Bushels & Blooms, Little Sioux Stems place second and third, respectively, in IFBF’s entrepreneurial contest. 

Natalie Paino of Hightail Delivery in Bremer County earned first place in Iowa Farm Bureau’s 2026 Grow Your Future competition Jan. 24, claiming the $10,000 top prize to expand her on-farm dairy processing and delivery business.

Rachel Irwin of Bushels & Blooms in Wapello County earned second place and $5,000, while Jennifer Twaiten-Kraninger of Little Sioux Stems in Dickinson County placed third and received $2,500.

The three finalists competed in a live pitch-off and interview­ed with judges at the Iowa Farm Bureau Young Farmer Conference in Des Moines.

The Grow Your Future Award supports young farmer entrepreneurs with rural Iowa businesses focused on specialty products, services and agritourism. Eight entrepreneurs were selected for the 2026 contest through a competitive application process last year before the field was narrowed to the three finalists through public voting during Iowa Farm Bureau’s 2025 annual meeting. 

“These young farmers represent the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that keeps Iowa agriculture strong,” said Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson. “By supporting value-added businesses and agritourism, Iowa Farm Bureau programs like Grow Your Future help create new opportunities for farm families today and for future generations.”


Hightail Delivery

Paino sells ice cream and cheese curds directly to consumers, at local events and through retailers. She launched Hightail while a student at Iowa State University and later purchased a grant-funded, 45-foot shipping container creamery that allows her to process milk from her family’s dairy on the farm.

“I’ve known from the beginning that I’d have to get creative in order to make this thing work,” Paino said. “I believe that innovation is what will be the driving force of the growth of my operation moving forward.”

She plans to use her winnings to create a farm store and expand customer offerings to include other Iowa-made and Choose Iowa–branded products.


Bushels & Blooms

Irwin of Bushels & Blooms blends row crops and cattle with a cut-flower farmstand and locally produced food items. The business was created in memory of her parents, who lost their lives in a car accident, and to honor her mother’s love of flowers.

“This recognition gives us another platform to share our story, elevate the importance of agriculture and continue growing our operation so we can better serve rural Iowa for generations to come,” Irwin said.

She plans to use her prize funds to take steps toward establishing a farm store that would also include a refrigerated space for beef products. 

 

Little Sioux Stems

Twaiten-Kraninger’s Little Sioux Stems enterprise is a specialty cut-flower farm that sells its products through farmers markets, subscriptions and U-pick experiences. She also offers tours and workshops that draw visitors from across Iowa. 

“We love giving back to our community by donating leftover flowers to local nursing homes and daycares and by teaching educational courses not offered anywhere else in our community,” Twaiten-Kraninger said.

She said her prize winnings will support planning for a permanent event space to host year-round activities, weddings and educational programming.