Meet Brandon Hall, the 2023 Illinois Certified Crop Advisor of the Year

Brandon’s path was paved with motivation and mentorship

Brandon Hall’s office at West Central FS once belonged to Jim Link, the first Illinois Certified Crop Advisor Award recipient. Brandon never imagined he would also be a recipient of the award having only earned his certification six years ago. 

Brandon credits countless mentors, managers, and professors along the way for challenging and encouraging him on his soil science path. He also thanks his wife who supported him as he worked on his certification during a time when he had to balance work and the challenges of having a new baby at home. 

Starting work as a teen in his family’s bakery, Brandon adopted his family’s work ethic and was a hard worker out of the gate. His grandfather, a dairy farmer in Knox County, also influenced him from a young age. “My grandfather passed away when I was a senior in high school so I felt like going into agriculture was a way I could honor his legacy and continue that tradition of agriculture for our family,” he said. 

Brandon first entered Black Hawk College East for a soil and crop science associate degree in applied science, focusing on ag business and ag production. He transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville to finish his soil and crop 
science bachelor’s degree. Brandon has also spent 10 years with West Central FS and says his time there has been pivotal to his career.

“The people around me challenged me but I also got to be part of the lives of my coworkers and customers and I really loved that,” he said. “Ultimately they helped me see that everyone is selling a bag of seed corn or chemicals, they motivated me to set myself apart so I could better serve our customers.”

In addition to his passion for soil and serving his customers, Brandon also believes in serving his community and helping to mentor the next generation. He mentors students through internships at Black Hawk College where he’s also on the foundation board and an assistant coach for the soil judging team. Brandon also serves as chair of the Ag Alumni Board at the East Campus of Black Hawk College. Additionally, he also serves on the Young Leader Committee with the Knox County Farm Bureau, volunteers with the FFA alumni program at his kids’ school, and is a Knox County Cattlemen’s Association board member.

You can follow Brandon, or the Soil Nerd as he’s known on X (formerly Twitter) at @ILSoilNerd. 

To learn how you can earn a certification as a crop advisor, visit www.CertifiedCropAdviser.org.