2025 20 Under 40 Farmer
About
Blake Edwards of Gridley, IL, is building a farming career through a unique path – one that began
not with immediate family, but with a distant relative who gave him the opportunity to pursue a
lifelong dream of farming. Today, Blake grows corn and soybeans while focusing on
sustainability, efficiency, and stewardship of the land. Blake prioritizes innovation by utilizing
practices such as no-till and strip-till, variable rate fertilizer applications, and new camera
technology to reduce herbicide use, he is cutting inputs while improving environmental
outcomes. Guided by mentors, teachers, and his parents, Blake values hard work and faith,
crediting those influences with shaping his journey and opening the doors for him into
agriculture. He hopes his unique story inspires others to see that you don’t have to grow up on
a farm to find your place in agriculture – as long as you’re willing to work hard and embrace
opportunities when they come.