WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — The decision of who will compete for the Iowa Farm Bureau’s Grow Your Future Award and its $10,000 grand prize is now in the public’s hands.
The competition was designed by Iowa Farm Bureau to help young farmers, ages 18-35, expand their niche agricultural businesses, from ag products and specialty services to agritourism. Five applicants have been chosen to advance to an online vote between Dec. 9-15.
Contestants in the voting round include:
- Michael and Maria Gallagher of Holly View Acres in Woodbury County who run a corn maze and pumpkin patch, selling 60 varieties of pumpkins, squash and gourds. To grow their business, they would like to add additional kids’ activities, hayracks, pumpkin wagons or a larger building to house their fall produce.
- Taylor Getting of Calyx Creek Lavender & Lodging in Johnson County who grows 5,000 lavender plants in six different varieties and sells them as skin care products, food ingredients, household cleaners and more. Her farm also has lodging that overlooks their lavender fields. She hopes to expand her lavender fields, add additional varieties and add processing equipment to meet consumer demand.
- Rachel Irwin of Bushels & Blooms Farm in Wapello County who grows and sells cut flowers at an on-farm stand, an endeavor she began as a tribute to her parents who died in a car accident in 2023. Her near-term goal is to build a greenhouse to start seeds and expand her growing season.
- Tanner and Lakaya Tenley of Tenley Farms in Cedar County who raise livestock and sell raw milk, beef and pork. They have dreams of building an on-farm store for their customers to purchase products and get a glimpse of farm life.
- Alyssa Yoder of Canaan Farms in Iowa County who sells beef and lamb direct-to-consumer and to local restaurants and has a beef tallow skin care line. She would like to purchase a mobile refrigeration trailer to make her products more accessible to people living in metro areas.
The three farmers with the most votes will compete in a pitch-off during the Iowa Farm Bureau Young Farmer Conference, Jan. 18. The grand prize winner will take home $10,000, and second and third place winners receive $5,000 and $2,500, respectively.
“Today’s young farmers are facing high input costs and low commodity prices, and they are responding with creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit,” said Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson. “Our organization values these young people who are strengthening their local communities and renewing interest in supporting small businesses. It’s why we have initiatives like Grow Your Future, to both highlight their out-of-the-box efforts and give them the boost they need to scale up.”
The public may vote for their favorite business at www.iowafarmbureau.com/
About Iowa Farm Bureau
The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is the largest statewide, grassroots farm organization in Iowa, celebrating more than 100 years of creating a vibrant future for agriculture, farm families and their communities. For more information, visit www.iowafarmbureau.com/.
–Caitlyn Lamm, Iowa Farm Bureau
