OFI 1201: Innovation, Advocacy And Humility As An American Star Farmer Finalist | FFA SAE Edition | Josh Heupel | Golden Valley High School FFA

Off-Farm Income

Interviewing FFA students I find myself constantly asking "what was I doing during high school?". I think I was a pretty typical high school student way back in the 1900s. I played sports, got decent grades, had a job, and focused on menial things outside of that. I also wasn't in the FFA, and interviewing these students from all over the country makes me realize that there is a whole other level of achievement possible in high school.

To say that there is a whole other level of achievement seems like an understatement when describing today's guest. Josh Heupel is an American Star Farmer Finalist, and his resume is unbelievable. As a junior in college, majoring in agricultural business and political science, Josh has already accomplished a lifetime of achievements. He is leasing and farming 97 acres of walnuts and 84 acres of almonds. He has designed and patented a piece of equipment to improve nut farmers' harvests and encourage the use of cover crops in orchards. He owns and operates his own custom spreading business. And, he is soon to graduate from college and take up a role advocating for agriculture in the Central Valley of California that I think is going to be unprecedented in its effectiveness.