JEFF FIELDER Editor
BAYARD – Braden Johnson, a senior at Bayard High School, is this week’s Nspire Today! Male Student of the Week, sponsored by First State Bank. He participates in FFA, cross country, track & field, and 4-H. After he graduates from high school, he plans to attend the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, Nebraska, and earn an associate’s degree in diversified ag. His parents are Bryan Laura Johnson.
Q: How would you describe the way your senior year has gone up to this point?
JOHNSON: “My senior year was going really great until about March, when the coronavirus made our senior year go downhill. But it’s still been one of my favorite years of school.”
Q: Talk a little more about how the coronavirus has affected your life.
JOHNSON: “It’s been pretty disappointing, especially since [it’s affected] FFA. I’ve worked really hard for four years for my state FFA degree. This year I would have received it in Lincoln and walked across the stage in front of a couple thousand people maybe. Also, we qualified for ag mechanics, and that got cancelled. There’s been other disappointments, too, like with prom and graduation – even the last day of high school. We don’t get to say our final goodbyes to everyone we’ve been around for years.”
Q: How many years have you been involved in FFA?
JOHNSON: “Since my freshman year.”
Q: What are the projects that you’ve done in FFA?
JOHNSON: “I’ve done a lot of competitions to make it to state FFA, and a few of them were welding and ag mechanics and agronomy. But the major one I was involved in was my SAE [Supervised Agricultural Experience] project in order to get my state FFA degree. I’ve put in a lot of hours. I started off buying a few cows to start my own cattle herd [about a year ago], but they were old, and they ended up dying on me. So, I switched over to working for different farmers in order to get my state FFA degree.”
Q: How many cows did you buy?
JOHNSON: “I bought four.”
Q: What did it cost to buy four cows?
JOHNSON: “Well, I got a loan, and they gave me $4,000 to buy four cows. A friend of mine gave me a good deal, and it was about $1,000 for each cow.”
Q: How long did you have the cows?
JOHNSON: “Probably about two months.”
Q: Just two months?
JOHNSON: “Yes. They were old. They laid down, and they couldn’t get back up.”
Q: How demoralizing was that to you?
JOHNSON: “It was pretty demoralizing because you’re starting your own project and you’ve got your feet down and are getting everything together, and then it was just over in a matter of days. It was discouraging, but at the same time, you learn a lot from it. The ranching economy is tough, so you’ve got to be tougher or else you won’t make it in life. … Luckily, I’ve made enough money with my jobs that I’ve been able to buy a few more cows for my SAE project.”
Q: So how many cows do you have now?
JOHNSON: “I have five.”
Q: Do you live on a farm?
JOHNSON: “Yes, we do, just south of Gering. I wanted to go to Bayard, though, for the FFA program over there.”
Q: Has FFA always been your favorite activity at Bayard?
JOHNSON: “Yes, definitely. My shop classes in FFA are my favorite classes.”
Q: What’s another activity that you really like?
JOHNSON: “I really did enjoy cross country. I’ve also enjoyed being in 4-H.”
Q: Has 4-H been a big part of your life?
JOHNSON: “Yes, it has been a big part of my life. Down in [Masonville, Colorado], we started out with shooting sports, and then I showed swine and cattle in Colorado, and I still show swine and cattle in Nebraska.”
Q: So you used to live in Colorado?
JOHNSON: “Yes, we did. But we’ve lived south of Gering now for about five years.”
Q: Talk about how important getting excellent grades is to you?
JOHNSON: “I used to not really like school, and I used to think that grades weren’t really a big deal, but then when I moved here, I realized that grades are very important. I think the more successful you are in school, the more opportunities you’ll have in life.”
Q: During your educational career, which teacher do you think has made the biggest influence on you?
JOHNSON: “Definitely Mr. [Justin] Rafferty, my ag teacher. He always pushes you to do things that you thought you would never do. For example, I tried out for a Nebraska state FFA officer. He was 100 percent behind me, whether I made the cut or not. He believed in me, and he made me believe that I could do it.”
Q: Why have you decided to go to the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture?
JOHNSON: “My brother went there, and he had really good success there. Also, a few of our family friends went there, and they had really good success there, too. So, I was like, ‘It’s a two-year college, and it looks like a place where I would fit in.’ It’s a country college. It’s not very big – it’s just something that fits me.”
Q: What do you want to do for a career after college?
JOHNSON: “I would like to do ranching. I’ve always dreamed of owning a ranch. That’s just something that’s in my blood. But I’ve also looked into going into welding.”
Q: How big of a challenge will it be to find your own land to start a ranch?
JOHNSON: “It’s very challenging. Right now, we’re looking for pasture land, and it’s crazy expensive. It can be hard, too, to find land that people are trying to sell.”
Q: What kind of crops does your family grow on your farm?
JOHNSON: “We do mainly alfalfa, but we also do corn and dry beans.”
Q: How much have you enjoyed living on a farm?
JOHNSON: “I enjoy it. You’re out in the country, and there’s fresh air. I also like that you’re out in the open. You just feel free.”
Q: Why did your family decide to move to the Gering/Bayard area from Colorado?
JOHNSON: “For the better school system, and we wanted to get away from all the people in Colorado. We were tired of all the people moving there. It’s just crazy to think of all the people who are moving there. So, we wanted to come here to get away from all the people and also for the better school system.”
Q: Outside of school and working on the farm, what do you like to do for fun?
JOHNSON: “I really enjoy shooting and working on anything that has a motor. I also like welding, ranching, working with cows, and farming.
Q: Who do you think is one of the kindest students at Bayard High School?
JOHNSON: “There’s a lot of kind students at Bayard, but some of the kindest would have to be Ryan Liakos, Gordon Acosta, and Daeton Blanco. They’re my kind of ride and die with group of friends. We’ve been going to high school together all four years. We’re really close.”
Q: What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?
JOHNSON: “Definitely country.”
Q: What is your favorite TV show?
JOHNSON: “SpongeBob.”
Q: What do you think is the coolest attraction in the WyoBraska region?
JOHNSON: “Either Chimney Rock or the Monument.”
Q: What’s the coolest place you’ve ever traveled to?
JOHNSON: “Washington, D.C., my eighth-grade year. It was a school trip.”
Q: What are your three favorite apps on your cell phone?
JOHNSON: “Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok.”
Q: What is your favorite local restaurant?
JOHNSON: “The Steel Grill. They have good food, especially the famous steak nachos.”
Q: If you could give a shoutout to one business in Bayard, which one would it be and why?
JOHNSON: “Tiger Paws because they put up with all the high schoolers coming down for lunch, and they have really good food for us.”
Q: Do you have any siblings?
JOHNSON: “Yes, I have an older brother.”
If you would like to nominate someone for Nspire Today!’s Students of the Week, sponsored by First State Bank, you may do so by sending an email to jeff.fielder@nspiretoday.com or by mailing a letter to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. Nominations may also be submitted by sending a text to 308-220-8865.
In addition to being recognized online, students of the week will also be recognized in Nspire Today! magazine. To sign up for a one-year subscription (12 issues) to the magazine, please send $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. To pay with a credit card, please call 308-220-8865.
First State Bank has been a community bank for more than 80 years with locations in Scottsbluff, Gering and Colorado Springs. First State Bank’s new mortgage center has the convenience of applying online without giving up the personalized customer service people have come to expect. Visit www.fsbcentral.com to find out why when First State Bank says, ‘We’re Big on You,’ they mean it. Find First State Bank on Facebook at firststatebank1935.
