Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, December 13, 2012

A young local farmer and two of his friends were the subject of a feature story in a national publication this month.

Zach LYNCH of Redding, Nathan WHITEHEAD of Riverton and Josh LAMMERT of Treynor also appeared on the cover of the December 2012 edition of "Top Producer," a business magazine targeting those involved in production agriculture.

The article traced the three young men who first met as agriculture majors on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University. Each had plans to return to the family farm after graduation, and that mutual interest in family farming led to lasting friendships.

LYNCH said his relationship with "Top Producer" actually stemmed from a seminar he and his friends attended as seniors at Northwest.

"We saw an ad for a seminar in Chicago that included a session devoted to farmers under the age of 35," he said.

LYNCH said he and his friends enjoyed the conference so much they returned to the same conference the following year. That's where they struck up a friendship with Ed CLARK, the eventual writer of the article.

LYNCH said CLARK had recognized them from the prior year and became interested in their stories. About mid-October CLARK contacted the three friends to inquire about their interest in a featurestory in the "Top Producer" magazine.

Later that month, the friends gathered in Riverton at the farm operation of the WHITEHEAD family for a photo shoot.

"The interview itself was done over the phone," said LYNCH. "It lasted only about half an hour."

LYNCH farms with his father Bill LYNCH and grandfather Wayne KEMERY in southern Ringgold county. Their operation covers approximately 2,300 acres in crops. In addition the three men have over 300 head of cattle among them.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, March of 2013