From valedictorian to farmer

KAHLOTUS – T.J. Harder is excited to be carrying on the farming and ranching tradition started by his family generations ago.

After graduating as the LaCrosse Class of 2020 Valedictorian, Harder is putting in long hours on the family wheat farm before he heads to Washington State University in the fall, where he will double-major in Agricultural Economics and Business.

"College will be way harder, but I'm hoping it will be fun," Harder said while taking a short break July 3 from getting equipment ready for the upcoming harvest.

Hard work is nothing new to Harder, according to LaCrosse High Sch...