Alex Boudreau was a soon-to-be junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln when a neighbor came to him with a proposition.
A sixth-generation producer, he always knew he would return to his family’s cow-calf and grain operation in south-central Nebraska. Now, the neighbor wanted Boudreau to transition into his operation as well.
Boudreau had been laying the foundation to one day operate a farm. He worked alongside his father, absorbing lessons in good financial, production, and resource management. He traveled across Nebraska as the state FFA secretary, taking note of the breadth and diversity of options available in agriculture. He enrolled in a college program that exposed him to animal and plant sciences, agricultural economics, and business.
When he received an invitation to attend Side X Side, our conference exclusively for young and beginning farmers and ranchers, Boudreau saw yet another learning opportunity.
Side X Side brings together farmers and ranchers from the eight states served by AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Farm Credit Services of America, and Frontier Farm Credit. The conference combines insights and education from leaders in farm finances, marketing, risk management, succession planning, and more with peer-to-peer networking.
“I’m a college kid,” Boudreau said. “There are a lot of topics that people know a lot more about than I do. I wanted to absorb everything they had to offer at the conference.” A Side X Side session on grain marketing featured a speaker whose work was familiar to him—one of his professors had used it in class. Now, Boudreau wants to dive deeper into the speaker’s research. Financial management sessions reinforced the importance of knowing your numbers and validated his dad’s focus on finances. Topics on weather and risk management also resonated.
Boudreau considers himself an introvert and was among the younger attendees. But organized activities, social hours, and hallway conversations made networking easy—and one of the most valuable parts of the conference, Boudreau said.
“For example, I've always thought about developing breeding bulls,” he said. “There was a guy at the conference, he has a small operation, and he sold breeding bulls every year. He talked about how he got started in genetics and his processes. Obviously, I’m not starting in bulls right away. But down the road, in 10 or 15 years, what if I wanted to get the ball rolling?
He gave me the names of people he knew who helped him. That was really helpful.”
From the moment he arrived at Side X Side, Boudreau felt that his success mattered; the conference was part of Farm Credit’s investment in him as a person and in his goals. He is now transitioning into his neighbor’s operation, with financing to buy 120 head of beef cows. Just as important, he said, is the support of his Dad and his development markets manager at Farm Credit.
“It's a great opportunity,” Boudreau said, “and I'm super blessed to be able to even do this.” For young and beginning agricultural producers, programs like Side X Side and Farm Credit’s financing options offer more than just funding—they provide education, mentorship, and the confidence needed to succeed in a changing industry.
Want to learn more about the Side X Side Conference? Click the button below or visit our Young and Beginning Producers page to explore how we support the next generation of farmers and ranchers.
