Today’s farm kids need to hear that agriculture is an option for them, says farmer and popular social media host Rob Sharkey, known as the “Shark Farmer.”

“A lot of times, when we’re talking about careers and jobs, farming and agriculture is kind of left out,” Sharkey told the Capital Press. “But it’s definitely important – not just for them as a future, but for the entire country.”

Sharkey will speak to FFA members during the Spokane Ag Show.

A fifth-generation Illinois farmer, he hosts several podcasts and TV shows on RFD-TV and PBS.

Sharkey previously spoke to FFA audiences at the ag show in 2020 and at the Tri-State Grain Growers Convention in 2023.

He and wife Emily hope to be able to get away from the city this time around, and explore the area.

“We’d love to see the Palouse in person, because you see the videos and you see the pictures,” he said. “They’re amazing, but it’s never the same thing when you see it in real life.”

Positivity

As kids consider ag careers, they might think all they’ll do is day labor, Sharkey said.

“Yeah, maybe to start,” he said. “But if you can show these young people that there are actually good paying careers that you can raise a family on in agriculture, that’s what we need to be showing them.”

Sharkey talks to a “handful” of FFA groups each year.

“I enjoy it, because they’re so positive — they’re a lot more positive than I was in high school,” he said with a chuckle. “They seem like they have a lot of things figured out that I didn’t at that age.”

Sharkey hopes FFA audiences come away with a positive feeling about the future of agriculture.

“We’re in a society where negative sells, and it’s easy to get caught up in that,” he said. “But if you can reassure them, show them the positives of agriculture, that’s always a plus.”

Biggest need

What does Sharkey see as the biggest need in agriculture today?

“Obviously, to stay profitable is paramount,” he said. “If we’re looking at potentially a downturn — that’s hard to tell, next year could be a drought year and change everything.”
Profitability keeps the people, he said.

“It’s hard to convince, especially young people, to stay in agriculture, when they can make twice the money, a lot of times for less work somewhere else,” he said.

In his work and presentations, Sharkey advocates for farmer mental health and emphasizes the importance of speaking honestly about difficult things.

“I would love to leave a message that the hard things in your life, that you are going to experience no matter what, can be some of the best things for you,” he said. “I look back at some of the times that I was struggling the most, that I thought things were the worst — those were the times that taught me to look at life differently, taught me to make decisions that ended up doing very well for us. That’s the message I want to leave the younger folks there.”