Building a future

Young producer gets start with youth loan; we check in 15 years later

By Lura Roti for Tri-State Neighbor
Jan 16, 2024
Jan 16, 2024

Beginning-Farmer-revisited-(10)web.jpg — FSA loan officer Gail Gullickson, left, and farmer Kyle Heylens stand in his cow pasture near Volga, S.D. Heylens started building his herd using a FSA Youth Loan.
Tri-State Neighbor photo by Lura Roti

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By Lura Roti for Tri-State Neighbor

The first time Gail Gullickson rode in Kyle Heylens’ pickup to do a farm visit, he was nervous the Farm Service Agency (FSA) senior farm loan officer would discover he wasn’t quite old enough to be driving.

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Lura Roti is a former Tri-State Neighbor reporter who now works as a freelance agricultural journalist with her work appearing consistently in South Dakota Farmers Union publications and on South Dakota Public Broad-casting. A bachelors and masters graduate of South Dakota State University, Roti enjoys sharing some of what she has learned over the last two decades with the next generation and teaches a collegiate online writing course. Learn more at LRFreelance.com.