First-year Luverne FFA member Charlie Mostad is already making an impact at the state level.
Mostad, a junior, finished second at the regional FFA Farm Bureau Discussion Meet Nov. 12 in Okabena, and he’ll now compete at the state level.
Luverne FFA adviser Travis Bullerman was in charge of the event and encouraged Mostad to be in the competition.
“I was very nervous going into it,” Mostad said. “I had never been in FFA. I was in official dress — you know the (blue) coat, the pants, everything, the tie. It was all very different — a little alien.”
Mostad, a veteran on the LHS mock trial and speech teams, found himself in the final round, where he impressed the judges.
They noted Mostad’s credibility because of the hands-on crop production he began three years ago.
“I was always passionate about agriculture,” Mostad said.
“It kind of launched me into discovering more about it and actually getting some hands-on experience, and that solidified what I really love.”
At age 14, Mostad, who lives in town, had an idea to rent 10 acres in Magnolia Township and plant a crop.
“I was probably farming on paper for five years before I actually started farming,” he said.
“I would run all the crop prices and then pick a random date during harvest time and sell it.”
Mostad also analyzed input costs and equipment rental.
“I had a pretty good idea of what it was going to cost before I reached out to rent the farmland,” he said.
YouTube influencers helped Mostad understand farming equipment, and he gained practical experience from his job at R&S Sales, located west of Luverne.
Now at 17, Mostad just marketed his second crop.
“It’s never been a huge profit for me, but it always works out pretty well,” he said. “It keeps me farming.”
Long-range plans have Mostad leaving his 10-acres behind to focus on a career in business law.
“If I could tie it back to agriculture that would be my dream,” he said.
Mostad, son of Katie and Matt Mostad, Luverne, will compete at the state discussion meet Dec. 14-15 at the Minnesota FFA Winter Leadership Summit in St. Cloud.
By Mavis Fodness, Rock County Star-Herald