Four young Wisconsin farmers are vying for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s Farming for the Future Award this weekend, and you have a local rooting interest in one of them. Door County’s Austin Vandertie is in the running for the award, competing against Stephanie Abts of Oconto County and Vernon County’s Cosette Henthorne and William Walleser.

The Farming for the Future Award recognizes Young Farmer and Agriculturist (YFA) members who derive most of their income from their operation and excel in their farm involvement, future goals, leadership abilities, and participation in Farm Bureau and other civic and service organizations. 

A sixth-generation farmer, the 25-year-old Vandertie took over the family farm, Vandertie Doorco Holsteins, from his parents, Dan and Julie, in January 2025 after earning his dairy science degree and business management certificate from UW–Madison. As a part of our Ask a Farmer series this summer with the Door County Farm Bureau, Vandertie said his dad knew he had a chance to pass the farm down to him when he asked how he would feed his cows if they turned his 400 acres into a subdivision. It was just a matter of when, setting in motion a succession plan that gave Vandertie a deeper understanding of his family farm beyond the 40 cows it milks on a daily basis. He said his favorite part of being a farmer is watching his cows’ calves grow up and become a part of the herd.

Vandertie is competing for $1,500, a trip to attend the 2026 American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference, and eligibility to participate in the 2027 YFA Washington, D.C. Fly-In and serve as a guest of the 2026 WFBF YFA Conference. He and the other finalists will interview for the top honors on Saturday afternoon as part of the 106th Wisconsin Farm Bureau Foundation Annual Meeting and YFA Conference that begins on Friday in Wisconsin Dells.