OFI 1903: 18 Wheels And A Dozen Acres | FFA SAE Edition | Matthew Gossett | Lynchburg-Clay FFA

Matthew Gossett is the 2023 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Fiber and Oil Crop Production.  This all began in the 9th grade when he leased his first 12 (dozen) acres from his family and started his own enterprise.  This correlated with his beginning in the FFA, and he has been growing his own farming operation ever since. Matthew just graduated from high school last spring, and he is pursuing his CDL so that he can create his off-farm income from driving truck and hauling crops while farming on the side and continuing to grow as a producer.  At the same time he continues to learn about agronomy, soils, agribusiness and the fickleness of Mother Nature when you are depending on her or farming in spite of her. Matthew is just beginning his pursuit of a lifetime of production agriculture and sees himself as well as his brother carrying on the family farming legacy as the 5th generation in the future.  Until then, he is building his own collection of leased ground, learning by taking his own risks and enjoying the moment of being the first ever National Proficiency winner from his chapter.