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From Florida Fields to Custom Cuts

At just 17, Gabe Mitchell is building a vertically integrated beef business, raising cattle from birth to butcher, and selling safe, USDA-inspected custom beef directly to families in his community.

His story is a masterclass in resilience, stewardship, and agricultural grit.

“I was lucky to be born into the agriculture industry,” Gabe tells us. Raised on his family’s Trenton, Florida cattle farm, agriculture wasn’t just a job—it was a way of life.

His earliest memories are of feeding hay, checking water troughs, and helping with fence repairs alongside his parents, both multigenerational farmers themselves.

But his interest didn’t stop at tradition. Over time, Gabe found his own rhythm in the industry. “I can’t imagine not having cattle,” he says. “It’s just part of who I am.”

From County Fair to Custom Beef Sales

Gabe’s FFA supervised agricultural experience (SAE) began in 2017 with daily chores and gradually evolved into a full-fledged business.

What started as a local show steer project at the county fair has since morphed into a custom beef enterprise—offering USDA-inspected, traceable beef directly to Florida families who want to know where their food comes from.

“The turning point came when I realized buyers at the fair couldn’t actually take home the meat from the steers they supported,” Gabe recalls. “Once the fair allowed us to buy back our own animals, I saw a real opportunity. I started feeding out steers from my herd specifically for custom beef.”

As a young entrepreneur, one of Gabe’s biggest challenges was earning credibility.

“I had to prove to experienced ranchers that my bulls and heifers had solid genetics and longevity,” he explains. “At first, I was nervous talking to buyers. But after a few years and some strong production records, I gained their trust.”

He also faced the usual hurdles of weather, feed costs, and market unpredictability—but leaned on what he calls his “SAE mindset” to adapt and stay focused.

Once Gabe found his footing, word of mouth spread fast. Within a year, he no longer struggled to find buyers. Today, Gabe manages every step—from breeding and artificial insemination to feed, health, and final USDA harvest.

Safe, Wholesome Beef, from Start to Finish

One of Gabe’s greatest assets? His meticulous attention to detail.

“I’ve learned how critical recordkeeping is in evaluating animals for breeding readiness,” he explains. “You have to track ages, maturity rates, and structural soundness—especially if you want bulls to last in the field and keep your calving window tight.”

He’s also adopted cutting-edge tools like Expected Progeny Differences to track and improve herd genetics. He regularly uses artificial insemination with sexed semen to strategically increase the number of bull calves he can raise for beef sales.

In a market saturated with labels and claims, Gabe knows trust is everything.

“I make sure my customers are confident in the beef I raise,” he says. Gabe is Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certified and has renewed the training multiple times to stay current. “It covers everything from administering vaccines correctly to biosecurity protocols.”

When asked what a typical day looks like, Gabe laughs: “There isn’t one.”

His calendar revolves around the rhythm of the seasons:

  • Fall: Calving season begins; newborns are tagged and tracked.
  • Winter: Hay and molasses supplement feed; cows are prepped for breeding.
  • Spring: Vaccinations, fly control, and weaning; some calves begin creep-feeding.
  • Summer: Hay baling, equipment maintenance, and prepping the next herd for market.

But no matter the season, his steers are fed twice daily and closely monitored for health, feed efficiency, and weight gain. All steers are finished on-farm and processed under full USDA inspection, ensuring both safety and traceability.

Family, Mentorship, and the Next Generation

Behind Gabe’s success stands a strong network of mentors—starting with his parents.

“They gave me land, equipment, and access to transportation before I could even drive,” he says. “I worked for it, but I never would’ve had the opportunity without them.”

Gabe also credits his FFA advisors. His middle school advisor, Mrs. Rucker, “made FFA fun,” while his high school advisor—his mom—encouraged him to pursue awards, team competitions, and officer roles that built his confidence and sharpened his business skills.

“Do something you love or are interested in. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, to ask for help, or to change your SAE. You’ll grow along the way—but the support of your family or ag teacher is key.”

A Welded Future: From Cattle to Custom Fabrication

Gabe’s hands-on experience has sparked another entrepreneurial passion: welding and fabrication. He’s currently working full-time with Lee Mechanical to hone his craft and plans to enroll in a technical college this spring to earn welding certifications and a CDL license.

“My goal is to open my own welding and fabrication business,” he says, “especially focused on designing livestock equipment for local farms.”

But his ties to beef production aren’t going anywhere. “I’ll always keep a small herd and continue raising custom beef.”

Gabe Mitchell is more than a rancher—he’s a rising force in American agriculture. By blending old-school work ethic with modern business savvy, Gabe is proving that the future of food is local, transparent, and proudly youth-led. Whether he’s raising a steer or welding a custom cattle chute, he’s helping build a food system rooted in trust, skill, and stewardship.

And for Florida families who want beef with a story behind it—he’s got them covered.

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FFA Spotlight: Closing Loop on Local Meat

From livestock pens to the cutting room, from grain fields to shrink-wrapped steaks, Blake Schmitmeyer is helping build a more local, more transparent, and more resilient food system.

His dedication to humane handling, food safety, and full-circle agricultural practices exemplifies the kind of leadership the future of farming depends on.

With one foot in the barn and the other in the butcher shop, Blake represents the next generation of producers who understand that feeding communities requires skill, respect, and heart at every step.

Growing Up in the Heart of Ohio Agriculture

Blake Schmitmeyer’s agricultural story begins in Versailles, Ohio, a small town woven into the fabric of American livestock and row-crop farming.

His family raised pigs, steers, and managed a Holstein dairy herd—giving Blake a firsthand understanding of livestock care and agricultural business from the time he could walk.

In 2021, his parents took a decisive leap: they purchased a local processing facility along with the surrounding farmland. That acquisition became the foundation for Blake’s future.

“Today I’m assisting in day-to-day operations where we custom butcher 25 steers and 25 hogs weekly,” he says. Sheep, goats, and bison round out the rotation.

What began as a family investment soon became Blake’s passion—and his entrepreneurial pathway.

Finding Purpose Through FFA

Blake joined FFA because agriculture was already part of his DNA. But he wanted to build his knowledge, sharpen his skills, and gain broader exposure to the industry.

During his junior and senior years, he launched his Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) through an early-release program at school, allowing him to work hands-on at The Butcher Block and Smokehouse.

Now, while working around 30 hours a week, he is simultaneously earning an online business degree—preparing for future leadership in the family enterprise.

Inside the Butcher Block: A Day in the Life

Blake’s responsibilities span every corner of the processing facility. His versatility is one of his greatest assets.

“I find myself filling gaps most days,” he says. “I can label, help customers, answer the phone, vacuum seal, make hamburger and sausage, fabricate cuts, and work on the harvesting side.”

That harvesting work includes:

  • Moving animals safely into the facility
  • Rendering them unconscious in an ethical, humane manner
  • Removing innards
  • Dehiding
  • Ensuring carcass sanitation

He also performs maintenance and repairs on essential equipment—skills vital to keeping a high-throughput operation running smoothly.

A Growing Skillset

Every day at the processing plant deepens Blake’s expertise. What started as learning individual tasks has evolved into a broad, interconnected understanding of what it takes to move an animal from farm to finished product safely, ethically, and efficiently.

Quality Assurance & Product Consistency

Trimming, scraping, packaging, and labeling have sharpened Blake’s eye for precision—one of the most essential skills in meat processing. He now understands how even the smallest variation in knife angle, fat trimming, or packaging can affect yield, display quality, and customer satisfaction.

“It has taught me efficiency,” he says, “and also the various cuts attainable from carcasses.”

He’s learned to visualize the carcass from the inside out, recognizing how muscle groups, bone structure, and fat cover translate into marketable cuts. Consistency is key: each package must look clean, uniform, and appealing, reflecting both skill and pride in craftsmanship.

Humane Handling Under USDA Oversight

Working under USDA inspection has strengthened Blake’s understanding of professional responsibility. Humane handling protocols are non-negotiable—every movement, every decision made with the animal’s well-being in mind.

“It taught me how to be precise and handle animals in the most humane way,” he explains. USDA inspectors provide real-time guidance and expect strict adherence to federal humane slaughter regulations. Blake sees these interactions as opportunities to learn best practices, refine technique, and uphold the ethical standards that define reputable processing facilities.

Food Safety & Bacterial Control

Food safety is at the heart of agricultural processing, and Blake has developed a deep respect for the science behind it. He and his team conduct temperature checks, monitor critical control points, and follow sanitation procedures that protect consumers from pathogens like Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria.

He now understands how cross-contamination occurs, how to prevent bacterial growth, and why documentation is essential for traceability. “We perform various temp and quality checks daily to ensure standards are met,” he says—standards that directly influence consumer trust and public health.

Processing Across Species

As Blake’s experience has grown, so has his ability to adapt to the anatomy and processing needs of different species. While cattle are the largest and most complex, the foundational skills transfer across animals.

“Once you understand the basics of cattle processing, it helps you understand bison structure,” he explains. Similarly, goats and sheep share comparable muscling and carcass breakdown patterns. Learning these similarities—and the nuanced differences—has made Blake a more versatile and efficient processor, capable of contributing anywhere he’s needed on the floor.

Full-Circle Agriculture: From Grain to Steak

Ask Blake what excites him most, and he lights up. For him, agricultural processing is not just a job—it’s the bridge between the farm he grew up on and the food that lands on his community’s dinner tables.

“I am passionate about locally sourced farm-to-fork beef,” he says. “Being able to grow our own corn and beans, feed them to our livestock, and then harvest those finished animals is really a full-circle moment.”

This closed-loop system—crop production, livestock feeding, final processing—allows his family to control quality at every stage. It also reflects a growing consumer demand: people want to know where their food comes from, how the animals were raised, and who stands behind the product. Blake’s vertically integrated model checks every box: local grain, local livestock, local processing, and local families benefiting from safe, transparent, premium-quality meat.

The Support Behind the Success

Blake credits both his parents and FFA advisors for shaping the agricultural leader he is becoming.

“My advisors have always supported my decisions,” he says. They encouraged him to step into leadership roles, pursue new challenges, and connect classroom learning to real-world application.

At home, his parents gave him opportunities that many students only dream of—access to farmland, livestock, and a processing facility—while still allowing him to decide independently what direction he wanted to take.

That balance of autonomy and mentorship fostered confidence, resilience, and a clear sense of responsibility. It has empowered Blake to carve out a strong pathway forward in an industry that rewards commitment and adaptability.

A Future in Farming and Processing

Blake is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Wright State University Lake Campus—a strategic move that will position him to handle the financial, managerial, and operational decisions required to keep the family enterprise thriving.

His vision for the future is focused and intentional: “I hope to continue row crop farming and raising livestock along with processing at The Butcher Block.”

He hopes to integrate the farm and processing facility even more seamlessly, explore niche markets, and expand value-added offerings that meet customer demand. Whether it’s direct-to-consumer beef boxes, specialty cuts, or custom processing services, Blake sees endless opportunities to strengthen the connection between farmers and families.

His long-term goal is not only to sustain the family’s legacy, but to elevate it—creating a resilient, modern, community-centered agricultural operation built on quality, transparency, and pride.

Advice for Students Considering a Processing SAE

Blake’s encouragement is straightforward: “I would highly recommend it to anyone. It has taught me numerous things—not only relevant to processing but also to life and success.”

Agricultural processing may happen behind the scenes, but it is one of the most essential links in the food chain. Students who pursue it gain skills that translate across the industry—and across life.

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FFA Spotlight: Cultivating Demand for Specialty Crops

What began as a way to help fund a swine and poultry project has evolved into a full specialty-crop enterprise—and a future career in agricultural education.

From Wolfforth Roots to Fungal Futures

Gunner grew up surrounded by agriculture, but his path into specialty crops wasn’t planned.

Gunner joined FFA in part because it was a family tradition. “My grandfather was in FFA,” he says. But the supervised agriculture experience, or SAE, became something more: a way to support his other agriculture projects.

One of Gunner’s SAEs took place at E3 Farms, a mushroom operation near his home. This experience opened his eyes to an entirely different segment of the farm-to-table world.

“I became interested in specialty crops when I started my placement SAE at E3 Farms,” Gunner explains. “That’s where it all started.”

The work was unlike anything he’d done before. And unlike traditional row crops or livestock production, mushroom cultivation requires precision, sanitation, and a deep understanding of biology—skills that immediately clicked for him.

“My mushroom SAE helped me pay for my poultry and swine SAEs,” he explains. It was a smart business move—one that ultimately revealed a new passion.

A Day in the Life

Specialty mushroom production is demanding, and Gunner quickly became an essential hand at the farm. His daily tasks include:

  • Harvesting fully matured mushrooms
  • Creating substrate blocks
  • Inoculating blocks with mushroom cultures
  • Maintaining environmental controls like humidity and airflow

What surprised him most? How different fungi are from plants. “I learned that fungi grow completely differently,” Gunner says. “Humidity is the only watering they require.”

This attention to microclimates—temperature, airflow, and sanitation—taught him how delicate and responsive specialty crops can be.

Because he already worked farmers’ markets for his poultry SAE, he combined forces with E3 Farms. Soon, he became the face of the mushroom operation on weekends.

What Consumers Really Want

The collaboration with E3 Farms allowed Gunner to build a new skillset—one many young agriculturists don’t learn until years later. “I’ve gained so many personal and communication skills,” he says. “Being at the booth taught me how to help customers find the right product.”

Talking with shoppers also gave him insights into consumer behavior —perhaps one of the most valuable agribusiness lessons of all.

After hundreds of customer conversations, one trend became clear: Lion’s Mane is the star of the show. “It’s the most commercially sold mushroom we produce,” Gunner says. “Most people ask for it first.”

But something interesting happens after the first purchase.

“Once they repeat their order, they start wanting to try new varieties,” he explains. That curiosity opens the door to oyster mushrooms, chestnut, pioppino, and other specialty types that benefit small farms like E3.

In other words: specialty crops don’t just serve niche consumers—they create them.

Looking Ahead: Teaching the Next Generation

Gunner credits much of his success to the people around him.

“My advisors and family have always been truly supportive,” he says. His FFA advisors even toured the mushroom farm to understand his SAE firsthand—an extra step that empowered them to guide him more effectively.

Gunner’s future plans speak volumes about the impact agricultural education can have. “I plan on attending Texas Tech University to earn a degree in Ag Education,” he says. His goal? To become an agriculture teacher.

And his long-term mission is equally grounded, stating “I hope to use my experience to guide and help others.”

Whether his future classroom includes livestock, crops, specialty agriculture, or entrepreneurship, he’ll bring firsthand experience that inspires.

And if there’s one thing Gunner wants new FFA members to know, it’s that “you have to jump all in and be committed.”

Specialty crops require precision, consistency, and a willingness to learn constantly—but for those who love the work, the rewards run deep.