Next-Generation Farmers
Having faith and patience, and seeking help from mentors helped first-generation Kentucky cattleman start farming full time.
How are you showing up on the farm? Do your actions meet up with your goals? Rena Striegel, a farm succession planning consultant, encourages the next generation of on-farm leaders to do some self-reflection.
“If handled improperly, transition events can be the death of your business. Or it can strengthen your business and clearly outline who you are and where you want to go,” says Dick Wittman.
Formulating your farm’s succession plan is likely not a straight line. Polly Dobbs, an Indiana attorney who is part of a seven-generation farm family, says it’s important to stay focused on your end goals.
The clock is ticking — and the current estate-tax exemption is set to plummet at the end of 2025. The smaller exemption coupled with inflation and land values likely means increased assets and estate-tax rates.
We asked previous awardees of the Top Producer Next Gen Award to reflect on lessons they’ve experienced in business and management.
Legacy. It’s a six-letter word, but it carries the weight of generations for agricultural families. The weight this word carries makes it valuable for families to understand what their legacy is and how to uncover it.
From the sands of Iraq to the pastures of Michigan, a war veteran’s heart for service is now regenerating the soil.
Entrepreneur decided to “be that guy,” to open Utah’s new packing facility. With 323,000 beef cows in the state, this new facility is primed to fill a big need for additional processing.
After years of letting negativity and discouragement hold him back from full-time farming, the first-generation Kentucky farmer decided to take a leap of faith.
NBA superstars Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith learned how to hand milk a cow on live television thanks to a Madison, Georgia dairy farm, Big Sandy Creek Farm.
Grounded by his family but propelled by vision, Trey Wasserburger is the energetic force behind creating more processing capacity for local cattle producers.
The NY Farm Girls have become a social media sensation. With nearly 645,000 followers on TikTok, the three sisters share the truth about dairy farming, even when faced with negativity that can sprout on social media.
Trey Wasserburger, the 2023 Tomorrow’s Top Producer Horizon Award winner, is redefining the conception-to-consumer beef model to live out his dream of being a cowboy.
With a slogan of “raised, not sourced,” Tim Haer had a wild idea to differentiate their business: create a vending machine to sell meat produced on their family’s farm, an idea he says that’s been wildly successful.
Why all the fuss over community in rural America these days? For Jason Hocker, AMVC partner and veterinarian, it’s simple.
Thaddeus Bergschneider has been elected as the 2024-2025 National FFA President.