National FFA week is a good reminder of the fun and life lessons learned for a member of one of the nation’s largest youth organizations. For the kids considering their future FFA goals, take a page from Raegan Klaassen’s book: Start early and work hard.
The lights and prestige shone brightly as Raegan stood on stage in Indianapolis in 2021 as an American Star Farmer finalist.
“I had so many emotions going through my head,” Raegan recalls. “I was happy, I was excited, I was very nervous and anxious.”
Those feelings of joy and accomplishment didn’t start during that moment last October. They started years earlier at home in Hydro, Oklahoma.
It was the family fields and pastures where Raegan poured perseverance and sacrifice into a trough of goals.
“I started on my family’s farm, working for my dad when I was in eighth grade and just starting FFA,” Raegan says. “That’s when I decided it was time for me to have my own operation.”
That spark became a flame thanks to encouragement from her ag teacher and adviser at Hydro-Eakly High School.
“We sat down and talked about some of the goals we wanted to have for her,” remembers adviser Chris Klaassen.
A voice that’s more than a teacher — he’s also Raegan’s dad.
“I’ve always felt like with my kids they’re no different than any other kid in the classroom,” Chris says. “They don’t call me dad. They call me Mr. Klaassen.”
Together the duo spent the next four years pursuing the goals that would eventually put her on stage in Indianapolis.
“It started out as small goals, like we wanted to have a breed champion at a livestock show and we wanted to win a speech contest,” Chris says. “Then that worked its way to we want to be Star Farmer of Oklahoma.”
With help and encouragement, Raegan built a crops and cattle business ultimately buying and breeding her way to a 30-head operation.
“I actually ended up running those calves on wheat pasture throughout the winter as a chance for them to gain weight before selling them in March,” Raegan explains.
Those winter wheat pastures are part of a 300+ acre rotation that includes peanuts and black-eyed peas.
“It was around my junior year of high school that I was able to get contracts with Del Monte Foods and Birdsong,” Raegan says.
Raegan graduated high school with a host of state awards, including sports, and a chance at the national Star Farmer award.
“It was a result of her work ethic,” Chris says. “I feel like she didn’t mind being in the barn at 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning to rinse and blow steers in order to get them into the cooler so we could be successful.”
Those little moments piled up to create big opportunities. Today, with the stage behind her, this full-time college student and full-time farmer is still driving her business forward thanks to the lessons learned.
“Right now, I’m just putting the profits back into my operation to continue operating debt free,” Raegan says.
A business cultivated by passion and watered by memories she’ll never forget.
“Overall, just to be able to represent my community, represent my family and represent the state of Oklahoma is something that I’m proud of,” Raegan says. “I hope my state’s proud of me as well.”
