Young, Beginner and Small Farmer Symposium

Zemua is a University of Nebraska – Lincoln alum who studied Agricultural Economics and Animal Science. He is a first generation farmer in southeast Nebraska raising corn and soybeans, along with livestock consisting of cattle and chickens.

"Corn Rules Everything Around Me." Joe is an independent cattle feeder and raises corn, soybeans, and rye with his dad near West Point, Nebraska. Joe is an avid follower and active participant of Cornhusker Football, global markets, and custom corn distilling for farmers.

Lance Atwater is a second-generation farmer from Ayr, Nebraska and is the owner of Atwater Family Farms. He farms with his parents and wife where they grow corn, soybeans, popcorn, and Non-GMO white corn. Lance also serves on the Nebraska Farm Bureau Board of Directors, is a member of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee, and serves on the Nebraska FFA Foundation Board of Directors where he served as President from 2019-2020. Outside of farming and serving on boards, Lance's number one job is being a dad to his one year old son, Ryker.

Haley and her husband Mark feed cattle and farm near Ainsworth Nebraska, where they have also scaled their cow herd in the last 3 years. In addition to the operation, Haley, an alum of UNL and a founding member of the Engler Program, creates value off the farm with her wedding photography business. The two welcomed a son last December.

Becky is an organic farmer from Bertrand, NE. She farms with her parents and brother in Gosper county where they primarily grow traditional row crops corn and soybeans, as well as alfalfa, oats, field peas and wheat. Her family has been farming organically since 1998 and continues to try their hand at new things, including high tunnel vegetables and herbs, honey, and industrial hemp production.

Grant is a 6th generation farmer in Southwest Chase County. He farms and ranches with his parents where they raise corn, soybeans and wheat and run Angus and SimAngus cows. He graduated from UNL in 2014 and started Champion Shrimp in 2020.

Greg is the Founder and CEO of Whispering Roots, Inc. Whispering Roots is an award winning non-profit organization dedicated to bringing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math ( S.T.E.M.) Education, healthy food, nutrition education and economic development to underserved communities both urban and rural by using Aquaponics, Aquaculture, Hydroponics, Urban Agriculture and Controlled Environment Agriculture. Greg proudly served his country in the US Navy as both a highly rated Officer and Enlisted member. After completing his military service, Greg had a very successful career in the corporate world ultimately achieving the position of Head of Talent Acquisition for TD AMERITRADE. Greg left that role in July 2010 to pursue his passion for educating students, growing food and developing vibrant communities. His bold vision led to the creation of Whispering Roots. Greg travels both nationally and internationally consulting on techniques to increase the availability of healthy food while enhancing the educational and economic opportunities for people in need. Greg’s efforts have resulted in Whispering Roots programming receiving multi accolades including two Presidential Awards.

Sye is a Dundy County Farm Bureau member and currently serves as their President. He is actively involved in the farming and ranching industry as the 5th generation on Tecker Ranch Inc in Parks, NE. Sye also owns and operates Uppa Crik Tap Room and Hop Yard serving Nebraska made spirits.

Brandy is the YBS Program Manager at Farm Credit Services of America/Frontier Farm Credit. She is responsible for strategizing and coordinating impactful education and valuable products to best serve young, beginning and small producers in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming and eastern Kansas. Prior to her current role, Brandy served in various sales and training positions at Farm Credit Services of America. Brandy and her family live in Northeast Nebraska where they have a cow/calf operation.

Tom grew up in Sutherland where he currently lives. He is involved in a 5th generation family ranching operation. Tom serves as vice president of Western Nebraska Bank and works at the Paxton branch. Tom graduated from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln with a degree in Agricultural Economics.

Steve is a ‘boots on the ground’ agricultural lender serving a remote customer base. He understands the importance that beginning, young, and small-scale farmers and ranchers play in keeping rural communities vibrant.

Ben is a Farm Loan Specialist for the USDA Farm Service Agency in the Nebraska State Office in Lincoln. Ben has worked for FSA for 15 years and during this time served as the Farm Loan Manager in the Hastings FSA Office for 6 years and prior to that as the Farm Loan Manager in the Ogallala FSA Office. Ben grew up on the family farm just southeast of Leigh, Nebraska, in northern Colfax County. He graduated from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, majoring in agribusiness. Ben, his wife Dusty, and their 3 daughters live in Lincoln.

Gary works for Farm Credit’s trade association in Washington, DC as Senior Vice President, Beginning Farmer Programs and Outreach. This includes policy work on local foods, sustainable agriculture, and direct-to-consumer agriculture. He frequently speaks to beginning farmers, training on basic financial skills and recordkeeping. For thirty years Gary was a small farmer raising greenhouse wholesale cut flowers marketed in the Northeast and beef cattle for local sales. He has served on numerous boards of directors including Farm Credit, the Boston Flower Exchange, and many non-profits.

Ted Hibbeler is a member of the Iron Shell family (Maza Pon Kesh Ka Tiospaye) from the Rosebud Sioux Nation (Sicangu Lakota Oyate) in South Dakota. He was raised in Hastings. He is currently the Tribal Extension Educator for the Extension Division at UNL where he works with the Nebraska Tribal communities and their Tribal colleges and K-12 schools in the areas of food sustainability, economic development, career development, conservation, and leadership. He believes developing a reciprocal relationship between the University of Nebraska and the Nebraska Tribal communities is a key component to his new position. Ted also serves on the Board of the Nebraska Indian Education Association (NeIEA) and the Jobs for America’s Graduates Nebraska (JAG).

Larry is department head and professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; a position he has held since 2010. He also functions as the director of the newly founded Center for Agricultural Profitability at UNL. He holds degrees in Animal Science and Agribusiness from Brigham Young University and a PhD from Texas A&M. He has previously served on the faculty at the University of Tennessee, the University of Wyoming, and the University of Idaho. His research has centered on management issues facing the agriculture and resource industries. He has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, with subject matter ranging from the Economics of Rangeland Resources to Entrepreneurship in Agriculture.

Allan has spent over 33 years in Extension working in both Iowa and Nebraska. He is a native of Saline County, Nebraska. Allan received his Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in Agricultural Education. He taught in high school and post-secondary classrooms for 8 ½ years prior to joining Extension. His current role is as Extension Educator for Farm/Ranch Succession and Transition – state-wide. For the past 15 years, he has helped lead the Extension education effort for farm management including Ag leasing for Nebraska. He works from Ag Economics Department at UNL.

He has a passion for the future of rural Nebraska. That is why he is interested in helping individuals, groups, and communities understand how good communications, negotiation skills and generational differences relate to how communities and families function as we develop Nebraska for future generations.