How do you find a few ducks that weigh a single pound full grown? Well, I didn’t know the answer to that until I asked a friendly neighbor for help. I had been raising poultry for a few years, and I wanted to raise call ducks – a breed of ducks that weighs 16 ounces full-grown. Darrell Ray, our neighbor, gave me the contact information for a man named Chuck Rector, who raised … [Read more...]
The power of an internship
It’s a common story: schools close down, office employees work from home, and internships are canceled. Last spring, most plans went out the window. As a college student, I was preparing to intern either at an orphanage in Mexico or with a policy group in Washington D.C. The last thing that I expected to spend my summer doing was live in a trailer and work on a potato farm in … [Read more...]
Valerie (Earley) Luhman: Fillmore County roots, agricultural success
National FFA Officer Candidate Deep roots and strong wings: being equipped with these two things can take you anywhere. There’s one Fillmore County native who exemplifies this philosophy. Valerie Luhman (maiden name Earley) has used her roots in Fillmore County to soar to new heights as an agricultural entrepreneur. Valerien Luhman, daughter of James and Rachel Earley, has … [Read more...]
3 Cricketeers: An emerging form of urban agriculture
National FFA Officer Candidate Add in the butter, scramble the eggs, pour in the sugar, don’t forget to add the cricket flour, and of course the — wait…crickets? In BROWNIES? Whether the idea of crickets in your brownies excites you or sends tingles down your spine, it’s a real food. Crickets likely aren’t the first thing we think of when we talk about agriculture, but … [Read more...]