Age: 18
Hometown: Miller, Mo.
Parents: Dale and Cindy Gulick
Siblings: Kurt and Dalton Gulick
FFA Chapter: Miller FFA
Advisors: Lyle Whittaker and Emily Paul
What is your involvement in agriculture?
“My family owns a 263-acre farm with 70 cow/calf pairs. We work our cows about twice a year and sort off all the bigger heifers or steers. We keep a few replacement heifers, the rest all go to the sale barn. The money brought by those steers or heifers goes back to the farm and its needs. I am currently the president of Miller’s FFA and the secretary of Area 9 FFA. In FFA, I have participated in Fall Speaking, making it to districts and state. I have been on a spring contest team all four years of high school. I also compete in many of the local barrel races and rodeo.”
What is your favorite part of being involved in agriculture/living on a farm?
“I can ride my horses all over our place, take in the beauty of nature, and enjoy the quiet away from people. Being involved in agriculture has taught me many things; life lessons and fun facts. My favorite part is seeing the impact agriculture makes in the world. Without agriculture, the world would starve, freeze, and have no place to live.”
What are your future plans?
“My future plans are to attend Oklahoma State University and pursue a degree in microbiology and to rodeo while I’m in college. This degree will help me qualify for veterinarian school, which I plan to attend at the University of Missouri-Columbia. After all my schooling is done, I will go work for a vet for a few years to get on my feet, then hopefully open my own large and small animal vet clinic.
What’s the best advice about agriculture you have received from adults?
“The best advice would be from my dad, ‘agriculture is not quick or easy, but it is a great way to raise a family. The kids have responsibilities, work ethic, and they learn how the world works.’ This advice makes me realize how much of an impact agriculture has had on my life and how I want it to affect my children’s lives.”
What advice would you give to other young people who want to be involved in agriculture?
“Be involved in it, you don’t necessarily have to be ‘country’ to be involved in agriculture; it takes all kinds to make it work. Without it, the world will be a mess.”
