Young Farmer’s Roots in Agriculture may not be Deep, but They’re Strong

By Allison Whiten

Sara Bullis shows that anyone can be involved in agriculture and Farm Bureau as long as they have passion. Sara currently lives in Vermont with her new husband and fur baby. While she is passionate about agriculture now, her story did not start out that way.

Sara did not grow up with an agriculture background. As she said, “You can’t have a cow in a one-acre lot in the suburbs.” Her agriculture story began in high school through FFA and agriscience biotechnology. Through her involvement in these programs, she found a love of farming that’s evident when you speak to her. Sara continued to foster this passion through college. While attending the University of Vermont, Sara participated in the Cooperative for Real Education in Agricultural Management (CREAM) program, during which she learned about dairy health and management while working with other students to care for the dairy herd.

Sara struggled early on to identify as a farmer because she was not farming 365 days a year. As she became more involved with Farm Bureau and agriculture, that changed. Sara has served as the Grand Isle County Young Farmers & Ranchers chair in Vermont, in addition to serving on the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee from 2022 to 2024. When asked why she became involved with Farm Bureau, she replied, “I wanted to be involved in agriculture outside of my professional job.”

In addition to her full-time job as a mail carrier, Sara also works with her husband on their fourth-generation dairy farm. On the farm, she helps to manage yearly house rentals as well as artificial insemination for their herd. In addition, she is the Grand Isle County Farm Bureau president and serves as her county’s Promotion & Engagement Committee chair. Through Farm Bureau, she has found that anyone can identify with agriculture. She says, “As long as you tell your story, you're going to be a good advocate.”

In striving to be part of the “The Unifying Voice of Vermont Agriculture,” Sara shares the same mission as Vermont Farm Bureau. She has found that she can represent farmers who like to stay in the background and struggle to share their voice. She uses her experiences and strengths to share agriculture’s story.

Sara is open to engaging and working with everyone, regardless of their agricultural or Farm Bureau background. She reminds members to not be afraid to get involved, encouraging them to dive right in. She learned and grew the most when she got involved in agriculture and Farm Bureau and asked questions. She also stressed the importance of being involved on the national level, even if it is just attending a conference. Through the conferences, members get to meet people from all over the world and connect on the things they have in common, particularly their passions, and learn from their differences.. She also gave a wonderful reminder that there isn’t a stupid question. So many farmers love to talk about what they do and will welcome someone who is getting answers straight from the source. As she stated, “You don’t know unless you ask.”

Allison Whiten and her husband, Andy, serve on the AFBF YF&R Committee. They grow corn, wheat and soybeans in South Carolina. In addition to the row crops, Whiten Farms produces poultry. Allison is a special education teacher at a local elementary school and also leads a school-based 4-H club.