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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

JOHN CALVIN PEEK AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS ‘00

By Aimee Nielson

John Peek grew up on a Lincoln County farm where his father and his grandfather raised beef cattle and hay in the King’s Mountain community. He was always involved in agriculture and active in 4-H and FFA, but he didn’t head straight to the University of Kentucky after high school.

“I participated in the Farm Bureau’s Institute for Future Leaders in Agriculture program,” he said. “I met my first college roommate through that program, and we went to Somerset Community College for two years before I transferred to UK to finish my degree in agricultural economics.”

With an emphasis in finance and a minor in business, Peek absorbed knowledge and skills he could use to improve his registered Angus seedstock operation, Ridgeland Angus. He said being part of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment meant more than just a solid education for a successful career. He relied on his faculty and mentors for much more.

When I was having a particularly difficult day with school, I would go visit with Loys Mather (retired professor of agricultural economics),” he said. “He would always talk me off the ledge and help me see things in a way that helped me move forward.

After graduating UK in 2000, Peek went back to the farm and took a full-time position with Central Kentucky Ag Credit in Stanford. He is now a senior loan officer. In this role, he works with farmers in 17 Central Kentucky counties to help them carry on their family farming legacies.

For students pursuing similar career paths, Peek said it is vital to learn to wear multiple hats.

“I have to know how to speak knowledgeably about sales, accounting, real estate and law,” he said. “You have to learn a little about a lot of things to facilitate the loan process for clients. You have to be able to form relationships with people and let them know you understand where they are coming from.”

Peek was fortunate to have a scholarship that paid for most of his college expenses and said it made a huge difference as he graduated without debt weighing him down.

Peek and his wife, Kathy, have been married for 16 years. Together they bought the family farm, where they raise their children, Kalyn, 14 and Will, 11. Peek now focuses on hay and cattle in his “spare” time.

“My operation is small, about 20 cows,” he said. “I concentrate on quality. My goal is to try and make the best all-around animal I can.”

Focusing first on maternal quality, Peek also tries to improve growth and carcass merit. All Ridgeland Angus cattle are genetically tested, and Peek uses artifi cial insemination and embryo transfer to support his goals.

“I really enjoy the cattle,” he said. “For me, the challenge is to continually make them better and, in the process, help my bull buyers continually improve their own herds.”

One thing Peek would change about his years at UK is his involvement in extracurricular activities.

“I would encourage students to be involved in clubs and activities that support their major,” he said. “I had a great roommate and didn’t prioritize those activities, but I feel like I missed out on meeting a lot of great people and I know I would have made more contacts and relationships that would be helpful for my future.”