After listening to multiple ag-themed podcasts, Bailey Hawbaker joked with a colleague about wanting to start one of her own. She finally brought her dream to fruition with Agriculture’s Top Hands in January.

Hawbaker is the Stanley, N.D., agriculture teacher and FFA advisor, and has a long history of being passionate about FFA, agriculture and education. She has been involved in the industry through 4-H and FFA in high school. At North Dakota State University, she was active in Saddle and Sirloin and NDSU’s livestock judging team, as well as other activities. She graduated with a double major in agriculture economics and agriculture education from NDSU in 2018 — and has been teaching agriculture ever since.

Hawbaker’s goal with her podcast is to help inspire her students about the future of the agriculture industry, showcase career opportunities and spotlight those whom she looks up to in agriculture. Her guests have included educators, ranchers, agriculture education professors and other FFA advisors. She started with her personal favorites, but received requests from others interested in sharing their stories for the podcast.

Making it all work

Juggling a weekly podcast and being a full-time agriculture teacher can be stressful. However, Hawbaker relies on planning and time management, all skills she developed through 4-H, FFA and college. She says one of her favorite parts of her job as an FFA advisor and agriculture teacher is the sheer variety of what she teaches students.

“Just in one day, I’ll have students flower arranging in my classroom, and then working on an ag mechanics project, and basically everything in-between,” Hawbaker shares.

You can follow the agriculture teacher side of Bailey’s life on Stanley FFA's Facebook and Instagram pages, and her podcast journey on Agriculture's Top Hands on Facebook and Instagram, and new episodes are available on Apple podcasts and Spotify.

If you’re interested in being a guest on the show or know someone who would be ideal to interview, reach out through a direct message on social media, or email at [email protected].