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s t e p u p . s ta n d o u t. 4 Agri-Entrepreneurs Honored continued Eric KAmlEr, 17, of shickley, neb., owns and operates EK Farms Co., a corn production enterprise. Kamler started his business in fall 2006 when a neighbor decided to retire from farming and lease his land to others. Kamler saw this as an opportunity to start his own small farming operation without the long-term commitment, and capital investment requirement, of owning the land. Kamler actively pursues ways to increase his production and optimize his marketing options. During his first crop year, he produced an average of 210 bushels an acre. Kamler implemented ridge-till practices and used variablerate-technology equipment, which resulted in an increased yield of about five bushels an acre, thus increasing his profit. With the high price of corn, Kamler nearly tripled his net worth during this period. One of Kamler’s first business decisions was to purchase a pull-type sprayer and exchange the use of his sprayer on his father’s farm for use of his father’s other equipment on his acreage. “By making this purchase, I was able to boost my equity, incur a businessrelated expense I can subtract from my income on my tax return and start building a credit record,” Kamler said. Kamler markets his corn via the Aurora Cooperative, using a variety of different sales tactics, including pre-selling 5,000 bushel contracts via a licensed grain broker at the Chicago Board of Trade. Kamler is the Aurora Cooperative’s youngest grain client. “Eric manages all aspects of the operation including financing, production techniques, marketing and harvesting,” said Kurt VanDeWalle, Kamler’s agriculture teacher and FFA advisor. “I am only able to provide the basic knowledge and skills, but Eric does an astonishing job of learning on his own. I can proudly say that he has taught me a few things and regularly brings me information he finds that I can use in class.” Kamler is a senior at Fillmore Central High School and is also a candidate for Nebraska FFA office. In high school, Kamler has been very active in FFA, serving as the Fillmore Central FFA Chapter president, winning the 2008 National FFA Grain Proficiency Award and being selected as one of 10 winners of the National FFA Risk Management Essay Contest. He is a member of FCCLA and National Honor Society. In November, Kamler will be traveling to Taiwan with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture on an agriculture trade representation program. He, along with two other Nebraska delegates, will talk about U.S. products and learn more about Taiwan’s products. Kamler plans a career in agricultural policy. He is the son of Mike and Kim Kamler. cHAsE KoKoJAn, 18, of drummond, okla., owns and operates Kokojan’s Gamebirds, an enterprise that produces and markets Bobwhite Quail, Chukars and Ring-necked Pheasants, mainly for wildlife repopulation purposes. Kokojan started this business in 2004 after his agriculture class had raised quail for a fundraiser. When the fundraiser was finished, there was still a demand for the birds and Kokojan spotted his opportunity. He has enhanced his business by adding related services. Along with raising birds, Kokojan offers habitat management services. “I assist landowners by developing and establishing game bird habitats,” Kokojan said. “This ensures a better survival rate for young chicks when they are released into the wild.” In addition, Kokojan offers other services to complement his game bird production, such as disking and planting wildlife plots; working with landowners to develop wildlife management plans; and constructing wildlife feeders, waterers and habitat areas. “Providing services to increase game bird chick survival has bolstered my repeat customer business and increased customer satisfaction with my products,” Kokojan said. “Chase is an ambitious young man who manages to combine academics, sports, community service projects, FFA activities, work and hunting into a very busy schedule,” said Keith Dillingham, Kokojan’s agriculture teacher and FFA advisor. “He has a true desire to improve his environment and assist farmers and ranchers in improving wildlife habitat.” Kokojan is a senior at Drummond High School. He has been an active FFA member for the past four years, serving as chapter president for two years and competing in meat, crop and livestock judging. He was the 2007 National FFA Wildlife Production and Management Placement Proficiency Award winner and is a National Finalist for the Wildlife Production and Management Entrepreneurship Proficiency Award this year. He has also attended COLT Conference,
s t e p u p . s ta n d o u t. 5 Agri-Entrepreneurs Honored continued Alumni Camp, state and national conventions as well as Made for Excellence and Advanced Leadership Development conferences. In addition to his FFA activities, Kokojan has been a member of his school’s basketball and baseball teams, made the Superintendent’s Honor Roll, and is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is the son of Greg and Christine Kokojan. cHris lEwis, 18, of Bakersfield, calif., owns and operates Lewis Fabrications, an enterprise that designs and manufactures small livestock implements. Lewis started his business in 2007 after discovering a need for feeding tools on the school farm. “Between my freshman and sophomore years of high school, I raised two market lambs at the school farm as part of my supervised agricultural experience program,” Lewis said. “Our school district has a zero-tolerance policy concerning blades of any kind, so we couldn’t use a pocket knife to open the bales of hay and straw. We resorted to using old pieces of twine, running the old string through the new twine and using a sawing motion to ‘burn’ the twine on the bale. It wasn’t very efficient, so I was motivated to design a tool that would work in this situation. Once I had designed and fabricated my Deluxe Hay Hook, we took it to the school officials and they approved it for use at the school farm.” Lewis concentrates on how his products will be used and how he can add value for his customers. “On the Deluxe Hay Hook, I dip the handle in liquid plastic to give it a more professional look, make it resistant to rusting, add comfort for the user and protect the handle from becoming too hot if left in the direct sun.” “Chris is the type of student for which the Agri-Entrepreneur Award was designed,” said Christine Dickson, Lewis’ agriculture teacher and FFA advisor. “He saw a need for a tool on the school farm, put together a budget and saw that, on paper at least, he could make a profit. So, he made a prototype and I set up an appointment with a local feed store owner, Chuck Sears of Valley Feed. I don’t think I have ever seen a student grow and mature as quickly as Chris did during the 45 minutes he spent with Mr. Sears discussing and demonstrating his hay hook. Chuck was so impressed that he ordered 10 hay hooks and showed Chris two additional pieces of equipment he would like to buy if Chris could manufacture them.” Lewis has built his business by designing and fabricating additional products. He has designed a lightweight livestock-loading ramp that is fully adjustable for use with livestock trailers or pick-up trucks. Lewis has recently been making plans for goat cages and lamb fitting tables. Lewis is a senior at North High School where he has been an active FFA member for three years. During that time Lewis has participated in competitive leadership activities, the North High FFA Banquet, the California FFA Convention and has shown lambs at the Kern County Fair. In addition to his FFA activities, Lewis has been a member of the football team and served as a cook for the Teacher’s Ag Seminar Breakfast. Lewis plans on owning and operating a tool fabrication business in the future. He is the son of David and Laura Lewis. dErricK rocKEr, 19, of Franklin, neb., owns and operates Derrick’s Kennels, an enterprise that produces Bichon Frise and Boston Terrier puppies. This idea came about in 2003, when Rocker was a freshman in high school. He had produced and exhibited beef, sheep, swine and poultry as a 4-H member, but he wanted something he could manage on his own without being away from his home.
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