The public now gets to decide what three Iowa ag-related businesses will compete in the final round of Iowa Farm Bureau’s Grow Your Future Award to win a $10,000 grand prize.

The competition aims to help young farmers, ages 18-35, expand their niche businesses, which can include specialty ag products, services and agritourism. Eight applicants have been chosen to advance to an online vote between Dec. 8-14:

  • Evan Deal, currently deployed with the Iowa Air National Guard, and Wyatt Striet, a student at Iowa State University, are the founders of Natural Heartland Solutions. The duo created an all-organic, puck-shaped additive for manure pits to reduce odor while boosting the manure’s nutrient content. Their goal is to expand their sales nationwide to offer farmers an environmentally friendly way to enhance their natural fertilizer to improve soil health and rely less on synthetic options.  
     
  • Paige Elbert of 4 Roots in Sac County runs a family-owned retail store that highlights Iowa-grown products like beef, eggs, milk, milled flour, popcorn, honey, soaps and fresh-cut flowers. She sources these items from more than 10 counties in Iowa. Elbert plans to expand their store in Sac City, which they are beginning to outgrow, to support more local producers and meet growing demand for “homesteading” activities. 
  • Morgan Hibbs of HB Flowers and Beef LLC in Johnson County operates a flower business on land she bought from her grandpa’s Century Farm. She sells her flowers at a self-serve stand at the end of her farm’s lane and provides floral arrangements for weddings, bridal showers and baby showers each year. Hibbs hopes to add a greenhouse to her operation to extend her growing season and would like to open a storefront to sell her flowers and family’s farm-raised beef.
     
  • Rachel Irwin of Bushels & Blooms Farm in Wapello County diversified her family’s row crop and cattle operation by opening a cut flower farmstand. The stand honors her late parents who died in 2023 and celebrates her mother’s love for flowers. She also sells locally sourced eggs, apples, pumpkins, tallow and more. She hopes to expand her business into a full farm store with an event space.
     
  • Paige McClure of Red Boar Ridge Vacation Rentals in Worth County has offered lodging and farm tours to overnight guests since 2020 on her family’s 150-year-old Northwood. To add to their rental business, she is restoring her great-great-great-grandfather’s 1850s log cabin, which was moved to the farm in 1856. Her goal is to provide guests with a unique, old-time stay.
     
  • Natalie Paino of Hightail in Bremer County sells ice cream and cheese curds directly to consumers, at events and through local retailers. She began her ice cream business as a freshman at Iowa State University, and in 2021, purchased a grant-funded 45-foot creamery shipping container, which can milk two cows at a time. This space limits her to sales to pre-orders only, so she’d like to build a self-serve storefront to sell her products.
     
  • Clinton and Jacey Schutjer of Schutjer Farm Stand & Pumpkin Patch in Hancock County would like to acquire new equipment to expand their pumpkin patch. At their farm stand, they sell produce, eggs, homemade seasonings and goods from other local businesses, such as maple syrup and honey. Their stand operates on an honor system, and they’d like to create an enclosed space with air conditioning and also hope to sell beef direct-to-consumer.
     
  • Jennifer Twaiten-Kraninger of Little Sioux Stems in Dickinson County grows specialty cut flowers, which she sells at farmers markets, through subscriptions, at vendors shows with her mobile flower bar and by partnering with local businesses. She also offers U-pick on the farm, garden tours for school-aged students and community groups, hands-on workshops and events that attract up to 1,500 visitors. She’d like to build a permanent structure for year-round events, weddings, farm-to-table dinners and expanded retail space.

The three farmers with the most votes will compete in a pitch-off during the Iowa Farm Bureau Young Farmer Conference on Jan. 24. The grand prize winner will take home $10,000, and second and third place winners receive $5,000 and $2,500, respectively.

“Young farmers today are navigating high input costs and tight margins, but they’re meeting those challenges by thinking outside the box,” said Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson. “Iowa Farm Bureau creates programs like Grow Your Future to help encourage more alternative ag and small niche businesses in our rural communities, which also helps ensure the next generation of farmers.”

The public may vote for their favorite business at www.iowafarmbureau.com/growyourfuture.