Riding in the tractor with his dad and grandpa is all Landon Cuba ever knew as a kid. He was curious from a young age about how the operation was run, which led him to following his two role models around, touching everything in sight .
“My grandpa would call me an octopus when I was in the combine because I would touch every button in sight – I just wanted to see what it did,” Cuba said.
It was from all that riding and checking cattle with his dad or looking at the crops in the field that Cuba knew he would always want to work at home. But first, he needed to get a college education.
“My parents both came to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,” Cuba said. “I came and toured the university, walked around and met some people, and I really liked it. It was a different and big change for me, but something new and exciting.”
Not wanting to leave the state but also being able to be enrolled in a strong agronomy program is what sold Cuba on the university and to enroll in CASNR. Over the last four years, he has made it a practice to get home on the weekends. But that took a lot of preparation and planning.
“I have tried to structure my schedules throughout the last few years to allow me to get back on time to help on the farm,” Cuba said. “My advisor has always been really good at helping me determine which are going to be heavier weighted classes.”
But even though Cuba did not always make it back on the weekends like he would have liked because of his workload, his dad understands that school is the main focus right now.
That was not always the case with school. In the first few years of college, it was hard for Cuba to remain focused and see the importance of school with COVID-19 affecting his first year.
“I was pretty unhappy, especially when it was COVID,” Cuba said. “We had to do a bunch of testing at the university for it, and it messed up a lot of classes that I did not feel like I was getting the most of them that I could have.”
Feeling like he should be at home helping on his operation instead of staring at a computer screen all day or being on Zoom for classes, Cuba had to find motivation elsewhere to continue staying in school. He surrounded himself with good friends who pushed him to stick with it.
“Having good friends that are either in class or taking the class online helps,” he said. “Just making memories and not just putting everything in the books. Sometimes you have to get your mind off school a little bit and enjoy it.”
While the university has taught him a lot of things that he can use to help his operation as well as other producers’ operations, there is no lesson greater than working on the farm firsthand. Being involved on his farm has taught him some of the life lessons he will not forget and developed him into the person he is today.
“Growing up on the farm is a never-ending learning journey,” Cuba said. “I get to experience different aspects of the industry, whether that would be getting out of my comfort zone and getting a different job off the farm; like scouting or precision ag. It helps me understand a lot more topics I can bring back to our farm."
But Cuba was always meant to be on the farm and continue his family legacy.
“Going back to our farm kind of becomes your life,” Cuba said. “It is a livelihood -- where you came from and where you want to stay. It is where you want to build a family and your career. For me anyway, it is a breath of relief every time I am home working on the farm. It’s just… I would not want to be anywhere else.”
Key Takeaways:
- While taking over the family operation was what Landon Cuba has always been called to do, he realized that he can’t go home right away after graduation. Choosing a career in agronomy allows him to find a career he enjoys and still be connected to the family operation.
- The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has a strong agronomy program that allows students to learn about different types of soils, plants and practices that students can take back to home operations.
- Cuba is always looking for opportunities that challenge him to learn not only on his family farm, but also in the real world.
