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Colleen Settle
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csettle@infb.org

(Indianapolis) – August 21, 2024 – Jayden Simpson of Putnam County, Isaac and Kyla Schroeder of Perry County and Cory and Emily Studebaker of Whitley County are the winners of Indiana Farm Bureau’s top awards for Young Farmers & Ag Professionals -- the Rising Star, the Excellence in Agriculture and the Achievement awards.

All three awards recognize young farmers and ag professionals in terms of leadership and involvement with their state or local Farm Bureau, in addition to their commitment to strengthening agriculture across Indiana. A panel of judges evaluated this year’s participants.

Jayden Simpson, Putnam County, won the Rising Star Award, which honors outstanding members who are active in Farm Bureau, their county, their community, Collegiate Farm Bureau and/or YF&AP programs, and who display personal and professional growth by participating in those activities. Simpson will receive a $2,000 cash prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to Denver, Colorado, for the 2025 Farm Bureau FUSION Conference in March. 

Isaac and Kyla Schroeder, Perry County, are the winners of the Excellence in Agriculture Award. The award honors Farm Bureau members who have not in the past three years derived the majority of their income from a farming operation but who actively contribute and grow their involvement in Farm Bureau, the agriculture industry and other community organizations. The Schroeders will receive an $8,000 cash prize courtesy of Farm Credit Mid-America, a $3,000 cash prize courtesy of Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance and an all-expenses-paid trip to San Antonio, Texas, to compete at the 2025 American Farm Bureau convention in January.

Cory and Emily Studebaker, Whitley County, won the Achievement Award, which recognizes and rewards outstanding young Farm Bureau members whose farm management techniques and commitment to their communities set a positive example for others involved in agriculture. Applicants must derive the majority of their income from a farming operation and are judged on their leadership involvement and farm management techniques. The Studebakers will receive a $6,000 cash prize courtesy of Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, a $5,000 cash prize courtesy of additional sponsors and an all-expenses-paid trip to compete at the 2025 American Farm Bureau convention in San Antonio, Texas, in January. The Studebakers also will be awarded the David L. Leising Memorial Award.

Winners and finalists will be formally recognized during the INFB state convention in December. Learn more about this year’s winners below.

Jayden Simpson, Putnam County

Jayden Simpson grew up on his family’s fourth-generation Hereford show cattle operation, where they raise and show Hereford cattle across the country.

“Growing up on the cattle operation, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life in the agriculture industry and with the people in it,” said Simpson.

Simpson is a rising junior at Purdue University majoring in agricultural economics with a concentration in policy and pre-law. While at Purdue, Simpson served as the INFB public policy intern during the 2023 Indiana legislative session, as well as policy and coalitions intern with The Envoy Group, a small agricultural consulting firm focusing on sustainability and climate policy within agriculture.

Simpson is also involved in Purdue Collegiate Farm Bureau where he currently serves as chapter president. He also acted as the collegiate representative for the INFB state resolutions committee, helping to review policy recommendations submitted by county Farm Bureaus. Additionally, Simpson serves as a 4-H Dog Club leader in Putnam and Montgomery counties, assisting 4-H members excel in dog showmanship at the county and state level.

Post-graduation, Simpson plans to go to law school or join the workforce as a lobbyist, promoting the importance of the agriculture industry.

“Being able to tell ag stories to legislators and help them understand what agriculturists and rural communities go through on a daily basis is extremely important to get policies passed that are in favor of agriculture here in Indiana,” noted Simpson.

“Receiving the Rising Star Award is very humbling to me as I continue to grow in the agriculture industry. It goes to show how great of a support system I have at my family farm.”   

Isaac and Kyla Schroeder, Perry County

As owners and operators of a registered Angus cattle farm, the Schroeders divide their time and energy between their farm, which also includes a hay operation, and full-time jobs in the community. Isaac grew up helping friends and family with their beef cattle, swine and hay farms where his passion for agriculture started. Kyla’s love of agriculture quickly grew through her involvement in FFA during high school.

The Schroeders attended Western Kentucky University where they each earned bachelor’s degrees in agriculture – Issac in agronomy and Kyla in agriculture business. Isaac is a division agronomist for Superior Ag where he works with the sales team to implement trainings and conducts grower consultations, as well as field research and agronomy problem analysis. Kyla works for Tempo Global Resources, an aluminum supply chain, where she assists with managing purchase and sales contracts for a large aluminum coil customer base. Kyla also recently obtained her master’s degree in business administration from University of Southern Indiana.

The Schroeders are leaders not just within their county Farm Bureau, but on the state and national level as well. They started as the YF&AP representatives for Perry County Farm Bureau and then as the District 9 representatives on the YF&AP state committee. While serving on the state committee, Kyla had the opportunity to act as the chair and sit on the INFB state board of directors.

“We drastically expanded our outreach in Farm Bureau,” said Isaac. “We have traveled to the Indiana Statehouse and Washington, D.C., to advocate for agriculture with INFB. We also traveled to several American Farm Bureau events where we had the opportunity to network with Farm Bureau members across the United States, which has been a great experience.”

In addition to their involvement in Farm Bureau, the Schroeders are members of the American Angus Association and the Perry County Cattleman’s Association, with Isaac serving as a board member. Kyla also serves as secretary on the Perry County 4-H Fairgrounds committee.

The Schroeders plan to expand their operation and hope to purchase another farm in the future, as well as expand their hay sales. They also want to continue to network with individuals in the industry.

“The Excellence in Ag award is a great opportunity because it showcases your involvement in not only Farm Bureau, but in agriculture as a whole,” said Kyla.

“It is a good way to grow, reflect on what you are currently involved with and become more involved in the community and on the state level as well.”

Cory and Emily Studebaker, Whitley County

Cory and Emily Studebaker took different paths to find their love of agriculture. Cory was raised on a dairy and grain farm where he grew up with a passion for the land. While working on his certification in diesel and agricultural mechanics from University of Northwestern Ohio, he met Emily, who was completing her associate degree in dental laboratory technology from Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne and did not come from a farming background. However, she was eager to learn and her appreciation for agriculture grew.

Not long after they married, the Studebakers purchased their own farm, which includes a 24,000-head commercial laying hen operation contracted through Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, an egg production company based in Michigan. Emily handles the day-to-day tasks with this operation, gathering the eggs and ensuring that the birds’ stay healthy.

“We didn’t foresee us having chickens, but it is what God gave us,” said Emily. “We saw it as our opportunity to get into farming and make ourselves better agriculturalists. I’ve really enjoyed taking over that side of the operation and getting into agriculture myself.”

Additionally, they raise row crops and dairy cows with Cory’s father. Cory feeds the cows on the farm, completes shop work, assists with planting and spraying, installs drainage tiling, and runs the chopper and combine during harvest. Over the last 10 years, the Studebakers have diversified their operation by expanding their dairy herd from 80 cows to 220, utilizing robotics.

The Studebakers serve on the Whitley County Farm Bureau board as township representatives and on the county YF&AP committee. Emily also serves as secretary and treasurer, as well as chair of the local affairs and government relations committees. Additionally, Cory is a member of the local Soil and Water Conservation District board.

The couple has goals of succession planning for Cory’s father’s farm, adding more acreage to their current farm and Cory taking on more custom drainage tiling jobs. They also plan to continue improving their hen operation to ensure they are always producing safe and healthy eggs.

“Receiving the Achievement in Ag award is very humbling and rewarding to know that we are being recognized for what we do on an everyday basis,” said Cory.

“Looking back from where we started to where we are today, when we bought our farm it was essentially a failing operation. We put a lot of time and hard work into upgrading and getting it to the operation it is today.”

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About Indiana Farm Bureau: For more than 100 years, Indiana Farm Bureau (INFB) has protected and enhanced the future of agriculture and our communities. As the state’s largest general farm organization, INFB works diligently to cultivate a thriving agricultural ecosystem to strengthen the viability of Indiana agriculture. Learn more at INFB.org.

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