“I wanted to go to a university where faith was going to be talked about and learn more about business at the same time, and Harding does that.”

College of Business | MBA

“I enjoy that I am outside all of the time and that each day is different and has different obstacles.”

Jacob Feather, farmer and recent Harding alumnus, graduated in May 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management. He is going back to Harding to earn his MBA to make dreams of self-employment a reality.

“Since I did my undergrad in business at Harding, I knew most of the professors,” Feather said. “I wanted to go to a university where faith was going to be talked about and learn more about business at the same time, and Harding does that.”

Feather’s goals include running and operating his current farm while continuing to expand its size and having a profitable international farm in Central or South America. He is confident that he will achieve his dreams within the next few years.

“It’s not only about money though; I want to help the people down there,” he said. “Farming is something I know a little bit about, and with it I feel like I could make a connection to teach people about Jesus that way.”

Row crop farming runs deep in Feather’s family. His grandfather, father, and many members of his extended family are farmers.

“I like farming and feel blessed to be a farmer,“ Feather said. “It’s amazing to me how a seed that is so small can grow to be a plant as tall as 12 feet over the course of a summer.”

He did not always enjoy farming while growing up.

“There weren’t many kids around my age; all my friends lived in town, so that’s where I wanted to be,” he said. “I didn’t want to work on the farm as a teenager, but I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed it until I wasn’t there every day.”

Feather has found elements that balance his classes and career. The courses offered are six to eight-weeks long, and farming is seasonal.

“The amount of hours I work increases in the spring and summer, so I will not take as many classes or any. In the winter farming slows down quite a bit, so I take more classes,” Feather said. “Things like praying in class make Harding special place.”