Brandon O’Connor

Sep 16, 2024 | nrcs.usda.gov | Brandon O’Connor

By Brandon O’Connor, FPAC External AffairsAfter being hunted to near extinction in the early 1900s and listed as endangered species in the 1970s, the grizzly bear and wolf populations have rebounded throughout the American west. While their numbers still pale in comparison to their heydays, nearly 2,000 grizzly bears and more than 5,000 wolves are now estimated to reside in Montana, Idaho, and other nearby states.

Jul 1, 2024 | ntxe-news.com | Brandon O’Connor

Next time you visityour local county officeto conduct business withUSDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA),you can take advantage of FSA’s new customer kiosk designed to help you access online tools and streamline your visit through self-service options. In thisAsk the Expert, FSA Special Projects Coordinator Caleb Gildea answers questions about how the new kiosks will help you complete important tasks during your next visit to your FSA county office.

Jul 1, 2024 | kiowacountypress.net | Brandon O’Connor

Next time you visit your local county office to conduct business with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), you can take advantage of FSA’s new customer kiosk designed to help you access online tools and streamline your visit through self-service options. In this Ask the Expert, FSA Special Projects Coordinator Caleb Gildea answers questions about how the new kiosks will help you complete important tasks during your next visit to your FSA county office.

Feb 8, 2024 | nrcs.usda.gov | Brandon O’Connor

By Brandon O’ConnorPublic Affairs SpecialistEach morning, before heading out to work on his farm, Shawn Feikema pauses to ask himself two questions. How can he do more with less and how can he pass this to the next generation better than it was when he got it? His answers form his guiding principles of how he runs his 7,000-acre row crop and cattle operation in Luverne, Minnesota, along with his uncles and his brother.

Feb 2, 2024 | m.farms.com | Brandon O’Connor

By Brandon O’ConnorAndrew Johnstad’s family has farmed in Minnesota since his grandfather immigrated to the United States from Norway in 1905. Johnstad, a fourth-generation farmer in Beltrami, Minnesota, farms 11,000 acres of corn, soybeans and sugar beets along with his dad, David, and brother, James. They pride themselves on employing locals and being an economic driver in their small town of 80 people, but in recent years, changing weather patterns have made that mission more difficult.