Fridays on the Farm: FFA American Star Farmer Finds Success with Farm Loans

According to FFA, this award goes to the FFA member that demonstrates the top production agriculture supervised agricultural experience in the nation. The member must demonstrate outstanding achievement, active FFA participation, and an exemplary scholastic record. 

2023 FFA Star Farmer  

FFA has always been important to Daniel. Throughout his journey, his advisors, Rita Olson and Abbie Savage, encouraged him to try everything that interested him, and to do it well. He held several chapter officer positions, attended leadership camps, participated in state band, received his state FFA degree, and won Minnesota FFA Star Farmer. Naturally, his next step was to apply for his American FFA degree, and he thought, “Winning state star farmer gave me the idea that it was feasible to think about being American Star Farmer.” He applied, and the rest is history. 

During his time at the 2023 National FFA Convention, Daniel was invited to an event to meet a representative from USDA. Little did he know that the representative was Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.  

“Secretary Vilsack was there to answer questions with about 20 of us students, it was a really special opportunity,” Daniel said.  

Daniel had previously acquired financing from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to buy a disc mower and farmland, and because of the farm financial records he had to keep for his loans, the 32-page application process to become an FFA Star Farmer was made easier indirectly through FSA. 

Getting Started 

Daniel started his own operation while in high school, renting land from his grandmother to grow wheat and soybeans, and eventually found himself in the straw baling business. This side gig took off, and he turned to FSA to help expand his business.  

“I used an FSA term operating loan to purchase a New Holland Discbine for cutting hay,” he said. Operating loans are a valuable resource to start, maintain, and strengthen a farm or ranch. For beginning farmers, they provide an essential gateway into agricultural production by financing the cost of operating a farm. 

At the same time, Daniel purchased 150 acres of farmland across the road from his family’s farm with FSA’s Direct Farm Ownership Joint Financing Loan option.  

“Without FSA, I wouldn’t have been able to purchase that land,” Daniel said. The process of applying for FSA financing was a lot like applying for American FFA Star Farmer. “I engaged in a farm management program that helped put together your financial records for my FSA loans. For the star farmer application, I had to enter balance sheets and cash flows for every single year I have been farming.”  

Daniel plans to continue utilizing FSA programs to grow his operation and he credits the Minnesota FSA teams in Ada and Crookston for assisting in his success.  

More Information 

Visit local farms, ranches, forests, and resource areas through our Fridays on the Farm stories. Meet farmers, producers and landowners who are working to improve their operations with USDA programs. 

New to farming? USDA offers dedicated help to beginning farmers and ranchers and can help you get started or grow your operation. 

USDA offers a variety of risk management, disaster assistance, loan, and conservation programs to help producers weather ups and downs in the market and recover from natural disasters as well as invest in improvements to their operations. Learn about additional programs. 

For more information about USDA programs and services, contact your local USDA service center. 

Ellyn Oelfke is the communications and outreach coordinator for FSA in Minnesota.