Cullen and Sara Beth Kovac are prime examples of the success young producers can achieve when dedication, hard work and dreams collide.
The couple recently received the distinguished Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher Award for their cattle operation in Oak Grove, Louisiana. The honor is given to agricultural producers ages 35 and younger whose operations successfully balance production, profit and natural resource concerns.
Raised on the family cattle operation, Cullen was no stranger to the hard work required to keep the business going. His dad included him in every aspect of the family’s operation including marketing, animal health, feeding and pasture management. Chock full of experience, the only thing Cullen lacked was funding — that’s where Mike Lamb, farm loan manager, stepped in to help six years ago.
“Many commercial lenders consider young and beginning producers as high risk,” said Lamb. “Without FSA assistance, many young families like the Kovacs would not have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams.”
Through FSA’s direct loan program, Cullen, a 20-year-old full-time college student, obtained an operating loan that provided capital to purchase 175 cows and six bulls. Soon, he was running cattle on 400 acres of leased land, which included 40 acres of hay.
Fast forward seven years…
Kovac earned a degree in animal science from Louisiana State University, married Sara Beth, became a father and, through the financial backing of three additional FSA direct operating loans, increased his beef cattle herd to 300 heads on 800 acres and began purchasing 150 heads of stocker cattle annually.
With FSA to back them, the Kovacs showed youth could work in their favor. They took on the traditional risks that ranching and hay production entail, but buffered those risks by incorporating cutting-edge technology like GPS and no-till methods into their operation.
“We are honored to be recognized among our farming neighbors,” said Cullen. “They all deserve an award.”
—by Brenda Carlson, SW Regional public affairs specialist
