OFI 1826: Returning To The Show As An American Star Farmer Finalist | FFA SAE Edition | Tanner Mickey | Taylorville High School FFA

Tanner Mickey is a 2023 finalist for the award of American Star Farmer!  He has done this through a variety of enterprises including corn, soybean and wheat farming; raising cattle and sheep; and working in his families seed sales business.

Tanner was first a guest on the show in 2019 as he was getting ready to start his senior year of high school.  We did the interview one day prior to him leaving for Scotland with his livestock judging team to compete internationally.  He was also just a few months away from becoming the Illinois State Star Farmer at that point.

I am very proud of what he has already accomplished and that he has been recognized as an American Star Farmer Finalist this year.  We will catch up on everything he has been doing over the past four years on this episode.

His original show notes are below:

SHOW NOTES

INTRODUCING TANNER MICKEY!

We have a great story for you today, and I have no idea where to begin.  So, I’ll just start with the obvious.

Tanner Mickey is going into his senior year at Taylorville High School where he will be serving as his chapter’s president.  At home he farms corn, soybeans and wheat with his father and uncle.  He also raises cattle and sheep with this brother.

Tanner is very active on his chapter’s livestock judging team, and their success took them to Denver, Colorado this January to compete at the National Western Stock Show.  Tanner’s team took first place in the entire nation, and this made them eligible to compete at the Royal Highland Stock Show in Scotland in late June of this year!  Actually, Tanner and I recorded this episode the day before he was set to fly out to Scotland.

Tanner and his team will be competing against other teams from the U.S. as well as the rest of the world.  They will also be touring different farms and agricultural production facilities in Scotland, Ireland and England.

In addition to renting his own ground to farm, raising cattle and leading in the FFA, Tanner is involved in his families business of selling Pioneer Seed.  This has been something his family has been doing since the early 1920’s, and he plans to continue this after college when he returns to the farm.

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Diversified Crop Production

HIGH SCHOOL: Taylorville Senior High School; Taylorville, Illinois

MASCOT: Tornadoes

FFA ADVISOR: Sue Schafer

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR TANNER MICKEY:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the Taylorville Central High School Ag. Department’s website:

Tanner’s FFA Advisor’s Email Address: sschafer@tcusd3.org

Taylorville Senior High School’s Telephone Number: 217-824-4951

FFA LINKS:

National FFA Organization

Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE’s)

Support FFA 

Donate to FFA – One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000.  In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants.  With your donations, more students can get this head start – pay it forward.

REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:

• Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world.  FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
• Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation.  The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
• Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:

“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue

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