Mason Duke, a senior at Munford High School, was born and raised in Atoka, Tenn., where he grew a passionate interest in agriculture services.
“My mom and dad never were into agriculture, but I fell in love with it by playing the video game ‘Farming Simulator,”’ he says.
In the spring of 2019, Duke worked on his uncle’s row crop farm in Elkton, Tenn., during planting season “to get more into the agriculture world and learn more about the operation.”
Who would’ve thought that playing a simple video game would change a life? In the summer of 2020, Duke wanted to expand his knowledge.
He started working for Gilland’s Aerial Ag Service, which offers seed sales to northern Alabama and middle Tennessee, as well as aerial application work for farmers. Duke started out fueling the planes and cleaning the windows before loads would go out, then began mixing chemicals and filling the tender trailer.
As his love for agriculture expanded every summer through working for his uncle, Duke grew his Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE).
Duke now works for Anderson Flying Service in Covington, Tenn. He’s in charge of fueling the planes, cleaning the windshields, mixing and loading chemicals and performing maintenance on the plane when needed.
“It’s one of the coolest things I have ever done, and it’s something I might consider trying to start up in the future,” he says.
In discovering his passion for agriculture through a video game and nurturing it into a successful SAE, Duke is not just cultivating crops. He’s also sowing the seeds for a future where his dreams can truly grow.
