Nebraska’s Brady Revels Honored with National Young Farmers & Ranchers Award

ATLANTA, GA. – Brady Revels of Valley, Neb. has made history as the first Nebraskan to take home the national Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) Excellence in Agriculture award. Revels was named the winner during the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Annual Convention held in Atlanta, Ga. Jan. 7-11. 

“I am very humbled to receive this award. It is a culmination of the 10 years of activities in agriculture and Farm Bureau. I am very grateful to Nebraska Farm Bureau for taking me in and getting me to this point. This is as much Nebraska Farm Bureau as it is me. It just means the world to me to know there are so many people in Nebraska supporting me,” said Revels. 

Revels, a Douglas County Farm Bureau member, was recognized for his ongoing involvement and commitment to agriculture. The Excellence in Agriculture Award recognizes young farmers and ranchers who do not derive the majority of their income from an agricultural operation, but who actively contribute and grow through their involvement in agriculture, leadership ability, and participation in Farm Bureau and other organizations. Revels competed throughout the AFBF Convention against young farmers and ranchers from around the country by demonstrating knowledge, achievement, and commitment to promoting agriculture. 

“It’s been a really great opportunity to learn about agriculture in other states, but also highlight some of the cool things we are doing in Nebraska and Douglas County. I am just really grateful to share my experience with Farm Bureau and all the opportunities I’ve been able to have because of Nebraska Farm Bureau,” said Revels. 

Revels grew up on his maternal grandfather’s diversified farming operation growing vegetables and raising cattle near Bushnell, Florida. His love for agriculture started at an early age. He was involved in 4-H and FFA and raised replacement dairy heifers, developing his own small herd of registered Brown Swiss dairy cattle. After college, he couldn’t go back to his family’s Florida farm, so he went to work for an animal pharmaceutical company, which led him to the Midwest where he met his wife, Katie. He then began a new career working with dairy farmers to help manage their feed portfolio. He currently is an account manager with Cargill Corn Milling. 

Revels also works with an outside technology vendor who helps his customers collect, analyze, and use data in their operations. He manages the relationship between his customers and the vendor, provides support to other staff, and recently started working with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to translate the data into information that can help farmers make more meaningful decisions on their operations. 

As an active Douglas County Farm Bureau member, Revels is working with Douglas County Extension and the Omaha Home for Boys on Ag Fest, a program that connects elementary students with the knowledge that their food originally starts on a farm. Douglas County Farm Bureau has sponsored this program for the past six years, and it has already reached approximately 10,000 third graders who have little to no knowledge of agriculture.  

Revels will continue to grow his leadership with Farm Bureau and wants to inspire more young people to be a part of Nebraska Farm Bureau. He will also continue to work on policy development, advocating for agriculture, and supporting agricultural education.  

In winning the award, Revels will receive a new Ford vehicle, courtesy of Ford. In addition, he will receive paid registration to the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Conference, which will be held Feb. 25-28 in Louisville, Kentucky, also courtesy of Ford. 

The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educational, service, and advocacy efforts. More than 55,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska’s economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit www.nefb.org.