Nebraska has been leading the way in producing a wide variety of crops and livestock. It is “among the state leaders in producing soybeans, wheat, dry edible beans, pork, grain sorghum and eggs,” with over half of the state’s agricultural products resulting from large-scale farming. But there are also small-scale farmers in the state—including Noah Young. He runs The Shiloh Farm and is also an agricultural content creator, influencer and advocate.
Young started a movement reshaping conventional and small-scale farming. He uses his social media platforms to be a voice for the agricultural community, sharing the realities of farming and tips.
Young often talks about animal husbandry—especially with chickens—and shares how to care for birds, produce more eggs and preserve them. He also shares gardening tips, like how to use cover crops to improve soil health, how to sprout seeds and the best gardening tools.
His witty, insightful and fun personality helped him grow a loyal following, with his videos attracting a lot of attention. Young has more than one million followers on TikTok and Instagram, which he grew in the last two years. He also has a solid presence on other social platforms like Facebook and YouTube, where he shares his daily journey on a farm.
Conventional farming is highly profitable, but it’s also expensive. You need hundreds of acres of land, large equipment such as tractors and planters, and vast knowledge of growing various crops. All this adds up to hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of dollars, which is often passed down from families or bought by the wealthy, locking out many outsiders. Young doesn’t tick any of the above boxes, and for the longest time, he felt like he couldn’t fit into the community because he wasn’t farming 1,000 acres like most Nebraska farmers.
He also didn’t have the experience as he didn’t grow up in farming, ranching or anything agricultural-related. He was raised by two school teachers, and had his first encounter with farming at the age of 10 when he helped a neighbor lay pipes and build a fence for his cows.
After this, Young started looking more into farming, and at 15, he started working for his future father-in-law at their cover crop seed company. His time with the company helped him learn about regenerative agriculture, soil health and how soil quality directly impacts the nutrition in foods. It also introduced Young to the idea of stacking enterprises. He now sees himself not only as a conventional farmer, but also as an advocate for all that they do.
Young grows different crops and raises several animals in The Shiloh Farm, and has involved his kids and wife in the journey. He shares these beautiful moments on the farm with his community on social media.
As he continues to share farm life, he says his goal is to one day run a demonstration farm where people can come and experience agriculture up close, from milking cows and churning milk into butter to harvesting vegetables and creating a meal. He is also looking to grow more organically raised produce that he can sell to the community and local restaurants.
