• Age: 18
• Hometown: Ozark, Ark.
• Parents: Nick and Gina Durning
• 4-H Club: Franklin County 4-H
• Club Leader: Jesse Taylor
What is your favorite aspect of agriculture?
“My favorite part is the mechanical side because I like working on engines, whether it’s an automobile or tractor, usually with my dad Nick. We don’t take our vehicles in for repair and maintenance because we do it ourselves. I started working with my dad on an old feed truck when I was 8 and watched him figure out that the alternator had gone out and the brakes were shot. My dad is the most influential person in my life because he always seems to have a way of figuring out stuff and I learn from him, not just about the individual problem but how he figures it out. I want to be just like him.”
What is your current involvement in agriculture?
“My grandpa Michael has a good-sized farm and my dad uses some of his land, but he also has his own land and they have separate cattle. My father also bought half of I-40 Livestock Auction so I work at the sale barn in the back tagging, bringing up animals to be tested for pregnancy and age, sorting and penning. I also work feeding and checking cattle.
What is an important agricultural memory?
“I started working with the cattle when I was around 5. One time my dad brought me with him and I watched while he showed me how to pull a calf when the momma can’t push it. I didn’t understand before that how a calf was born and I thought it was really cool.”
What is the most important thing you have learned about agriculture?
“My dad taught me in agriculture you have to get your hands dirty and be outside. That was kind of built into me as I grew up on our farm. I know more about agriculture than anything else so I think that’s the right place for me. No desk job for me.”
