My Story
Hello, my name is Kate Stephens, a 20-year-old 4th generation farmer from north-central Montana.
My family's roots in farming run deep, stretching back to 1912 when my great-grandfather emigrated from Denmark and began cultivating the land we still work today.
Farming has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember; I started learning the ropes at just two years old and now operate one of our combines during harvest.
I'm passionate about bridging the gap between farmers and consumers by connecting people with the origins of their food and fashion products, and the families behind the production.
Kate’s Ag is more than just a brand it's an extension of our farm, and celebration of the grains we've been growing to feed families for over a century. I hope you find as much joy in my products as I do because they carry the legacy of our land and the hard work of generations.
Kate Stephens - Fashion
Kate Stephens Becomes the Youngest Ever to Win the 2022 Fire Within - Aspire Award!
NEWS: JUNE 2022
Fire Within: Award winners include YouTube star Kate Stephens,
Traci Rosenbaum Great Falls Tribune
View Comments Farm to Fashion
Award: Aspire
Owner: Kate Stephens
Established: 2020
At 17, Kate Stephens is the youngest nominee and winner of the Fire Within award, and she's already making big waves in the business community.
Stephens, whose family has been in Montana since 1912, comes from an agricultural background. She said she was driving a combine on her family's wheat farm when she got to thinking about how not many people know where their fashion comes from.
So, Stephens started a contemporary handbag line that bridges the gap between farmers and consumers through fashion. She incorporates agricultural elements into her designs and hopes to remind people that cotton starts on a farm and leather starts on a ranch.
To that end, Stephens has an 80,000-subscriber YouTube channel called Kate's Ag - Farm to Fashion that goes behind the scenes of what farmers do. The channel's goal is to be fashionable and educational.
Stephens said she loves connecting with wonderful people, learning their stories and connecting with their communities. In fact, she makes a conscious effort to support North American manufacturers and give back to local communities.
She donated the first handbag she ever made to a Montana Farmer's Union auction, and it sold for more than $1,600.
Stephens said her biggest challenge as a business owner is being under 18. She said she faces a lot of age discrimination and barriers to setting up the business.
"I'd say perseverance is the main part of what I've learned through my business, and that you can never give up," she said, adding that she hopes other potential business owners do the same.
Stephens is working on growing the business and continuing her mission of bridging the gap between farmers and consumers. She will be attending Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Science in the fall, where she will major in communications and minor in agriculture and soil science.