Getting to know you; Jared Stephens
Jared Stephens, USDA Farm Service Agency County Executive Director (CED) for the Hancock and Daviess County FSA Office, was born and raised in Pellville. He graduated from Hancock County High School in 2000.
Jared played trumpet in HCHS Marching Band and was a member of Future Farmers of America (FFA) all four years.
He was Secretary of FFA his senior year and competed in many FFA events throughout high school, such as tobacco judging.
Among the awards he earned, was the Star Chapter Farmer Award – the lead agriculture award presented in FFA.
On his family’s farm in Pellville, they raised cattle and burley tobacco. His parents are Randall & Connie Stephens.
“Growing up on the farm is, basically, what led me to do the job that I do now,” he said. I’d help out Dad and his rule was that if I helped him and then if there was a time where we were done or he didn’t need me, I was allowed to go help neighbors in tobacco or hay.”
Jared said he stayed very busy with his chores at home and helping neighbors down the road.“Both of my parents, they normally said, ‘Always try and do your best’ – with school work, work and everything,” he said.
He also gives much credit to his agriculture teacher at HCHS, Gary Long.
“I took every class that Gary offered that was Ag related, which really got me interested in pursuing a job with agriculture,” he said.
He graduated from Western Kentucky University in the spring of 2005, earning his Bachelor’s in General Agriculture.
Jared met his wife, Jamie, while attending WKU. She is currently the South Hancock Elementary School Family Resource Coordinator.
“We were set up on a blind date,” he said, which was arranged by his cousin, Jennifer Stephens, who was also attending WKU at the time.
They were married at Pellville Baptist Church in December of 2005, and afterward went straight to the Executive Inn, where they had tickets to see the Charlie Daniels Band that evening.
From 2005-2014 he worked at the Ohio County FSA office, and started as a Program Technician (PT). When the process of building his house at his family’s farm in Pellville was almost completed, he transferred to Daviess County, and worked in the Daviess/HC FSA Owensboro office, in 2014.
He said his supervisor at the time, who was over both offices, had decided that Jared should work out of the HC office in Hawesville, since he is from here.
January, 2015 he and his family moved into their new house in Pellville. Stephens worked in the HC FSA office from September 2014 until September of 2020, and then completed the 6-month County Office Trainee (COT) training, to become the CED.
He interviewed in April of 2021 and started his job over the Daviess and HC FSA offices and has been CED of both offices since May of 2021. He travels back and forth from Owensboro to Hawesville.
Stephens said they have a wide variety of programs that are based on the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program that help farmers in the area.
They plant different seed mixtures for wildlife, for instance such as to help with bringing back the quail population and there is a pollinator program that helps with bee and butterfly populations.
There are also disaster programs that help those who are in need, such as from tornados or drought situations.
“Mainly, our job is to keep the farmers going,” he said, “especially in times of need. We’re here to help all of the production and keep farmers in business during times of need.”
Jared meets with the HC FSA Committee each month that is comprised of 3 members and one advisor. Chris Kramer, Jack Sheran and Neil Estes make up the current committee, and Nell Rearden-Nelson is the current Advisor. “There are 3 boundaries in HC,” he explained, “and every third year those committee positions come up for an election.The people of HC elect who they would think best represents them in each district. We will be having another election coming up in November.”
The committee helps set rates in the County, such as yield rates, disaster rates per acre (in the case of flooding, for example), appeals and approving contracts & sign-ups in the County, to name a few. “I feel very honored to come back here and serve for the community that I grew up in,” Jared said.
“I feel blessed to be back here and honored to help serve the community and the ones here who helped me in choosing my path in life.”
He still helps his dad with cattle and hay, as needed.
Stephens mostly likes hunting & fishing in his spare time. He and his family like to fish at Rough River. “We take the kids up there every so often to get away and relax and do some fishing,” he said. There is a pond between his house and his parents’ house and his oldest son, Hunter, loves to fish there as well. He and Hunter like to hunt deer and turkey on the farm during those seasons every chance they get, he said.
They have a small garden and grow: tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, cucumbers, squash, zucchini and watermelons. The whole family works together in the garden. “We’re all hands on deck,” he said. They’ve also raised chickens and goats, and their children used to show goats at the HC Fair.
They are members of Pellville Baptist Church, and Jamie rotates with others in teaching the children’s Sunday school classes there.
“We’re always traveling,” Jared said.
Jamie is from Scottsville and they travel to many family events and visit often, as well as traveling to their children’s track meets on weekends. They are blessed with 2 children: Hunter (14) and Cannon (11).
Hunter is on the HCHS Track Team this year. Cannon ran track at SHES and is planning to run on the HCMS Track Team as well.
Jared said they have enjoyed taking several family vacations to locations such as Orange Beach, GA, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Virginia Beach, Chattanooga, TN and St. Louis, MO.
By Jennifer Wimmer