USU Alumni Place in Top Ten at National Farm Bureau Competition
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USU Alumni Place in Top Ten at National Farm Bureau Competition
By: Monica Swapp in The Utah Statesman Online, 1/30/08 Section: Campus News
By: Monica Swapp in The Utah Statesman Online, 1/30/08 Section: Campus News
The Halls are a good example of taking a dream and making it a reality, said Sterling Brown, vice president of organization at the Utah Farm Bureau, about USU alumni Garrick and Holly Hall's placement in the top 10 at the American Farm Bureau's national competition.
"It's fantastic to have a young ranching couple from Utah recognized among our country's finest," said Leland Hogan, president of the Utah Farm Bureau. "We don't have the same numbers involved in agriculture as they traditionally do in states like California, Iowa and Tennessee, so it's great to see Utah's young people recognized."
The Halls, who are in their early 30s, won the Achievement Award, which evaluates young farmers and ranchers based on agricultural operation growth, financial progress and leadership both in and outside of the Farm Bureau on the state level, in November. They received a 2008 Polaris Ranger ATV, $500 from Dodge, a one-year insurance policy and a trip to New Orleans to compete nationally against 35 other states.
"We're really happy to have made it as far as we did in the competition," Garrick Hall said. "There were some really great competitors from throughout the country. Making it into the top 10 is really an honor."
Both Halls graduated from USU, Holly in agriculture business and Garrick in dairy science. Holly Hall said this gave them both the training necessary for running their dairy farm business. Holly Hall is the president of the Utah State College of Agriculture Alumni Association, and the couple is actively involved with its activities.
When the Halls married, they had nothing, Brown said. They took their savings, bought a few cows, and now they have become very successful dairy farmers, so this is quite a tribute to them, he said.
Holly Hall said people tell her all the time they wish they could farm, and she tells them they can. It's not easy, she said, but it is possible.
"Dairy farming is a great way to live and raise a family. We wouldn't want to do anything else. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it to us," she said.
Holly and Garrick Hall currently serve on the state chair committee of the Young Farmers and Ranchers program, which is a leadership development program of the Utah Farm Bureau.
Joining the Utah Farm Bureau is a great way to get involved in Utah agriculture and help make laws more favorable for farmers, Holly Hall said.
Brown said all students at USU should be impacted by this achievement because any student at the university can do what the Halls did, regardless of their major or background. They can have that same drive and ambition, he said.
"The Halls, like many others, are involved in leadership because leaders initiate ideas. Success hinges on the birth of ideas," Brown said.
Media Credit: Matt Hargreave, Farm Bureau. Holly and Garrick Hall have been running their dairy farm since they graduate from college. They tell everyone that they can have a farm, it may not be easy, but it is possible. (photo from Statesman Online)
The Hall Family sits on the ATV's donated by Polaris after they placed in the top 10 at the American Farm Bureau's national competition. (photo from Statesman Online)
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