Name: Layton York, 16
Family: Ted and Darla York, sister, Shelby and brother, Carson
Hometown: Salem, Ark.
Education: Junior at Salem High School
FFA Advisor: Rob Long
What is your involvement in agriculture?
“I take care of 150-180 head of cow-calf pairs. I also help my Grandpa take care of his cows and now that my brother, Carson, is off to college, I take care of his cows, too. They are mostly Angus with some mixed breeds in there, too. We also do hay, about 2,100 acres. Hay takes a lot of time. We have a lot of acreage with no livestock on it. My dad is in construction but we also spray fertilizer for ourselves and for others.
What do you like best about this kind of work?=
“I just love being outside and not stuck inside a building with 30 other people. Every farmer is for every other farmer so everybody is for you. At the end of the day, you can look back and see what you’ve done, whether it’s cutting hay or building fence. You can see your accomplishments. I’m the 5th generation of farmers in my family and that means quite a bit to me. I like taking that family tradition down the road. My dad started as a kid at age 18 in a dairy operation. He didn’t inherit any amount of land. He started from scratch and has built from there.”
Story and Photo by Laura L. Valenti
