Instilling a Love of Farming in the Next Generation
How Her Family Farm Keeps Her Connected
Outside of work, Grace Huxman’s life revolves around her family farm. Her husband and father-in-law primarily raise cattle and crops. Last summer, she and her family moved to the farm so it’s easier for her to be involved with day-to-day operations. In addition to her role as the farm bookkeeper, she is a jack of all trades, whether that’s running meals to the field, helping as taxi service, or numbering ear tags.
Her two kids (ages 3 and 10 months) get plenty of time in the fields, including riding the tractor or combine or watching while others work with the cattle. “We want our farm to pass to the next generation and know that we must first instill in them the love for farming,” said Grace.
Personal Experience Drives Client Outcomes
Since she serves on the agriculture team at Adams Brown, some of her agriculture clients are aware of her life outside of work. Her work on her family farm helps her relate to clients because she’s going through the same things they are. Through experiences on her own farm, Grace is able to understand what her clients do without having to see their farm. Also, she personally uses the AgriBuilder solution to bridge the gap between accounting and farm management. She’s learning the software and can help fix bugs before they become an issue for clients.
A Different Career Path: Balancing Personal and Professional Life
“My manager has been very understanding of my career goals, even if they’re less traditional in public accounting. He knows my work/life balance is important to me and when work starts bleeding into personal, he knows we need to back off. During busy seasons on the farm, I have the flexibility to work from home and be ‘on call’ for the farm when I am needed. I have been able to work from home a few days a week since my daughter was born. I still go to the office regularly because it helps me feel connected, but the days I work from home I have a little extra time to work or get other things done at home just because I don’t have my normal commute time. I also get to focus on getting my kids ready in the mornings without having to worry about getting myself ready and out the door too.”
Learn more about the culture and flexibility at Adams Brown and check out current openings on the team.