Brady McNeil is in his second semester of his freshman year at Iowa State University. Planning to major in animal science, he's hauled in a truckload of scholarships to help pay for his education.
His dad, Mike, traces Brady's academic success back to the FFA in Clinton County, Iowa. As a district officer in FFA and a participant in 4-H, Brady learned to raise and show hogs. His brother Alan, 16, also participates in FFA and 4-H.
"They taught him responsibility," Mike says. "If you don't take care of the hogs, they won't be around."
Brady was a straight A student in an Iowa school district where students tested well above the state average. In fact, Iowa students test higher than students in most other states to begin with. "He thought he might get an A minus once, and that drove him crazy," Mike adds.
Brady attended high school with 640 other students at Central High School. It's a country school that sits above the broad lowlands that define much of the county's eastern border—the Mississippi River. Farther inland, the county rises to more than 800 feet above sea level. Settled by the German and Irish, Clinton County grew up on agriculture. Logs were cut from northern forests and floated down the river to its sawmills.
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At its heart, Clinton County remains farming country. Mike, who farms outside Grand Mound, is like many of the 1,200 farmers here. He produces corn and soybeans. While Mike no longer produces hogs, Clinton County remains a fairly large hog-producing county. It also produces a good number of beef cattle.
Mike, married to his wife, Jean, for 22 years, can't think of a better place to raise his boys. "The farm life has been good. It may not be as physical as it once was, but you do learn about hard work and you learn about responsibility."
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