For 22-year-old Treyson Culwell, farming was more of an inevitability than a career choice.

In 2018, Culwell became the primary farmer of 2,200 acres of corn and soy after both of his parents died within 10-months of each other. Culwell, then in high school, learned to plant, spray, harvest and sell seed from family friends and internet tutorials.

“I never thought I would be doing this,” Culwell said.
His godmother, Beth Straube, and godfather, Brandon Straube, moved into the family’s farmhouse in Vandalia, Missouri, to help care for Culwell’s two younger siblings, Annalynn and Reece. With them, they brought their two young daughters, Ann and Kylee.

As the Straubes were moving in, Culwell was moving out. He began studying agriculture at the University of Missouri in the fall of 2019. In addition to his weekly schedule of classes, homework and fraternity events, Culwell would commute over an hour to Vandalia, Missouri, to care for his family farm.

Although becoming a farmer was not Culwell’s decision, going to school was. Before his parents died, Culwell promised them he would earn a bachelor’s degree.

On December 16, 2022, Culwell fulfilled his promise, graduating a semester early with a degree in Agriculture Systems Management from the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. He was supported by dozens of family members and friends who came to celebrate his resilience.

Now that Culwell has graduated, he is taking over the family seed business that his mother started before she died, in addition to continuing to farm.

As a child, Culwell was not interested in farming, but now he can’t imagine doing anything else.

“You get to plant a crop and consistently watch it grow everyday…and that’s really cool to see,” Culwell said.