Brian Scott
The Farmer's Life
Delphi, IN USA
"I spent two years hating my retail job, when one day the light bulb came on—I woke up and realized I didn’t have to go back to a job that I hated."
Career Roadmap
Brian's work combines: Environment & Nature, Technology, and Working Independently
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Get involved with a local farm. They might be looking for seasonal help during busy times of the year.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Soil Science and Agronomy, General
Purdue University-Main Campus
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Born and raised on his family farm in Indiana—as the fourth generation to work that land, he says his life has never taken him far from home.
2.
Graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in soil and crop management.
3.
Right out of college, he says he “chickened out of farming” and went to work in retail for a brief time—he quickly realized that working on his farm was where he belonged.
4.
For him, being his own boss and working in the family business provides the perfect amount of work-life balance that he needs.
5.
Says the biggest misconception about farming is that it’s not a high tech field—farmers are often using self-driving tractors, drones, and satellite imagery to monitor their crops.
6.
The main crops he farms are corn, soybeans, popcorn, and wheat using a combination of precision agriculture, biotechnology, and cover cropping.
7.
Is a part of the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) through the USDA, which rewards farmers for adopting and managing advanced conservation systems.
8.
His blog, <i>The Farmer’s Life</i>, has been hugely influential in promoting the virtues of modern agriculture and featuring the daily operations of his family’s farm.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Why would you want to be a farmer?
How I responded:
There is a misconception that farming is all red barns and silos and it's not. It's a very forward-thinking, tech-rich, innovative field. After working in a different industry for a while, I just knew that farming was where I belonged.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
With farming, there is always an element of insecurity. This job is seasonal and truly at the mercy of the elements. If crops fail, then you don't make money.