Tag Archives: Young Farmers & Ranchers

Tied to Ag: Jared Freeman, Alachua County

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August 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

Jared Freeman’s passion for agriculture and love for animals sparked at an early age. He spent countless hours in the pasture with his grandfather growing up, and that time together was pivotal in Freeman’s path in life. He was an active member of 4-H and FFA and participated in as many contests and Career Development Events as he could.  

As Freeman grew older, his love for agriculture only grew stronger and he knew he wanted to pursue a career in the industry. He attended Sante Fe College for his associates degree and transferred to the University of Florida where he received his bachelor of science in animal biology. After graduating college in 2013, Freeman began his career as a veterinarian technician and is currently the practice manager at a clinic in Gainesville. 

Although the clinic keeps him busy, Freeman visits his family farm in Union County a few times each week to help his mother and grandfather with the beef cattle, goats and honeybees. Although the farm has always been recreational for his grandfather, Freeman is working to build income for the farm by growing their beef cattle and goat operations.  

Representing Alachua County on the State Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Group, Freeman has been given many unique opportunities to network with others from across the state.  

“Getting to meet people who share a similar interest but aren’t in the same commodity has been really neat,” said Freeman. “I’ve met so many people on my journey that I’ve been able to exchange ideas with and learn from.” 

Freeman has thoroughly enjoyed diversifying his agricultural knowledge through farm tours and learning from other Farm Bureau members. His first farm tour was at the 2023 YF&R Leadership Conference, and he has enjoyed learning about agriculture in other parts of Florida.  

One of the most impactful networking opportunities Freeman has had was his time spent in Tallahassee for Farm Bureau Day in January. He enjoyed learning about the legislative process and how that applies to agriculture.  

“Getting to interact with legislators gave me a new level of excitement,” said Freeman. “I never really knew that was a direction that agriculture could go. Spending time with legislators sparked a new interest in me and I’m looking forward to similar opportunities in Washington, D.C.” 

Freeman is continuously helping others realize their tie to agriculture. Being on the state leadership team has shown him how to strengthen his personal ties and he enjoys helping others do the same.  

“When I got to the University of Florida, I realized not everyone grew up the way that I did,” said Freeman. “I’m staying tied to agriculture by helping others realize what their tie is, no matter what part of life they’re in.” 

Rural Recharge Episode 17 Out Now

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Kevin Lussier, AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Chair, joins President Jeb S. Smith on the newest episode of Rural Recharge.  

Lussier owns and operates Hawthorne Creek Creamery in Alachua County. In 2021, Lussier and his wife, Shelby, were the Florida Farm Bureau Achievement in Agriculture state winners. Kevin has served on the Florida Farm Bureau state YF&R Leadership Group, the Florida Farm Bureau state board and now serves on the national level as the AFBF YF&R Committee Chair.  

In this episode, Lussier shares his journey to becoming a dairy farmer, his involvement with the Florida Farm Bureau YF&R leadership group, his national involvement with American Farm Bureau and current issues he sees young farmers facing.  

Tied to Ag: Benjamin Putnam

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January 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

Benjamin Putnam comes from a family of agriculturalists in rural Polk County. He is a sixth-generation farmer and grew up working cattle with his uncle, fixing irrigation in the citrus grove, and helping around the farm where needed. His involvement on the family farm helped instill in him a passion for agriculture.  

Upon graduation from Auburn University with a degree in business management, Putnam decided to move back home and work full-time at Putnam Groves, his family’s citrus operation.  

“After my Uncle Will passed away, my cousin Christian and I talked a lot about my plans after college,” said Putnam. “It felt right to move back to Bartow and work at the farm.”  

The family farm has 1,300 head of cattle spanning over Polk, Hardee, and Highlands counties and 1,000 acres of citrus, specifically Valencia and Hamlin varieties. They have recently started hay production and are refurbishing pastures through rotational grazing.

“We started rotational grazing and allowing some family friends to grow watermelons in our pastures to help with weed control and help add more grazing land for our cattle next year,” said Putnam. “This has really allowed us to continue to be good stewards of the land.”  

Although Putnam has grown up around Farm Bureau, it was his cousin that encouraged him to become more involved with their local Young Farmers & Ranchers group and apply for the leadership team. He has enjoyed being more involved in the community and sharing agriculture’s story with the public.  

“Last year, we were able to donate 160 pounds of blueberries through Harvest for All,” said Putnam. “We also set up a booth at the Lakeland Farmer’s Market and talk to people about agriculture and pass out Publix gift cards to help pay for some of their groceries.” 

Putnam also looks forward to visiting with other farmers in the community at their county annual meeting in October.  

When asked what he is looking forward to over the next two years on the state leadership team, Putnam is excited to get more involved with Florida Farm Bureau and learn how to better advocate for the agriculture industry.  

“I’m strengthening my tie to agriculture by learning how to be a better spokesperson for the industry through the opportunities the leadership group will provide me,” said Putnam. “I’m excited for opportunities to network with other young farmers from around the country and learn about agriculture and advocacy in their state at the American Farm Bureau Federation YF&R Leadership Conference in March.” 

Young Farmers & Ranchers Gather for Annual Conference

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The 2023 Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Conference brought together more than 200 agriculturalists from across the state. Themed Growing Forward, the conference focused on equipping participants with leadership skills, industry insights and networking opportunities.  

Throughout the conference, participants engaged in a series of breakout sessions and farm tours. The session topics ranged from integrating AI in pest management, estate planning, the importance of personal branding, a legislative update on the 2023 farm bill and more. The conference featured keynote speakers Cody and Erika Archie, owners of Bar 7 Ranch in Gatesville, Texas. The couple spoke on the importance of being the voice of agriculture and meeting people where they are to share the story of agriculture. 

Conference attendees had the opportunity to test their industry knowledge and skills through various competitive events like Achievement in Agriculture, Excellence in Agriculture and Discussion Meet. The finalist for each competition will compete at Florida Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Meeting in October. From there, the state winner from each category will compete at the national level at American Farm Bureau’s annual conference in January 2024. 

The Achievement in Agriculture finalists are Buck and NoraBeth Carpenter of Madison County, Brandt and Samantha Hendricks of Santa Rosa County and John and Emilee Peterson of Baker County.   

The Excellence in Agriculture finalists are Jaime Jerrels of Levy County, Rebecca Hall of Alachua County and Bernie and Avery LeFils of Volusia County.  

The final four Discussion Meet finalists are Erin Jones of Gilchrist County, Chad Haas of Volusia County, Sarah Luther of Suwannee County and Jesse Cone of Madison County. 

Young Farmers and Ranchers between the ages of 18-35 who are interested in honing in on their leadership skills and expanding their network are encouraged to join their local county Young Farmers and Ranchers group. Next year’s conference is set for July 12-14, 2024 in Palm Beach.  

To view conference photos, click here.  

 

Grassroots List Connects Farms with Consumers

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FloridAgriculture eNews | May 2020

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses deemed non-essential to shut down, disruptions in the food supply chain created a domino effect across agriculture. Florida farmers and ranchers faced severe challenges because key markets and distribution channels were closed.

The heart and determination of Florida Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers is unmatched to any young group of millennials. These qualities appeared in a response to the crisis. The instinct and passion of one Hardee County Young Farmer and Rancher, Kalan Royal, kicked in.

It all started after Royal received a phone call from fellow YF&R member Samantha Dailey of Marion County asking if he knew of any farms that were selling directly to the public. Wheels were set in motion to develop a grassroots direct to consumer product list.

“Knowing the struggles that American farmers and ranchers already faced pre-COVID-19 with trying to get their products sold and remain in business another year to keep the population fed as they compete against unfair competition from foreign producers, I knew I had to get as many farms on this list as possible,” said Royal. “The state’s farmers and ranchers now were in need of help more than ever in getting their products sold.”

“I kept researching and gathering as much information as I could get my hands on to help out those who give so much of themselves to provide food for this country,” added Royal. “As a result of Samantha prompting me to create a list and valuable input from FFB District 8 Field Representative Eva Webb, we were able to come up with an extensive list to help both consumers as well as farmers and ranchers.”

The grassroots farm to consumer list contains more than 250 farms and produce stands across the Sunshine State that are selling fresh produce and meats direct to consumers and is available on the FFB website.

Since the YF&R list has been created, a number of farm to consumer lists have been made available to the public, including the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Florida Farm to You initiative that connects consumers directly to farms. Producers are able to submit available products via the website and consumers can search by county for various commodities.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box program was also recently put into motion to assist agriculture and families in need.

Farmers interested in getting their products listed on various websites can visit the Florida Farm Bureau COVID-19 Resource page for available links.

Jared Plair, District 8 YF&R Leadership Committee

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Jared Plair serves counties in District 8 on the Florida Farm Bureau State Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Committee. Counties in his district include Glades, Hendry, Palm Beach, Collier, Broward and Dade.

The twenty-six year old is from LaBelle and is active in Farm Bureau at the local level as well as the state level. Plair serves as secretary of the Hendry/Glades County Farm Bureau (HGCFB) Board of Directors, chair of the HGCFB Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee and is a technical advisor on FFB’s Sugar Advisory Committee.

Plair is a farm manager for the United States Sugar Corporation where he manages more than 18,000 acres of farmland, primarily sugar, daily.

He is a graduate of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College where he received a bachelor’s degree in diversified agriculture. Currently, Plair is working on obtaining a M.B.A. from Warner University.

“My passion for agriculture really came to light in middle school when I began working for a local citrus producer,” he said. “That passion was broadened as I reached my high school years while working for various cattle operations in Hendry/Glades County.”

Agriculture was a natural fit for Plair’s future given his involvement and work experience at a young age. He explained that networking with other farmers and ranchers has been one of Farm Bureau’s greatest rewards.

“Through Florida Farm Bureau I’ve been able to meet and build relationships with people across the state,” he said. “People who are involved in various other industries, but who face obstacles similar to the ones we face in South Florida.”

Each year in October, HGCFB holds its annual meeting. “This dinner brings people together,” he said. “It gives everyone a chance to catch up with one another and see other members of the county Farm Bureau that wouldn’t normally get to see otherwise.”