We have always had agriculture as part of our lives, from growing up on family farms to now raising our own family surrounded by it. We currently live near Cozad, Neb., where Mark recently began working for the Farmacy Seed and Chemical and I (Miranda) work from home for Angus Media. We both attended South Dakota State University. Mark received his master's in precision agriculture and I earned a bachelor's in ag journalism. We got married in college and moved north of Manhattan, KS, for our first jobs. I worked for 15 years for Certified Angus Beef, most recently as the director of producer communications. Mark started with Monsanto (now Bayer) and was most recently the manager at the Water Utilization Learning Center. That's what moved us to the Gothenburg, Neb., community we now call home.

Currently, Mark helps farmers find solutions to their challenges and supports sales with education.

I lead a team that helps Angus breeders market their animals in the ever-evolving digital space, along with contributing to our editorial efforts. One of my favorite parts of my job is hosting The Angus Conversation podcast.

We've been blessed to raise our seven kids surrounded by agriculture, with strong 4-H and FFA programs, and plenty of people to support them. Carson is our oldest and he has been digging in the dirt since he was toddler. During his high school career he began an FFA SAE called Reiman Spuds. He was recently named the Nebraska FFA president and is enjoying that role already. He also received the Gothenburg Chamber of Commerce Ag Business Committee scholarship and looks forward to attending the AFA conference this fall.

Coming from farms ourselves, we feel a great calling to make sure our family understands agriculture and it's overall importance.

Describe your AFA experience as a student.

The very first time I heard of Agriculture Future of America was when my local ag chamber said they'd partnered with the organization that year and I'd get to attend the AFA Leader's Conference in Kansas City as part of my scholarship. I had no way to know then how profoundly that partnership would alter the course of my life. I attended tracks one and two, before being chosen to serve on the Student Advisory Team in 2004. That experience was one of the most fun and formative of my college career. AFA introduced me to National Crop Insurance Services, where I interned in Kansas City one summer and helped me cement life-long friendships.

Mark's path to AFA came from the SDSU College of Ag, where they chose him as one of the attendees they sponsored. He attended tracks two and three, and made connections that led to internships and future resources in industry.

The major added benefit of our AFA experience was meeting each other! Even though we went to SDSU, we hadn't met until the college organized us into carpool groups and we spent time together at the conference. Shortly after we began dating, married during college and are celebrating 21 years together this year.

How did your AFA Student experience influence your career journey?

AFA helped me meet people and polish my professional skills. Everything from the basics of resume writing and interviewing to learning more about the broader industry. I already had a pretty solid idea of what I wanted to do when I graduated but AFA gave me a key landing that kind of job. Add in the student advisory team experience and I got to see what it was like to work with such a dynamic team. Having National Crop Insurance Services on my resume gave me a solid base as an underclassman and added with my freelance writing experience and college jobs, I got in with the Angus family straight out of college.

Mark says AFA was the first time that he realized how connected the ag industry was, and it really widened his view of what job opportunities were available.

What is one AFA memory, moment or conversation that has stayed with you?

Orion Samuelson opened up his keynote our first year, telling about a little boy who had to spend a chunk of his school years bedridden, and about the teacher who cared enough to make sure he kept up on studies anyway. "That little boy was me," Orion said, his signature voice carrying his tale to a whole room of impressionable college students. I loved his message about being a person who wanted to make a difference, but I was especially captivated by his storytelling ability. I knew someday I wanted to tell stories that mattered to people.

At the time, what did AFA help you understand about yourself, your leadership style or your place in agriculture?

AFA helped me realize that I had a place and people who were like me -- driven and motivate, but also down to earth and real. I didn't have a lot of people headed into agricultural careers from my graduating class and so finding that many people with similar interests really made me feel like I belonged.

It was the first time Mark was introduced to many of those leadership concepts. It gave him better insights into the people he worked with in clubs and while on-the-clock.

Was there a person, mentor, peer or industry professional you met through AFA who influenced your path? What impact did they have?

Getting to work closely with Russ Weathers as part of the Student Advisory Team experience was one of the best parts. It taught me so much about the kind of leader I still aspire to be, but also was a great example of the kind of leader I wanted to work for. He set the bar high.

Finish this sentence: Because of AFA, I…

Because of AFA, I am confident for the future. Our son will be the second-generation of AFA scholars in our family and is amplifying our influence on the industry we love. We are so grateful for the entire community that supports young people with a passion for growth.