John Shepherd began grain farming during his last year of college working as a salesman by day and farming at night.

By: Herbert Brown, FSA

John Shepherd, a farmer from Blackstone, Virginia, began grain farming during his last year of college. After graduating, he worked as a salesman by day and farmed at night, building his operation from the ground up.

Top Priorities

In the grain fields of Blackstone, John sprays his corn fields and plants soybeans like many other farmers in the area. He scans the rows, looking for recently-planted soybeans as they begin to emerge from his tall wheat cover crop.

“This cover crop was planted by airplane,” he said. “It allows earlier planting in the fall and creates a good stand of small grains.”

Cover crops, nutrient management, and soil productivity are all top priorities for him.

“I’m attached to the land. It’s taken me years and a lot of inputs to get the land in good shape. I take pride in what I do,” John said. Continue reading →

Jason Bleich’s family farm has been a popular resting spot for monarchs over the past couple of years. Photo courtesy of Jason Bleich.

By: Dana Rogge, USDA

A natural phenomenon descends on the Bleich’s Illinois farm each fall. Now through the end of September, Jason Bleich’s family farm will be invaded with thousands of monarch butterflies traveling south to their winter hideaway.

“It’s really amazing to be honest. It will give you goosebumps when you go out there and see them all,” Jason Bleich said. “When you walk along a hedge row or a windbreak where they’re all roosting in the trees and they start flying up as you walk by them and being able to hear their wings beating and have them land on you. It’s pretty neat.”

According to the U.S. Forest Service, the monarch is the only butterfly known to make a two-way migration as birds do. Monarchs use environmental clues to know when it’s time for their journey south is to begin. Continue reading →

The Phillips family are part of a multi-generational farm. They raise cattle, corn, soybeans and wheat on their farm in Kansas. Photo courtesy of Show-me Kansas Farms.

By Heather Emmons, USDA

Caleb and Janet Phillips, of Show-Me Kansas Farms in Cherryvale, Kansas, are part of a larger multi-generational family operation. For their part, they raise 275 cow/calf pairs and grow corn, soybeans, and wheat.

Growing the Business

When a Missouri girl falls in love with a Kansas farm boy, and both have been raised on homegrown beef, what do you get? Show-Me Kansas Farms: a new dry-aged beef business venture at the Phillips family farm in southeast Kansas.

Eleven years ago, Caleb and Janet, obtained their 160-acre farm and house, and began growing their business by utilizing programs offered by the USDA Farm Service Agency, including farm loan programs and the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs. Continue reading →

Micole Jorgenson’s grandfather “Beep” helped her get started with her 4-H project, funded by an FSA Youth Loan.

By Lacy Roberts, FSA

The youth loan Micole Jorgenson received from USDA’s Farm Service Agency has allowed her to experience the ups and downs of ranching first hand and help her pave the way to one day becoming a veterinarian.

FSA youth loans help young people like Micole start and operate income-producing projects in connection to their participation in 4-H, FFA, a tribal youth group, or similar agricultural youth organization.

Micole first learned about youth loans through her grandfather, Emerald “Beep” Grant, Jr., who also serves as board chair of the local Blackfeet Natural Resources Conservation District.

“My grandpa was talking about it [youth loans] and I wanted to be around livestock and get to help,” shared 14-year-old Micole at her family ranch on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana. Continue reading →

Liz Graznak is the owner and operator of Happy Hollow Farm in rural Moniteau County, Mo. Photo courtesy of Happy Hollow Farm.

By Jessica Claypole, FSA

Liz Graznak is the owner and operator of Happy Hollow Farm in rural Moniteau County, Missouri. Her priorities are to run an organic, sustainable, and community-supported farm. This is just a way of life for Liz, and her lifelong passion for plants helped pave the way.

Fresh Beginnings

 “Growing up, I loved spending time with my grandmother in her garden and flower beds,” Liz said.

Her interest in sustainable community-supported agriculture was peaked during her years as a graduate student at Cornell University, when she joined a CSA not as a producer, but as a consumer.

“I had never really thought about where food came from,” Liz said. “I had no idea people actually got their food that way.”

After finishing graduate school, Liz put her master’s degree in plant breeding to good use, working on farms from the East Coast through the Midwest before returning home to Missouri to start her own operation.  Continue reading →

The Olsons grow a variety of specialty crops on their four-acre homestead.

By Molly Rose, USDA

Brian and Laurie Olson are the owners and operators of Alaska Berries on the Alaskan Kenai Peninsula. Their desire to grow fruits and berries and create new products has fueled their passion to produce handcrafted Alaskan-made jams, syrup, and wines.

Meet the Olsons

Brian and Laurie Olson are proud of their farming roots. Both grew up in multi-generational farm families out West. Even after they both left their homes, pursued professional careers, and moved to Alaska, their passion for farming continued.

“We have always kept a garden, both for food and enjoyment,” said Laurie.

They eventually began growing for farmer’s markets and started Alaska Berries in 2007.  Continue reading →

Kaylee and Jason Moody, owners of Moody Bees Honey in Madelia, Minnesota. Photo courtesy of Moody Bees Honey.

By Gina Kerzman, USDA

Kaylee and Jason Moody are beekeepers and owners of Moody Bees Honey in Madelia, Minnesota. These first-generation farmers have been in business for five years.

Starting the Business

Kaylee and Jason got started in the beekeeping business when they moved onto an old farm site near Madelia. The couple grows a lot of their own food and switched to a permaculture system, focusing on the whole system rather than one species, by planting perennial food crops, building swales for water catchment, deep mulching for nutrients, and feeding soil microbes.

Moody Bees Honey began selling their products in 2014. Their current products include table honey, raw honey, and honey infused with garlic, lavender, or hot peppers. The peppers and herbs used for infusion come from other local producers including Alternative Roots Farm and Under the Sun Herbs.

“I’m a local business, so it’s important to me that we keep money in the community,” said Kaylee. “We keep each other and our families in business.” Continue reading →