Ella Peterson, a freshman studying agricultural communications at Iowa State University, owns and operates a rabbit breeding business while she is a full-time college student. She is also a student member of NAFB.
Peterson grew up in a rural town in southwest Iowa on a farm, where her family raised cattle. She did not desire a career in the agriculture industry until high school.
‘I was a sophomore in high school when I competed in Ag Broadcasting through FFA,” Peterson said. “From that experience, I realized I wanted to pursue agricultural communications, and I wanted to share the industry’s stories.”
Peterson’s sister showed rabbits while they were growing up, and she decided to try it for herself.
“My brother and sister both showed cattle, and I tried it for a year,” Peterson said. “I also tried other large livestock species, but I figured out that it wasn’t for me. They are hard to control and unpredictable, so I tried rabbits and kept showing them.”
When she got to high school, Peterson still showed rabbits, but she encountered an obstacle.
“My breeder was going out of business, and I had formed bonds with the rabbits I had that summer,” Peterson said. “I spent much time working with them and learning their personalities. I decided that I wanted to start breeding and raising my own rabbits, so I bought one buck and two does.”
Her parents helped her renovate an old granary on their property to use as a shelter for the rabbits.
“Now it’s my third breeding season, and I have around five does, three bucks and 50 kits,” Peterson said. “My main goal is to sell them to kids in my county and give them rabbits to show at the fair.”
Peterson’s advice to other young people that might want to start their own business is to surround yourself with the right team.
“It’s really good to have a support team,” Peterson said. “I couldn’t do this without my dad, because he is caring for the rabbits while I’m away at college. I also heavily rely on my former breeder who gives me great advice. There are many ups and downs, but having a good support team can make all the difference.”
