It all started with a seed for Chester County High School Senior Will Kemp. Four years later, he is a young, award-winning farmer.
Farming was instilled in Kemp at a young age from his dad and grandfather who were farmers. When Kemp was a freshman, he knew his goal was to achieve the West Tennessee Regional Star Farmer Award, and he recently accomplished that.
“I’ve been really excited about this award and applying for it since I started farming… I always wanted to get the Star Farmer Award my senior year, and when I finally achieved that goal it made me feel like my goal had been achieved and I made a milestone in my life,” Kemp said.
In that span of time, Kemp has grown his farm at a rate of 100-120 acres a year. He farms 400-450 acres of row crop corn and soy beans and has about 25 registered Hereford cattle. He enjoys farming from all the equipment he gets to use and the ability to make something out of nothing.
“I like the equipment and making something out of nothing. You start with a seed, and you go out with a truckload. I like the feeling that you’ve prospered and that you’ve made a better world.”
In order to win the award, Kemp had to write a 12-page paper containing his personal history, a resume, farming finances and the knowledge contained or learned from farming. He explained how he put his best effort into completing the application because winning the award would mean a great deal to him.
“I did my application to the best of my ability,” he stated. “This award allows me and everybody else to see how far I’ve grown the past four years. It shows how much you’ve grown your farm and the expertise about what you know about it, bettering your yields and all that kind of stuff.”
Future Farmers of America also contributed to his farming success.
“FFA has made me a better person and better with people. Listening. Learning. And better doing anything I think about in FFA…and that makes me be able to do something better and more efficient.”
Kemp currently serves as the CCHS FFA sentinel and competes in contests such as Farm Business Management. He will be competing for State Star Farmer in March at the state convention and expo in Gatlinburg.
