Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
My youngest sister Katie gave me a sign for Christmas several years ago with that quote inscribed in the center. From that day forward, it has been placed on every desk or hung above every office door I have passed through as a constant reminder for where I have come and where I intend to go. At that time my sister was just giving me something she thought was a cool gift. Little did she know that sign would help define my life and my career.
Being new to this writing thing, I thought my first address to you all should tell a little about me and my family, about why I believe in the future of agriculture, and a little about Farm Bureau and how we are involved in the local community.
I grew up on a small farm in northern Illinois right along the Wisconsin border. I went to college at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and studied ag education. While at UWP, I met my wife, Stephanie. We have been married for almost 10 years and have three kids, Tessa, 6, Jace, 3, and Beau, 6 months. We live in rural Green County just west of Monroe. Agriculture has been a huge part of our family's life. We both grew up on dairy farms and today are as active as we can be in Stephanie's family corn and soybean farm near Mount Carroll, Illinois. Steph and I have been involved in Farm Bureau in both Illinois and Wisconsin, and we are raising our kids around agriculture much like we were.
I have spent the past 10 years working in Wisconsin in various agronomy and management roles within Insight FS and Growmark. I have also taught agriculture technology classes at Blackhawk Technical College here in Monroe, serve as president of the Green County Farm Bureau and am running for a seat on the Wisconsin Corn Growers board. Even in today's fast-paced technological world, I strongly believe in the value of developing relationships. I feel there is no better way to do that than by being involved in as many areas as possible and to actively contribute to those organizations. We may communicate differently than we did 5, 10, or 15 years ago, but people still work with people. Over my tenure in the ag industry, I have developed relationships with many local farmers, as well as several local and national agriculture organizations that will aid our farmers and community in navigating the agriculture climate we live in today.
One of the most rewarding organizations I have worked with is Wisconsin Farm Bureau. Wisconsin Farm Bureau has a total membership over 46,000 in the state, about 900 of which are from here in Green County. We are a grassroots, farmer-led organization that focuses on two things: 1. Being a voice for farmers, and 2. Being a voice for agriculture. Here in Green County we also try to focus on promoting youth and public education around all things agriculture. We sponsor and plan events like Rural Safety Day, FFA Farm Forum and FFA Youth Ag Summit, and we put together a Family Farm Adventure experience at local events like Cheese Days to educate farmers and the general public about farming and the opportunities (traditional and nontraditional) within all ag fields.
Farm Bureau advocates for all things agriculture and takes great pride in being led from the bottom up. Farm Bureau policy and governance starts at the county level and filters up to the state office, something that is unique and keeps our members engaged. Just this past week I had the privilege of attending Ag Day at the Capitol in Madison. Myself, four additional representatives from Green County and around 300 other Wisconsin Farm Bureau members had an opportunity to discuss ag-related topics with our state senators and representatives. We had an hour of uninterrupted attention from our state legislators and conducted engaging conversations around issues and challenges facing Wisconsin and the ag community. We certainly do not agree on all fronts, but the point of democracy is to hear all sides and create an opportunity for education, understanding and compromise.
As a sophomore in high school, I was asked by members of our school's faculty why I wanted so badly to be involved in ag classes. As I answered the question, one of those individuals went as far as saying, "Ag won't get you anywhere, so why don't you give up on that now and focus on what's important." Much like Emerson's quote, that has served as motivation for me to help show others that there is a future in agriculture. The path may not always be clear; however, if there are people willing to work together and forge ahead, there will eventually be a trail.
Thank you for allowing me into your Saturday morning, and I hope you enjoy hearing about agriculture and Farm Bureau related topics in the future!
- Ben Huber is the agronomy department manager at Insight FS and the president of Green County Farm Bureau. His column appears monthly on Saturdays in the Monroe Times. He can be reached at
bhuber@insightfs.com.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
My youngest sister Katie gave me a sign for Christmas several years ago with that quote inscribed in the center. From that day forward, it has been placed on every desk or hung above every office door I have passed through as a constant reminder for where I have come and where I intend to go. At that time my sister was just giving me something she thought was a cool gift. Little did she know that sign would help define my life and my career.
Being new to this writing thing, I thought my first address to you all should tell a little about me and my family, about why I believe in the future of agriculture, and a little about Farm Bureau and how we are involved in the local community.
I grew up on a small farm in northern Illinois right along the Wisconsin border. I went to college at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and studied ag education. While at UWP, I met my wife, Stephanie. We have been married for almost 10 years and have three kids, Tessa, 6, Jace, 3, and Beau, 6 months. We live in rural Green County just west of Monroe. Agriculture has been a huge part of our family's life. We both grew up on dairy farms and today are as active as we can be in Stephanie's family corn and soybean farm near Mount Carroll, Illinois. Steph and I have been involved in Farm Bureau in both Illinois and Wisconsin, and we are raising our kids around agriculture much like we were.
I have spent the past 10 years working in Wisconsin in various agronomy and management roles within Insight FS and Growmark. I have also taught agriculture technology classes at Blackhawk Technical College here in Monroe, serve as president of the Green County Farm Bureau and am running for a seat on the Wisconsin Corn Growers board. Even in today's fast-paced technological world, I strongly believe in the value of developing relationships. I feel there is no better way to do that than by being involved in as many areas as possible and to actively contribute to those organizations. We may communicate differently than we did 5, 10, or 15 years ago, but people still work with people. Over my tenure in the ag industry, I have developed relationships with many local farmers, as well as several local and national agriculture organizations that will aid our farmers and community in navigating the agriculture climate we live in today.
One of the most rewarding organizations I have worked with is Wisconsin Farm Bureau. Wisconsin Farm Bureau has a total membership over 46,000 in the state, about 900 of which are from here in Green County. We are a grassroots, farmer-led organization that focuses on two things: 1. Being a voice for farmers, and 2. Being a voice for agriculture. Here in Green County we also try to focus on promoting youth and public education around all things agriculture. We sponsor and plan events like Rural Safety Day, FFA Farm Forum and FFA Youth Ag Summit, and we put together a Family Farm Adventure experience at local events like Cheese Days to educate farmers and the general public about farming and the opportunities (traditional and nontraditional) within all ag fields.
Farm Bureau advocates for all things agriculture and takes great pride in being led from the bottom up. Farm Bureau policy and governance starts at the county level and filters up to the state office, something that is unique and keeps our members engaged. Just this past week I had the privilege of attending Ag Day at the Capitol in Madison. Myself, four additional representatives from Green County and around 300 other Wisconsin Farm Bureau members had an opportunity to discuss ag-related topics with our state senators and representatives. We had an hour of uninterrupted attention from our state legislators and conducted engaging conversations around issues and challenges facing Wisconsin and the ag community. We certainly do not agree on all fronts, but the point of democracy is to hear all sides and create an opportunity for education, understanding and compromise.
As a sophomore in high school, I was asked by members of our school's faculty why I wanted so badly to be involved in ag classes. As I answered the question, one of those individuals went as far as saying, "Ag won't get you anywhere, so why don't you give up on that now and focus on what's important." Much like Emerson's quote, that has served as motivation for me to help show others that there is a future in agriculture. The path may not always be clear; however, if there are people willing to work together and forge ahead, there will eventually be a trail.
Thank you for allowing me into your Saturday morning, and I hope you enjoy hearing about agriculture and Farm Bureau related topics in the future!
- Ben Huber is the agronomy department manager at Insight FS and the president of Green County Farm Bureau. His column appears monthly on Saturdays in the Monroe Times. He can be reached at
bhuber@insightfs.com.
