Commentary, wisdom, and perspectives from globally renowned agricultural economist Dr. David M. Kohl..

Two young farmers and one farmer couple from central and southern Illinois were named FreshRoots Directors Cup honorees this week by Farm Credit Illinois.

Dr. Kohl reflects on some of the major takeaways from FCI’s FreshRoots program meetings. Review the key lessons young and beginning farmers learned during these meetings – from managing economic hardships to making challenging, but valuable, operation changes.

2021 Directors Cup honoree Austin Ellison of St. Clair County goes above and beyond row crop farming, while also owning and operating two successful businesses.

2021 Directors Cup honoree Mitchell Hinds of Macon County, a skip generation farmer, became the sole owner and operator of his grandfather’s operation.

 2021 Directors Cup honoree Elliott Uphoff of Shelby County brings efficiency to his operation through sustainable agriculture practices.

2021 Directors Cup honorees Lydia and Adam Holste of Effingham County balance their on-farm roles with raising the next generation.

2021 Directors Cup honoree Jacob Strohbeck of Madison County who rented his first acres as a teenager and has since become heavily involved in his community.

2021 Directors Cup honoree Michael Yoder of Moultrie County uses data capturing technology to make on-farm management decisions.

2020 Directors Cup honorees, Jill and Chad Vonder Haar, are passionate about connecting people with food through an on-farm store, local restaurants, and farmers markets.