Latest News From Young Farmers

Africa faces challenges, but this is exactly why it is ripe for smart investments. If we join forces, Africans can enjoy more access to modern machinery and enhanced seeds that have made such a big difference elsewhere.

In just a decade on the farm, Virginia dairy farmer Ben Smith's journey has been one of dedication and innovation, which is what makes him the 2023 Milk Business Young Producer Award winner.

As the seventh generation of the Cullipher family carves out a new opportunity, a Farmall serves as a time capsule of the past and motivation of what it takes to keep their farming legacy intact.

When I opened the door, my jaw dropped. Despite what every mother in her right mind would be tempted to do in that moment, I paused when I saw her black heels in the middle of the mess.

With a tractor that had been sitting untouched for at least 30 years, Charlie Bortner knew he had his work cut out for him. He figured the restoration project would take shape years down the road, but fate intervened.

“Is this a buffalo?” asked a young 20-ish fairgoer as he stood before the Grand Champion Market Steer in the Hall of Champions at the Illinois State Fair. He looked at me – dead serious – awaiting my response.

Travel to Carpenter, Wy., and you’ll see two-thirds of the state’s 9,000 dairy cows, who are milked at Burnett Dairy. You’ll also get to see an upcoming second-generation dairy farmer, Reese Burnett.

We try to be good parents by setting boundaries for our kids. We want to raise decent humans who are kind, make good choices and respect others. But let’s be real. During fair week, that all goes out the window.

Childcare presents a unique challenge for producers looking to balance farm and family. Is there a way to allow children to free-range without compromising safety, mental health and productivity?

As Mary Pat Sass’ social media shows glimpses of life from the seat of the tractor, it’s not the view she envisioned for her life even a decade ago. But through humor and candor, she's now an inspiration to others.

Three under-30 producers from Illinois, Ohio and Mississippi sound off on the struggles, pressures and hopes of farming’s next generation.

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.

It’s one thing to tell students about livestock production; it’s another thing to show them. Here's why one Iowa school is turning heads and opening people's eyes to the opportunities in livestock production.

At the age of 15, Callee Pellett signed her first lease, and today, the 16-year-old farmer has nearly 20 acres she farms on her own. As the seventh generation, it's a unique opportunity she doesn't take for granted.

The Institute for the Future predicts that nearly 85% of the jobs that today’s students will do in 2030 don’t exist yet, underscores how big of a task it is for colleges to prepare students for a changing future.

Finding and restoring tractors has become a hobby for 18-year-old Charlie Bortner. When he had the chance to acquire a special Farmall, he jumped on the opportunity to help keep one man’s memory alive.

As farm shows and meetings portray a crowd that seems to be aging, is there a shortage of young farmers threatening the future of ag? John Phipps explains why an abundance of young farmers may not be on the farm today.

FFA is a nearly limitless opportunity for young people to figure out who they are and what they want to do in life. Here are 10 lessons Farm Journal employees learned through FFA that they use every day. 

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.

Here’s a look back at your favorite stories — from a young farmer buying farmland with video game money and farmers encountering monster snakes and a pot of gold to record farmland and fertilizer prices.

How remarkable teenagers put a call to help into action, creating some unlikely friendships and bonds after Mayfield, Kentucky was ravaged by a tornado on December 10, 2021.

There's a new YouTube series called "Leading the Field". It's brought to you by Farm Journal Studios and Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Sometimes the greatest lesson we can learn in life is how to not see a setback as a failure. Here's how five FFA members are discovering challenges are never the end of the road, but rather the beginning.

Pennsylvania teenager Reese Burdette continues her medical recovery from a 2014 housefire and returns to the showring at a Harrisburg dairy competition.

Tyler and Amanda Radke have three goals on the farm: provide peace with a place to heal, experience a family full of love and introduce them to a household strong in faith; a recipe that’s filled with grit and grace.

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.

16-year-old Mary Schalk set off on her first solo flight the day after a destructive tornado ravaged Mayfield, Ky. Her mission was to get supplies to those who needed it, as many were left with nothing after the storm.

A show pig is often a family affair. For one Georgia family, a show pig became more of a companion as the animal brought their 16-year old daughter normalcy as her father battled cancer in the middle of the pandemic.

Kristen Clenney recently earned the title of 'cancer survivor'. The wife, mother and veterinarian says it's a title she feels fortunate to have after her year long journey during the pandemic took grit and grace.  

There’s nothing like the love of an animal to get you through hard times. Miriam King, 16, learned this lesson in the past year as her family battled not one, but two wars in the midst of a global pandemic.