Nicole Monck

Feature Story
Nicole Monck
Agricultural Business
Year Graduated: 

I am a farmer. I bought my own farm and some days I am the boss and decision maker, which has its perks and its downfalls. I also help my parents on our family farm where my job description changes daily. Some days I am a manager, boss, or hired help.

Each day is different, and that's my favorite thing about my job. I have learned so many things in the last year, some the hard way and some the easy way. 

I have always helped on the family farm growing up and my plan was to go out in the work force for a while and eventually make my way back to the farm. That all changed after my first internship. After going through that internship it all clicked and I realized off the farm wasn't where I wanted to be. 

Nicole MonckMy business knowledge has really come in handy. Farming is a business and it will be hard to be successful if you don't do the beginning steps of business. A pre-crop budget will look very different than a post crop budget. 

The knowledge that I gained through my Econ classes and having to utilize Excel so much has helped me out tremendously after graduation. I am able to make crop and cattle budgets in Excel and use the formulas to build budgets that I can follow and understand. I will use those budgets multiple times during the year when it comes to buying and selling.

Marketing is a huge essential in the farming industry. I didn't fully wrap my head around everything we covered in marketing class but, once I became a farmer and I was making my decisions on how to market my grain and protect myself, I fully understood. Marketing is a roller coaster and I'll continue to learn more and more as I farm.

Farming is tough. You'll learn things the hard way, break things, and put in a lot of hours. But, don't let that scare you. There is a lot of amazing things that come along with being a farmer. You will gain a lot of relationships with people that are there to help you succeed. You would not be able to find a better industry to work in than the one that farmers get to work in every day. 

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