While I, too, had the chance to serve our state many years ago, I’m amazed at how much the program has grown and the amazing opportunities he has had during his year of service. From traveling the state to meet with fellow members, to networking with key agriculture-industry stakeholders to numerous speaking and workshop-leading experiences this opportunity is life-changing.

A Global Perspective on Agriculture

Dustin also had the chance to travel to Spain in January for 12 days as part of the International Leadership Seminar for State Officers (ILSSO). ILSSO is a National FFA Organization program that takes 75 current or past state FFA officers abroad to study global agriculture and enhance cultural competency. Participants travel internationally, meet with agribusiness leaders and explore foreign farming practices to gain a global perspective on the industry.

Dustin had the opportunity to visit Ganados Ruigan — a beef cattle feeding operation. There he learned about the differences between American and Spanish beef production. He also toured Mas Bes Dairy and had the chance to learn a lot about vertical and horizontal integration in Spain’s dairy industry.

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His experience was amazing, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you’d like to see a day-by-day recap of his trip you can visit his Instagram page .

Through hands-on learning, leadership development and real-world experiences, FFA members are building the skills that will shape the future of agriculture. I believe it is so important FFA members have a chance to learn what it means to work hard, serve others and be stewards of the land.

National FFA Week is a reminder that FFA isn’t just an organization — it’s family, mentorship and friendships that will last long after high school. We should all strive to live by the 12 words that make up the FFA motto: “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.”

Give FFA Day

Because I believe so deeply in how this organization shapes the future generation of agriculturists, I want to share a specific way you can help: Thursday is Give FFA Day. This 24-hour campaign is a chance to invest directly in the students who will one day lead our industry.

If you are able, please consider giving to your local chapter, state association or the National FFA Foundation . If a financial gift isn’t possible right now, your time is an equally valuable investment. Local chapters are always looking for mentors to:

Critique speeches and facilitate mock interviews
Assist with career and leadership development event preparation
Mentor to a student as they build their supervised agricultural experience (SAE) program

You’ll find that when you invest in FFA students, the return on investment is seen in the strength of our entire agricultural community.

Raising Cattle, Raising Leaders: How Adalaide Kline is Shaping the Future of the Beef Industry

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 16:25:03 GMT

“We’re not doing it just to do it; we’re doing it for a purpose,” says Adalaide Kline, the beef program director at Colby Community College in northwest Kansas.

Kline is building a quality herd of cattle while teaching students practical production skills and turning the program into a platform for advocacy and community partnership.

“The main purpose of the program is educating students to be equipped to go into any operation with the skills and confidence that would make them an asset,” Kline says.

In her fourth year at the helm of CCC’s beef program, Kline is in it for the long haul. When she took over, there was a seemingly random assortment of commercial cows. Since she took the position in 2022 she has redirected the program from strictly commercial cow-calf to now including registered Angus seedstock.

“There’s no reason we can’t have a really elite genetic herd,” Kline says.

Kline’s breeding philosophy is based on selecting balanced cattle that function in the terrain of the high plains. In the dry landscape of Thomas County, low maintenance cows who do their job are a must.

“I want to produce females that can wean a calf every year on lower inputs and still have genetically elite calves,” Kline says.

In order to reach these aspirations, Kline utilizes a detailed data driven approach. Kline uses an Excel sheet with all of the expected progeny differences of all the females and potential artificial insemination sires, mating each female individually in order to achieve the optimal genetic makeup for each calf. The program traces cattle from conception to consumption. She also receives carcass data on CCC cattle harvested at the National Beef packing plant in Dodge City.

“Having data on your animals is really important — it allows you to make better management decisions,” Kline says.

Students learn firsthand how to interpret that data and how it relates to real-world profitability and genetic improvement. Kline also teaches her students hands-on skills such as breeding cattle via artificial insemination (AI), pregnancy ultrasounding, branding, vaccination, health monitoring, feeding cattle and cattle handling. Kline, an instructor at CCC, takes immense pride also in her students.

“I think it’s my job to find what students like, what their potential is — even the potential they may not be aware of —and push them toward it,” Kline says.

Between lectures, and caring for the cattle, Kline spends a lot of time with her students and builds lasting relationships. Those relationships do not end at graduation. She loves to hear from alumni — whether it is just to check in or to share conception rates on cattle they AI-bred and pregnancy checked themselves.

(CCC Beef Productions and Shea Baird Photography)

The annual bull test sale plays a major role in the program, students gain real experience in planning and organizing all aspects of a production sale. Consignors, many of whom are alumni, benefit from the data driven program. Producers receive information on their bulls’ performance and feed efficiency as well as the ability to market their cattle to a new customer base.

Kline does not come from a traditional agricultural background. While her family owned a seedstock operation, she grew up in town. Instead of 4-H and FFA, she was devoted to sports. Which is part of what developed her passion for agricultural advocacy. Playing Division I soccer at Oklahoma State University and South Dakota State University presented her with a unique opportunity to share the truth about beef with teammates who had previously never encountered agriculture.

“I really want to pass that on to my students; for them to be aware that they need to be advocates for our industry,” Kline says.

Kline makes advocacy an expectation for all of her students —not an option. Partnering with Foote Cattle Company, the beef production students host the Beef Advocacy Dinner, an event where student athletes learn about the importance of beef rich diets, as well as a general overview of the beef production system. Here, beef program students can practice answering tough questions and become confident and approachable voices for the beef industry.

Another advocacy initiative is the Herd It Here podcast hosted by sophomore student, Kaleigh Mason. The podcast highlights different hands-on activities in the program, such as branding, weaning, and BVD testing.

For Kline, the cattle matter. Improving the genetics matters. The conversations about beef matter. However, what matters most is the students and using the responsibility and technical training to prepare them for a future in agriculture.

“The most amazing thing about my job is seeing students transform from quiet, uncertain freshmen into confident, passionate people who know what they’re doing,” Kline says.

Farm Journal Announces 2026 Top Producer Award Finalists

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 19:12:54 GMT

Farm Journal has announced three finalists for the prestigious 2026 Top Producer of the Year Award, honoring some of the most progressive and successful farm operations in the country. The winner and finalists will be formally recognized at the 2026 Top Producer Summit , agriculture’s premier executive-level conference for elite farmers and ranchers, which is set for Feb. 9-11 in Nashville, Tenn. Also presented at the event will be the Next Generation Award and Women in Agriculture Award.

“The Top Producer Awards celebrate operations that are building resilient, innovative and future-focused businesses,” said Margy Eckelkamp, brand leader of Top Producer. “These finalists and award winners represent the very best of modern agriculture: strong family leadership, diversification, technology adoption and an unwavering commitment to excellence.”

2026 Top Producer of the Year Award Finalists:

Alsum Farms, Friesland, Wis. – A multigenerational family operation producing potatoes, pumpkins, hay, alfalfa and other rotational crops across more than 3,600 acres. The business is fully vertically integrated, overseeing production, packing and marketing. Leadership spans generations with the founder serving as CEO since 1981 now working alongside his two daughters who hold leadership roles in the business.

Dalton Farms, Wakeman, Ohio – A seventh-generation family farm led by Rebecca and Edward Dalton. The operation includes 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans, a 400-head cattle herd with direct-to-consumer beef sales and a growing on-farm market offering locally-sourced chicken, pork and maple syrup. Their story reflects both diversification and successful generational transition following a family split in the 1990s.

Splitter Farms, Sterling, Kan. – Led by Matt and Janna Splitter, this Kansas row-crop operation spans 1,400 owned acres with nearly 18,500 acres farmed annually through cash rent and custom work. After the sudden passing of Matt’s father in 2010, the couple returned to the farm and scaled the business using data-driven decision-making, strong landowner relationships and disciplined business management. Notably, this marks the first time a previous Next Generation Award winner has advanced to a Top Producer of the Year finalist.

The 2026 Top Producer of the Year award is sponsored by BASF and Fendt.

2026 Next Generation Award Winner

Tim Nuss, El Dorado Hills/Lodi, Calif., is the 2026 Next Gen Award winner. Nuss farms garlic, tomatoes, peppers, melons, herbs, pumpkins, cucumbers and grains with his father and brother while also building a powerful off-farm ag influencing business. He serves as CFO of Nuss Farms. He’s also head of business development at Polaris Energy Services, an ag tech irrigation company, hosts the “Modern Acre” podcast, and recently co-launched AgList, an online biologicals review and ratings platform designed to bring transparency to the ag inputs marketplace.

The 2026 Next Generation Award is sponsored by Pioneer and Fendt.

2026 Women in Agriculture Award Winner

Helle Ruddenklau, Amity, Ore., is the 2026 Women in Ag Award winner. Ruddenklau Farms in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, growing grass seed, wheat, vegetables, peas and hazelnuts. Originally from Denmark, she immigrated to the U.S. at age 15, later meeting her husband, Bruce, while on an exchange program in New Zealand. In addition to serving as CFO of their farming operation, she is deeply involved in ag advocacy and economic development, working through organizations such as Oregon AgriWomen, AgLaunch and SEDCOR to strengthen regional agriculture through supplier and industry partnerships.

The 2026 Women in Agriculture Award is sponsored by Pro Farmer.

All finalists and award winners will be recognized on stage for their excellence in the business of farming at the 2026 Top Producer Summit, where the nation’s best producers gather to advance leadership, management, technology adoption and succession planning in agriculture. Learn more about Top Producer Summit and Top Producer of the Year awards at tpsummit.com.

Old Ranching Heritage Meets New Tech

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 16:30:46 GMT

In Kingsville, Texas, near the Mexico border, the only thing thicker than the accents is the ranching culture.

Natives call it the birthplace of American ranching.

“This is where European immigrants from Scotland, England and Ireland combined with a lot of the native peoples and the Spanish-descended settlers,” says James Clement.

Kingsville is his home, and he knows that heritage well.

“This is where the Catholic mission system and the Western European farming systems collided to create what is known as ranching,” he says.

Much of today’s ranching terminology and practices originated in this South Texas region, and Clement is quick to note that the tradition endures.

“You still see a lot of commitment by the people that own land in this part of the world to maintain large-scale ranches,” he says. “We call this region the last great habitat.”

With his well-worn and scuffed cowboy hat, Clement not only has ranching culture in his heart, it flows through his veins.

At the King Ranch Museum in downtown Kingsville, Clement traces his family’s lineage on a massive, framed portrait that hangs above a stone fireplace. Capt. Richard King and his wife, Henrietta, were Clement’s triple-great-grandparents. His family has all matriculated from the famed King Ranch, a major corporation of modern ranching that has expanded to include farming, luxury retail, recreational hunting and more.

Land of His Own

Though Clement maintains ties to King Ranch, he also now manages his own operation, Bloody Buckets Cattle Co., a ranch deeply steeped in family tradition.

“Our Clement family has been in American military service since the War of 1812, beginning with Sgt. Maj. Kay Clement and his son, Gen. John Clement,” he says. “Four of those generations (from 1812 to 1945), served in the 28^th Division of Pennsylvania.”

During World War II, Clement’s grandfather, Capt. James “Jim” Clement, fought with the division dubbed the Bloody Buckets Division by German forces due to its red keystone insignia

“My grandfather wore the bloody buckets patch on his left shoulder, and we still brand our cattle on the left hip with a brand that is modeled after that patch,” he says.

Bloody Buckets Cattle Co. uses King Ranch American Red genetics. All wear the Bloody Buckets brand on their left hip to pay homage to the ranch’s founder and the family’s military service record.

(Angie Stump Denton)

His grandfather, wounded in France, returned to South Texas as the recipient of a Purple Heart Medal and began a long career with King Ranch, ultimately serving as CEO from 1974 to 1988.

While living in South Texas, he founded Los Hermanos Ranch in 1967, which Clement now operates under the Bloody Buckets Cattle Co. brand. In the 1970s, his father, James “Jamey” Clement Jr., and his uncle, Martin “Martín” Clement II, assumed ownership and day-to-day responsibilities for Los Hermanos. Together, all three men shaped the ranch’s history while each spent his full-time career working for King Ranch.

Clement and his family have been exposed to 400 years of ranching in three operations. Clement’s mother came from the historic Beggs Cattle Company, established in 1876. They, along with their partners, have put that knowledge together and found a way to manage their land and cattle.

“We used the lessons learned from Beggs, King, the experience of our partners and the King Ranch Institute of paying attention to the land, natural resources and wildlife,” he says.

“As we were continuing to grow our operation, we were seeing that we were surviving droughts better, our wildlife quality and quantity was increasing, our water retention was improving and our business lines were growing,” he adds.

A New Approach

Now supporting those heritage practices on-ranch is a host of ag tech advancements. Certainly, they were not seen on his grandfather’s ranch, but Clement knows they are the way of the future, making practices more efficient and easier to accomplish with less labor and fewer man-hours.

He uses Ranchbot Monitoring Systems to keep an eye on his watering systems. Frontiers Market Artificial Intelligence gathers animal health data. On-vehicle cameras are helping to map his land and resources through Enriched Ag.

But his greatest passion lies below the surface in soil carbon capture, so much so that he works as senior vice president and general manager of grass and rangeland for EarthOptics , a company that uses the study of soil biology to predict agronomic outcomes and measure soil carbon. In the role, he helps landowners measure and monetize soil carbon through data-driven insights.

For Clement, it’s a business model that he likens to one he knows well.

“Using an oil and gas analogy, EarthOptics is the drilling company; other people sell the crude (soil carbon in this sense), but we find it.” he says. “What we’re trying to do is help people make more efficient decisions on their land, reduce cost and then potentially also look at additional cash flow streams through the sale of carbon credits.”

Clement calls himself “bullish on carbon” for one particular reason.

“This is really the first opportunity in ranching — first of the growing ecosystem markets — where large companies are paying people to make good stewardship decisions,” he says. “Historically, how did you judge other ranches against each other? Who was selling the most cattle for the most money, selling the most expensive hunts or had the most pump jacks? Now we can pay for taking care of the land and making long-term decisions.”

EarthOptics not only finds a way to quantify and qualify good land and soil stewardship, they validate the data in such a way that farmers and ranchers can capitalize on them.

“We’re at the crossroads of the industry,” Clement says. “EarthOptics is not selling the credits. We’re just advising the ranchers on how to partake in these markets and then also making the introductions and building the industry.”

In November, Bloody Buckets Cattle Company hosted the final 2025 stop in the Trust In Beef Sustainable Ranchers Tour. Owner James Clement III used the event to share the importance his operation places on heritage land stewardship and ag tech advancements for profitability.

(Trust In Beef)

New Land Equals an Accelerated Approach

Clement is broadening the scope of Bloody Buckets Cattle Co., buying additional land and leasing land with his partners, “Poncho” Ortega Sr. and “Poncho” Ortega Jr. They are currently ranching on six ranches in four different South Texas counties. Acquiring new ranches and leases means the work on some of the new land is just beginning.

“On the west side, we acquired some ranches in the last 20 years that had previously been farmed,” he says. “We spend most of our time and resources in the pastures with the worst conditions to build back soil health.”

By applying the same technology he’s helped develop and test elsewhere, Clement is accelerating the restoration process. Their ranching operation has become a testing ground for many of the new ag tech companies in the industry, seeing if these concepts can work in rough country and be beneficial to the operation.

“We’re on a mission to get each of these newer owned or leased properties back in better shape,” he says. “As we expand, we want to make sure that acre is productive.”

Trust In Beef™ works to secure the future of American ranching by providing the information ranchers need to make the decisions that impact the resiliency, profitability and resource management of their working lands. Learn more about Trust In Beef and their Sustainable Ranchers Tour by visiting www.trustinbeef.com

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