Jakob Gmur of the Whitewater FFA Chapter in Wisconsin is the owner of a lawn care and property services business, providing weekly lawn mowing, spring and fall cleanups, landscaping, hardscaping and snow removal. What began as a single lawn has expanded to more that 50 accounts four years later. After completing his education, Gmur plans to make a full-time career as a lawn care and landscaping business owner. He is supported by his FFA advisor, Paul Majors. This award is sponsored by The Toro Company and Wilbur-Ellis Company.

Listen to Jakob’s interview with Alex Voichoskie.

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Peyton Mohler of the Rossville FFA Chapter in Frankfort, Ind., works on his family’s 2,700-acre grain farm in Central Indiana. He began with small jobs such as mowing side ditches and spraying for weeds around the toolsheds. Today, his tasks have expanded to analyzing data to better understand which hybrids perform best, and cross-reference such as soil type, population and rainfall. Mohler is supported by his FFA advisors, Dale Griffin and Jesse Davis. This award is sponsored by National Crop Insurance Services.

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When he was a freshman, Todd Peterson of the Miami Trace FFA Chapter in Sabina, Ohio, got the opportunity to take over a quarter of his family’s wheat and straw business. The project was successful and he decided to expand his operation. In 2017, he grew 212 acres of corn, 93 acres of soybeans and 23 acres of wheat. Learning from the wisdom of his family and other retiring farmers, Peterson has used both traditional and modern farming methods to succeed in his industry. He is supported by his FFA advisors, Bruce Bennett, Wendi Mizer Stachler and Amanda Swigert. This award is sponsored by CHS Foundation.

Listen to Bronson Teichert’s conversation with Todd here.

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Claire Seibel of the Lord Botetourt FFA Chapter in Roanoke, Va., has a photograph of herself as a toddler, standing in a field being converted into a vineyard. As a third-generation farmer, she is an active participant in her family’s farm, growing vitis vinifera grapes, forage and pasture and raising Angus beef cattle. Her primary responsibilities are to produce a high-quality fruit crop by working in disease and wildlife control, canopy management, chemical analysis, and harvesting. Seibel is supported by her FFA advisor, Stuart Byrd. This award is sponsored by Firestone Agricultural Solutions and Ram Trucks.

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John Achen of the Ulysses FFA Chapter in Lakin, Kan., is the manager of the Lakin Dairy LLP heifer herd, where he custom raises 12,000 young stock for dairy farmers in Minnesota, South Dakota and Kansas. He performs health checks, scheduling and administers vaccines. Achen also moves heifers from pen to pen to make more room for new ones coming into the system. At the operation, he helps maintain a 54 percent conception rate. He is supported by his FFA advisor, Kellsie Peterson. This award is sponsored by Kuhn North America and Nasco.

Listen to Bronson Teichert’s conversation with John here.

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Isaac Nelson of the Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter in Minnesota is a fourth-generation dairy farmer. His parents started him in this area with one cow. After breeding that first cow, he has a total of nine registered Holsteins six years later – three cows, three heifers and three bulls. Nelson has devised new ways to make the enterprise profitable, including embryo flushing and semen collections. He is supported by his FFA advisor, Mary Hoffman. This award is sponsored by New Holland.

Listen to Isaac’s interview with Alex Voichoskie.

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Nicole Harder of the LaCrosse FFA Chapter in Hooper, Wash., works for both her mother’s farm and another female-owned regional livestock auction facility. At her mother’s farm, they manage approximately 1,300 head of purebred Hereford cow-calf pairs and bulls. She started working in the eighth grade, gathering cattle and giving shots. Presently, she’s taken on more management decisions, including the vaccination, branding, sorting and penning of cattle. Harder is supported by her FFA advisor, Lisa Baser. This award is sponsored by Red Brand.

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Garrett Hagler of the Miami Trace FFA Chapter in Washington Court House, Ohio, began his operation with two bred Angus heifers that he bought and bred for the next two years. As his herd grew, he switched from artificial insemination to hand breeding, introducing a bull into the herd. Today, his herd consists of 25 Black Angus cows—22 calves, one bull and four registered heifers. Hagler has enough pasture to support 60 breeding cows if he chooses to increase the size of his herd in the future. He is supported by his FFA advisors, Amanda Swigert, Bruce Bennett and Wendi Mizer Stachler. This award is sponsored by Merck Animal Health and Rabo AgriFinance.

Listen to Bronson Teichert’s conversation with Garrett here.

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Jonah Brannon of the Calloway County FFA Chapter in Puryear, Ky., owns and operates Brannon’s Plot Service, a crop plot research service. Working with the local extension agent and company representatives, he planted on-farm commercial and experimental corn and soybean variety plots. In 2017, he planted corn plot trials with Progeny, Armor, Monsanto and local retail outlets Helena and Security Seed. Through his service, Brannon has gained research experience and money to help fund his education. He is supported by his FFA advisor Jacob Falwell. This award is sponsored by National FFA Foundation and National FFA Organization.

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Collin Tennant of the Manchester Community FFA Chapter in North Manchester, Ind., got the idea for a fall roadside stand after visiting Shipshewana to pick up green beans for his mom. Fast forward several years and he routinely sells more than 1,200 pumpkins each year. He has since added hardy mums and decorative gourds to his wares. Tennant is supported by his FFA advisor, Gwen Mize. This award is sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions and Valent USA Corporation.

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