News

By Kayla Weaver

Every farmer must enter spring with a certain sense of hope that the passing of the seasons will bring a prosperous harvest. While that is true for Hillsboro farmer Adam Vance, this time around he’s also carrying a renewed sense of optimism for his career.

Vance recently attended the American Soybean Association’s (ASA) Young Leader program, sponsored by Corteva Agriscience, where he gained knowledge on new technologies, agricultural issues and most importantly linked up with a network of like-minded farmers.

While the program wasn’t originally on his radar, Vance was nominated and accepted the opportunity to get off the farm for a few days. The first part of the program took place in Des Moines, Iowa, last November with selected young farmers from across the nation gathering for leadership sessions as well as updates on research and technology, the need for public outreach and other current issues the industry is facing.

The second half of the program wrapped up at the Commodity Classic in Orlando in February this year bringing participants together for educational and inspirational presentations, a large trade show and networking with other farmers. The Young Leaders were also recognized at ASA’s annual awards banquet for their participation.

“I’ve been active in other organizations and attended many events before, but this experience has by far given me the best network of fellow farmers across the country,” Vance said. “Everyone has their own set of issues or challenges and it helps to know you’re not alone. Mental health for farmers has been an increasingly critical issue and being able to connect with each other and relate can get you out of a rut and provide a renewed level of optimism to ride out a few more hard years.”

Another impactful part was hearing from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue. According to Vance, hearing from Perdue made him feel more relatable as a person and increased the confidence that Perdue is standing with farmers and truly working on their behalf.

With an undeniable passion for agriculture, Vance grew up working on the farm with his grandfather and pushing the status quo by age 14 when he purchased a grain cart to speed up harvest on the farm. After working together for years, he eventually took over the farm from his grandfather and today farms full-time with part-time help from his two brothers who work off the farm as well.

“Farming is really all I know, I like the freedom and knowing that you get out what you put in. If you don’t put in the effort this year, you probably won’t get the opportunity to do it next year.”

Currently managing about 1000 acres split between soybeans and corn, Vance was an early adopter of cover crops and no-till practices in the area. Originally looking for a way to preserve their highly erodible rolling acres of farm ground, he believes there are many added benefits. Currently utilizing a mix of wheat, crimson clover and radishes flown on roughly 500 acres of standing crops just before fall, the cover crops have done an excellent job of minimizing broad leaf weed pressure and holding onto moisture while minimizing run-off activity.

“It started out for erosion control, but now, 10 years later, I’ve seen a lot of added benefits to cover crops and continuous no-till. We’re changing the soil structure, providing more mulch for the soil and increasing biological activity,” explained Vance.

“With market prices down a little from last year, we’re still looking at the same profit margin because some of our input costs were down a little. It still comes down to supply and demand, something has to give eventually, it’s just been a slow process,” said Vance. “The last boon in agriculture replaced a lot of old iron as farmers updated equipment, but it also gave high expectations and brought in some farmers that aren’t prepared to handle the leaner times.”

In addition to grain crops, Vance has diversified the farm by adding a growing number of cattle to sell as freezer beef. Further diversification includes a snowplowing and excavation business. He believes multiple sources of income are important to balance risk as it’s unlikely all sectors will see lows at the same time.

“The livestock sector is the largest consumer of our soybeans, and I believe we need to focus on that more. I’m hoping to continue to integrate the cattle into our operation, everything we raise now is sold as freezer beef,” said Vance.

He has high hopes for the livestock part of the farm with his 8-year-old daughter, Molly, already taking a strong interest in the livestock, even bidding on cattle at the auction on behalf of her dad. That optimism carries through as he looks to the future and opportunities that could open up for young farmers as older generations begin exiting. While for some it may simply be time to retire, Vance points out they have likely already seen the best times they’ll have in the industry and aren’t up to ride out more hard years that seem to be on the horizon.

Vance has always been involved in his community and the industry: as an FFA alum and former 8-year county Farm Bureau trustee, he continues to participate in events and advocate for the industry. As both a grain and livestock producer he hopes to see more industry groups come together in the future and collaborate for the benefit of all agricultural markets.

When he does find a spare moment to get away from work, he enjoys spending time with his daughter, camping and hanging out at the lake.