Garrett Hopkins
Garrett grew up in De Soto, Kansas, a small town on the Kansas River between Lawrence and Kansas City. Since he was a little kid, agriculture (mainly John Deere) and trains have been at the center of his life thanks to living close to KC and having family farm to spend time on while visiting. From those two, one would later become his job and the other a hobbie. He studied Agronomy and Agricultural Business at Fort Hays State University as well as worked on the Crop Division of the farm there. Throughout college, Garrett would work for a harvest crew and spend his last summer in college working on the family farm then becoming officially full-time in May of 2023 where he mainly runs combines, loaders, other various tractor jobs and helps out when needed. The University Farm is where he learned more about the new age of Ag, but the harvest crew was where he first learned how to run a combine, then just about everything else. He is very thankful for the opportunities of both jobs and credits them to his love for Ag.
Efficiency in his work is something Garrett prioritizes and focuses on each day. He enjoys cutting wheat all daylong, but does find happiness in harvesting corn and milo. Garrett is a creature of organization, cleanliness, and good communication, but knows he falls short of it from time to time. While his humor and optimism for life are contagious, he admits that it takes a bit of time to fully get to know him and his personality since he can be somewhat sarcastic at times and thinks differently than what others are used to. In his free time, you will find Garrett out trackside filming trains and creating videos that anyone can see and enjoy on Instagram and YouTube under the name “KansasTrains”. Understanding that nobody is perfect, Garrett thanks Jesus for his sacrifice and thanks God for everything He’s done for him, but also for everyone in and around his life.