Devin Flanders always knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. "I think I was three years old the first time I told my dad I wanted to be a farmer," he says. "And that dream never changed."
He has been farming for about five years near Minto and raises a variety of crops including wheat, barley, soybeans, pinto beans and corn. He says there are a variety of reasons he enjoys farming, but overcoming the inherent challenges associated with it is a motivating factor.
"The biggest struggle I see with farming is being at the mercy of the markets, input costs, and weather. Every year is different, so you have to adapt and overcome (the challenges)," he says. He also enjoys being able to provide for his community and the country through the crops he raises for food, fiber and fuel.
Devin and his fiancée Carly.
He says if there was one thing he wished consumers knew about farmers, it was that, "We care for the land and our crops more than you may think. We wouldn't grow something that we wouldn't put on our own table."
Devin is the District 1 representative on the NDFB Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee.