Hi! My name is Kendra Downing and I am working as the editorial intern for the Lessiter Media grower division this summer! I’m excited to work with the Lessiter team, provide quality information to farmers and grow as a writer!

I grew up on my family’s farm near Cambridge, Ill. where we grow corn and soybeans. My dad introduced words like “no-till” and “cover crops” to me at a young age, and I quickly learned the important role they can play in specialty crops. When my younger sister was 5 years old and I was 8 years old, our parents decided we needed a project to keep us busy and teach us some life skills. I don’t think they knew what they were signing themselves up for! A few months later Downing Daughters’ Pumpkin Patch was born.

alt John Deere 7000 corn planter planting pumpkins

We used a John Deere 7000 corn planter with modified finger pick-up units to plant the pumpkins into sod. From left to right: my sister (Emily), me and my dad (Zane).

In 2013 we no-tilled about ½ an acre of pumpkins into sod and grew some sunflowers and broom corn. Over that summer, we built a hayrack, painted some signs and advertised through word of mouth to family and friends. The small crop sold out quickly and our first “pumpkin season” was over by early October.

By the time I was in high school we had built 3 more hayracks (two with folding sides after experiencing pumpkins rolling off), added a 5 acre corn maze, nearly perfected our cover crop weed control program and expanded to planting 3 acres of pumpkins.

My sister and I were no longer shy little girls in bibs and pigtails. We thoughtfully compiled yearly seed orders, learned how to drive the tractor and planter, managed social media platforms, did interviews with local media, scouted the crops, built relationships with customers, collaborated with local farmers to retail their products, gave tours of the farm and trained several employees among many other responsibilities.

This is not to say we never stumbled though. We navigated crop failure, sisterly disagreements, a global pandemic and a severely detrimental herbicide misapplication by relying on our faith and the constant guidance of our parents. These all became excellent learning moments along the journey. Despite the hiccups, my high school experience was capstoned by being named the National FFA Proficiency Winner in Ag Sales-Entrepreneurship based on my FFA record book about the pumpkin patch.

Emily and Kendra Downing

Emily (left) and I learned many valuable lessons on the farm!

Downing Daughters’ Pumpkin Patch closed after the 2025 season since my sister and I will now both be away from the farm as we attend college. Looking back now, I can safely say that my parents’ original goals were met. I have often found myself in classes, internships or social interactions where I draw from the soft skills and agronomic knowledge that I learned on the farm. 

One of my favorite parts about the pumpkin patch was how it served as an educational tool. As the general public has become further removed from agriculture, the pumpkin patch provided an opportunity for families to visit a working farm. 

My involvement in FFA during high school confirmed that I wanted to pursue a career in the ag industry. This led me to University of Wisconsin-Platteville where I’m double majoring in Soil & Crop Science and Environmental Horticulture, minoring in Agribusiness and earning a certificate in Professional Writing. At UW-P I also compete on the Cross Country and Track Teams and am involved in the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship campus ministry. After graduation in December I plan to work in the ag industry, and hope to eventually find myself growing pumpkins again!

Stay tuned for more content from me across the No-Till Farmer, Strip-Till Farmer, and Cover Crop Strategies platforms this summer!