At Just 12, Ayersville Farmer Liam Gustwiller Is Already Growing His Future

Todd Palmer

November 4, 2026

A smiling boy in a black baseball cap with a teal “A” and a camouflage-sleeved shirt sits in a tractor cab. Through the window behind him is a yellow and green planter in a tilled field with trees in the distance.

Most seventh graders are busy juggling homework, sports and activities with friends. Twelve-year-old Liam Gustwiller of Ayersville does all of that, too. But this year, he added something else to his schedule: running his own farming operation.

And it all started with a knock on a neighbor’s door.

Liam has been around farming nearly his entire life, riding in tractors and combines alongside his father and grandfather. But after years of watching and learning, he decided it was time to try farming on his own.

“I wanted to start doing my own stuff,” Liam explained.

He had noticed that a field across the road from his family’s home hadn’t been farmed in some time. The property belonged to neighbor Kendra Limber, so Liam decided to walk over and ask about it.

He knocked on her door, learned that nobody was farming the ground, and began negotiating a rental agreement.

A few weeks later, the two had reached a deal.

Just like that, Liam had his first 6.5 acres.

From Opportunity to Harvest

With help and guidance from his family, Liam set about preparing the ground for his first crop.

He began by operating a Case 200 tractor pulling a vertical tillage implement. Later, using the same tractor and a John Deere air seeder, he planted soybeans.

And yes, Liam drove the tractor himself.

He chose soybeans because he believed they would be a good crop for getting the previously idle ground back into production.

Mother Nature cooperated, too.

“We had really great weather,” Liam recalled. “It was a really good year for my first year.”

A timely rain late in the growing season helped fill out the soybean pods, and the crop developed well across most of the acreage.

One portion of the field presented a challenge. Soil excavated during construction of a pond had been spread over approximately one acre, limiting production in that area.

But across the remainder of the field, Liam reported yields of approximately 60 bushels per acre.

For his first year in business, he was pleased with the results.

A Young Farmer With a Business Mind

Liam’s agricultural education didn’t stop when the combine left the field.

He also got his first taste of marketing his crop.

Rather than storing the soybeans and waiting for a potentially better price, Liam sold them shortly after harvest.

His timing turned out to be excellent.

“When I sold them, like, the day after, they just started going down,” he said of soybean prices.

But perhaps the most impressive part of Liam’s first growing season came after he received payment for his crop.

According to his mother, Julie Gustwiller, Liam promptly paid Kendra the agreed-upon rent, within approximately three days of selling his soybeans.

Kendra was impressed, and Liam secured the opportunity to farm the ground again next year.

Then came another important decision: what to do with his earnings.

Instead of spending his profits, Liam headed to the bank.

He deposited approximately 75 percent of the money into a certificate of deposit (CD), keeping the remaining 25 percent in his bank account.

Julie couldn’t have been prouder.

“He went straight to the bank and invested in it,” she said.

For Liam, it was another lesson in responsibility, planning and the business side of agriculture.

Farming Runs in the Family

Liam comes from a family with deep agricultural roots.

His father and grandfather have farmed, as have generations on both sides of his family.

“He’s literally been around it his entire life,” Julie explained.

Although farming is an important part of the family’s heritage, previous generations have often balanced agriculture with other careers.

Julie believes Liam may eventually follow a similar path, maintaining his involvement in farming while exploring other professional opportunities.

For now, he’s enjoying the experience and learning along the way.

Next year, when he enters eighth grade at Ayersville, Liam plans to become involved in FFA. His older sister participated in the program, and he’s looking forward to discovering what it has to offer.

Outside the field and classroom, Liam stays busy with basketball, baseball and football, and he’s considering joining the track team.

He also helps care for the family’s chickens.

And when asked about his favorite school subject, he didn’t hesitate to mention math — a useful skill for a young farmer already managing acreage, crop yields, expenses and investments.

Planting the Seeds of Tomorrow

For Liam Gustwiller, this first growing season was about much more than raising a successful soybean crop.

It was about recognizing an opportunity, taking the initiative, accepting responsibility and following through on a commitment.

At just 12 years old, he’s already experienced many of the decisions that farmers face throughout their careers — from preparing the soil and selecting a crop to managing weather, marketing grain and handling finances.

And with his first successful harvest behind him and plans to farm the same ground next year, Liam is just getting started.

Six and a half acres might not sound like much, but for one determined young farmer in Ayersville, they’re the beginning of something much bigger.