NFL Star Jordy Nelson Loves Working On The Farm.

Aug 14, 2015

An NFL Superstar Shares His Passion for the Farm

By Michael Dales, Farms.com

Jordy Nelson works 12 hour days on his family farm in Riley, Kansas, every off season. The Green Bay Packers gave this speedy wide receiver a four year, $39 million contract in 2014 but he won’t let that stop him from doing what he loves.

Farming.

"You learn how to work on a farm," Nelson said "Training camp is all day. Well, I just came off the farm, which is from 7 or 8 in the morning until 7 or 8 at night. And honestly, farming is a lot more work.

Nelson works on the farm driving the combine during wheat harvest or rounding up the 1,000-cow herd near the town whose population is 992.

"Working cattle is my favorite farm duty," Nelson told ESPN. “I probably identify more as a farmer."

The fans of the Green Bay Packers know him as one of the top wide receivers in the NFL.

"The farm is really all I know."

Jordy Nelson has quickly become a modest advocate for farmers and agriculture. The consumer media has picked up on the seemingly contradictory story of a wealthy NFL superstar still working long hours and helping on the family farm.

Nelson was drafted in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft out of Kansas State University. Over his career with the Green Bay Packers he has caught 49 touchdowns, gained over 6,000 yards and was a Pro Bowler in 2014.

Here is an interview with Jordy Nelson.

Let us know below if you are a Jordy Nelson fan, a young farmer doing well in the NFL. Share you thoughts below.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.