BREANNE HARMON: DEVELOPING RURAL COMMUNITIES, ONE STUDENT AT A TIME
Business educator. Economic development enthusiast. Cattlewoman. Breanne Harmon is a classic connector in Agri-Ready Designated Chariton County. Her passions align so that her professional work and volunteer efforts connect the dots to develop a bright future for her county’s rural economy. She works on the farm with her husband, Jordan, and farm dog, Winston. Breanne also prepares students to live and work in their community and helps to develop a rural community where students will be able to live and work.
At Home on Harmon Farms
“I grew up with black cattle and green tractors. I married someone who wanted red cattle and red tractors,” Breanne giggles.
Compromises have been made and dreams are coming true. Jordan didn’t grow up on a farm, but he dreamed of owning and operating one. It was also important to Breanne to ‘return to her roots’ on a farm of her own. The couple purchased a herd of 33 commercial Red Angus cattle from a good friend and rented pasture from a long-time mentor. They purchased their own farm in August 2022 and will soon sell their first calf crop. Jordan also grows corn and soybeans.
The current market makes raising beef advantageous for small producers like the Harmons, but Breanne is realistic for the long-term. “The farm is our secondary source of income. It takes two other jobs to fund our dreams,” she says.
A Passion for Teaching
“I am a strong advocate for Career and Technical Education (CTE). It prepares students to fill vital careers after high school graduation,” Breanne says. “I have almost a decade of teaching experience in rural Missouri. I put my skillset to work every day in my classroom to bring real-world lessons to students.”
After teaching agriculture for five years, today Breanne is an FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) Advisor and teaches business to grades 7-12 for the Brunswick School District. Her lesson plans are project based, hands-on and encourage students to collaborate. Her goal is to expose students to opportunities and experiences that will prepare them to meet the demands of careers in the 21st century.
“What influenced my education most was the stuff I did outside of the classroom. Weaving those experiences into coursework for my students makes it really powerful,” Breanne shares.
Building Rural Economic Opportunities
Breanne says, “Find an outlet to give back. Dedicate your time to a cause you care about. Volunteering allows you to make new connections. Those connections are invaluable when you are new to an area.”
Breanne lives out this advice as the president of the Chariton County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC). Her role creates an intersection where her students can connect directly to the opportunities of the rural economy that supports the communities of Chariton County. Founded in 2014, the CCEDC is committed to projects that support new and existing businesses and promote tourism county-wide by cultivating opportunity, resilience, and community.
Brunswick is known as the ‘Pecan Capital of Missouri’, home to Missouri’s largest pecan, and an annual Pecan Festival. Breanne and Jordan are hands-on during this highlight every year, competing against one another and against neighbors, in the festival’s pecan pie baking contest.
CCEDC + Agri-Ready Designation
Commitments of the CCEDC align with the spirit of Chariton County’s Agri-Ready Designation: rural vitality. Together, local agriculture leaders and advocates facilitate strategic growth through new partnerships and community projects to strengthen the agricultural economy which creates opportunities for local youth to explore agricultural careers.
Agricultural Roots
“Farming has always been a meaningful part of my life. My family’s original farm, Brammer Farms, recently became a Missouri Century Farm to honor my grandparents and to celebrate 120 years of operation in Carroll County,” Breanne shares. Carroll County was one of Missouri’s first Agri-Ready Designated Counties.
As a 4-H and FFA member near Gallatin, Mo., Breanne showed swine, cattle, and horses and competed in public speaking and judging. These competitions were a natural springboard into her collegiate studies and experiences at the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (CAFNR) at University of Missouri-Columbia.
More About Breanne & Jordan
Jordan is an agricultural lender for FCS Financial, based in Chillicothe. He and Breanne are members of Missouri Farm Bureau. Breanne has served on the Missouri 4-H Foundation and is a lifetime member of the Mizzou Alumni Association. She is president-elect of the Missouri Business Educators Association (MBEA), and she supports beginning business teachers as a mentor.
Missouri Farm Bureau, FCS Financial, and University of Missouri 4-H Extension programs are partners of Missouri Farmers Care