I was blessed to be raised on a farm with both crops and livestock and am fortunate to get to continue farming and ranching today. My husband, Matt, and I get to care for land that has been in each of our families for multiple generations. We have a cow/calf herd, raise some hay, and he also raises corn and soybeans with his brother. All of our farming is no-till, which has allowed the topsoil to become rich in organic matter and able to hold moisture. That is very important where we are located, as we don’t have irrigation and many years are short on rainfall. While Matt and I fully enjoy working side-by-side doing cattle chores and working in the pastures, Matt is the one who is there on a daily basis. I have always held a full-time job off the farm and have been incredibly fortunate that my career has been centered in agriculture. My degree in animal science from UNL led me to working with fellow livestock producers to help them be sure their livestock were receiving optimal nutrition. I have had a couple of career changes and now am honored to serve as the executive director of Renewable Fuels Nebraska, where I get to work on behalf of Nebraska’s ethanol industry, telling the story of a kernel of corn planted in the soil becoming both fuel and cattle feed. I feel pretty lucky to get to dress up and work in the big city a few days each week and throw on jeans and boots and help with the cattle a few days, too. Our children have graduated from college and we are extremely proud of them. Our daughter is an ag teacher and FFA advisor, her husband is an agronomist, and they have started raising corn and soybeans. They have one son and a baby on the way (yes, being a grandma is my favorite thing ever!). Our son is a beef agent at Producers Livestock and, luckily for us, they all enjoy coming home to help on the weekends.