Grow Your Future in Agriculture!
Minnesota is a land of opportunity. With so many valuable and diverse resources in our great state, there are many ways one can have a career in agriculture. Check out these 5 Minnesotans who have forged incredible careers in Agriculture!
Flowers
Pluck Flower Farms
Rachel Sannerud
Owner of Pluck Flower Farms
Milaca, MN
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Rachel owns Pluck Flower Farms in Milaca MN, where she grows flowers for florists, Farmer's Markets and individuals. Rachel grows about 50 different varieties of flowers.
One of the most popular varieties she grows are sunflowers. Rachel went to college at the University of MN and studied Horticulture. She always knew she wanted to farm for herself eventually and own her own farm, but she didn't have a lot of land. She asked herself, "What can I grow and manage by myself and what does that look like?" From those questions she determined that she could buy $100 of flower seed, plant them in the ground she had and see what would happen. Today, Rachel grows flowers on about an acre of land and each year is able to invest in more equipment to help her make her job easier. Rachel has made her passion for flowers her career, and encourages you to explore your interests. All passions start from a small place. Perhaps your passion project can be your job someday!
Fiber
Joey Goodthunder
Joey Goodthunder
Department of Agriculture Coordinator, Lower Sioux Indian Community
Morton, MN
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Joey Goodthunder is a member of the Lower Sioux Indian Community in Morton, MN. Joey grew up farming soybeans, corn and hay and raised cattle with his Grandpa.
In 2022, the Lower Sioux Indian Community asked Joey to become their full time farmer and grow hemp to make Hempcrete for the houses they were building. Hemp is a tall plant that people have used for thousands of years for its strong fibers. Hemp fiber can make paper, clothing, bioplastic and biofuel. Joey plants hemp seed each spring, harvests it each fall and helps to turn the stalks from the hemp plant into Hempcrete. Hempcrete is made by mixing the stalks of the hemp plant with water and lime. It is then placed in the walls of the homes and allowed to dry. When dry, Hempcrete is very hard and is a great insulation. Insects and animals, like mice, won't eat or live in Hempcrete. Hempcrete won't grow mold or mildew which can make people sick. It won't start on fire and it works well keeping the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter making it perfect in Minnesota weather! Joey has always loved farming and really loves learning about the new industry of growing hemp fiber to use in homes.
"Getting to see my crop grow and be harvested and used for buildings in the community where I work is really neat!"
Food
Elvin Lee Payton Jr.
Elvin Lee Payton, Jr.
Payload Operator, American Crystal Sugar Company
East Grand Forks, MN
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Elvin works in East Grand Forks, MN as a payload operator at American Crystal Sugar Company. American Crystal Sugar Company processes sugarbeets into sugar.
Elvin uses a payloader to move limestone into large kilns. A kiln is an oven that heats the limestone. As it heats, limestone turns into quicklime. When you add water to quicklime a solution called milk of lime is created. Milk of lime is used to filter out impurities in the sugarbeet juice. The filtered juice is then boiled and spun to separate the sugar crystals. The sugar crystals are dried, packaged, and shipped to grocery stores. Elvin has had many jobs at American Crystal Sugar Company in the last 10 years. Elvin really likes working at American Crystal Sugar Company because he gets to work independently and has learned about all the steps needed to make sugar from sugarbeets. When you are adding sugar to your cereal you can think of Elvin and the many other people involved in processing sugarbeets into sugar.
Forestry
Kevin Thomas Logging
Kevin & Jody Thomas
Owners of Kevin Thomas Logging
Hines, MN
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Kevin and Jody Thomas own a logging company in Hines, MN. The first step to logging is finding a landowner who has trees that they'd like to have harvested. Then the logger and landowner must agree on a price for those trees.
Most trees are harvested in the winter because the ground is frozen. Frozen ground protects the soil from compacting and keeps tires from making ruts in the ground and on the road. Snow on the ground can also make it easier to slide logs along. For every tree Kevin and Jody log, 5 to 7 new trees will grow in its place! Kevin and Jody work hard to be sure there will be enough trees to both enjoy and use to create products. It is important not to log too many trees because some trees need to be left as natural habitat for wildlife. However, if enough trees aren't cut down, new trees won't be able to grow. The material from trees is made into your paper, pencils, cardboard boxes, boards and even gum to chew! Native Americans taught colonists to chew spruce sap, which is still used to make chewing gum today!
Fuel
Sherri Tatro
Sherri Tatro
Trucking Manager, R.D. Offutt Farms
Park Rapids, MN
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Most days you can find Sherri Tatro organizing and scheduling semi-trucks at her job as Trucking Manager at R.D. Offutt Farms in Park Rapids, MN.
If you have ordered french fries at a fast food restaurant in Minnesota or enjoyed tator tors at home, chances are you have eaten potatoes from R.D. Offutt Farms! From delivering seed potatoes to the field for planting, to harvesting potatoes, everything is done with trucks. Sherri is in charge of making sure everything gets delivered on time and safely. The semi-trucks that Sherri manages run on biodiesel. This biodiesel is fuel made from either corn or soybeans that are grown in Minnesota and North Dakota. The trucks that Sherri manages can haul 60,000 pounds of potatoes at one time and use over 200,000 gallons of biodiesel each year! Sherri loves her job and loves being a part of bringing potatoes to your plate!
Careers Beyond the Farm
Careers Beyond The Farm features career paths in agriculture that defy stereotypical routes students and young people may normally consider. Watch interviews with real agricultural workers whose careers embrace the modern and thrive in the ever-changing fields.
