Off-Farm Income: Recent Episodes
Matt Brechwald
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Penn State is a very storied and very well known university, but did you know it all started with agriculture? On today's Ag College Episode we get to delve into that history and see what it has become throughout the entire commonwealth campus system. Hundreds of opportunities await agriculture students in State College, Pennsylvania and we have four great guests to tell you about all them!
Tip Of The Week
Coast To Coast, we need to protect copper wire
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-hay-bales-set-on-fire-kingfisher-garfield-county/61195550
https://www.wymt.com/2024/06/26/police-laurel-county-looking-stolen-atvs/
https://www.wgmd.com/dsp-looking-to-identify-suspects-in-thefts-of-copper-wire-from-farm-irrigation/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/cherokee-county-sheriff-s-office-seeks-info-in-tractor-theft/ar-BB1kiflB?ocid=feedsansarticle
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/brazen-burglar-raided-kent-farms-for-£55k-equipment-then-fooled-victims-to-sell-it-on/ar-AA1f5pWH?apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1
https://farmersforum.com/cattle-heist-75-black-angus-vanish-from-quebec-farm/
https://www.beefcentral.com/news/repeat-offender-pleads-guilty-to-aggravated-cruelty-to-livestock/
Africa
https://www.thezimbabwemail.com/law-crime/former-deputy-minister-arrested-for-alleged-theft-of-farm-equipment/#google_vignette
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/health/amp/crop/article/2001497825/siaya-farmers-abandon-maize-after-dismal-yields-turn-to-fruit-farming
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/mccordsville-man-allegedly-steals-car-joyrides-tractor-before-being-found-urinating-in-roadway-in-bartholomew-county/ar-BB1nsGXD?ocid=BingNewsVerp&apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1
https://www.missourivalleytimes.com/stories/moorhead-man-arrested-in-pisgah,55572
Ryan Yoder and his family are full-time, first generation farmers in Vermont. Sitting in a picturesque valley in the west/central part of the state they grow fruit, vegetables, meat chickens and corn. They turn a lot of what they grow and what their neighbors grow into value added products such as popped popcorn and apple cider vinegar, and they have a number of sales outlets as well as revenue streams.
In today's episode Ryan will tell us all about his journey, his philosophy on farming and how growing up in Nepal influenced his life today!
How about sub-contracting as a corporate pilot as your form of off-farm income? Seem impossible? I would have thought it was unrealistic until I interviewed today's guest, Andrew Ambrose.
Andrew owns his own business, Fly Twins LLC, and he farms 750 acres in Southeast Missouri in addition to that. If that is not enough, he also owns his own excavating company. As Andrew put it, it would not be uncommon to see him flying a corporate customer across the country in the morning and driving a combine that evening. This is an interesting way to producing off-farm income.
Well, there is at least one more farm update episode to come, and I'll explain that in today's show. I will also touch on our hot weather, irrigation, our creek, wildfires and what in the world the episode title is all about.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Northwest Oklahoma State University sits in a small town and rural county, and it is poised to give you exactly the agricultural education and college experience that you are looking for. There is something special about going to college in a small community that wraps itself around its university, and I believe that Alva, Oklahoma is one of these places. If that were not enough, the many activities for students, including "Howdy Week" and "Bahama Breakaway" create bookends to a school year full of opportunity. If you are looking for the place that you will fit and can complete your degree without debt, this is probably the perfect fit!
Tip Of The Week
Be careful what driveway you turn into
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/crime/butte-county-illegal-marijuana-farm/103-221e7bc8-a5ee-466b-9f88-25d6864780a9
https://www.delcotimes.com/2024/06/19/investigators-say-sleighton-farm-school-fire-was-arson-ask-for-publics-help/
https://www.magnoliareporter.com/news_and_business/regional_news/article_c851392c-2e11-11ef-ba57-b79fbac7ef20.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/staffordshire/south-staffordshire/2024/06/17/police-hunt-6000-horsebox-stolen-from-lay-by-off-a-road/
https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/was-ramming-escaped-cow-the-only-way-to-keep-public-safe?utm_campaign=Best of Farmers Weekly email 66&utm_content=R ead more&utm_term=https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/was-ramming-escaped-cow-the-only-way-to-keep-public-safe&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Farmers Weekly
Africa
https://neweralive.na/posts/stock-theft-accused-denies-guilt
https://www.citizen.co.za/northern-natal-news/news-headlines/dundee-courier/2024/06/21/dundee-saps-farmers-apprehend-stock-thief/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.ktiv.com/2024/06/20/pocahontas-man-arrested-multiple-charges-livestock-theft/
https://www.kezi.com/news/local/man-charged-in-alleged-theft-of-nearly-100-000-from-lane-county-livestock-association/article_d21aa7b4-2f28-11ef-b695-abef9b7b3a92.html
On today's show I am speaking with Peter Dalton. Peter owns the company, "Hunt Country Wildlife Removal" in Loudoun County, Virginia. This is a side business that kind of started by accident. Peter taught himself how to trap, and along the way started trapping for friends and neighbors when they had nuisance animals. Pretty soon he was doing a lot of trapping, and he finally started charging people for the service.
Through word of mouth the business has grown and grown. Peter is very busy with this side business these days, and he and his wife are also developing their farmstead. He has a lot of great advice on equipment to use, how to work in urban areas and what you can do in rural areas. I learned about a method of trapping foxes and coyotes in the episode that I never heard about, and you will benefit from this as well!
This is our second to last farm update episode, and today is just that....a farm update.
Obviously, the reason that I started interviewing FFA students was their involvement in entrepreneurship. The way that the FFA facilitates exposure and learning in entrepreneurship is second to none. And, as the title of this episode suggests it really is an entrepreneurship incubator.
That is very apparent in our interview with today’s guest, Jenna Spangler. Jenna is a very competitive person, and upon joining the FFA she found that this organization served her competitive spirit very well. Through a myriad of different contests and competitions, she found exactly what she was looking for. Then the day came that she wanted to go on a mission trip and needed to raise $150 to make this happen. Jenna decided that she would make ice cream and sell it to people for the fundraiser and actually pre-sold what she needed to raise.
Today is all about the "Built Ford Tough Dealer Scholarship". Special thanks to listener, Joel Nickerson, the general manager of Butler Ford in Ashland, Oregon for reaching out to me with this information.
Here is the link to the scholarship sign up form: https://analytics.clickdimensions.com/cn/aunbc/ford2023
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Ridgewater College has the most unique and intriguing internship program that I have profiled to date. And, even though there is no student housing, the options for students to house in Willmar are different than any I have heard of before as well. Aside from this, Ridgewater offers excellent opportunities to learn about agriculture, establish your agricultural career or get you started towards your four year agricultural degree.
Tip Of The Week
Advocate for yourself when working with the law enforcement
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.ktul.com/news/local/reward-offered-after-a-tractor-theft-leads-to-destruction-of-200-hay-bales-in-wilburton-oklahoma-tulsa-kokh-investigation-lcso-latimer-county-sheriffs-office-crime-stoppers-arrest
https://www.wkow.com/news/crime/dane-county-farmer-s-tip-leads-to-manhunt-arrest-in-randolph-stabbing/article_b4a181f8-2393-11ef-86d2-ff9b27bc7e84.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/drugs-horse-buggies-and-20-shipping-containers-uncovered-in-alleged-stolen-haul/ar-BB1nITxU
https://www.farmersguide.co.uk/rural/rural-crime/hertfordshire-farmer-targeted-again-following-theft-of-11-goats/
https://www.agriland.co.uk/farming-news/30-20kg-bags-of-calf-milk-stolen-from-wiltshire-farm/
Africa
https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-242358.html
https://www.the-star.co.ke/counties/eastern/2024-06-06-man-arrested-14-goats-recovered-in-machakos/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.oleantimesherald.com/news/dec-reports-arrests-in-timber-theft-oil-spill-in-allegany-county/article_3db02a5e-2438-11ef-8d6d-4fed347a5bd9.html
https://ktla.com/news/california/homeless-outreach-unit-discovers-stolen-john-deere-tractor-in-southern-california-riverbed/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/sparta-man-charged-stealing-cattle-131659576.html
Today's episode highlights how the FFA can put another tool, the tool of entrepreneurship, in a student's arsenal. Elyce Burzlaff is mid-way through her sophomore year of high school. Last May a guest speaker came to her school and spoke with the FFA students. During that discussion, Elyce and her classmates were challenged to come up with an entrepreneurial idea. This led Elyce down a path of thinking of ways she could create revenue and determining what resources were at her disposal. Then she remembered that her mom had some equipment that could be used for making shirts.
What do all these great folks with different passions have in common? Cambridge, Idaho is the answer and I will explain why in today's show.
Tip Of The Week
Inspect your properties after hosting guests
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/police-burglary-tourists-hidden-cameras/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/reward-increases-after-beloved-horse-statue-stolen-from-yolo-county-stable/ar-BB1nhPfr
https://www.yahoo.com/news/tree-dna-helps-solve-case-000000070.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAC6t5SojekcGODc6GxH3dK5sh867i2OMkIksCR5mIz6LuJukgor8q2oDkdehq6jdzqNeRC9JRim2OA-71R8OPC_kB4jnDTd0RsFfHJ_igwaHfEsmoCh_TgKc01aP0vplI4ovf_mWLgz9ehTmmPAljpXLjtANW0tUnwiijFhpcNxy
https://www.ksnt.com/news/crime/tires-slashed-on-deputy-first-responder-vehicles-in-clay-county/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pony-sanctuary-targeted-by-thieves-weeks-after-fire/ar-BB1niNqD
https://globalnews.ca/news/10535621/granum-rallies-to-support-family-business-after-robbery-gone-wrong/
https://www.farmersguide.co.uk/rural/rural-crime/farmers-urged-to-be-vigilant-following-new-wave-of-gps-thefts/
Africa
https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/jur-river-county-reports-new-wave-of-cattle-theft
https://www.herald.co.zw/man-convicted-for-stealing-cow-to-pay-lobola/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.wral.com/story/new-group-of-public-defenders-amid-attorney-shortage/21458049/
https://cw39.com/crime/two-men-in-caught-in-the-act-in-custody-for-burglary-on-fm-1960/
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2024/may/29/two-arrested-for-trespassing-possible-theft-near-ritzville/
I have a list of businesses that I like to revisit and get different perspectives from different business owners on. The business of manure spreading is on that list. There is a wide range of complexity in this business. Everywhere that anyone raises livestock there is the need to deal with manure. If you live in the Northeast you might just be dealing with small farmyards. A tractor with a bucket and a PTO driven manure spreader might be all the equipment you need for your business.
And then there is the Midwest and all of the cattle on feed plus the massive fields of crop ground that are there. To run a manure spreading business in this region you need big equipment and a lot of it.
In today's interview I get to speak with Chadd Schmidt, one of the owners of 4 Bar S Inc. 4 Bar S is a manure spreading and pen cleaning business that Chadd's parents started in the 1980's. Today they are running top of the line, triple axle, manure spreaders that can haul up to 48 ton. And they have four of them!
We celebrated Hattie's high school graduation starting last Wednesday with the ceremony on Thursday and party on Saturday. That has been all encompassing and is the topic of today's Farm Update.
I don't know if you have noticed, but his show is about non-conformists and people who look at the world a different way. All of us fit that definition a little bit by the mere fact that we want to farm and only 2% of our population is in that career field. But what about that person that says "why do I have to do it that way"?
Today's guest, Ben Rykerd, is that person. Ben is now 29 years old. He describes himself as having a "travel bug" and he has known this since he was a kid. So, as high school was coming to a close Ben didn't just take the next prescribed step in the journey, he stopped and asked himself what type of life he wanted to have.
Today's Farm Update Episode includes a large announcement about the future of the Off-Farm Income Podcast. I hope you will all tune in and share this moment with me.
Tip Of The Week
Install a driveway alarm
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://abc45.com/news/local/thomasville-police-name-suspect-from-april-tractor-theft-truecrime-northcarolina
https://www.dailygazette.com/police-thoroughbred-stolen-from-coxsackie-horse-farm/article_681ab881-bafe-5eaf-b793-94726626f9e6.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.clare.fm/news/witnesses-sought-bales-hay-stolen-south-east-clare-farm/
https://www.inverelltimes.com.au/story/8621253/bundarra-farmers-battle-40-year-theft-crisis/
https://www.9news.com.au/national/three-charged-after-300-cows-allegedly-stolen/3f915918-78a0-4628-829e-c56602d6cb3e
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/news/news/five-lambs-stolen-in-co-kerry-817974
Africa
https://www.mmegi.bw/news/five-in-court-for-stock-theft/news
https://htxt.co.za/2024/05/how-tech-is-helping-fight-cattle-theft-in-eastern-cape/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/two-men-caught-stealing-75-pounds-of-oranges-from-a-hawaii-farm-cops/ar-AA1gyxTZ?apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1
https://www.agdaily.com/livestock/texas-men-guilty-horse-theft/
Lynn & Jesse Frey are the owners of Life Root Farm in Stanley, Wisconsin. These are two people who are definitely listening to and following their inner voices. Lynn grew up with a mother who was passionate about gardening, and Lynn thought that she would never want to do that. However, somewhere along the line it clicked and she found herself wanting grow fresh and healthy food for her family. Jesse grew up on a dairy and was encouraged by his father to go get an education and do something different than farming. He followed that path but eventually felt himself called back to agriculture.
Today they are in the midst of transitioning from a CSA based business model to one that is centered around growing and marketing heirloom seeds. With four children to raise and mentor, they are showing them how rewarding a life on the land that connects with nature can be.
I am starting to think that plant breeders are born, not made. At least every time I interview a young man or woman with this passion it appears that is correct. In today's interview I am speaking with a junior in high school that has already obtained $10,000 in funding to begin an apple orchard on his high school's property. Gabe Olson-Jensen is our featured guest, and look at this list of accomplishments:
- Started working at a local orchard at age 12
- Grafted his first trees at age 12
- Obtained land at his school start a 1/4 acre apple orchard in 2020
- Applied for and received a $1,000 SAE grant in 2020
- Applied for and recieved $9,000 in funding from USDA SARE in 2020
- Purchased 200 apple trees and trellising and began the orchard in 2020
- Using integrated pest management to sustain and grow the fruit trees
Gabe really has an amazing story as so many of these seed breeders do. Today, we will profile it all for you!
Olivia Vanderwalt is the reporter for the Lee County FFA Chapter, and is just finishing her junior year of high school. She has a very interesting and unique story. Part of the story I have heard before. She grew up in a neighborhood and not on a farm. So, when she wanted to join the FFA, with no agricultural background, in the 6th Grade her mom wasn't so sure. So far, there is nothing unusual about this story as parents who aren't familiar with the FFA often wonder why their kids want to get involved in agriculture.
However, there is a twist. Olivia's mom grew up in England, and her dad grew up in South Africa. Both of them were exploring the world by taking positions in physical therapy when they met in Florida, and this led them to get married, start a family and settle down in Leesburg. This has to be the most unique origin story in this town!
Luckily for the FFA, Olivia's mom consented, and Olivia has been significantly engaged in the FFA since 6th Grade. She is hoping to become her chapter's president during her senior year, and she has been showing dairy heifers and working on a dairy for her SAE for several years. She also works at her local zoo and gets to educate people about animals and reptiles, allowing them to touch and handle the animals from time to time.
Today I have a farm update for you, and a discussion about the many benefits of direct marketing our beef that I never thought about. This is not the farm business model that I dreamed of in my youth, but it has turned out to be a lucrative and rewarding model that I really enjoy....
Tip Of The Week
You have to lead vehicles when you throw oranges at them
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2024/05/07/car-hit-by-flying-orange-in-los-gatos/
https://www.klkntv.com/wanted-man-caught-after-asking-for-gas-at-southeast-nebraska-home-authorities-say/
https://www.magnoliastatelive.com/2024/05/06/more-than-200000-worth-of-stolen-agricultural-equipment-recovered-by-mississippi-authorities/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.questmedianetwork.co.uk/news/glossop-chronicle/50000-raised-to-help-farmer-accused-of-killing-burglar/
https://www.radiokerry.ie/news/gardai-appeal-for-information-after-over-e1000-worth-of-livestock-stolen-in-mid-kerry-382760
https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/roughly-70k-worth-of-pistachios-stolen-in-wilmot-second-nut-related-vehicle-theft-in-region-police-1.6735863?cache=khgvxzimi?clipId=373266
https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/24301173.rural-crime-team-recover-stolen-quads-two-arrested/
Africa
https://dailytrust.com/19-year-old-charged-with-burglary/
https://www.algoafm.co.za/local/suspects-arrested-with-stolen-sheep-inside-getaway-vehicle
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.reporterherald.com/2024/04/09/masonville-man-arrested-for-allegedly-killing-livestock/
https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/crime/hammond-man-arrested-for-stealing-168-animals-louisiana-agriculture-forestry/289-f6906725-be47-4ad0-8446-fd7ad766c17f
Bryan Buerkle grew up on his families farm in Eastern Montana learning many valuable lessons about the struggle that farmers face trying create a sustainable business model in this world. Working full-time on his families farm was not a viable option when he finished high school, and he had to look for other alternatives. College and engineering was the path he chose, and it led him all around the world designing and building tractors for John Deere.
Today, Bryan is back in Montana and he is devoting himself to helping farmers to create a business model that will see them through. He and his partners have started Farm Pro, which is an online business designed to help small to medium sized farmers find available revenue that would otherwise be hidden from them. Farm Pro is currently focused on farmers who have one to a few trucks capable of hauling commodities, and connecting them with farmers and businesses who need those commodities hauled.
This is the beginning of this start up business, and it is moving towards a day that it connects farmers who can offer a wide array of services to people who need those services in their surrounding communities and regions. If you are considering starting your own business as the method of creating your off-farm income, this is an interview that could prove very beneficial to you.
In agriculture when we hear the word pivot we usually think of 120-400 acres of irrigated ground. An automated sprinkler system that is self-driven, applying a precise amount of water to a crop or pasture.
If you are a small business owner that services agriculture you need to know about another pivot. This is the catch phrase used by so many in the business “start up” community. To “pivot” means to change direction in your business to adapt to changing market conditions, new technology or new information and ideas that you can only obtain after you have started your business and got in the game.
Those of us in agriculture are pretty practical people. Most business information is written for those who work in the city, work online and don’t get their hands dirty. The truth is farmers and those who serve farmers have been “pivoting” for years. We just called it “common sense”. When things changed it was pretty apparent that we needed to change with them.
In agriculture when we hear the word pivot we usually think of 120-400 acres of irrigated ground. An automated sprinkler system that is self-driven, applying a precise amount of water to a crop or pasture.
If you are a small business owner that services agriculture you need to know about another pivot. This is the catch phrase used by so many in the business “start up” community. To “pivot” means to change direction in your business to adapt to changing market conditions, new technology or new information and ideas that you can only obtain after you have started your business and got in the game.
Those of us in agriculture are pretty practical people. Most business information is written for those who work in the city, work online and don’t get their hands dirty. The truth is farmers and those who serve farmers have been “pivoting” for years. We just called it “common sense”. When things changed it was pretty apparent that we needed to change with them.
Peyton Gay is the sentinel for the Deane Bozeman FFA Chapter, and he is a remarkable young man. A natural athlete, gifted student and very hard worker Peyton has managed to put together an FFA and high school experience that will be rivaled by few.
Peyton has grown up on his grandparent's farm in Northern Florida that they purchased because of their love for animals of all types. Never having a profit motive, Peyton's grandmother has cared for and rescued multiple different species of wildlife and livestock on the farm since it first began. This is how Peyton grew up as well, and it led to his supervised agricultural experience raising, incubating and giving away Sebastopol Geese, which are listed as a threatened species.
This influence has resulted in Peyton pursuing a career as a veterinarian. He is also pursuing his dream of playing football for Texas A&M in College Station. He has been awarded a "walk on scholarship" which means that all of his football activities will be paid for but not his academics. However, Peyton believes that through his academics and pursuits in the FFA that he will be able to have a full-ride academic scholarship! It is an amazing story and one that I am really looking forward to seeing develop from an academic as well as an athletic perspective.
Peyton Gay is the sentinel for the Deane Bozeman FFA Chapter, and he is a remarkable young man. A natural athlete, gifted student and very hard worker Peyton has managed to put together an FFA and high school experience that will be rivaled by few.
Peyton has grown up on his grandparent's farm in Northern Florida that they purchased because of their love for animals of all types. Never having a profit motive, Peyton's grandmother has cared for and rescued multiple different species of wildlife and livestock on the farm since it first began. This is how Peyton grew up as well, and it led to his supervised agricultural experience raising, incubating and giving away Sebastopol Geese, which are listed as a threatened species.
This influence has resulted in Peyton pursuing a career as a veterinarian. He is also pursuing his dream of playing football for Texas A&M in College Station. He has been awarded a "walk on scholarship" which means that all of his football activities will be paid for but not his academics. However, Peyton believes that through his academics and pursuits in the FFA that he will be able to have a full-ride academic scholarship! It is an amazing story and one that I am really looking forward to seeing develop from an academic as well as an athletic perspective.
On today's show I "accidentally" talked for thirty minutes about how we used real estate to create our current situation. Basically, as I was starting the farm update show, something caused me to veer onto this tangent, and a half hour later I had given a blue print on how to purchase a farm in your late thirties by investing in real estate starting in your twenties.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Abigail Harrison loves to inspire others, and that is what has driven her to start her own business - Abigail Grace Woodworking. In a business like this you might think it is the craft, the profit or the marketing that would be the driver. However, in Abby's case she loves going to different SAE sales, setting up a booth and speaking with other FFA students who see what she has done and want to know how to do it themselves.
Abby has the rare ability to really listen to what is right for her. During her 9th Grade year she had a journalism SAE, and she was creating a website. However, something didn't feel right about that. She really thought about what she wanted to do, and it occurred to her that she wanted to work with her hands and have a tangible creation to hold when she was done. That is how she got started creating products, and that is what has opened the doors for her in her SAE.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Chico State University is the agricultural college that I almost went to. I have told the story on the show before, but in today's interview I finally get to verify! As it turns out, CSU Chico would have been a fantastic place to study agriculture. It is in a great part of California, has a great climate and has an outstanding school farm with the opportunity to learn multiple different aspects of livestock, permanent crop and row crop agriculture. And, it is a very affordable university, especially by California standards.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Understanding what motivates thieves can help us stop rural crime
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/hay-donated-to-beaverhead-co-abused-animals-stolen-from-fairgrounds
https://wbontv.com/madison-county-sheriffs-office-investigating-tractor-theft/
https://dentonrc.com/news/crime/blotter/denton-man-reports-trainer-refuses-to-return-his-65k-horses/article_2899398a-6ba3-56be-b31c-4b46b75af5fe.html
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/thieves-steal-hive-containing-thousands-of-bees-from-home-in-the-oakland-hills/ar-AA1nWLWy
https://www.wlox.com/2024/04/30/pearl-river-county-family-left-with-questions-why-cattle-bulls-were-stolen-their-ranch/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/crime/police-appeal-after-12-cows-and-bulls-stolen-from-farm-near-derbyshire-town-4612562
https://www.agriland.co.uk/farming-news/derbyshire-dog-attack-leaves-farmer-with-2k-in-damages/
Africa
https://www.foodformzansi.co.za/rural-crisis-as-livestock-theft-bleeds-farmers-dry/
https://gazettengr.com/23-killed-44-injured-in-violent-clashes-over-cattle-theft/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
http://www.fillmoregazette.com/front-page/farm-watch-collaboration-results-one-arrest-repeat-offender#google_vignette
https://ca.style.yahoo.com/news/man-arrested-21-tons-pistachios-164247894.html
Kasey Neely and her husband, Kyle, live in Eastern Illinois on their 32 acre farm. There they raise and sell grass fed beef, pastured poultry, eggs and they are considering raising and selling pastured pork. Kasey is a strong advocate for buying local and supporting your local farmer. On today's episode we will discuss their journey to becoming farm owners, how not growing up on a farm influences the manner in which you design your farming model and pacing yourself no matter how excited you get about what you could possibly do on your land.
There is a lot of content in today's interview. I was first drawn to this guest because of a referral by one of our listeners, Dave Lehman, because our guest was selling products to assist people with raising and processing chickens. However, during the interview I found out a lot more about this guest.
Mike Badger has worked in corporate America, and he grew up believing that was the way that life worked. However, he later decided that it did not have to be that way. He and his wife decided to farm right then and there.
Natalie Rider is the third generation of her family in the horse business on the Circle T Ranch in Celina, Ohio. Her grandfather, who always had a passion for horses, purchased this property in 1995 in the midst of his truck driving career. Then he started building a horse business.
Natalie was first put on horseback when she was 6 months old, and somewhere along the line she developed the same passion. Today, if she is not at school or sleeping she at her grandparents ranch working in the horse business. Today she trains client horses, gives riding lessons, feeds and cleans stalls for the boarding business and is coaching an equestrian Special Olympics team of eight competitors.
Natalie knows that she wants to be around horses and her families ranch for her future. So, she has already identified three universities that she can attend for a bachelor's degree in agriculture that will keep her close to home and working on the ranch!
Our dog brought us a piece of literature about canal breaches last night (literally), and I thought I would discuss this issue on today's Farm Update show. We will also be discussing:
- Kidding is over!
- Selling our bottle kids!
- First round of irrigation completed already..
- Protecting trees from goats
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Hayden Mueller is just finishing his sophomore year of high school and second year of the FFA, and he already has a lot going on. In addition to farming corn & soybeans with his dad, uncle and brother, he is now leasing his own land to do the same. In the 8th grade he started his own business in order to make some money, and that has grown into Hayden's Landscaping in which he is providing an array of lawn services to his customers.
It may sound like Hayden is working all the time, but there is another side to his high school experience - music. Hayden first got introduced to music playing the recorder in elementary school. Since then, that has grown to him playing guitar, bass guitar and saxophone. Currently he plays the baritone saxophone in the marching band and pep band at his high school.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
On today's episode we are profiling Oklahoma Panhandle State University. This institution is getting a lot of agriculture started in the right way and onto their future agricultural careers. OPSU prides itself on being affordable and offering very practical, personalized instruction. With a student body of just 250, and the team that was assembled for this interview, it is easy to see that they are serious about this commitment.
Tip Of The Week
Support your local Sheriff
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.ktsm.com/news/100000-in-cattle-stolen-from-clay-county-ranch-clay-county-sheriffs-office-crime-stoppers/
https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/broome-county/sheriffs-office-needs-your-help-in-a-sanford-burglary-investigation/
https://www.whas11.com/article/news/investigations/focus/copper-wire-lights-out-louisville-kentucky-focus-kentucky-transportation-cabinet-lmpd/417-a05cb9bc-241b-431a-939f-e14584ab762a
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/24261633.powys-livestock-worrying-incident-saw-dog-shot/
https://www.farmersguide.co.uk/rural/rural-crime/two-darlington-men-linked-to-1m-farm-machinery-theft-arrested/
Africa
https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/man-found-hanging-dead-after-village-court-convicted-him-of-goat-theft-4595700
https://nairobiwire.com/2024/04/dci-detectives-recover-kes-1-8m-worth-of-stolen-govt-fertiliser-in-kitale.html
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.yahoo.com/news/shelby-county-man-charged-livestock-195952643.html
https://www.chronline.com/stories/eastern-washington-man-charged-with-stealing-cattle-in-borrowed-honda-to-be-arraigned,336804
Rick Savoia is the Product Manager for BuyTwoWayRadios.com and the host of The Two Way Radio Show, and he is back for part II of our exploration into GMRS Radio.
A few weeks back I did a Tuesday episode about GMRS Radio, why I was using it and my limited knowledge. Well today, we get to hear from an actual expert, and hopefully correct any mistakes I made in the Tuesday Episode.
There is so much information here that I broke this interview into two episodes. So, today Rick joins me for part 1 of this 2 part series, and we will talk about GMRS and how you can use it for your farming operation as well as for dealing with rural and agricultural crime.
The technology that is emerging in agriculture is really amazing, and it all points to a future with less rural crime and easier management. It also brings people into agriculture that may have never believed they would wind up there. Enter today's guest, David Philpot.
You may remember in episode #988 that I interviewed David Smith of Ceres Tag about the rural crime prevention and detection capabilities of this smart ear tag. As David has been growing his company, he has been speaking to groups about investing with him. Both David and, well, David, are from Australia, and this is what brought them together. David Philpot belongs to an investor's group, and during one of their meetings David Smith came to speak with them about investing in Ceres Tag.
Not only did David Philpot become an investor, but he realized that a website called Mapipedia, which had been a hobby of his for some time, would be highly useful when paired with Ceres Tag. So, the two David's began working together and have just completed a mock sheep theft in Australia in which Ceres Tag, coupled with Mapipedia, was able to detect the theft and help law enforcement track down and recover the stolen sheep.
On today's episode David Philpot will explain all of the possible uses of Mapipedia in the livestock industry, including better management, bio-security and theft prevention.
Noah Richards is 11 days away from graduating high school and pursing the life he loves, farming. Noah's parents purchased their own land and had their own dairy infrastructure built after they were married. They have been dairy farming ever since, and this is how Noah and his sister grew up. Noah has his sights set on this life as well.
After high school graduation he will head to Hawkeye Community College for two years to study agricultural business with the hopes of returning to the farm. During that two year period, he and his parents will have to assess how this is financially possible. Is there a way that having Noah on the farm as a full-time employee will increase revenue enough to pay his salary? This is a problem that many farms and ranches must solve when a child wants to come back.
There are no employees on Noah's family dairy. His sister is now an FFA Advisor, so it is just Noah and his parents taking care of things. Therefore, there is not an employee position that could be eliminated to make room for Noah. Expansion? A new enterprise? A service business? What are the options to make this happen?
Today is another farm update episode, and I will be covering:
- Starting Irrigation
- Bottle Feeding
- Lack Of Sleep
- Grazing
- Hattie Getting Ready To Graduate
Wyatt DeAth is his chapter's president as was a district reporter, district star winner and state proficiency winner. All this before he reached his senior year of high school. This young man can talk farming, and I had a great time talking about it with him in his episode.
Wyatt has grown up on his families farm in Eastern Illinois. He started out driving the grain cart on the farm at a very young age, and when he was home full-time during Covid his dad graduated him to the tractor and the planter. That was just the beginning. Soon, he was farming for other operations in the area and using their equipment. Today, he is leasing 30 acres of his own and growing and selling alfalfa hay.
As of right now, farming is what Wyatt is looking forward to in the future. However, he knows that he is going to get off of the farm for some time first to experience something different, and he realizes that there is a chance that something else might pique his interest.
As things stand right now, he will either head to college for a two year degree or hit the road with a harvesting crew when he finishes up in high school. Either way, and no matter what, he is going to be an asset to agriculture for decades to come.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: [caption id="attachment_422192" align="alignleft" width="112"] Jolene Hammock: Outreach & Engagement Coordinator[/caption]
The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers
[caption id="attachment_422194" align="alignright" width="140"] Grant Dutton: Student Ambassador[/caption]
might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Today we profile an agricultural college located in a very interesting area of agriculture and American History. The University of Arkansas at Monticello is right on the crossroads of two different types of agricultural practices as well as two different types of forestry production. This enables the College Of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources to offer a very wide suite of agricultural experiences and career opportunities to its students.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Practice self-sufficiency
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wbrc.com/2024/04/18/conference-rural-violence-university-alabama-wrapping-up-thursday/
https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/04/18/rural-texas-towns-report-cyberattacks-that-caused-one-water-system-to-overflow/
https://abc7.com/stolen-goats-livestock-ontario-inland-empire-farm/14683692/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.bordermail.com.au/story/8586543/wodonga-man-charged-over-false-hay-baler-theft-report-to-police/
https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/farming/2024/04/19/shropshire-farming-talk-rural-crime-wreaking-havoc-in-community/
Africa
https://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/farm-residents-severely-assaulted-in-limpopo-during-robbery-incident-where-money-and-their-property-was-stolen-18621e3b-6ced-4041-81bf-d78be0d35a7b
https://www.2oceansvibe.com/2024/04/17/large-scale-maize-theft-is-on-the-rise-in-the-free-state/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/piedmont-triad/lexington-man-accused-of-stealing-cow-warrants-say/
https://www.wbrz.com/news/west-feliciana-parish-man-arrested-for-theft-of-over-1500-worth-of-livestock/
Rick Savoia is the Product Manager for BuyTwoWayRadios.com and the host of The Two Way Radio Show.
A few weeks back I did a Tuesday episode about GMRS Radio, why I was using it and my limited knowledge. Well today, we get to hear from an actual expert, and hopefully correct any mistakes I made in the Tuesday Episode.
There is so much information here that I broke this interview into two episodes. So, today Rick joins me for part 1 of this 2 part series, and we will talk about GMRS and how you can use it for your farming operation as well as for dealing with rural and agricultural crime.
A few weeks ago my tip of the week was to use a forensic marking technology, such as Smart Water, to identify your property and to prevent the thefts in the first place. However, this wasn't actually my tip. This was a recommendation that a constable in the U.K. had made when he was interviewed about preventing sheep thefts in that country.
As I looked into what this technology was, I became very intrigued. Going down this rabbit hole ultimately led me to Randy Butschillinger, who is our expert guest on today's show. As you will find out in today's interview, this technology is actually very old and trusted, and it is being used in more places than you might think already. The applications for this seem endless, and the crime prevention possibilities make me very optimistic!
Abby Neft is the President of a brand new FFA chapter located in Kelliher, Minnesota. Just 57 miles from the Canadian border, her family has been farming in this very cold area of Minnesota since the 1980's.
Abby loves the cattle industry, and she has been building her own herd since she was six years old when her father gave her, her first show heifer. Since then, she has been retaining her show heifers, having calves and trying to develop genetics that will allow her to produce top notch cattle. She uses artificial insemination and embryo transfer to do this.
With just one year of high school left, Abby's goal is to raise cattle for a living. If she can do it on the family farm, that is her preference. However, her sights are set on this happening, either way.
Today is another farm update episode, and I will be covering:
- The Farmer's Tax Guide
- Kidding Update
- Very Good Farm Help
- Night Checks
- The Creek Filling Up
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Do You Check The Sex Offender Registry For Your area?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://weartv.com/news/local/taken-for-a-ride-santa-rosa-county-deputies-investigating-high-dollar-tractor-thefts
https://wellsvillesun.com/blog/2024/04/11/nys-department-of-environmental-conservation-investigating-timber-theft-in-andover-ny/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.ckom.com/2024/04/11/veterinary-drugs-stolen-from-trailer-parked-near-saskatoon-airport/
https://www.walesfarmer.co.uk/news/24245763.police-use-stinger-take-powys-farm-theft-getaway-car/
Africa
https://www.chronicle.co.zw/comment-communities-should-unite-against-crime/
https://www.kenyanews.go.ke/ethi-residents-appeal-for-npr-deployment-to-tame-banditry/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://dailyridge.com/2024/04/10/check-up-on-non-reporting-registered-sex-offender-in-lakeland-leads-to-burglary-arrest/
https://www.wishtv.com/lifestyle/offbeat/mountain-goat-stuck-under-kansas-city-bridge-survives-rocky-rescue/
Zack Parisa is a co-founder of NCX (Natural Capital Exchange), as well as the CEO. NCX is also a sponsor of the show and has been for several months.
On today's episode I get to sit down with Zack and talk with him about the reasons I partnered with NCX to share their message on the show. We will discuss the different revenue streams that might be present on your land, and how you might take advantage of the to sustain your farming lifestyle. We will also discuss some of the things to look out for, and how the different markets for things like solar, carbon and environmental improvement are emerging and developing all the time.
My partnership with NCX has been something that I am proud to promote, and on today's episode you will learn why!
Our guest today has a passion for farming, a path to farming full-time and a job that he likes that might keep him from doing just that!
Chris Benton and his wife Leann are the owners and founders of C&L Farms Grows. They have an 8 acre farm about 45 minutes outside of Atlanta, Georgia and they are focused on growing microgreens. Chris told me that he chose microgreens for a number of reasons. The fact that there is an almost immediate harvest and return, nobody in his area was doing it and they are so nutritious were among his top reasons for this decision.
The way that Chris and Leann developed their business is interesting as well. Chris grew up around agriculture and wanted to be involved with that. Leann did not necessarily have the same desire to farm, but she wanted to find a niche business that would allow her to work from home for a number of reasons. Thus the business was developed. It allows Chris to be involved in agriculture, and it allows Leann to stay at home.
It is kidding season for us, and I am up late checking goats. So, why not record a podcast? Lots to talk about tonight:
- Dog Behavior
- Circadian Rhythms
- End Of Watch
- Coast To Coast
- Rain
Mikayla (Kayla) Kraft is the current Chapter President for the Broadwater High School FFA Chapter in Townsend, Montana. She is also a journalist for MT43, a newspaper located in Townsend.
Kayla first started writing for MT43 when she was the chapter reporter, but she had to let that go when another student became reporter. However, Kayla enjoyed what she was doing and wanted to stay on, so she approached the paper and struck a deal to continue writing for them, freelance. There was a conundrum however. In order to not steal any thunder from the current chapter reporter, Kayla had find other topics to cover. And, man did she! Her interests in agriculture have now taken her as far away as Washington D.C. to cover stories!
Kayla is heading to North Dakota State University next fall to study animal science. She discovered NDSU while she was there covering a story and found it to be the perfect fit for her to pursue her degree. She is planning on veterinary school as the step following NDSU, and currently she is considering Wisconsin and Kansas. She loves her Montana Mountains, but her career pursuits seem to be taking her east!
Tip Of The Week
If it has an engine, it is a target…
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wkrg.com/baldwin-county/2-utvs-atv-stolen-in-baldwin-county-sheriffs-office/
https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/theft-of-large-farming-equipment-in-haywood-county-leaves-officials-digging-for-answers/article_963869b6-f29c-11ee-a400-039c3c4f4cbb.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/crime/2024/04/05/police-warn-rural-residents-to-be-on-the-lookout-for-egg-thieves/
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/trailer-stolen-five-years-ago-071614561.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-68726072
Africa
https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-241503.html
https://www.pd.co.ke/news/governors-want-cattle-branded-to-end-rustling-228727/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.pleasantonexpress.com/articles/one-arrested-and-charged-with-burglary/
https://cbs12.com/news/local/ysairis-gonzalez-50-arrested-for-alleged-animal-slaughter-miguel-cabrera-butcher-animal-recovery-mission-st-lucie-county-sheriffs-office-florida-march-5-2024
https://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/local/2024/03/08/riverside-man-facing-41-animal-abuse-charges-after-131-dogs-seized-from-property-breeding-facility/72880471007/
Taylor and Dylan Roberts are the owners of Roberts Five Farm in Sparta, Tennessee. They are a young couple, just starting their family, and they have a phenomenal story. They are just at the tail end of their first season of growing and selling tulips, and the response from their community has been unbelievable.
On today's episode I speak with Taylor, and she tells me the whole story. Beginning with she and Dylan dating as sophomores in high school to today, farming one acre of tulips on their 12 acre farm and coming up with an excellent business plan. Their trajectory is currently straight up! They have had a first year that any farmer could only dream of, and I do not doubt that they will continue on this path!
Audrey Levatino is the author of Woman-Powered Farm: Manual for a Self-Sufficient Lifestyle from Homestead to Field. This is a book that I was intrigued by when I first heard of it, and I knew that I would want to have Audrey on the show. I initially got the book so that I could read it prior to interviewing Audrey. However, it turned out to be much more than work. I could not put the book down.
If you have an interest or passion for farming, this book is for you - man or woman. Audrey's stories, writing style and coverage of a wide breadth of issues that come with running your own farm will inspire you to either get moving or keep moving. Audrey covers a multitude of issues. Everything from what tools to buy to how to protect your small livestock are covered. She even breaks down income potential by the size of the ground you own or have access to, and the most profitable business possible on that size of ground.
Audrey was a great pleasure to speak with, and I continued to be inspired in our actual conversation, just as I was reading her writing.
Cole Abercrombie is the chapter president at Tunstall FFA in Dry Fork, Virginia. He also operates his own "side hustle" mowing lawns and taking care of people's yards. And, he has one of the purest views on community service that I have ever profiled on this show.
As if that were not enough, he has a passion for agriculture and farming that spans multiple states and multiple lines of his family. Cole actually lives in a city and not a farm. However, he has family that farms about 2.5 hours south of him in North Carolina and 25 hours west of him in Nebraska. While he doesn't get as much time on those farms as he would like, he knows every detail about what they are doing, at both places. This only happens if you are truly passionate about something. Otherwise, you just don't retain all the knowledge that Cole has.
The area of Virginia that Cole comes from is largely agricultural and rural. So, the needs and values of that region are not recognized as frequently in the state legislature because there aren't as many representatives from there. Cole's future goals include being a voice for the folks of this region. He is hoping to go to law school after obtaining and agricultural business degree. Among his goals as a attorney are to advocate for agriculture and this region of Virginia, and to have an impact on policy that represents agriculture positively!
Where do tales of haunted forests in the days of Mid Evil Knights come from? I may have solved that riddle on my own farm. I'll talk about that and some actual farming on today's Farm Update Episode!
Izzy Mikkelsen is the owner of Turbo's Treats Bakery in Gettysburg, South Dakota. She is also a 9th Grader and in just her first year of the FFA.
During the lockdowns during Covid, Izzy's mom encouraged her to start baking to pass the time. Something about that was a natural fit for Izzy, and she really took to it. About a year and a half later she had progressed to the point that she started selling the baked goods that she makes, and she hasn't looked back. Today, primarily through word of mouth, she bakes for events and does specialized cakes for people like the one you see on the post here today.
The pinnacle so far has to be the 100 year anniversary of the founding of Gettysburg when she had a booth selling cupcakes. She baked 1,000 cupcakes for the event, and she sold them all. In 2 hours! That is 500 cupcakes per hour. Or, put another way, she sold more than 8 cupcakes per minute!
Tip Of The Week
“We’re Going To Need A Bigger Tractor”
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.nwestiowa.com/news/information-sought-on-cattle-gate-thefts/article_0d425d46-ec85-11ee-843e-c77398c33577.html
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2024/03/07/thieves-make-off-with-large-water-tanker-truck-another-ranch-burglary/
https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2024-03-01/farmers-advocate-for-legislative-action-on-agricultural-crimes#
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.staffordshire.police.uk/news/staffordshire/news/2024/march/we-are-appealing-for-information-after-a-dead-sheep-was-found-by-a-dog-walker-in-horton/
https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/crime/operation-recall-uk-police-and-charities-join-forces-to-launch-operation-to-tackle-livestock-attacks-4573330
https://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/24214969.two-tiny-lambs-stolen-small-family-farm-bridport/
Africa
https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/msspeechdetail.php?nid=52207
https://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/farm-guard-arrested-for-allegedly-shooting-woman-and-killing-her-male-friend-in-hail-of-bullets-ac89e6ee-a42b-4802-93ec-2db46a75847f
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.theadanews.com/news/local_news/ada-man-charged-with-cattle-theft/article_16cd4c22-ead7-11ee-914a-1f4afbbc263e.html
https://abc13.com/police-chase-with-stolen-tractor-man-pulling-trailer-leads-high-speed-gulf-freeway-activity-webster-pursuit/14577097/
https://www.ksn.com/news/dont-miss-this/watch-police-and-front-end-loader-chase-stolen-tractor/
Richard Fultz is the Land Survey Supervisor with the Modesto Irrigation District in Modesto, California. I bumped into Richard while I was in Modesto in February and learned of his position. He suggested doing an interview about his profession for a number of reasons. One of the main reasons was how much he gets to work in agriculture through this career. Also, because there are a shortage of land surveyors, he believes this can be a very lucrative career for an agriculture student.
In today's episode we talk about what it takes to become a land surveyor, who seems to fit the best in the career and what you get to do. Richard also talks about his pathway to doing this, and some internship opportunities to help students determine whether or not this is the correct fit for them. It is my sincere hope that this helps a student find the pathway in agriculture that they are looking for.
Today's episode is a bit different than any normal, Off-Farm Income episode. Today I am speaking with Kathleen Dowling. Kathleen and I have a lot in common. We both grew up in California, we both started our collegiate education at a community college, we both had a dream of moving to Montana, we both became Montana state residents and we both got ag degrees from Montana State University.
Recently I saw a post on the Facebook Group, My Job Depends On Ag, that Kathleen had put up. She expressed a bit of frustration with finding a career in agriculture and was asking for recommendations from other people. I reached out to her and offered to provide some career coaching if we could release the conversation as a podcast. She agreed to that, and today's episode is that conversation.
Joleigh Nailor is the president of her FFA chapter and a very prolific livestock exhibitor. Growing up with a father who is a full-time dairyman, Joleigh has been engrossed in the dairy industry. When she is not milking dairy cattle, she is showing them. Between the Holsteins she owns, as well as a string of Shorthorn cattle and even Jerseys, she has the ability to participate in the show arena in many different ways. Also, she is very active showing pigs and market steers. She just can't get enough.
There was something very telling about Joleigh's personality when I asked her about the return on investment from traveling up and down the East Coast to different livestock shows, fairs and jackpots. One the most important things she named was the friendships she made being out there, showing livestock with others. She also noted having the opportunity to be a part of younger exhibitor's journey as they develop their skills.
I have recently taken up the hobby of speaking on a GMRS Radio and using repeaters to connect with people outside the range of my handset. On today's episode I want to expose you to the fun and the practical side of this activity.
Links Discussed On The Show:
My GMRS: https://mygmrs.com/
FCC Licensing: https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/general-mobile-radio-service-gmrs
Notarubicon YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNotaRubicon
Treasure Valley Linked GMS Repeater Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/889860782756239
GMRS Live: https://www.gmrslive.com/
Abbie Chase is a junior at McCook Central High School and is serving as the chapter's Vice-President of Building Community. Abbie is also a very determined bee keeper, which you will figure out when you hear her story, and she is growing the number of hives she keeps as quickly as she can.
This was a very interesting interview for me because it incorporated a story of a severe weather phenomena that I have never experienced. Abbie did experience this, and it really changed her outlook on the service component of being in the FFA. It also impacted her personally because of the impact that it had on her bee hives at the time when it occurred. So, in today's episode not only is there a great story of an outstanding FFA student, but there is a great weather story that leads right into perseverance in agriculture!
Tip Of The Week
Find reputable legal training before you protect life or property with a gun
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.kcci.com/article/gun-theft-burglary-ames-iowa-theisens-brazen-smash-and-grab/60191829
https://www.kfvs12.com/2024/03/13/authorities-searching-theft-suspect-western-kentucky/
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/calaveras-county-man-arrested-for-shooting-shotgun-toward-atv-rider-on-property/103-a1083e9c-5f26-4e42-a201-76243ba90fac
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/18/us/woman-shot-wrong-driveway-upstate-new-york/index.html
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/judge-rules-white-man-will-stand-trial-for-shooting-black-teen-ralph-yarl-who-went-to-wrong-house
https://www.wtva.com/news/local/kids-accused-of-stealing-horses-in-clay-county/article_b43fedc2-e08f-11ee-8d4c-973a3c9e60d0.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/farming/2024/03/14/farmer-speaks-out-after-scores-of-lambs-butchered-in-field/
https://www.farmersguide.co.uk/rural/rural-crime/stop-me-stickers-given-to-farmers-to-protect-machinery-and-vehicles-against-thieves/
Africa
https://www.citizen.co.za/southlands-sun/lnn/article/two-men-arrested-allegedly-stealing-213-sheep/?amp
https://dy365.in/assam/assam-two-cows-stolen-from-cattle-shed-in-khetri-13875
https://www.citizen.digital/news/family-of-two-killed-over-chicken-theft-claims-wants-perpetrators-charged-n338288
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.agdaily.com/news/s-c-man-surrenders-in-suspected-120k-feed-corn-theft/
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nd/pr/buxton-man-sentenced-crop-insurance-violation-ending-series-four-cases-involving-potato
Lukas Hitchcock is 19 years old, has a passion for farming and has little to no farming background.....and he has a vision. When Lukas was about seven years old he had some limited exposure to farming on one of his cousin's operations in Iowa. He can remember that moment, and he cites it as the moment that he fell in love with farming. However, life circumstances for Lukas were not conducive to him growing up learning about farming or working on a farm. In fact, based on some bad choices of his parents, his attention had to be diverted away from higher level things like learning about farming to just day to day success.
Ultimately, Lukas was thrust in adulthood and independence earlier than most of us, at age sixteen. As soon as this occurred he started working as a farmhand wherever he could, just to be part of the lifestyle and to learn. He continues these efforts today, three years later.
Lukas has a vision of having his own farm at some point in the future, and like so many of us, young and old, he has no idea how to make that happen given the large financial obstacles that stand in his way. Lukas is doing what everyone in his position does. He is seeking, researching and looking for information wherever he can find it. That led him to reach out to me for advice.
Instead of having a private telephone conversation about ideas, we decided to record the conversation and publish it as a podcast episode if we both agreed. At the end, neither of us said anything that we wanted kept confidential, and we decided go ahead with publishing it in the hopes it might help somebody else.
On tomorrow's ag business episode we are looking at the concept of farm transition again. It has been several years since I have done this, but it is a topic that we should keep front of mind because it is a valid way to begin farming or ranching. Back in 2017 I interviewed a young man who was a National Proficiency Finalist and a sophomore in college. He was raising his own cattle and working for a neighbor on his ranch, and that neighbor was ready to retire. The neighbor did not have a family member who wanted to farm the ground, and he was transitioning the operation to my guest, Stetson Dittmar. On today's show we will revisit that conversation.
Our guest today is an inspiration to people everywhere who have said "how do I get the land that I need to farm?". Tyler Worthey is showing everyone what can be done from your own back yard and kitchen.
Tyler is the Chapter Reporter at Neoga FFA in Illinois. He was recruited by his FFA Advisor back in the 8th grade after being enrolled in an introduction to agriculture class, and he has not looked back. That year he started making hot sauces in his kitchen at home just for fun, and he would share them with friends at school. It wasn't long until people were requesting certain sauces and were even willing to pay for them. Worthey Peppers was born.
Today, Tyler is growing his own supply of peppers in the back yard of his parents house in a neighborhood of Neoga. He is taking those peppers and turning them into a variety of hot sauces, jams and jellies in the kitchen of his house. And, he is fully licensed and certified through the State Of Illinois as a "cottage food producer". He then markets those products at fairs, festivals and farmer's markets. He is killing it, and has really got a great brand created and a great product to sell!
Today's episode was inspired by a Tuesday show I did back in 2019, #662. I will be discussing getting yourself to a conference this year as a matter of pivotal importance to the growth and sustainability of your business and/or farm enterprise.
Ava Belanger is just finishing up her sophomore year of high school, but is well ahead of the pace when it comes to her knowledge of horticulture. She and a partner are currently growing floating flowers in a kiddie pool at her school, and they have already rescued them from deterioration and death once only to see them come back flourish.
This all began when Ava decided she wanted to be a neurologist at the end of her 8th Grade year. In Massachusetts some students can attend high schools dedicated to one main area of study. At Norfolk County that is agriculture. Ava saw this and thought that it might help her in the scientific pursuit that she had identified. So, she enrolled at Norfolk. However, she later determined that was not the direction she wanted to pursue and developed an interest in plants.
Today, Ava is serving as a Junior Officer in the Secretary position. She hopes to advance to an upper level officer position next year and keep pursuing her interest in plants.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
I have more students from around the country tell me that they are going out of state, to Oklahoma State University, to study agriculture than to any other university. On today's show I finally get to find out why this is! OSU has something going on, and it is working. The lineup of guests we have today do a great job of demonstrating what there is to love in Stillwater, and today will get to profile the Ferguson College Of Agriculture.
Tip Of The Week
Don’t pay for anything you don’t have in your possession without safety measures in place
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wlbt.com/2024/03/08/hay-horse-scams-sweeping-internet-ms-ag-theft-bureau-says-be-cautious/
https://www.klfy.com/local/st-landry-parish/officials-ask-for-publics-help-in-locating-missing-livestock/
https://ktemnews.com/ixp/341/p/red-paint-tree-meaning/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.southwestfarmer.co.uk/news/24185243.gps-dome-stolen-tractor-west-dorset/
https://www.farmersguide.co.uk/rural/rural-crime/shropshire-farmers-warned-following-rise-in-diesel-thefts/
Africa
https://www.chronicle.co.zw/byo-police-recover-19-head-of-stolen-cattle/
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2024-03-13-state-opens-more-security-camps-in-baringo-to-tame-banditry/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.wdsu.com/article/community-rallies-around-slidell-women-who-discover-therapy-goats-dead-or-stolen/60192109
https://www.thedailystar.com/news/davenport-man-sentenced-for-insurance-fraud/article_76ed8290-e16b-11ee-beb7-eb6bd39a765d.html
John Price is 26 years old and has been running his own farm for 1/2 of his life. Today, he runs Archlynn Farm with his wife, mother and step-father in Charlotte Courthouse, Virginia. There they raise over 50 acres of produce for direct sales to customers and sales in grocery stores.
When John was in elementary school he, his sister and his two brothers were all in the 4H, and John never liked it! He exited the 4H as soon as he was able and really was not enthusiastic about agriculture. However, when he was around 13 years old his family planted a 1/2 acre garden, and he worked with the rest of the family on the plot.
At some point, friends and family started asking to purchase produce from them, and this led to the development of a CSA. Something clicked for John at this point, and he has been loving farming ever since. That was 13 years ago, and the time since then has spanned half of John's life.
Today, his siblings have moved onto to other pursuits, but he is farming with his folks and his wife. They are now growing produce on 50 acres of land and selling to multiple outlets. There was a pivotal moment in the development of the farm that led to a question - "do we scale back so the four of us can run this, or do he hire help so we can grow?". The choice was to grow, and to develop a business that would sustain the four of them as full-time farmers.
This decision led to the problem of finding reliable labor on the farm. Ultimately they chose to participate in the H2A Program and hire labor from Mexico during the growing season. John and I spend the final 15 minutes of the interview discussing how this works and the decision process.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am profiling a farmer from South Virginia with an impressive vegetable farm. This made me think about the interview I did with the owners of Diemand Farm back in 2019 and how many different enterprises and value added products they had to keep going. I thought this was a great tie in for tomorrow's ag business episode, and I am eager to play it for you again.
Quinton Berg has a passion for livestock judging, and he has carried that forward through his time in the FFA. He has been judging livestock since he was in the 4H, and he travels to competitions all over the Mid-West to pursue this skill set. Last year, he decided to share it with others the way it had been shared with him. So, he set up a free livestock judging clinic to teach younger 4H members how they can participate.
Through his efforts, Quinton received donations of money, door prizes and livestock to be judged. He also had a lot of help putting on the event, and he acknowledges those who assisted him in the interview today. There is no doubt that his passion for this type of competition shines through wherever he goes. At a competition at the Fort Scott Community College in Kansas last year the college's judging coach saw something in Quinton and offered him a scholarship to come be on the team. And you guessed it, Quinton will be judging livestock for Fort Scott starting in the Fall of 2024!
Today is a regular farm update for you. On the agenda is:
- March snows
- Building a heated room in my shop
- Taking up wood carving
- HenGear Nest Boxes
Ashlynn Lamp is her FFA Chapter's Reporter, she raises chickens and goats at her home and she is passionate about horticulture. So much so, that her FFA Advisor knew she would be a great guest on the show.
In today's episode featuring Ashlynn we will talk about her journey into food production, and therefore into the FFA. We will also talk sports, horticulture, becoming an FFA officer and where she plans to take this great experience in the future.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
[caption id="attachment_421797" align="alignleft" width="121"] Tyeson Gravenhof - Student Ambassador[/caption]
Northeast Oklahoma A&M is a community college very near the Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri borders with Oklahoma. Students from throughout the U.S. come here to be on the livestock judging team, and many careers in agriculture are launched here with transfers to four year institutions in Oklahoma and surrounding states.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Don’t give up on stolen horses
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://theprowersjournal.com/2024/03/livestock-theft-meeting-to-be-held-march-14-in-springfield/
https://www.ivpressonline.com/news/county-approves-funds-to-address-farm-theft-vandalism/article_61b9fa66-db35-11ee-9ce9-9f511f474061.html
https://bnnbreaking.com/breaking-news/crime/livestock-theft-in-georgetown-county-10-chickens-2-ducks-missing
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.farmersguide.co.uk/rural/rural-crime/hundreds-of-sheep-stolen-as-livestock-rustlers-target-uk-farms/
https://www.miragenews.com/nsw-police-hunt-for-leads-in-mid-north-coast-1188449/
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-07/nobby-night-watchman-keeps-close-eye-on-cattle-high-country-sale/103546204
Africa
https://www.withinnigeria.com/news/2024/03/07/deadly-attack-claims-lives-of-herder-and-livestock-in-plateau-state/
https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/msspeechdetail.php?nid=51799
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.ksbw.com/article/chp-recovers-two-tractors-stolen-in-santa-cruz-california/60115164
https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2024/03/06/indian-river-timber-harvester-jailed-45-days-for-embezzlement-from-landowners
https://www.kpua.net/2024/03/07/hpd-receives-donation-of-certified-agricultural-produce-scales-to-combat-theft/
https://fox40jackson.com/local-news/mississippi-authorities-recover-stolen-racehorse-in-kentucky/
Avery Shoffner has her own flock of sheep, is a senior in high school, lives on her family's Century Farm and makes a great income over the summer showing the sheep that she raises.
Avery has been involved in raising and showing sheep, largely influenced by her grandfather, since she was very young. Today, she manages her own flock, exchanges labor on her grandfather's farm for feed and pasture and is at a show every weekend of the summer. She has become hyper-focused on this supervised agricultural experience, stepping away from school sports and the FFA officer team for dual reasons. First, is her devotion to this project and showmanship, which takes priority over everything else. Second is the wisdom and integrity of knowing that she wasn't giving what she believed to be necessary attention to those other things when there was somebody waiting in the wings who would.
Avery loves her family, her farm and her sheep. She also has a heart for service. So, after graduation she is starting her collegiate career at a nearby community college. This will allow her continue living at home, save money and work on the farm. She will be pursuing a career as an elementary school teacher. She knows she wants to help people and to make a difference, and that is where she believes she can do it best!
On tomorrow's episode I am interviewing a young lady who raises sheep. Also, this is the time of year that students are going to be pursuing the chance of a lifetime to be State FFA Officers. So, I thought for today's re-cap this interview with Renee Stillwell from back in 2016 was perfect. Not only was she raising sheep, but I titled this episode "How To Become A State Officer".
Greyson Applebee is his chapter and section's secretary in just his junior year of high school, and this follows a history of not wanting to join the FFA. Greyson has twin, older brothers, and they were both in the FFA and both officers. And, his father believes that it is important to have a background in farming and agriculture. So, when it was time to start high school the only person that didn't want Greyson to join the FFA was Greyson. However, his father registered him for the introduction to agriculture class, and things took off from there. Greyson said that once his FFA Advisor had the opportunity to start exposing him to activities he got hooked.
Greyson's ascension into fish farming was just as quick. He was able to go to the National FFA Convention his 9th Grade year, and on that trip the chapter did a number of tours. One of those was a facility where fish were being raised. Greyson was fascinated, and by the spring of his 9th grade year, he and a friend, had rounded up the necessary equipment and were raising fish.
Greyson is continuing to grow his supervised agricultural experience and has identified a career area that he is interested in for the future. Sales for John Deere is the dream job that he named when I asked him. Based on the track record he already has, I suspect that he is going to accomplish this goal also!
A while back I spoke with you about setting your New Year's Resolutions later in the year, rather than on January 1st. There was a good rationale for that, and I am find that to be proven true. On today's show I'll share with you what my two resolutions for 2024 are.
Lilly Cappitte is her chapter's president, a business owner and a gregarious agriculturist, but it wasn't always this way. Growing up in her blended household, Lilly did not have anyone expressing any agricultural influence on her. Nobody in the family worked in agriculture or was trying to move back to a farm or anything like that.
When Lilly was in her second semester of her sophomore year of high school she took a veterinary science course because she was interested in animals. This was taught by one of the FFA advisors, and it automatically enrolled her in the chapter. One day, her teacher approached her and asked her if she would be willing to be on a plant science team to help out. They were one person short, and without a full team they could not compete. Lilly said yes, went to the competition and ended up doing very well on the individual level.
Since that competition, Lilly has caught fire in the FFA and has served as an officer twice. She has also started her own flower business, selling flowers at the farmer's market as well as to friends and classmates for dances. She also took a job on a farm helping to teach children about agriculture. She is planning on getting a degree in agriculture, and she is totally in on agriculture!
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
The Pennsylvania College Of Technology is a niched agricultural college with specialties in forestry, horticulture and diesel technology. Offering associates, bachelors and master's degrees, upwards of 90% of the forestry students study for an associates degree and then get to work. The hands on learning is impressive with 3 hours of lab work, in the forest, for every one hour of classroom instruction.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
How can you help with threat assessment?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://salinapost.com/posts/d8120ba2-e53e-4785-b9ad-5deb4f882340
https://www.greenriverstar.com/story/2024/02/29/news/recent-sentencing-from-the-us-attorneys-office-district-of-wyoming/11404.html
https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/miniature-horse-shot-killed-maple-valley/P2ZSZDBNGFFKLDCREBSO56ZYJE/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/n-s-rcmp-charge-four-following-alleged-copper-theft-1.6788080
https://www.iheartradio.ca/virginradio/winnipeg/news-trending/it-s-frightening-rural-manitoba-residents-take-action-to-curb-crime-1.21933772
https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-03-01/merriwa-farmer-reward-black-angus-cattle-rustlers-police/103532808
Africa
https://www.chronicle.co.zw/6-arrests-58-stolen-cattle-recovered/
https://gna.org.gh/2024/02/man-convicted-over-water-meter-theft/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://hpj.com/2024/02/29/south-dakota-bans-home-equity-theft/
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/farm-watch-used-to-bust-agricultural-theft-crew-in-southern-california/
Nate Crumbley is a chapter sentinel and is just finishing up his junior year of high school. He has wanted to farm and be part of agriculture ever since he can remember first riding around on a tractor with his grandfather. This is what first led him to try raising rabbits. During the year of Covid lockdowns and online school, he had very little to do and lived with his grandparents on their farm. So, he began raising rabbits as an enterprise of his own. When school started again the following year, he moved back to his parent's home where he would attend school in person. Taking care of the rabbits became more of a challenge considering the travel required and the level of attention required. As a result, the enterprise failed.
Nate was not done, but he knew that he needed to try something different than rabbits. Through a series of examples, contemplations and research Nate and his grandfather decided to have Nate try raising Dorper Sheep. This is where Nate found his niche and his passion. Today he is the owner of Cartwright Dorpers and is operating both a purebred and commercial sheep enterprise.
Today's episode is significant to me for a couple of reasons. First, what Dan Frank is doing epitomizes what this show is all about. He is a small, owner/operator of a business that allowed him to "make it in farm country". Dan values the lifestyle that living rural and farming brings, and this drives him to find a way to make a living "out there".
Dan chose entrepreneurship to be the main way of creating his income in an area where jobs normally are scarce. He sees our current economy for what it is - a moment in time that will allow you to get ahead. Right now, Dan can get all of the side jobs he wants working for other people because unemployment is so low that farmers cannot find labor, let alone quality labor. However, Dan realizes that this is not going to last forever. So, instead of sitting back and enjoying the fact that he can work as much as he wants for other people and make good money right now, he is building his own business on the side for when the economy slows and jobs are less plentiful and competition for those jobs is higher.
Dan has been bootstrapping his silage hauling business, Frankie's Feed Movers. He started out by purchasing an old truck and using an old box on the truck to get started. He is now creating enough revenue that he is going to be able to upgrade equipment and expand the services he can offer.
Jace Taylor is the Chapter Reporter for his FFA Chapter and a sophomore in high school. He is also the owner of "Goat Tuff Solutions", a company that he purchased from his father in which he manufactures panels, gates, feeders and more for goat production.
Jace has some big goals in the FFA. Currently he competing at the state level in Oklahoma in the chapter reporter position. He is striving to win a state award for his work in that position. He is also growing his business and manufacturing more equipment for people who see his work and recognize the quality.
Jace was preceded by his sister in the FFA, and she demonstrated to him what could be accomplished all while really enjoying yourself. Jace is exhibiting wisdom right now. He has goals of possibly growing his business after high school, but he doesn't want to grow it too fas
Hello everyone. Today is our 2,000th episode! I never thought this possible, yet here we are! I have you to thank for this, and that is what I do in this episode. Please join in to learn just how much you have impacted, not just my life, but the lives of my entire family.
Clayton Jennings is currently serving as a 2nd Vice-President in his FFA Chapter as well as playing two sports. He and his sister work together on their families farm and raise pigs, with a total of three enterprises devoted to selling show pigs, showing their own pigs and selling pork. The pork enterprise, called C&C Premium Pork, belongs to Clayton alone while his sister sells show supplies as a distributor for Sullivan Supply as her own enterprise.
Clayton and his family moved about three hours from their previous home approximately a decade ago so that they could live this lifestyle. Clayton's parents had grown up around livestock, and they found themselves living in the city of Columbia, Missouri as the kids were growing up. However, the ability to work remotely changed the opportunities that they had, and they ended up moving about three hours away to a piece of property that was conducive to starting a pig breeding operation. From there, Clayton and his sister got to work and have been developing these enterprises ever since.
Clayton has a strong interest outside of agriculture, and that is sports. In addition to playing basketball and baseball in high school he is very interested in statistics, and is hoping to have a career in sports media. You might wonder how the two things will relate. When I asked Clayton about his vision of how his career in sports media would look, it involved three distinct ways of reporting on sports. I found this to be very similar to the three enterprises of the pig business that he finds himself involved in now.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Midway University is a niched agricultural college, specializing in every aspect of the Equine Industry. Located in the heart of horse country and surrounded by the most elite horse farms in Kentucky and the U.S., Midway offers students with a passion for horses opportunities for real world learning in unprecedented environments. With an aim to be among the most inexpensive universities in Kentucky, Midway is launching incredible careers working with horses.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Would you consider a GPS collar for your horses?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.kcbd.com/2024/02/14/thieves-steal-86000-worth-property-including-horses-cement-mixer-lynn-co/
https://www.mymix1041.com/mcminn-county-sheriffs-office-looking-for-stolen-trailer-tools/
https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animals/police-investigate-horse-rustlers-who-slaughtered-three-horses-for-meat/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.farmersguide.co.uk/rural/rural-crime/45-sheep-killed-by-dogs-in-devon/
https://www.producer.com/news/man-producers-want-dedicated-livestock-police/
https://www.brecon-radnor.co.uk/news/999/police-probe-theft-of-more-than-70-ewes-from-breconshire-farm-667464
Africa
https://sparkchronicles.com/millions-of-donkeys-are-stolen-every-year-and-slaughtered-for-use-in-traditional-medicine-2/
https://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/two-murder-suspects-arrested-over-brutal-killing-of-cattle-thieves-burnt-beyond-recognition-5896cb01-2005-42af-a9b4-1462c9a412ca
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://localnews8.com/news/crime-tracker/2024/02/22/man-arrested-for-using-tractor-to-damage-property-farm-equipment/
https://www.keranews.org/news/2024-02-20/texas-gives-125-million-to-rural-sheriffs-and-prosecutors-for-pay-increases
Rachelle Meyer is 30 years old, the mother of 7 and a successful regenerative farmer from Southeastern Minnesota. She and her husband, Jordan, have been together since high school, and they have been farming together since they got married. Jordan grew up on his families farm/dairy, and Rachelle grew up outside of agriculture. However, her mother had farm ground that she had put in to CRP.
Jordan and Rachelle struggled to find a viable business model for years until 2018 when they started practicing regenerative farming. Since that time they have had opportunities develop and productivity increase. And, they have had input costs go down. Today, they have multiple streams of revenue from their farms and the farms they lease. They are direct marketing what they produce, and they are inspired about the lifestyle they have chosen.
Rachelle also works as a "business and mindset coach" helping people to frame their mindsets about farming in such a manner that leads to success. They are growing their family and growing their farm into the future, together, and today we get to share a bit of this with you.
On tomorrow's ag business episode I am featuring an inspiring entrepreneur who has built a farming enterprise with her husband through regenerative farming practices. This made me think back to this interview I did with Wil Crombie in 2011, and I realized that it was the perfect tie in to tomorrow's show.
Cash Lehrman is the Chapter President of the Bridgewater-Emery FFA in Emery, South Dakota. He is also a cattle rancher on his family's first generation operation, and he has his own business clipping cattle for other ranchers in preparation for their performance sales.
Cash ranches with his family in Eastern South Dakota, and has been doing so all of his life. By now, he is well aware of the challenges that come with raising livestock in South Dakota, especially in the Springtime, when they seem to get some late winter storms and lots of precipitation. His long term, future plans, are to ranch cattle on his families property and continue to grow this business.
Cash's short term plans really caught my ear as we spoke. After he graduates this year, he will be heading to Oklahoma State University to get his degree in animal science. The natural follow up question is "why Oklahoma State" when you are from South Dakota? I thought his answer really demonstrated just how much he loves working with cattle.
Cash's answer was all about nutrition. He knows from the reading and research he has done due to his own curiosity that the methods of grazing and feeding cattle in the lower plains is different than that of South Dakota. He wants to learn how and why ranchers in the Southern Plains graze on winter wheat and then can follow up with a wheat harvest of what was just a forage crop. It is Cash's natural curiosity about raising cattle and his desire to know more that will take him to Oklahoma, and then who knows where else before he finds himself back on his families ranch.
For the third year in a row I ran to the Southwest Desert to find the sun and feel some warmth during the middle of winter. This is becoming a tradition that I don't think I will ever give up. I'll talk all about it on today's Farm Update Episode!
Kailee Adkins is her chapter's FFA President, a national finalist in agriscience and show goat producer from Chillicothe, Ohio. She has had an interesting journey to where she is at today.
When she was about 9 years old, she and her family moved to the farm on which they currently reside. Kailee described her father has wanting she and her young sister to grow up with the responsibility of raising and showing livestock in the manner which he did. The animal of choice for this was goats.
For several years Kailee showed goats unenthusiastically, but it was part of her responsibility on the farm so she devoted herself to it. Meanwhile, she had growing interests in plants and soils that were coming from the environment that she was living in. So, when high school arrived she signed up for a class about plants and soils that interested her, and this led her into the FFA.
Kailee is the first ever FFA member in her family, and she said that it really brought her out of her shell. She started off high school shy and quiet, and the FFA gave her the time outside of her comfort zone to overcome this. Then, one day when was about 15, something clicked and she became passionate about showing goats. After all of those years, something finally clicked in. Today she is growing a herd for both quality and quantity and developing a business. This spring, she and her family, will hold their first ever "bid board sale" at the county fairground to sell their goats to other exhibitors in the area.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
When it comes to ROI or return on investment, Tennessee Tech probably has the best of any university that I have interviewed for this episode. They are certainly in the top 5, and that includes for non-resident students. On today's episode we are profiling this university that sits about halfway between Nashville and Knoxville in upper Tennessee and offers a wide array of agricultural options for the future Ag professional.
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Andrew Szalach is a really amazing FFA student. He has been very involved in the FFA since 6th grade, even before he could officially join in the 7th. So much so that he served as his chapter's vice president during his freshman year and has served as his chapter's president the past two, subsequent years.
There is no doubt that when Andrew finds something he is passionate about that he goes "all in". He has demonstrated this in the FFA for the past 5 years, and his supervised agricultural experience is another glaring example.
Andrew has a passion for Massey Ferguson tractors, specifically those from the 1970's. So, in 2021 he found one in Northern Pennsylvania that was for sale, a 1974 Model 14. He and his father drove down from New York and purchased it, and he got to work on it once they got home. He says that today he is 80% of the way done with the restoration and hopes to have it complete for shows this summer.
In pursuit of this project Andrew applied for and received a $1,000 SAE grant. He also sent out letters asking for donations for his project and received multiple, totally about another $1,000. Just when I thought I knew everything about his SAE he told me that he was obtaining and selling both parts and manuals for 1970's Massey Ferguson tractors. At restoration lots if he finds one that cannot be restored, he will pull parts off of them and sell them online. In addition, he will locate hard to find repair manuals online and then offer them for sale online, printing and binding them only when they are requested. He does this all for little to no profit, just to keep people interested in 1970's Massey Ferguson tractors!
Spring is coming everyone, and it always makes me think about the spring of 2012. Back then I had never started a business, but I had identified one that I wanted to start. The first business I started was gopher extermination, and it was a seasonal business. All winter and spring I had been getting cold feet and chickening out until one night at about 3am I sat straight up in bed and realized that if I did not get started I would have to wait a whole year more to begin because I would miss the season.
If you have been doing the same thing, the time is now! Don't wait until May like I did. Take a step forward and begin. On today's show I want to go back to an interview about one such business. If you are thinking about staring a farm photography or video business, growing season is coming! Get started, and let this interview I did with Doug Armknecht back in 2015 be your inspiration!
Stephen Lemon is the host of the Chef Lemonhead Youtube Channel, an FFA student and the chair of his chapter's recruitment committee. With almost 4,000 subscribers on Youtube, including me, Stephen is inspiring people to cook all sorts of creative dishes.
Stephen has had a fascination with cooking since he was about five years old, and when he first started asking if he could cook for the family. In the beginning, nobody was too sure what the food he was making was going to taste like. So, when he cooked he cooked just for himself and not for the rest of the family. However, it didn't take long for things to start smelling pretty good in the kitchen and enticing the rest of the family. Pretty soon, he was the main chef in the house.
In combination with wanting to cook, Stephen had always wanted to have his own Youtube channel. So, during the long, boring days of Covid he decided that he would make one. The, just a couple of years later, he joined the FFA and needed a supervised agricultural experience. Viola!, the cooking channel fit perfectly, and it became his SAE!
Nancy Rivas is a senior at Sanger High School and is very active in her FFA program. She did not grow up on a farm or ranch and really had no exposure to agriculture as a child. However, when it came time to start high school in 2020 she was aware of an "easy" class called "floral design" and she signed up for it.
Nancy's start to high school was not as auspicious as other students may have experienced. She began in 2020, so she actually started high school at home, behind a computer screen. So, when she "attended" her floral class she was kind of tuned in, but not all the time. Of course, floral design is a very kinesthetic type of class, but taking it online offered none of that. Then Nancy noticed that she was being asked to recite things such as the FFA Creed, and she did not know how that related to floral.
Finally, in her sophomore year she got to attend class in person and work with floral arrangements with her own two hands. Something clicked for her when she did that, and she found herself working right through her lunch and not even noticing. This led her to explore other opportunities such as showing dairy cattle. And, she also joined the goat team and purchased a goat that she was able to keep at the school farm. This has now led her to develop her own goat herd, which she keeps at a friend's farm these days.
Nancy will be heading to college next year, and she has her sights set on becoming an agriculture teacher. She says that she wants to have the impact on students that her ag teachers had on her. That is a great goal!
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Northwest Missouri State University is located in the middle of an agribusiness triangle made up of Omaha, Kansas City and Des Moines. 60% of the agriculture students here grew up on farms, 30% are from rural communities but not farms and 10% come from more urban areas with an interest in agriculture. To facilitate this pragmatic education they offer a 448 acre learning farm with an agricultural learning center located there and more value added and direct to market facilities developing as we speak.
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On today's episode I am catching up with Zac Fralix from Southern Tennessee. Zac was originally on the show in 2015 when he and his, now wife, were going gangbusters raising around 500 goats, teaching people to fit goats, showing goats and fitting on contract all around the country. Sometime after that, with an urge to stay closer to home, Zach started a landscaping and lawn care business. He ran that business for 5 years and sold it to take a job with his county.
Today, Zac is married with three kids, and he has been promoted to the assistant director role of their solid waste department. He is in a stage of life in which his kids and family are taking priority. The farming has ramped down, and the fitting and showing is only for friends and family. However, when the day comes, Zac has already proved that he knows how to run a business and he has overcome the fear of doing so. So, if he decides that is the life he wants at some time in the future, he will be ready to go!
Spring is coming everyone, and it always makes me think about the spring of 2012. Back then I had never started a business, but I had identified one that I wanted to start. The first business I started was gopher extermination, and it was a seasonal business. All winter and spring I had been getting cold feet and chickening out until one night at about 3am I sat straight up in bed and realized that if I did not get started I would have to wait a whole year more to begin because I would miss the season.
If you have been doing the same thing, the time is now! Don't wait until May like I did. Take a step forward and begin. On today's show I want to go back to an interview about one such business. If you are thinking about staring a custom fitting service, show season is coming! Get started, and let this interview I did with Zach Fralix back in 2015 be your inspiration!
Zach Gingras is his FFA Chapter's treasurer, a first year FFA student and the owner of a growing herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats with some outstanding genetics.
Back in 2020, when Zach was bored to tears staying home during Covid, he was scrolling through the internet and found a video about goats. This sparked an interest in him, and he decided to pursue it. First things first though, he had to convince his mom to allow him to raise goats on the 1 acre that they called home. With some stipulations she said yes, and Zach purchased his first three Nigerian Dwarf goats.
This has led to many things. Today, Zach is searching the entire country for Nigerian Dwarves with the best genetics and confirmation. He has a goal of raising a herd that produces a goat that will place in the top ten in the entire United States. He just purchased a buckling all the way from Michigan in pursuit of this goal.
During this time he was also recruited into the FFA officer team. He had signed up for an agriculture class because of his interests, and his advisor convinced him to participate as an officer so he could go and experience the National Convention (only officers from Missisquoi attend). He followed the advice and went. Obviously more people than me are seeing Zach's potential in agriculture!
Several years ago I did a series of episodes about the health benefits of entrepreneurship. I was looking at those today and decided that I would record another episode about this very topic. I think being an entrepreneur or small business owner is healthier for you than fighting the rat race to get to a career that is the wrong fit for you. The main reason I believe this is how much stress is piling up on you that you cannot even detect when you are in that rat race situation. Stick with me in this episode as I contrast the two very different parts of my life.
Adam Keir is his FFA chapter's Chaplain, a musician, a junior in high school and he is the winner of Pennsylvania's most improved award for the 1941 Farmall tractor that he restored.
There is something really special about Adam's story. The farm that he lives on was started by his great grandfather, whom he was never able to meet. However, the original tractor that was purchased for the farm was still there, waiting to be restored. At the same time, Adam had enrolled in an agricultural mechanics course at his high school, and his instructor was looking for a student with a tractor that needed to be restored.
Adam had this interest already, and his tractor was selected for this project. This is what led Adam to join the FFA and enter in the competition that found his tractor to be the most improved. Adam already has another tractor that he wants to restore that is on the families farm. This one is a Ford 5,000. However, this time he is on his own as the high school is restoring a different piece of equipment this year. I believe that Adam is up to the challenge!
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Hawkeye Community College is located right in the heart of production agriculture as well as being in the same city as John Deere's Manufacturing Plant. Agribusiness is obviously relevant every direction you look at this 2 Year college. However, in addition to large scale, agribusiness Hawkeye teaches entrepreneurship with real world examples of smaller, direct to consumer ag businesses so that an ag student can tailor their education to fit their vision.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Livestock hoarding is a mental illness, that livestock producers need to be on the lookout for.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://myvalleynews.com/blog/2024/02/01/sheriffs-rural-crime-team-assists-in-anza/
https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/crime-courts/record-low-crime-black-hawk-county-2023/article_2a920050-c05b-11ee-bfb7-5300a0cf9ae5.html
https://www.exploreclarion.com/2024/02/01/local-man-accused-of-ordering-timber-company-to-cut-down-over-70-trees-on-neighbors-property/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/crime/2024/01/31/thieves-target-farm-in-rural-south-shropshire-stealing-quad-bike-say-police-as-they-launch-appeal/
https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/gardai-investigating-theft-of-cattle-in-co-monaghan/
Africa
https://www.rnews.co.za/photos-owner-of-these-cattle-wanted/
https://thewhistler.ng/police-recover-cows-donkey-from-cattle-rustlers-in-sokoto/
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2024-01-31-night-milking-suspect-arrested/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/local_news/farmers-found-guilty-in-bird-poisoning-incident/article_c9af9ecc-becb-11ee-9e17-97ec2cacaf7d.html
https://www.niagara-gazette.com/news/crime/woman-charged-with-more-than-150-counts-of-animal-cruelty/article_9153326a-c09b-11ee-8c5a-af15fa48ed1b.html
Reagan Long is the Chapter President of the Shield's Valley FFA Chapter and owns his own lawn care company, and yes, his first employee was his own father. Way back in the 7th Grade one of Reagan's neighbors asked him if he would be willing to mow their lawn for money. Neither of them knew it at the time, but this was the launch of a great lawn care business.
Reagan took that job and things started to grow. By the 9th grade, Reagan had a client list of 6 lawns to mow, and he was ready to start branching out and taking jobs that were beyond walking distance from his house. So, he did what anyone would naturally do, he asked his dad for a ride. However, in either Reagan or his father's wisdom, his dad was brought on as an employee so Reagan could learn the realities of a business decision like this. It worked out, and things have only advanced from there.
Today Reagan has three full-time employees during the summers, his own truck and a myriad of equipment he uses in the business. All of this has come from reinvesting profits. He will graduate from high school this summer and his going away to college in the fall. However, he plans to continue running the business during college and mowing lawns during the summers.
If you listened to my Tuesday episode this week, then you know that one of the most important mentors I have in this entrepreneurial journey, Dan Miller, died in January after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December of 2023. Dan is a great man who has inspired countless people to change their lives and life styles, including me. In continuing tribute I wanted to replay this interview I did with Dan back in 2016 to give you another chance to be inspired by his words and outlook on life.
Mercedes Jones is her chapter's historian and her district's sentinel, and she is only in her sophomore year of high school! She is also the recipient of a $1,000 SAE grant for a flower business that she has been launch with her family on their farm in South Dakota.
Mercedes is in a unique position with both of her parents being full-time farmers. This is the life that she has known since she was four years old and her family moved to the multi-generational farm and both of her parents left their city jobs to devote all of their time here. Mercedes is learning that maintaining this lifestyle with revenue that is produced exclusively from the farm is a challenge, and it takes innovation and hard work to meet that challenge. As a result, she and her family are in the development process of adding flowers as a crop on their farm, and developing their "direct to consumer" business model. She has already become an expert in varieties of flowers as well as planting and preservation methods, and there is no doubt why she was awarded the grant.
If you have listened to the Off-Farm Income Podcast for some time, then you have likely heard me speak of Dan Miller on more than one occasion. Since 2009, Dan has been a mentor, inspiration and "permission giver" to me. It was around 2009 that I decided that I wanted to change my life, and I started dreaming of entrepreneurship. It was also then that I discovered Dan and started consuming his content.
Since that time I met Dan in person and became friends with him in 2015. I talked all about this in episode #67. In 2017 I had Dan on my show for the very first time on epsiode #330. And, in 2022 I was a guest of Dan's as a featured entrepreneur for his private Eagles Community, which I recaptured on episode #1362.
Dan was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer on December 7th, 2023. And he passed on January 23rd. In today's episode I want to pay tribute to this man who has meant so much to me, and who helped to unlocked the door to the life I was dreaming about.
Katie Dauch is her FFA Chapter's President, a junior in high school, a gardener, a food preserver and a very benevolent high school student. Starting way back in elementary school, Katie and her mom started growing a raised bed garden at their home in Upstate New York for their own food production and food security. They used canning methods to preserve food for themselves, and between what they grew and what they purchased they put away food for the winter.
This is what led Katie to take her first agriculture class and ultimately to become involved in the FFA. She and her mom are still growing vegetables in their raised beds and canning them. It was the involvement in the FFA that led to Katie's SAE. Seeing that the school was producing more vegetables in it's community garden than was being consumed, Katie decided to preserve those vegetables in the same manner that she did at home. However, once they were preserved she donated them to food banks around her community. There are three food banks that are happy to accept the preserved vegetables and soups that Katie and her mom make, and her community is the better for having her!
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Have you ever heard of "Laradise"? Well, I had not either. That is how the folks living and going to college in Laramie, Wyoming describe where they live. This is the location of the only university in the state of Wyoming, The University Of Wyoming. Being the only university in a geographically large state with a very low population opens up an immensely diverse set of opportunities for students. Agriculture, wildlife and topography is very diverse throughout the state from Yellowstone National Park on the western edge to Mid-West style farming on the east, and much in between.
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Tip Of The Week
Fact check whenever you can, especially before taking a stand
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/can-mississippi-strip-felons-including-tree-thieves-of-voting-rights-federal-judges-hear-the-case/27XRCH5UNRG7HJR6SGYTIYJG4Q/
https://www.lancasterfarming.com/farming-news/news/minnesota-dairy-accused-of-3m-wage-theft-after-failing-to-pay-workers/article_0f216731-b7fa-5f4c-9813-3f9f3b9dbe6e.html
https://www.abc15.com/news/region-southeast-valley/gilbert/its-heartbreaking-az-horse-rescue-says-its-work-is-set-back-a-year-after-theft
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-68091251
https://www.northants.police.uk/news/northants/news/news/2024/january/two-dogs-seized-after-livestock-killed-in-braybrooke/
https://www.theleader.com.au/story/8494442/mudgee-robbery-crackdown-as-strike-force-uji-arrest-two-suspects/
Africa
https://capitalradio.co.ug/news/2024-01-25-stolen-cows-given-a-ride-in-land-cruiser/
https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.34GQ62J
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/25/amish-horse-buggy-stolen-walmart
https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/crime/second-teen-arrested-after-14-lambs-mown-down-in-field?utm_source=homelatestnews
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Dr. Alan Harrelson is a history professor at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. In his dissertation he focused on Agrarian Society in the Antebellum South. He also has a successful Youtube channel, website and podcast in which he discusses these ideas as a corollary to one of his passions, tobacco pipes and the accompanying lifestyle.
I discovered Dr. Harrelson some months back through his Youtube channel and have enjoyed his ideas on what it means to be an agrarian as well as the history of agriculture looked at from this perspective. I also find myself aligned with him when it comes to personal choices of how to live life, why we bought agricultural land and the rewards that come from such choices. I am thrilled that he is joining me on today's episode.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode, I am profiling a gentleman that I connected with through the hobby of pipe smoking. That got me thinking about if I had ever profiled anyone on the show who grew tobacco, and I was so pleased to be reminded of this great interview with Lorrie Barron that I did two years ago. In addition to so much more, they grow speciality tobacco on their farm in Southern Virginia, and I am thrilled to play their episode again.
Mya Ibarra is a junior in high school and the historian of her FFA Chapter. She is also an amazing human. Coming from a non-agricultural background, she was enticed into an FFA meeting by pizza when she was in the 7th Grade. Since then, she has become very involved and things have taken off for her. She also plays three sports, including basketball, and she had never shot a basketball prior to going out for the team during her sophomore year! If that is not enough, she has aspirations of becoming a physician, and science and math are her strongest subjects!
When it came time to develop an SAE, Mya gave it some serious thought. She looked around and thought about the teachers she had throughout her school life so far and realized how much work they put in, even at home. Mya believes that teachers are under appreciated, so she decided to start a subscription flower service to bring smiles to their faces.
Mya began purchasing flowers from a farm about 45 minutes away and selling monthly subscription services to teachers and staff at her school at a very low cost. She doesn't have any profit motive. She simply wants to brighten the day of these great women and men. So, she charges only $5/month, just enough to cover her costs and allow her to continue providing flowers to these folks!
Welcome to the Farm Update show for this week. Today, I am going to be speaking about a new testimonial for a product that was sent to me - Hen Gear's 54" laying box. Hint: So far, I am very pleased. I will also be discussing:
- The ever changing weather conditions on our farm.
- A car sliding into our fence
- A snow load related insurance claim at a rental house
Maverick Scheckel is just a sophomore in high school, but he is already the proprietor of two businesses and has developed a skill set that is going to serve him well for the rest of his life. Mentored by his father and working his father's large equipment "buy/sell" business, Maverick learned a lot about repairing equipment. This includes both working on engines and welding.
Maverick has taken what he has learned both from the business side and the skill sets to form two impressive businesses. First is "Scheckel Buy/Sell" which is similar to his father's buy/sell business. Rather than focusing on large equipment, Maverick focuses on small equipment like pickups, atv's and motorcycles. He purchases them in poor condition at bargain prices, fixes them up and then flips them.
Maverick has been welding since he was in the 6th grade, and he now can use all methods. This has led him to start "Scheckel Welding". He does repairs for his father's business, friends and farmers in his area. And, he is just launching a project to start fabricating gates and selling them around Bellevue as there are none available anywhere close.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This
episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
[caption id="attachment_421490" align="alignright" width="125"] Ashlyn Cook-Huggins: Student Ambassador[/caption]
Seward County Community College is an agricultural program that is on the rise. Will Milashoski and his wife, Rachael, were both just hired last year to teach and start rebuilding the agriculture program there. Already the enrollment has increased from 6 agriculture students to 25. In addition, they are rebuilding the livestock judging team and bringing in students to participate, such as Ashlyn Cook-Huggins, who joins Will on today's episode. With very reasonable tuition and an easy path to having non-resident tuition waived, this could be the exact spot for you to being your pursuit of an agricultural career.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
What is “broken windows policing”?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://vtdigger.org/2024/01/18/final-reading-vermont-lawmakers-try-again-to-rein-in-timber-theft/
https://www.kxii.com/2024/01/18/copper-stolen-choctaw-county-radio-tower-found-paris/
https://www.northcentralpa.com/news/crime/police-looking-for-stolen-tractor/article_de077596-b53b-11ee-a4e7-d3a713ccf172.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.farmersguide.co.uk/rural/rural-crime/nfu-calls-for-action-after-defra-fly-tipping-figures-published/
https://au.news.yahoo.com/bramley-fourteen-lambs-mown-down-121418765.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEAx_WzHJ5HMgDIMuAqzdE3en5oSyJJLp-EY2fMH--dRfOwGmdKZfL_NAhWcgxQeEmZHUoN3NTdw6mqlECcpUAyAbL5LX61Bd6mbOKxlAxkKiecJSPRRV-bumvseVXdn28gGHtiyLt6npUnGKmCt77Bat1Q1Ak1sAONaomdHBCy2
Africa
https://www.citizen.digital/wananchi-reporting/laikipia-alarm-over-rising-cases-of-livestock-theft-as-100-cows-150-goats-stolen-n335016
https://bnnbreaking.com/breaking-news/crime/unrelenting-crime-wave-hits-ugunja-sub-county-residents-cry-out-for-help/
https://www.guwahatiplus.com/assam/mob-lynching-kills-alleged-cattle-thief-in-morigaon
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.bakersfield.com/news/district-attorney-investigators-find-stolen-tractor/article_a9612d66-b679-11ee-9b1f-4718f22b5b7b.html
https://www.wafb.com/2024/01/18/3-arrested-after-multiple-atvs-stolen-baker/
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Lauren Schroeder is an amazing humanitarian, farmer and FFA student. During Covid, when she was in the 8th Grade, she started volunteering in her community and made an observation. She noticed that in the meals available to people there was no fresh produce. The timing of this observation coincided with her beginning her FFA career and needing to develop a supervised agricultural experience.
Lauren decided to plant a garden and donate 100% of the production to those in need. A very benevolent SAE was born. Starting her 9th grade year, she planted 1/2 acre with a variety of vegetables, ultimately donating them to multiple different organizations around her community. During the summer between her sophomore and junior year she increased her production to 1 acre and donated over 7,000 lbs of vegetables. She has two summers left while she is in high school FFA and wants to increase production this year to 1.5 acres and finally 2 acres with a total of 20,000 lbs of vegetables. It is an unbelievable story and goal, but she has proven that she can do it, and there is no doubt that she will!
Chase Krug was already doing amazing things when I first interviewed him in 2016. Since then he has gone on to even more amazing accomplishments. I was able to meet him in person in Indianapolis when he won the American Star Award for Agriscience Research. And, I am happy to profile him again today on our re-cap episode.
Aidan Yaddof is a sophomore in high school, sentinel of his FFA chapter, a two time SAE grant recipient, and hunter and a pheasant producer. Growing up in eastern Iowa on his families four acres, Aidan has always been around livestock and agriculture. This engagement with livestock and farming led him to join the FFA in the 8th grade, and he found that he really enjoyed the organization. This has led Aidan to become very active in his chapter with aspirations of serving at the district and state level as well.
Aidan has also been hunting all of his life, and over time he has noticed smaller numbers of pheasants in his area. He researched this and confirmed that counts of pheasants had been steadily declining. This knowledge, in combination with his introduction to the FFA and the need for an SAE, led him to pheasant production. Aidan started a pheasant production business with two goals. First, is to make revenue by selling pheasants, mostly roosters. Second, to help grow the pheasant population in the area by releasing birds into the wild, mostly hens.
Aidan has been doing this for two years now, and twice he has been awarded an SAE grant to help him grow and improve his business. He has long term aspirations for both the business and what he can achieve with it in the FFA. Aidan is currently in the process of applying for a state proficiency award, and he hopes that this will one day lead to a national proficiency award in Indianapolis.
We have been experiencing actual winter on the farm ever since we got back from our tropical vacation. It is funny how things get more complicated with even a little snow and frigid temperatures. Today, I will talk all about it.
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Abby Kolousek is a 6th Generation Farmer on her families property in Eastern South Dakota. When she was first getting started in the FFA a neighbor was getting out of goats and gave her family a Nigerian Dwarf Buck. There was something about the personality of a goat that was intriguing to Abby, and she started building a herd of the same breed.
At its peak, Abby had about 20 nannies. However, she is scaling down a little bit with the knowledge that she will be graduating high school this year and leaving for college. So, she is cutting the herd back in preparation to transition the project to her younger sister.
Abby sells the Nigerian Dwarf kids as pets to other families in the area. In doing so, she had to develop marketing skills in order to be able to get them all sold. This sparked an interest in Abby that has led to her choice of major. Abby is planning on getting a degree in marketing and looking for a career position that will allow her to work remotely. This will enable her to return home after college and start developing a goat herd again.
If you would be interested in seeing more of what Abby has done or purchasing a goat from her, you can find more information on the Kolousek Farms Website.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Laramie County Community College, "L - Triple C", is the only college in the capital city of Cheyanne, Wyoming. Being in close proximity to the University of Wyoming, the Colorado Rocky Mountain Front, Denver and being the home of Cheyenne Frontier Days, LCCC offers some very unique opportunities at the community college level. From working with horses to collegiate livestock showing to internships in rodeo this is a fantastic place to get your start in agriculture, especially if Western Sports, Western Heritage or Western Lifestyle is what you are after.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Whose that knocking at my door?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://wtop.com/crime/2024/01/fairfax-co-police-on-hunt-for-rose-ruse-burglars/
https://www.ketk.com/news/crime-public-safety/tractor-front-loader-backhoe-attachment-reported-stolen-in-camp-county/
https://www.cbs19.tv/article/news/local/2-horses-go-missing-in-smith-county/501-8fc4dfae-ea7f-4db7-92e8-2f9a1ec3ddcd
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.southwestfarmer.co.uk/news/24016466.men-found-farm-machinery-stolen-somerset-sentenced/
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-67951638
https://crimestoppers-uk.org/news-campaigns/news/2024/jan/rural-domestic-abuse-–-speaking-up-can-save-lives
Africa
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/crime/perjury-false-kidnapping-cases-11-january-2024/
https://www.farmersweekly.co.za/agri-news/south-africa/alert-farmers-and-workers-reduce-incidence-of-stock-theft/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/jersey-county-compact-track-loader-theft-leads-18600487.php
https://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/local-news/52970-kern-county-sheriff-s-office-rural-crime-unit-arrest-three-suspects-in-attempted-copper-wire-theft
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An interesting dynamic of our world today is the news cycle. We know about more of the most horrific events and suffering in the world than any of our predecessors. However, it turns out that there are a lot of very bad stories out there, each of them compelling. As such, we have the strange phenomena of hearing about something in another part of the world that causes us great consternation in the short term, but is then replaced by another horrific event that causes us to slowly withdraw concern or even forget about the first event. And the cycle repeats itself.
Just because we experience this phenomena, does not mean that any of the problems we initially heard about have been fixed or even improved. It just means that they are not being talked about on a large scale any longer. But somewhere, there are people still dealing with the issue that still need help.
In 2021, the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan after being omnipresent in that country for two decades. This created a vacuum that the Taliban quickly filled, and it put the people who worked with the U.S. in our efforts in peril. This was a great crisis and huge news story at the time, and it compelled me to interview Caroline Clarin, a woman who I had read about that was helping families from Afghanistan that she had come to know when she was doing agricultural work there between 2009 and 2011.
On today's show we are following up with Caroline. She is still very involved in this work, and her efforts have now evolved into a 501(c)(3) called the Friends And Allies Project where she and her team are working to support five families who made it out of Afghanistan but are stuck in Pakistan trying to get Visas that will allow them to come to the U.S.
On tomorrow's Friday episode I am featuring an episode with previous guest, Caroline Clarin. Caroline first came on the show in 2021 during Christmas, and we discussed the situation with people in Afghanistan who had helped out the United States since the war began there in 2001. The United States had just pulled out of Afghanistan, and many of them were now in danger because of the return of the Taliban. On tomorrow's show, Caroline is coming back on to give us an update on that situation, so today I'll play her first episode again to give you an idea of the before and after picture.
Morelia Vieyra Santana is a 2023 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Equine Science. She is also a previous guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast, appearing when she was a sophomore in high school in 2021.
When I first interviewed Morelia, I was taken with how bold she was in her role at her families horse boarding, training and events business in Madera, California. Not only was she working steadily in the business, but she was taking ownership of more than her assigned role and suggesting changes that she believed would improve their operation.
Knowing what I knew from our first meeting, it should have been no surprise to learn that she was a proficiency winner. It should have also been no surprise to learn that she no longer considered her role just as a member of her family and her families business. Today, she sees her role as representing her Mexican Heritage and that style of horsemanship as an ambassador to the greater agriculture community in the Central Valley of California.
Morelia is attending Fresno State University and studying agriculture business. She plans on using what she learns in college to improve the business side of her families business. At the same time, she wants to spread Mexican Horse Dancing to an even wider group of people and audience. She sees it as her role to make this part of her heritage more pervasive and known to a much larger audience than it currently enjoys.
Autumm, Hattie and I have just returned from 10 days on the Island of Roatan in Honduras. That is why you have been hearing "best of" episodes for the past two weeks. Hattie and I are now certified SCUBA divers, and I've got a lot to tell you in today's farm update!
James Titus is a 4th generation farmer on his families property in Valley Home, California. James is also the oldest son of one of my oldest and dearest friends, who I grew up with in Valley Home.
Beginning as a small village made up of German immigrants at the turn of the 20th's Century, Valley Home had two different names. First, as a small railroad water stop it was referred to as "Clyde". After the Germans came it was referred to as "Thalheim", German for home in the valley. During World War I, out of respect for their American countryman, the residents changed the name to its English translation - Valley Home.
Among these first residents were the Benedix family, from whom James is descended. I knew James' Great Grandfather, Rich, when I was just a boy. Back then, the primary crop grown in Valley Home was rice. Rich farmed rice and he was assisted by James' grandfather Fred, who I knew very well.
Today, James is "farming" on a much smaller scale than his grandfather and great grandfather. However, the Benedix legacy of agriculture in Valley Home is being kept alive by James and his family with the goat herd they keep at the home site that his Great Grandfather Rich once owned, was sold out of the family and then purchased back by James' parents. There are thousands of stories and legacies like this, all over the U.S. James' story is just one, but it is one that is still taking place in a small town that is specially tied to the Off-Farm Income Podcast.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode i
s an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Auburn University seems to have endless opportunities for both agriculture and natural resources students. In today's episode I speak with the largest cast of guests I have ever had appear on one interview. Between the five of them there is fantastic information about this historic university, and I hope it is of great use to you.
- Madisen Cope - Student Recruitment Administrator
- Brooke Martin - Student Recruitment Administrator
- Lexi Garret - Student Ambassador
- Abbie Star - Student Ambassador
- Jose Wolan - Student Ambassador
Tip Of The Week
Consider using an alarm system with video incorporated to get a faster response from law enforcement.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.ky3.com/2021/08/13/thief-steals-tractor-john-deere-gator-skyline-school-district/
https://www.wtvq.com/2021/08/10/in-two-cases-boyle-authorities-need-info-on-theft-suspect-stolen-atv/
https://www.wdbj7.com/2021/08/09/search-pittsylvania-county-tractor-thief/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/people/earls-barton-family-business-welcomes-robocop-style-crime-fighting-automated-guard-3342497
https://uknip.co.uk/breaking/news-269821/rural-crime-investigators-are-appealing-for-information-after-two-sheep-were-killed-in-a-field-near-sittingbourne/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.wrdw.com/2021/08/09/ga-deputies-shoot-man-chase-after-rural-mail-carrier-killed/
https://www.farminguk.com/news/man-who-stole-87k-worth-of-sheep-handed-prison-sentence_58730.html
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Today I get to profile another national star finalist. Murdock Wynn will be up on the stage in Indianapolis just days after this interview is released. How did he get there? Working on his families farm on a sow to weaner operation.
The numbers of pigs they are raising there is staggering. With their sow numbers they are raising around 65,000 pigs per year and selling them. Those are unbelievable numbers. Something a very casual pig farmer like myself cannot even imagine.
Making this number even more unbelievable is the amount of artificial insemenation that takes place to keep the sows bred and producing pigs. It is really phenomenal.
If this were not enough, Murdock and his family also raise commercial cattle on their land. Murdock has dove right in, and is also studying agricultural business at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Southern Georgia.
How would you like to start your farming endeavor, come up with a business model and then find out that the demand for what you were producing was way bigger than you ever expected? Well, that is exactly what happened to Steve Horton and his wife, Lyn.
Steve's wife Lyn has always wanted to have a farm where they sold raw milk. After about 20 years of waiting, she and Steve decided to put in a modern, milking barn on their small farm north of Dallas, Texas. They went through the entire process of getting certified and inspected, and they reached a point in which they were legally able to sell raw milk.
Soon, they had a big customer base wanting to purchase raw milk from both their goats and cattle. Then they started getting requests for other products, so they began selling grass fed meat that they purchased from other farms in their area. They also started making and selling cheese, yogurt and other products.
Steve and Lyn live in a rapidly expanding rural interface to the north of Dallas, and in this area people are passionate about purchasing food raised the way they want it raised. Steve states that in this segment of agriculture there is room for a lot of farmers. Instead of competing with each other, farmers can work in collaboration with each other for the betterment of everyone.
The "can do" spirit of the students that I get to interview for the Off-Farm Income Podcast is truly remarkable. In today's episode I am fortunate to interview another one of those students who just blows away my pre-conceived notions of what high school students are capable of.
Katie Nealen was just finishing up her junior year of high school when we recorded this episode. She has a love for animals and she obviously has a talent for working with them. Katie had already been awarded a state proficiency award from the State of Pennsylvania for animal care as a result of her work with animals.
Katie trains and sells border collies as herding dogs for working goats, sheep and cattle. Her business is called Kat Slash Farm. She also captures and trains raptors for hunting and raises goats and dairy cattle. She has her sights set on veterinary school once she is done with high school, and her love of working with animals makes this an obvious choice.
Entrepreneurship is a very fun and rewarding journey. But just like anything else there are highs and lows to this journey. The problem with entrepreneurship is that some of the highs can be so high, that a low that would seem normal for an everyday employee might seem like the Marianas Trench to an entrepreneur.
Happy New Year's Everyone. This is always a fun episode because we announce the results of our silly, agricultural survey, Autumm and Hattie come on the show and we give away prizes.
This year's episode was recorded remotely in Texas! We are in the midst of an epic trip exploring Texas history, the Southern Border and a watering point on the Goodnight/Loving Trail. Enjoy the photos!
Thank you all for another great year! We could not do this without you, and we will be forever grateful.
This week we have a special Rural Crime Episode for you. I am speaking with Philip Clarke, the executive Editor of Farmer's Weekly. Farmer's Weekly is a publication based in the United Kingdom.
I have been reading so many stories about rural crime in the U.K. that I wanted to speak with somebody who understood the scope and specifics of the issues there better than me. It seems that three out of every four articles I read about rural crime in the U.K. are published by Farmer's Weekly, so that seemed like a good place to begin my search.
I was very fortunate that Philip was willing to take the time to come on the show. In the interview we talk about whether or not there really is a large problem with rural crime in the U.K. We also discuss the specific problems they are facing, we clarify some terms and we discuss the differences between the U.S. and U.K.
You are going to really enjoy this very interesting interview.
Merry Christmas everyone! I always love creating and recording our Christmas episode for your each year. However, this year is a little bit different. This year I have a guest on the show for Christmas who is a person who has done something very compassionate for people who are unbelievably less fortunate than anyone born here in the United States Of America.
You may remember from our rural crime episode #1240 that the final story I covered was about a woman named Caroline Clarin in Fergus Falls, Minnesota who had been helping families to escape Afghanistan and come to the United States. She has initially been introduced to these families through her work as an agricultural advisor, through the USDA, in Afghanistan. And of course after being there, meeting these families and seeing the poverty, corruption and violence for herself she was compelled to help them leave.
After covering that first story, I decided to reach out to Caroline and see if she would do an interview to discuss the amazing humanitarian work she had done and was still doing as part of our Christmas episode. It turned out that the original story I had read mis-represented what had actually happened a little bit. Today, she is on our show to discuss some of what she learned in Afghanistan, how she helped to get families out, what it was like when she learned the U.S. was pulling out of Afghanistan in August of 2021 and what she is still striving to do.
I cannot imagine anything more Christmasy, regardless of your belief system, than what Caroline did between 2013 and 2021 in helping five families relocate to the U.S. from Afghanistan or what she is still striving to do. So, Merry Christmas everyone, and her is a heart warming story to help you appreciate just how good we have it in the U.S.
Our guest today is very good at keeping a secret! At almost the moment that we finished our interview, he ended the call and proposed to his girlfriend! And, I would not be including this in the show notes if she had not said yes. Congratulations to the happy couple!
Well, Landon Wenger is certainly laying the foundations for the rest of his life. At age 19 he has been named as a state winner in Ohio for agricultural sales entrepreneurship proficiency. This stemmed from him purchasing his own Christmas Tree farm when was just sixteen years of age! It is called "Wenger's Winter Greens" and he has been steadily planting trees every year so that he has trees to sell every year.
I have always been curious about how this business works with the slow return on investment. In today's episode Landon will help to break all of that down for us. He will also talk about his vegetable production business and his time in the FFA.
Today's episode is a "best of" episode. I interviewed FFA students from all over the U.S. last Christmas about the community service projects they were doing, and I wanted to bring it back to you this year.
Starting tomorrow and going through the 6th of January, I am running "best of" episodes. I can do 7 episodes per week, but I need a break! And I am taking one. I hope you enjoy the memories everyone!
Merry Christmas everyone...just a quick check in to say I appreciate you on this most special of holidays!
Christmas is a very special time of year, and it is really where the community service portion of the FFA can shine. On today's episode we are going to profile a chapter, Northwestern FFA from West Salem, Ohio, that shines very bright at this time of year by helping to provide much needed supplies for people all around the world.
Joining us today to represent Northwestern FFA is Kade Tegtmeier, the chapter president, and Kate Johnson, a assistant officer. Both of these students have a passion for agriculture that cannot be contained just by the FFA, so they both continue to be involved in the 4H as well. Led by their great FFA Advisors Kade and Kate, along with the rest of their chapter, get to provide service every Christmas while at the same time being reminded of how fortunate we all are here in the U.S.
Tip Of The Week
Don’t lose money by saving electricity at Christmas
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://ruralradio.com/kneb-am/news/cheyenne-co-sheriffs-office-investigating-stolen-truck-and-firearm/
https://www.powelltribune.com/stories/former-officer-convicted-of-stealing-horse-lying-to-forest-service,110407
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/news/news/quads-worth-40-000-stolen-in-donegal-797290
https://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/crime/equipment-and-tools-stolen-in-late-night-burglary-of-aylesbury-farm-4445889
Africa
https://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/five-years-in-jail-for-limpopo-farm-manager-convicted-of-stealing-and-selling-cattle-evading-court-5039d8c1-8853-4880-958b-2cd68390deda
https://www.channelstv.com/2023/12/14/police-rescue-263-kidnap-victims-in-katsina-kill-12-suspected-terrorists-in-six-months/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://news.yahoo.com/isp-pursuit-suspect-found-under-045900054.html
https://marketrealist.com/how-did-this-farm-couple-steer-a-9-million-insurance-fraud/
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Julia McCarthy is a farmer, rancher and freelance writer from Grangeville, Idaho. Several months back I read an article of hers in a publication about agriculture in my state called Ag Proud Idaho. The topic caught my eye and I liked the writing, so I invited Julia to be a guest on the show. Finally, we got the interview done.
Freelance writing is one of my favorite forms of off-farm income. It can be done anywhere, and it significantly predates podcasting. In today's episode Julia talks about her path to becoming a freelance writer, some of the hard lessons she has learned and some tips and tricks of the trade. If this is something you are considering for your off-farm income, in any topic area, this episode is a must for you!
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am profiling a freelance, agricultural writer. This is one of my favorite forms of off-farm income. For today's re-cap episode I went back to episode #1233 and an interview I did with Rachel Gabel of the "The Fence Post Magazine". In this interview we talked a lot about how freelance writers can get started and be successful, but we did it from the editor's perspective. I thought this was the perfect tie in for tomorrow's show where we will hear this from a writer's perspective.
Lillie Cagle is a 2023 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Agricultural Education. She is also a Tennessee State Officer and a previous guest on this show. Lillie just appeared on Off-Farm Income in April of 2023 after becoming a state officer. She had a phenomenal SAE and was doing a ton of good for agriculture. In just the span of 6 months from being on the show she found herself on the big stage in Indianapolis receiving an National Proficiency Award for her efforts. I wanted to have her back on the show to tell her congratulations and to hear all about it!
A quick farm update for all of you today, and a sure fire method for keeping any livestock or dogs from going under your fences.
Teak Barhaug is the past president of the Alaska FFA, a current student at the University Of Alaska - Fairbanks and a former resident of Wyoming. When Teak's father transferred to Alaska to finish his career in the National Forest Service it came at a bit of a price. Teak's mother, Kimberly, was a former FFA member, Teak's brother had been involved in the 4h and was progressing into the FFA and Teak had been involved in the 4H and was planning on progressing to the FFA. However, there was no FFA Chapter in Seward, where they would be attending high school.
So, Teak and his family took it upon themselves to form an FFA Chapter. This happened with the minimum number of 10 members, and it took off from there. This escalated all the way to Teak serving as the state president of Alaska. During Teak's time in high school he worked in the agri-tourism industry, taking groups of tourists into the wilderness to pan for gold and teaching the how. Today, Teak is studying biology and botany in college and is loving the life he has found in Alaska.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
The University Of Missouri is a large university offering a robust agricultural program, and it also offers a non-resident tuition waiver to students coming from out of state. I am always excited when I profile a college that makes this offer for out of state students, and Mizzou is on that list! On today's interview I am speaking with the Director Of Student Recruitment, Kathleen Matz, as well as student ambassador, Grant Norfleet, who just happens to the newly elected, National FFA Secretary.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
What if you are attacked with pepper spray?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/philly-man-charged-with-using-bear-spray-on-victim-in-nj-robbery/3715884/
https://salinapost.com/posts/8d9358f2-1c94-465a-9ae2-f48418f92e8f
https://www.nwestiowa.com/news/info-sought-on-gate-theft-by-sioux-center/article_7cf974e2-93a9-11ee-bd36-2b76307bc7b3.html
https://www.wrtv.com/news/wrtv-investigates/attracting-law-students-to-rural-counties-is-key-to-addressing-statewide-attorney-shortage
https://kchanews.com/2023/12/06/floyd-county-rural-law-enforcement-rates-going-up/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://chatnewstoday.ca/2023/12/07/property-crime-unit-rounds-up-suspects-who-stole-ram-truck-cowboy-chaps-and-western-gear/
https://www.agriland.co.uk/farming-news/nottinghamshire-farm-suffers-thousands-of-pounds-of-damage-to-crops-from-quads/
Africa
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/realtime/2023-12-07-two-shot-killed-in-banditry-attack-in-igembe/
https://ewn.co.za/2023/12/06/stop-farm-murders-phala-phala-burglary-has-made-farmers-targets-for-money
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.drovers.com/news/industry/iowa-cattleman-faces-30-years-fraud-theft
https://mageenews.com/maltb-investigators-recover-stolen-tractor-in-yazoo-county/
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Forrest Pritchard is a regenerative and multi-generational farmer from the Shenandoah Valley of Northern Virginia. His families roots on the farm go to the mid-1800's, and today he has transformed the look and production of the farm back to something that might resemble how farmsteads operated in that time.
Forrest was not always interested in regenerative, direct to consumer farming. However, after trying to make it as a commodity based farmer, he went looking for larger profit margins, and this is where he landed. It helped that this was a manner of farming that offered him the ability to provide service and food to his surrounding community. He has been at it since the mid 1990's.
Forrest is co-author of the outstanding book, "Start Your Farm", that he wrote with Ellen Polishuk. I first found out about this book after seeing a quote from it on a social media post discussing the fact that small farmers still choose the commodity based farming model even though their small acreages could never possibly produce a profit on those low margins due to lack of production capability. This led me to want to know more. The book is full of great advice, and it is the book I would write if I were ever to sit down to actually do it. Thankfully, Ellen and Forrest have done it for me, and I can concentrate on podcasting!
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am speaking with a farmer and author who has written a book about how to start your farm. I thought this interview that I did with Mara Fielder could bring some real life to the interview I am playing tomorrow. On tomorrow's show we will talk about timing and things to take into consideration when beginning. But, in this interview with Mara, we hear it from somebody who was going through it at the time, and it adds a sense of a first hand witness to the situation.
Andrew Pingenot is the Chapter President of the Vinton-Shellsburg FFA Chapter, he is a distributor of high quality animal feeders and he is just a junior in high school. Farming and raising cattle on his families multi-generational farm in Iowa, Andrew has embraced the family tradition. As such, when he was 15 years old, he and his father attended the Iowa Beef Expo in an effort to learn more about the products and ideas out there for their beef business.
While at the expo, Andrew picked up a brochure from a company called Best Livestock Equipment because they had a round bale feeder on display that looked to be very high quality. Andrew had been frustrated with the quick deterioration of the round bale feeder on their farm, so he followed up with a phone call days after the expo. One thing led to another, and the manufacturer offered Andrew the opportunity to become a distributor for them in his region of Iowa.
Two years later, Andrew has purchased 0ver 10 semi-loads of livestock feeders and has sold them all. As we conducted the interview he was just finishing selling his 11th semi load! This is opened Andrew's eyes to the possibilities of business ownership coupled with a farming enterprise. He is definitely benefiting from this advanced education!
Applying for, receiving and working in an Internship was one of the best things I did while I was in college. And, even though it sounds like everyone does this when you listen to my Ag College Episodes, that is not true. Many college students allow this opportunity to pass them right by.
On today's episode I really want to encourage students to get involved in internships during the time they are in post-secondary education, whether that be trade school, community college or a four year university. There are so many reasons that this will benefit you, including:
- Exposure to industry
- Determining what career you want
- Determining what career you do not want
- Creating a network of industry people
- Building a resume
- Learning things and building skills for the future and opportunities that have not even been invented yet
Pepper Elmore is the Chapter Reporter for the Kremlin FFA in Kremlin, Oklahoma. Knowing she wanted to be part of the FFA, when it came to join Pepper chose to go to school at Kremlin-Hillsdale, in spite of the fact that it is 45 minutes from her ranch, because her local school did not offer agriculture. Pepper is well versed in fitting, showing and husbandry of cattle through her families business of raising purebred Simmental Cattle.
Pepper is clearly a goal setter and she thinks long term. She has already identified the career that she wants to have after college of becoming a dual purpose chiropractor, working on both people and livestock. She also knows that she wants to run track in college, and she wants that place to be Oklahoma State University. With so many decisions already made, now it is just down to mapping out the path and following along. I think Pepper is in perfect position to make this all happen!
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
[caption id="attachment_421413" align="alignright" width="136"] Carragan Fields[/caption]
The University Of Tennessee is located in a medium sized city in East Tennessee and has a diverse agriculture program through the Herbert College Of Agriculture offering a diverse array of opportunities to students. The University Of Tennessee participates in the Academic Common Market, giving non-resident students from 12 participating states the opportunity to study there at resident tuition rates.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Should we throw rural crime prevention to the dogs?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://newschannel9.com/news/offbeat/great-pyrenees-casper-that-killed-8-coyotes-to-protect-sheep-nominated-for-farm-dog-of-the-year-american-farm-bureau-purina-georgia-john-wierwille-ewe-can-do-it-naturally-landscaping-pregnant-mate-daisy-lifeline-animal-project
https://drgnews.com/2023/12/07/203349/
https://www.skooknews.com/2023/12/farm-burglarized-near.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/rural-crime-rates-on-rise-federated-farmers-survey-finds/XOUQH42ASVB6TE2CYQQRQY4ERY/
https://www.farminguk.com/news/police-warn-kent-farmers-following-unexplained-sheep-deaths_63794.html
Africa
https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Man-beaten-to-a-pulp-for-allegedly-stealing-a-goat-at-Sombo-1894640
https://www.namibian.com.na/forum-fights-for-no-bail-for-stock-theft-accused/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023/12/right-to-rescue-could-be-advanced-by-california-felony-conviction/
https://thesungazette.com/article/news/2023/12/07/two-crime-fighting-canines-share-prize-as-californias-top-farm-dog/
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Will Meadows is a multi-generational cattle rancher from Alabama and a very successful personality in agricultural social media, posting videos on TikTok, Youtube, Facebook and Instagram. He is now generating revenue from his social media channels as well as selling bulls for his families farm through his video efforts.
On today's episode we are going to talk about how he has accomplished this in under two years, what his process is, what type of equipment he uses and how he chooses what to talk about. This is a young man who loves to talk about the life he loves in agriculture, and he has turned that into a business using today's social media technology!
On today's re-cap episode I want to explore the idea of building your own agricultural communications business. This is something that can literally be done from anywhere, and my previous guest did exactly that. Tomorrow's ag business interview involves an young man who is an up and coming cattle rancher and who is making his off-farm income through posting about his farm on social media.
Developing your skills in this area as you advocate can lead to the skills that would allow you to start a communications business just like our re-cap guest, Lyndsey Murphy.
Vanessa Trotter is a 2023 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Nursery Operations. This all began when she was 8 years old. Her father had just recently purchased his families farm that had been auctioned off when his grandfather passed away 20+ years earlier. After the purchase he approached Vanessa, the eldest of four children, and told her that she would be going to college in 10 years and it was time to start thinking about how to make some money to pay for that.
This is when TNT Farms was born with a small pumpkin patch that Vanessa tended. She later sold the pumpkins to customers in her area, and she was hooked. Since that time Vanessa has grown this business. Today she has purchased three greenhouses, started selling products at a local farmers market and selling directly off of her farm.
Vanessa is now in college, studying agricultural business, with the hopes of being her own boss in the future. However, she is going to pass TNT Farms to her siblings for multiple reasons. Each of the will have an SAE they can move right into when their time in the FFA comes. Also, it can serve as a revenue source for them to also save for college. What a great family legacy that Vanessa begin with a simple pumpkin patch.
One of the ways that I deal with stress in my life is by writing. I often write things that nobody ever sees, but it helps me when I get my thoughts on out on paper so having an audience for what I have written is not important. Last night I had an experience that really made me give thought to things I have been observing in our society that have been bothering me. It was still on my mind this morning, and I sat down and put it into words. I have attached the text below for you to read if you wish. And, aside from the introduction, today's episode is my reading of this article:
I am a consumer. I buy things that I need, and I buy things that I want. Sometimes the two overlap and sometimes they do not.
My wife and I recently purchased a new car. Our stage of life enabled us, for the first time, to purchase exactly what we wanted within the boundaries of our self-imposed, upper limits. It took 50 years of life and 25 years of marriage for me to reach this point. Our parameters for this purchase had not changed, but a lifetime of living below our means and building wealth changed the numbers that fit within those parameters.
To us, this vehicle is “fancy”, as described by my wife. For years she and I have driven what we believed we needed but in very stripped down, utilitarian versions, that reduced the cost of the vehicles. And, more importantly, reduced the burden on our conscience. The first ever, brand new pickup, I purchased was in 2003. I intended to drive it for two decades, and I made it 15 years.
The knowledge that I would drive it for so long motivated me to purchase a version that was “stripped down” of electronic amenities that would surely break and require repair before I was ready to part with the vehicle. Even in 2003, purchasing a new vehicle with manually controlled windows, a standard transmission and rubber flooring was not possible to do on the showroom floor. Therefore, in order to get a less expensive and less complicated version of this pickup, I had to special order it and wait for a period of months to receive it. 15 years later, I could hardly remember that waiting period.
It was only when wind started whipping into the door seals and the internal, working components of the heating system failed, that I decided to move on from this pickup. The sag of the body, and the inability to defrost my windshield created an imminent need for serious work on the pickup. Looking at all available options, I realized that because of the engine in this vehicle the market for it was very strong in 2018. Therefore, I chose to purchase another “stripped” down pickup, and to sell the other to a private party. Today, I am still driving the second, brand new pickup, and second, stripped down pickup, that I have ever purchased.
My wife’s new car is a Subaru Outback with a moon roof, heated seats and the enticing “Wilderness Package” that includes a turbo engine, 9 inch lift and off-road capable “X-Mode”. She would have been just as happy without the “Wilderness Package”. Even though, this is the first time we have ever been able to purchase “exactly what we want”, I was still thinking long term. My goal is to purchase her another vehicle in approximately 10 years, but keep this car for myself and my adventures on the rough and rocky dirt roads of Idaho’s public lands where we live. Therefore, I had it outfitted as capable as possible from the factory.
We will be driving to the mountains soon in search of the perfect Christmas tree. In idaho, with a little initiative, exercise and sweat you can obtain a beautiful tree for the cost of around $15, and you can make it a family outing at the same time. I have been cutting my own Christmas Tree from the National Forest since I was in college, and the thought of purchasing one for upwards of $100 from a lot unsettles me.
Of course, our plan is to use the new car to go retrieve this tree, and we will be hauling it back on the roof. Ironically, this led me to more consumption. The “Wilderness Package” does not include cross beams for the luggage rack. So, I had to order them for the car. After studying prices and reading reviews I went with a set that cost approximately $120 and placed the order.
The location we would travel to for the tree is about a 320 mile round trip from our home. There are places we could go to that are closer, but after years of hunting Christmas Trees closer to the sprawling metropolis of Boise, we have decided it is worth the drive to go to this area.
We could easily drive my stripped down pickup and never need to purchase the cross beams for the top of the car. However, at today’s gas prices, we would save approximately $53 by driving the car, which is almost 50% the cost of the cross beams. Assuming that there will be another use for the crossbeams in the future, possibly one that keeps us from driving the pickup, the purchase seems sensible and likely to ultimately save us money.
Ironically, my own consumption is what led me to give consumption and materialism in the U.S. deeper thought. On a Sunday evening of the weekend preceding our Christmas Tree hunt I unboxed the cross rails and went about the task of putting them together and fitting them on top of the car.
An issue that can arise with such hardware is a violent wind noise when the vehicle is at speed. So, after these were mounted, I decided to test drive the vehicle and determine whether not my purchase of an inexpensive set of cross rails was going to lead to this unfortunate side effect. It did not.
My family and I live on a small farm about three miles from town, and my test drive route took me in that direction. Ultimately, I wound up on the edge of the small city and noticed our one and only McDonald’s restaurant, open for business. An iced tea sounded good to me, and I had the $1.69 needed to get one. So, I proceeded to the drive through.
There were other cars in the drive through line, but there was just one car in front of me, waiting to move up to the ordering console. I had not gone through a drive through line in a significant amount of time, so I assumed that rewarding my diligent work with this small treat would be a quick affair.
In no time at all there were multiple vehicles in line behind me, and I was trapped and fully committed to this endeavor. That did not cause me concern. Having patronized this drive through in the past, I still believed I would be on my way home with the beverage in short order.
After some time of sitting there some sort of internal clock started to alert me to the fact that I should be proceeding through the line but was not. I began to pay attention to things and saw that nobody was moving. Not only was I trapped, but I was making no progress and more and more vehicles were lining up behind me.
Sitting there, reluctantly accepting my fate, I looked over at the banner that hangs on the back of the building facing the drive through. This desperate attempt to procure employees had been there since 2020 when Covid reduced available employees all over the U.S. This McDonald’s was paying $15/hour as a starting wage to come and work here. At a standard 40 hour work week, that was a salary of over $30,000/year to cook and serve food at this facility. Yet the line did not move, and the sign did not come down.
I finally made it to the kiosk where I was not greeted with a “welcome to McDonald’s” or any other such kindness. No appreciation for my business was given by the voice on the other end, for it was straight to the matter at hand. “Are you ordering using the app” sternly came out of the speaker. I replied that I had no such app. “Okay, what will you have” was the disappointed reply.
Understanding that I was a fortunate person in my vocation, and that this person was likely stressed due to low staffing and in a life stage that caused financial stress, I replied with my friendliest tone, “a large unsweet iced tea please”. “Is that it” came the reply. “Yes” I answered. The voice said “Okay, that will be $1.69” and I sensed a hint of sarcasm in the voice. He knew what I did not know. It was going to be a long wait for that iced tea.
For the next 20 minutes I slowly inched forward by only one car length as I watched the car that was at the delivery window sit and idle with no exchange happening between the driver and the McDonald’s employee on the other side. To pass the time I listened to an audio book and played with the features and technology in this new car, attempting to learn about all of its capabilities.
After an abundance of time had passed the vehicle at the window finally departed. I never did witness the transaction, so I cannot say whether or not they were served. Even after its departure there were two vehicles between the window and myself, and I quickly did the math. The reason behind the employees sarcastic tone of voice suddenly dawned on me. An iced tea was not worth all this. Nothing was worth all this.
To my great fortune, when the two vehicles in front of me moved forward, it exposed an escape from the drive through. A second lane to the right of the vehicles was exposed, and I had access that was not impeded in any way. The decision was quick and involved no debate in my mind. I pulled into that lane and literally escaped. I would not enjoy a delicious McDonald’s iced tea that evening, but the taste of freedom more than compensated for the loss as I again listened for wind noise on my way back to the farm.
Within days of the attacks of September 11th, 2001 President George W Bush told Americans to get out and spend money in one of his several addresses to the nation. He advocated for shopping, going to restaurants and going to movies.
At the time, all I could hear were the instructions to spend, spend, spend and I resented that our elected leader was giving such instructions. However, looking back today, I can see that our economy is built on consumption and it is like a train speeding down the tracks that has lost its breaks. All you can do is ride it and try to control it because stopping is impossible. Ultimately, this train will stop and that stop is likely to be catastrophic. Nobody wants to be sitting in the engineers seat when that catastrophe occurs.
George W Bush didn’t want that for our country, and he certainly didn’t want it as we were preparing to go to war or while he was in office. A catastrophe of that magnitude would have given the terrorists an even larger victory, and the ripple effects could have inspired more terrorist attacks for decades to come. Our president was a man with no other course of action, and “spend, spend, spend” was the patriotic thing for Americans to do.
As for me and my family, we failed to do our patriot duty as requested by the president. My wife and I were in our third year of marriage, had owned our first home for under a year and were just building our careers. We stayed the course of our values, lived below our means and tried to build our future by not panicking and withdrawing our meager retirement savings from the stock market after its free fall, following the attacks.
It has been over 22 years since that event and that request by our president. It has become apparent to me that we were in the minority, and the bulk of Americans were very willing to “spend, spend, spend”.
I see my experience last night at that McDonald’s drive through as the culmination of this economic philosophy and the willingness of free Americans to participate. The dozens of people trapped in that drive through, me included, have become numb to the ramifications of this “spend, spend, spend” policy. We tolerate long lines, poor customer service and mediocre products just for the illusion of convenience or the small dopamine hit that accompanies spending money.
In my 50 years, I have had the misfortune of seeing our society abandon the practice of being discerning consumers for the chaos of “spend, spend, spend.” And I have seen a complete shift in the balance of power from consumer to producer. Our people today are so eager to buy, that they tolerate poor customer service and a poor buying experience as merely a source of strain that must be dealt with to get the next material possession. This is normal for my daughter, but it is detestable to me.
Ironically, this is leading to disaster for the working class that rely on customer service positions for their wages. Managers and owners of retail establishments once devoted a much larger portion of their time to insuring that the customer experience was pleasurable. Either intuitively or after careful research, it is apparent that retailers realized that this was no longer necessary. Customers will still purchase no matter how they are treated, so customer service standards have been abandoned, and those energies have been directed elsewhere.
This has given rise to self-checkout in grocery stores and restaurants like the very McDonald’s I attempted to patronize. It has given rise to apps that are transforming food service employees from customer service providers to merely arms length delivery people. And, it will eventually eliminate these jobs altogether. If tacit permission is given to businesses to exchange service for efficiency by consumers, they will, of course, make that transition. What’s worse, the employees who are participating in this transition are actually justifying the elimination of their own positions when they have the power to make themselves more valuable.
Before proceeding I will admit a bias that I have that harkens back to the “good o’l days”. In the late 1980’s and very early 1990’s I worked at a grocery store for a stretch of just over 3 years. This was for a local grocery chain that had served the community for several decades. Side conversations between checkers and baggers at the checkout were prohibited and monitored, and ignoring customers or treating them like a burden could result in your termination.
When I was a bagger speed and efficiency were values that pervaded the store. We ran from check stand to check stand, bagging groceries in the prescribed manner with great speed. All the while we made conversation with the customers and showed our gratitude for them shopping there. For a customer to walk out of the store without a bagger pushing their cart for them, talking with them the entire way and then loading the groceries into their car for them there would almost have to be an argument before the bagger would relent and allow the customer to leave unassisted.
Today, every grocery store has a growing number of self-checkout stations. I almost always go through self-checkout in order to avoid the irritation that I experience when I am treated poorly at a check stand. This decision has not been made haphazardly, as I feel a kinship with grocery store employees. However, the bad experiences now outweigh the positive, and I do my best to not allow my time at the grocery to impact my day in a negative manner.
What abhors me the most about this abandonment of customer service is watching employees contribute to the destruction of their jobs while it happens right in front of them. And, to some extent, damaging their futures. After all, when you apply for a better job in the future and you highlight three years of “customer service experience” at a retail establishment on your resume with the hopes that it will tip the scales in your favor, it will do no good for you if your interviewer finds this meaningless because actual customer service has been abandoned in exchange for customers who serve employees by trying to reduce the irritation the employees feel when having to actually serve.
Take the juxtaposition of my grocery store employee experience in the 1980’s to my grocery store consumer experience in the 2010’s. Sometime in the past decade or so, my wife and I began fully participating in consumer rewards programs at places that we must patronize, such as grocery stores. We don’t allow rewards programs to get us to purchase goods that we do not need, but we take advantage of them at the grocery store because we will be shopping there at some level, no matter what. With these rewards programs generally comes the requirement that at checkout you enter your phone number so that the purchase is counted towards your balance.
Sometime in 2018 or 2019 I went to our local grocery store which has a program such as this. This particular location had a bit of construction going on at the front end. Four self-checkouts had been installed, and two more check stands had been removed to make way for four more. I was still of the mindset that I should purchase my groceries from an actual person in order to vote with my dollars to preserve the jobs of these folks.
On this day I approached an open check stand and waited in line for a few moments to purchase from and support an employee who needed this job for income. The checker at this station was a young lady that I estimated to be in her early 20’s, and the bagger (we now call them courtesy clerks) was a young man that I estimated to be in his late teens. They were fully engaged in a side conversation about a later get together involving co-workers, and I received the overwhelming impression that the young man was hoping to spend time with the cashier away from work.
I only needed one item, and as it made its way down the conveyor belt towards the cashier, I walked up to credit card reader where I would pay for the purchase and enter my rewards number. I was never greeted by either of the employees, and I was talked to only three times. The first address I received was from the cashier who asked in an annoyed voice if I had a rewards number. I diligently entered the number and swiped my credit card like a child trying to please a domineering parent and hoping to avoid an escalation in household tensions.
The side conversation between the cashier and her hopeful suitor went on, and was broken only by the irritating duty to tell me how much money I was required to provide the store in exchange for the item I wanted to purchase. I made a mental note of that fact nobody was bothering to pay attention to me, ask how my day was going or provide any other standard of customer service.
The third communication was from the “courtesy clerk” who simply asked “do you want a bag?” By this time I was boiling up inside. However, I had been verbally abused when I was a grocery clerk, and I certainly did not want to allow my temper to transform me from the once abused to the abuser. So, I calmly asked “you guys don’t say hello or how is your day anymore?” Both of them could not have been more shocked at the nerve of a customer to be critical of their performance, and I received a quick, disingenuous “sorry about that”. For his money, I never did see the courtesy clerk do a bit of work. The extent of what I witnessed was the question “do you want a bag?”
Far be it from me to think that I never engaged in a side conversation or got distracted when I held either of these positions as a teenager. However, as I walked towards the exit door I passed the existing self-checkout machines and the area that was being prepared for even more robots.
The irony of the situation dawned on me at that moment. There is one thing, and one thing only, that robots will never able to do, and that is provide genuine customer service. No matter how good the human to machine interface becomes in the future, customers speaking with a robot will always know that the robot is responding to a set of stimuli and what comes back is the product of a computer program or algorithm, i.e. it is not genuine and really means nothing.
The employees at grocery stores or fast food restaurants have the power to put an end to robots replacing their jobs. If they become so indispensable to customers through the service, conversation and genuineness, customers will not tolerate purchasing from robots. Then companies would be forced to cease this new direction because customers would demand this by either complaining verbally or shifting their dollars to places that provide excellent customer service.
Until consumers actually prioritize the service they receive when making buying decisions, companies will have no incentive to change directions. And, employees at this level of the service industry are likely not looking at their jobs as a career. Rather, they believe that these jobs are merely a means to an end until they move onto something better. Therefore, whether or not they actually ever do move one, they are not interested in looking at what they do holistically and making changes that will improve their position. And, their immediate supervisors are not interested in pushing them in this direction because the companies are moving in the direction of automation and it is not in their best interests. Therefore, there will never be any organizing force that will push employees to improve customer service, at their own best interest, en mass.
As the available working pool that comes up through these jobs is not required to provide customer service, the options for hiring at the next level becomes smaller and smaller. Soon, this degrading of customer service spreads into more sophisticated postings and it just keeps repeating itself.
The root cause or causes of this degradation goes by many names - consumerism, materialism, consumption, etc. The causes of this shift to consumerism could be debated for decades with fingers of blame being pointed in all directions.
What is clear, is that this is the world that we now live in. The days of businesses, “earning your business” have passed us by. Of course you can find businesses that still do earn your dollars, but we all know that they are the exception, not the rule. And, we all should pay a little more and put up with a little more inconvenience to support them, lest our world turn exclusively to self-checkout stands and streets clogged with delivery vans from internet purchases.
Americans are no longer discerning consumers. We want it now, we want it cheap and we want a lot of it. For that, we are willing to tolerate poor to no customer service, clutter in our homes, debt and a lack of savings as we approach our retirement years.
These are just the manifestations that can be outwardly observed or measured. Larger and more important than this is the further degradation of our society. Anger, detachment and irritation are all cumulative. Americans once came home from their day in aggrieved moods from some major conflict in society only rarely. Because this did not happen very often, the overall mood of our country was more positive, friendly and helpful.
Today, we still may not experience a major conflict in our day, but we come home in horribly negative and angry moods more often than ever. Instead of the cause being a major conflict, it is the cumulative effect of multiple small conflicts or irritations that we experience through the day or the week. It is the colloquial “death by a thousand cuts”.
This is an increasingly negative cycle. In the past if you provided service all day at work, you were rewarded by receiving service when you transitioned from service provider to consumer later in the day. We rewarded each other for our hard work with gratefulness. However, today we are providing service all day at work only to be made to feel like we must provide service or at least minimize irritation in order to be consumers. And this can only go on so long before the very same consumer decides to stop providing service in their job, and the cycle repeats itself.
And this is all caused by our incessant need to consume and purchase. We want “things” so badly, that we are willing to tolerate almost anything to obtain them. Therefore, as consumers we have removed the incentive of companies to provide customer service. Gone are the days of speaking with the manager and telling them that you came to spend money but are taking your business elsewhere because of the way you were treated. Today we just expect the bad service as something we must tolerate to get the thing we want to purchase.
“Spend, spend, spend”, “buy, buy, buy” and “bye-bye-bye” to our quality of life, society and the bonds that hold us all together.
Kendra Downing is a 2023 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Ag Sales - Entrepreneurship. Growing up as the 4th generation on her families farm she, her sister and her parents were sitting on the front porch one day contemplating what enterprise the kids could start to generate revenue. The idea of a pumpkin patch was proposed, and it was decided to purse that endeavor. That was the beginning of the Downing Daughters Pumpkin Patch.
Over time, Kendra and her sister have grown this enterprise to include a corn maze, which started out under an acre and is now 5 acres, all designed by hand with no technological assistance. In addition to this, they started purchasing products from other farmers in the area to sell in a farm stand that they operate out of an old barn on their grandmother's property.
This all has evolved into a national proficiency award today, but its beginnings were Kendra's FFA Advisor looking at what she was doing and telling her that she was going enter the competition. The rest, as they say, is history. Kendra is now in college, studying everything she can get her hands on in the hopes of one day farming full-time with even more, direct to consumer enterprises to share with her community.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: [caption id="attachment_421342" align="alignright" width="150"] Wyatt Deemer[/caption][caption id="attachment_421341" align="alignright" width="120"] Morel Jurado[/caption]
The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
The Nebraska College Of Technical Agriculture (NCTA) is a 2 year college that is part of the University Of Nebraska system. Focusing exclusively on agriculture and veterinary sciences, this college pulls students from all over the U.S. who have found what they are looking for right in Curtis, Nebraska.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
No cameras? Use the snow.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.facebook.com/share/yHRUEctgywjRVnWC/?mibextid=K35XfP
https://www.agdaily.com/livestock/charges-dismissed-in-bizarre-bleaching-of-wyoming-cows/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.clarelive.ie/news/home/1358651/theft-from-a-clare-farm-sees-gardai-appeal-for-information.html
https://www.farmersguide.co.uk/rural/rural-crime/dozens-of-stolen-gps-units-recovered-as-thieves-jailed/
https://www.cambstimes.co.uk/news/23958310.horse-riding-equipment-stolen-stables-emneth/
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-67566857
Africa
https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/animal-theft-failing-govt-projects-says-leaders-4450528
https://farmersreviewafrica.com/saai-to-stop-livestock-thieves-in-their-tracks/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/crime/tcso-deputies-arrest-serial-ag-thief-in-porterville/#:~:text=Through their investigation, detectives identified,trailers from the same victim
https://www.agdaily.com/livestock/poultry/s-c-truck-driver-suspected-of-stealing-pilgrims-pride-chicken-delivery/
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Lexi Wright is the host of the Farming On Purpose Podcast as well as the owner of the agricultural marketing firm, Wright At The Moment. She, her husband and their four children are cattle and row crop farmers in Kansas who are finding their way down the winding path of the ultimate lifestyle business.
In today's interview with Lexi we talk a lot about entrepreneurship in agriculture and how she found her pathway. Lexi also puts out a couple of nuggets of valuable information, such as how to make the social media algorithms work on your behalf to connect you with like minded people and to learn information that will help you in your pursuits.
I found a lot of cross over with this talented podcaster, farmer and entrepreneur. And, you will too!
Machinery Pete, Greg Peterson, has become a household name on farms throughout the U.S. His passion for tractors and auctions coupled with his vision of a resource for farmers that want to buy and sell used tractors have led him to great heights in agriculture. He was first on the show back in 2015, and I am running his episode again today to tie in with tomorrow's Ag Business Episode in which I will be profiling an up and coming agricultural podcaster who I have no doubt will rise to great heights as well.
Davis Howell is a 2023 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Swine Production - Entrepreneurship. He has been raising and showing pigs for the bulk of his life, starting in the 4H and continuing into the FFA while staying dually enrolled in the 4H. He is also in his senior year of high school and is serving as his chapter's president.
The farm that Davis lives on has been producing show pigs for three generations, starting with his grandfather and passing down all the way to he and his brother. Today, Davis and his brother are taking over the business with plans to start selling pigs to other exhibitors in the future. For the moment Davis' goals in the FFA include finishing out his senior year of high school, getting his American Degree after he starts college and pursuing a career in the animal science/ag business field. Davis has been exposed to a lot of career fields in agriculture already through a 4H competition that he talks about in the interview, and it definitely has given him a head start.
For the last time, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. We certainly did!
On today's farm update show I'll talk about our two new kittens and why we got them. Also, a brief synopsis of what Thanksgiving looked like on our farm. The new census of agriculture will be coming out in 2024, and I bet the average age of farmers goes up. Finally, what is it like to feed and do chores on Thanksgiving? I'll give you my perspective today!
Madilynn Campbell is a 2023 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Equine Science - Entrepreneurship. She raises and trains "halter quarter horses" at her families property near Adair, Oklahoma and has developed a passion for horses and in particular, Quarter Horses. Madilynn has a deep, family history in the horse breeding business, as her grandfather has been doing this for over 40 years. Madilynn has her sights set on following in his footsteps in the horse business.
Currently Madilynn is purchase 2-3 weanlings per year, holding them for a year and training them for the halter, lead and trailering during that time. Then, she starts showing them and is able to sell them at a nice profit. In addition to the horse business, Madilynn has identified becoming a veterinarian and having her own, mixed practice in her future. She is currently attending college at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and will eventually transfer to Oklahoma State University. She is focusing on horse judging in addition to her studies right now, and is also considering getting certified as an equine judge so that she can judge professionally.
Tip Of The Week
Do you know what is going on in your “neighborhood”?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.yourbasin.com/news/big-spring-pd-looking-for-power-tool-theft-suspect/
https://www.wdbj7.com/2023/11/21/have-you-seen-this-stolen-trailer/
https://www.wibw.com/2023/11/20/3-sent-hospital-after-teen-driver-side-swipes-cattle-trailer-near-salina/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/video-news/gang-used-rural-airbnb-as-hub-to-carry-out-20-burglaries-in-five-days/a45388720.html
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8434070/ewe-what-hundreds-of-sheep-stolen-from-regional-farm/
https://www.airdriecityview.com/local-news/stolen-horses-recovered-near-acme-rcmp-still-seeking-information-7873945
Africa
https://diggers.news/opinion/2023/11/23/kudos-to-hh-upnd-for-not-shielding-members-stealing-fertilizer/
https://www.dispatch.ug/2023/11/22/thieves-raid-musevenis-heavily-guarded-farm-stealing-10-prized-cattle/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://qctimes.com/news/state-regional/crime-courts/northwest-iowa-tree-thief-found-guilty-of-51-charges/article_aff0eaf0-c029-53c3-9719-de8fb630d124.html
https://wtov9.com/news/nation-world/georgia-mayor-arrested-four-days-after-election-accused-of-vandalizing-chicken-farm-scott-harpold-bowman-atlanta-elbert-county-aubrey-lunsford
Les Schwab Tire Centers is a sponsor of the Off-Farm Income Podcast, and I have been one of their customers for many years. When Autumm and I first moved to Kuna after purchasing our farm, Les Schwab Tire Centers did too. This was well before Kuna started to explode with houses and it became obvious that there was money to be made in our community. This move was about providing service into what was still a small, farming community, and I have always appreciated that.
I have spoke about Les Schwab Tire Centers on the show many times over the years, even though their sponsorship just began in 2023. The reason has been Hattie's involvement in 4H and later in the FFA. Every exhibitor livestock auction I have attended at our local county fair has always had a contingent of managers from all the different Les Schwab Tire Centers in our valley present in the stands. They are there in great numbers, they are there all day and they are bidding on every species of livestock.
Les Schwab Tire Centers is single handedly responsible for making sure that all of these projects get sold and for raising the average price of these projects. I truly believe that without the contribution of this great company that many of our exhibitors would have a difficult time getting their money back, let along making a profit. However, year after year, species after species, Les Schwab Tire Centers are there to make sure that this does not happen.
I am fortunate to have this company that I am such a big fan of as a sponsor, and I am thrilled to feature them on today's episode. Joining me is Chris Baker. He is the Area Manager of all the Southern Idaho Les Schwab Tire Centers, stretching from Oregon to Wyoming. He is also really passionate about this company and what he does. In today's episode we will discuss a lot of specifics of the tire business as well as what Les Schwab Tire Centers provides, how they got there and the philosophy behind that.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you this year. 2023 has been unbelievable. I wanted to revisit George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation with you on this wonderful holiday. I am so thankful and grateful for all of you in this audience, and I hope you have a wonderful holiday with friends and family.
“A Day of Thanksgiving” George Washington first mentioned the possibility of a national Thanksgiving Day in a confidential letter to James Madison in August 1789 (just months after taking office), asking for his advice on approaching the Senate for their opinion on “a day of thanksgiving.”
By the end of September 1789, a resolution had been introduced to the House of Representatives requesting that “a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States, to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving.” The committee put the resolution before the president and George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving Proclamation within days.
George Washington knew the value of a thanksgiving day long before becoming our first president.
During the Revolutionary War, he would order special thanksgiving services for his troops after successful battles, as well as publicly endorse efforts by the Continental Congress to proclaim days of thanks, usually in recognition of military victories and alliances.
Matthew Gossett is the 2023 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Fiber and Oil Crop Production. This all began in the 9th grade when he leased his first 12 (dozen) acres from his family and started his own enterprise. This correlated with his beginning in the FFA, and he has been growing his own farming operation ever since.
Matthew just graduated from high school last spring, and he is pursuing his CDL so that he can create his off-farm income from driving truck and hauling crops while farming on the side and continuing to grow as a producer. At the same time he continues to learn about agronomy, soils, agribusiness and the fickleness of Mother Nature when you are depending on her or farming in spite of her.
Matthew is just beginning his pursuit of a lifetime of production agriculture and sees himself as well as his brother carrying on the family farming legacy as the 5th generation in the future. Until then, he is building his own collection of leased ground, learning by taking his own risks and enjoying the moment of being the first ever National Proficiency winner from his chapter.
Hi everyone...I am having a light week, enjoying the holiday with my family. We hope you are as well, and please enjoy this brief farm update.
Clancey Krahn is a 2023 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Dairy Production Entrepreneurship, but there is a lot more going on with this story. She is also an Oregon State Dairy Princess Ambassador and the National Jersey Queen! And, she is the daughter of two incredible parents!
Clancey's story goes way back to when her older sister had been in the 4H for a couple of years and Clancey was just getting ready to start. Their parents, both with dairy backgrounds, decided that they wanted their daughters to grow up like they had. Having no farm, they moved to the small town of Scio, Oregon and purchased 5 acres. Soon, Clancey and her sister were directing the procurement of more and more cattle, and getting ever deeper into dairy cattle showing and the industry as a whole.
A few years later Clancey's parents sat them down and said that if they were going to keep buying cattle for their small farm there would have be some profit motive. Royal Riverside Dairy was born. Today, the four of them milk 25 head of cattle, bottle their own milk and make their own flavored milks to sell to over 50 retail establishments as well as in their own farm stand. Their 4H project exploded into a big time, niched business in their local community and it set the family on a pathway into direct marketing and value adding the milk they produce at their home.
What a fantastic story!
Tip Of The Week
Ever heard of a face social media account?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.lmtonline.com/news/article/a-cargo-plane-returns-to-jfk-airport-after-a-18493722.php
https://manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-announces-charges-against-driver-of-nyc-carriage-horse-ryder/
https://www.ksnt.com/news/reward-increased-to-11000-for-cattle-rustlers-in-wabaunsee-co/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-67425640
https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/23921874.powys-family-left-devastated-midnight-farm-robbery/
Africa
https://www.georgeherald.com/News/Article/General/horse-owners-warned-to-be-vigilant-202311160935
https://www.tori.ng/news/253667/police-recover-three-stolen-cows-from-suspected-ca.html
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2023/11/15/jmr-enoch-police-arrest-suspect-after-horse-trailer-owner-spots-stolen-saddle-for-sale-online/
https://www.newportdispatch.com/2023/11/15/east-haven-man-charged-with-possession-of-stolen-tractor-grand-larceny/
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Jim Griffith and Jim Maples are the creators and hosts of the Revolutionary War Rarities Podcast - the official podcast of the National Society Of The Sons Of The American Revolution. I recently discovered this show and was immediately drawn to it because of my love for Revolutionary War History as well as my membership in the Sons Of The American Revolution.
I kept coming back and listening to the podcast because it is so interesting and entertaining. Jim and Jim do a great job coming up with stories, putting together the episodes and then presenting them. They are a really good broadcasting team, and their voices are already synonymous with the American Revolution for me.
On today's episode I get to speak with them both, talks about the origins of this show and where it is going. We will even touch on some interesting facts about the Revolutionary War as talk a little bit about agriculture and farming was used as a tactic to defeat the British!
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am thrilled to be profiling a very entertaining, informative and patriotic podcast called Revolutionary War Rarities. Yes, this is one of those opportunities in which I get to use my platform to share information that is personally important to me.
So, for today's re-cap episode I am going back to an episode that I originally released on the 4th of July in 2018 talking about how the Revolutionary War impacted farmers. It is just another example of how agrarian our country was at the time of the Revolution as well as another example of the sacrifices our patriot ancestors made for the cause of freedom.
Nash McKenzie is a 2023 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Diversified Horticulture. This all started with shooting sporting clays if you can believe that. Nash did not grow up farming or with an agricultural background, but he did grow up participating in shooting clay competitions through the 4H. As he got to high school he discovered that he could continue this through the FFA, and he joined.
While Nash was able to continue shooting clays, he had other responsibilities in the FFA, including developing an SAE. During his 9th Grade year he had started to mow a few lawns in an effort towards satisfying this requirement. And when Covid shut everything else down the following year, he had the time and the inclination to really dive in to the business. That is when "Home Exterior Services" was born and it took off.
Today, Nash is just getting ready to wrap up his Associate's Degree in business. He has expanded her services in the business from just lawns to all forms of landscaping, pressure washing and for the second year - Christmas Light hanging.
The other day I noticed that a steer had got through a fence and caused a little damage that could have been fixed really quickly and easily. I meant to get it done right away, but one thing led to another and I did not. Well, all the steers started using that hole, and now I have a major fix to do. What's worse? This is not the first time I've ever had this happen. I knew exactly what was going to occur, but I let it happen anyway! When will I ever learn?
Emilee Munchrath is a 2023 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Diversified Livestock. She started her own herd of cattle and her own flock of sheep about 7 years ago with an agricultural youth loan, and she has been growing both ever since. This has not been by accident! Emilee had her sights set on star and proficiency awards very early, and with the guidance of her mom (also her FFA advisor) she knew that growth would be a feather in her cap pursuing her awards. So, she set out to demonstrate growth, and she certainly has!
Emilee will be graduating from Graford High School this spring, and then it is on to Texas Tech State University. It was interesting to hear her story of selecting Texas Tech. She actually had her eyes fixed upon Oklahoma State University. However, she still did a visit at Texas Tech, and she just felt like it was right. She did not ignore the inner voice telling her that was where she belonged, and now she is heading that way in August.
Tip Of The Week
Would a big sign that says “NOT A ROAD” work?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wfmj.com/story/49912599/mercer-man-accused-of-driving-trucks-over-farmland-road-signs-mailboxes
https://www.facebook.com/100076447704733/posts/pfbid02BsVk1CaGWn2Ymzw1xpYTvU1Kau9KNiTT9N2Gr1JXqNYaUtuRULYKSgQ7PuvUQ8c7l/?mibextid=cr9u03
https://www.ksnt.com/news/local-news/reward-offered-for-cattle-rustling-scumbags-in-wabaunsee-co/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/staffordshire/2023/11/09/investigation-launched-after-three-cows-stolen-from-staffordshire-farm/
https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/11/09/man-bites-crocodile-australia-cattle-farmer-survives-attack/
https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/gang-mutilate-kill-calves-amerton-8895411
Africa
https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2023/11/08/troops-neutralise-bandits-arrest-19-suspected-kidnappers-in-plateau
https://platformtimes.com.ng/brothers-in-hot-water-ekiti-siblings-face-charges-for-stealing-chicken-worth-n45000/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.wjjm.com/agricultural-crime-unit-adds-three-special-agents/
https://ktvo.com/news/local/northeast-missouri-man-faces-multiple-charges-for-stolen-property-and-drug-possession
https://www.brunswicktimes-gazette.com/article_dc7e5412-73fd-11ee-a839-b7d8ae4ba147.html
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Kade Cole and his wife are health conscious individuals, raising and family and working in a health related field. They both also have a family history and legacy of farming and raising cattle. Being health conscious and raising two young children is what initially led them to start trying to make their own balms, tooth powder and soaps. However, it was the combination of these two things that led them to the development of Cattle Driver Apothecary.
They strongly believe in the products they are making specifically because of what they can leave out of them. They use their own products and have been receiving rave reviews since they launched their business a few months ago. There is an interesting twist on this story as well. Kade states that in the future they would like to purchase their own land and raise their own cattle. However, he is the sole bread winner and is teaching strength and fitness at a local high school. So, that salary will not get it done. Therefore, they looked at the beginning of Cattle Driver Apothecary and small business as they vessel that will take them to that destination.
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On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am profiling a gentleman making value added products from cattle bi-products. This got me searching for other interviews that were doing the same, and I remembered this interview with Dexter and Kayla Dedora. So, for today's re-cap show I am bringing back this episode about their Longhorn value added business.
Hattie Brechwald is the Boise Valley District President as well as the Kuna FFA Chapter President, and she happens to live in the same house as me! Yes, she is my daughter, and she has been accomplishing a ton in the FFA. We both just got back from the National FFA Convention, and I invited her into the studio today to give us all a member's perspective on the national convention as well as some other FFA topics.
We will be covering:
- Non-Traditional SAE's
- SAE Grants
- Taking the long way to Indianapolis
- Skills learned through parliamentary procedure
Hattie and my recent trip to Indianapolis for the National FFA Convention dominates today's show, but there is still a bit of a farm update in here for you. We will be covering:
- Congratulations to the American Star Winners
- Finishing the World Series in a hotel restaurant
- Ag Colleges at the convention
- Meeting Laken Troup
- A great hike in the Owyhee Mountains
- Low goat prices and a bad year
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Laken Troup is an National Proficiency Finalist in the category of Agricultural Communications. She is also a former Florida State Officer and a second year delegate to the National FFA Convention. With all of her accomplishments you might think she was born on third base, but that could not be further from the truth.
Since Laken was in 1st Grade she has seen something, known instantly that she wanted to do a thing and found herself achieving her goals. Of course, she didn't do this all by herself. Her parents and FFA advisors, even a judge at a pig show, have been pivotal in her development. In today's episode she will talk all about this story, her journey and her future goals. Prepare to be inspired!
Tip Of The Week
Too good of a deal is exactly that…
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.tampafp.com/train-crashes-into-stolen-mosaic-zephyrhills/
https://www.sjgov.org/press-releases/press-release-detail/2023/10/23/sheriff-s-office-accepts-att-grant
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/cows-calves-meat-beheaded-black-market-b2435935.html
https://www.police.sa.gov.au/sa-police-news-assets/limestone-coast-local-service-area/diesel-stolen-from-moyhall-farm
Africa
https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/farmers-push-for-10-year-jail-terms-for-fish-theft
https://www.thecable.ng/troops-kill-four-bandits-arrest-over-100-suspects-in-plateau-kaduna
https://letabaherald.co.za/132975/mango-farmers-hampered-by-theft-of-fruit/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/local-news/50717-tulare-county-detectives-arrest-three-suspects-and-recover-100-000-of-farm-equipment-from-two-day-crime-spree
https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/meat-heist-400000-worth-of-stolen-beef-found-at-florida-veggie-farm-arrests-made/
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Molly Clark is a National Proficiency Finalist in the category of Ag Communications. At the age of 16, encouraged by her mom and her aunt, she took a job at a local radio station reading commodity bids, overnight weather, a farm story and obituaries. At the outset she was very nervous, and she says that you could tell by her voice that she did not want to be there.
That was over two years ago however, and over time she got used to being on the radio. This has led her to multiple accolades including being a national proficiency finalist this year. She is no longer at the radio station since she has moved to Kentucky to begin her college career at Morehead State University. She is studying Ag Business with a minor in Agronomy, and has her sights set on working in the crop insurance industry at the moment.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am featuring an FFA student up for a National Proficiency Award in Ag Communications. She has accomplished this by being an ag broadcaster at a radio station in Ohio. Well, it just so happens that she was trained and mentored by last year's National Proficiency Winner in Ag Communications, Laura Wuebker, who was a guest on this show almost exactly one year ago. I thought playing Laura's interview again today would be the perfect tie-in with tomorrow's National Proficiency Finalist interview.
Aubrey Mahon is a National Proficiency Finalist in the category of Agricultural Mechanics Design and Fabrication. She is also a college student at Northwestern Oklahoma State University studying Agricultural Business.
Aubrey has been showing pigs for several years, and during this time an innovation in the show pig industry has been to tan pigs that already have black, blue or brown pigment in their skin. It is believed that this enhances their appearance and ultimately helps them to get picked in the show ring.
This new trend in the show arena gave Aubrey, who her mom calls a natural entrepreneur, an idea for a product. She started producing and selling tanning lights for pigs. A business called Champion Tanning Lights was born, and she has been running with it ever since. Aubrey is currently running her business from college and returning home on the weekends to put together product. As soon as she finishes with college she will be right back to building her business and turning this into her full-time career.
Happy Halloween to all of you, if you celebrate this night of ghosts and goblins. On today's farm update I touch on a Halloween memory as well as selling goats this weekend and the bad year of goat production that we have had. Oh, and why I am sleep deprived!
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Kynlee Bright is a 2023 National Proficiency Finalist in the category of Ag Communications, and she has a very interesting FFA origin story. During her sophomore year of high school, she left her high school volleyball team, and the result was an open period that needed to be filled. The only available class for her was an agriculture class. Kynlee knew nothing about agriculture, had no aspirations in agriculture but she also had.....no choice.
Despite Kynlee's lack of background and unhappiness with her plight, her agriculture teacher saw something in her and encouraged her to participate in an LDE. This competition sparked something in Kynlee, and she has been a motivated and energetic FFA student ever since. She is currently a senior in high school, serving as the chapter reporter and has been selected as one of four national finalists in her category.
On today's show Kynlee will tell us all about his very non-traditional pathway, what in the world a "Shelbizlee Sustainability Blog" is and how becoming an FFA member is influencing her future.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
The College Of Western Idaho is a community college located in the Treasure Valley of Idaho, which happens to be where I live and farm. I taught criminal justice courses at CWI for several years, and was able to teach one agriculture class while I was there as well. CWI first started offering courses in 2009, and first started offering agriculture courses in 2016. They are a growing agriculture program that is sorely needed in the Treasure Valley of Idaho, and today we will learn about how they are filling that void.
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Tip Of The Week
Support your local sheriff’s office
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/10/26/shootings-spotlight-alarming-jump-in-violence-against-minnesota-rural-officers
https://www.kiiitv.com/article/news/jim-wells-county/jim-wells-countys-rural-property-and-livestock-theft-prevention-program-helps-track-stolen-lost-property/503-e8734d7e-3bdd-4546-880a-4b0be1aef9b8
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/crime/2023/10/27/wolverhampton-businessman-facing-jail-over-259000-payment-for-cut-price-stolen-chicken-meat/
https://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/news/north-yorkshire/news/appeals/2023/10-october/appeal-following-sheep-theft-near-harrogate/
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-67235631
Africa
https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/11870/news/agriculture/eastern-province-police-foil-theft-of-over-1000-metric-tonnes-of-seeds-and-fertilisers
https://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/police-recover-stolen-livestock-valued-at-r200000-in-limpopo-fe4ea69f-2b1e-4b8b-b1dd-e2e55749084e
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/man-arrested-in-connection-to-widespread-rural-fuel-and-copper-wire-thefts-crime-kern-county-bakersfield-drugs-chp
https://www.knoe.com/2023/10/25/man-arrested-livestock-theft-madison-richland-parish/
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Abigaile Wolfe is a current Senior at the Indiana Agriculture & Technology School. She is also the 2x current FFA President for the Indiana Ag & Tech chapter, as well as serving for the 2nd year as her local 4-H club President. She won the district and state level proficiencies as a Junior last year in Agricultural Services. Her entrepreneurship SAE is called The Barn Babysitter, and she started it when she was 12 years old. She has an LLC, a strong social media presence, and is working on trademarking her business name. She has increased her client base to over 40 clients and books out nearly a year in advance for her services.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode we are featuring a high school senior who has developed a very active farm sitting business and has actually trade marked her business name. I love the idea of a farm sitting business for a person who does not have their own farm or livestock yet, but who wants to work in this field. But, when are you ready to take care of other people's livestock, and how do you make the business successful? Well, I previously interviewed a farm sitter who gave us the run down on this business, and I thought it would be perfect to bring this interview with Lauren Dixon back for you today.
George Frees is an American Star Finalist in the category of Agriscience Research. He is currently a junior at the University Of Missouri, and he has a long educational road ahead of him.
George has had a passion for plants and for research since he was 5 years old when he asked his parents for an "elephant ear" plant for his birthday and began measuring its growth rates. Over the past 16 years he has continued to develop this passion and to add to it. He has traveled internationally due to these interests multiple times, which ultimately led him to his SAE studying growth rates of sugar cane and the practical applications for biofuel.
George has his sights set on receiving both a Phd and MD allowing him to go to places like the Amazon or jungles of Vietnam and see how plants are being used medicinally, both as cures and treatments for different ailments. George has a wonderful mind for research, and he talks all about it in today's episode.
Back in March I did an episode about farmers being the scapegoats for water shortages in the Arid West, when municipalities were continuing to allow urban sprawl and new subdivision that required water that they did not have rights to. In that episode I ended by asking the question of whether or not this should be topic of conversation at all, as I believed that this problem would eventually be solved through innovation with the introduction of water from other sources into these areas.
In today's episode I want to read an article to you that I came across discussing a city in Arizona that is looking at innovation to solve this water problem so that they can continue to sprawl. I am not in favor of sprawl, but I am in favor of innovation to deal with water shortages, and it appears that some of these ideas may be gaining traction.
Jaxson Collier is an American Star Finalist in the category of Agricultural Placement. He has been working on his families dairy farm in Snyder, Texas since he was 11 or 12 years old, and he is the third generation to do so.
Jax is one for setting specific and long term goals. When he was a freshman in high school he set his sights on being a 1st Vice-President at the area level in Texas. Three years later, he accomplished that. He also knew that he wanted to keep pushing with his supervised agricultural experience, and today he finds himself poised to be named an American Star winner.
Jax will be graduating college in May, but he plans to stay and get his masters in business administration. Then, he has his eyes set on becoming a land broker and selling ranches and dairies. Something tells me that it is just a matter of time.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Iowa State University sits in the heart of the Corn Belt and some of the most advanced production agriculture in the nation. With that said, Ames is the epitome of a college town, with a community that leaves and breathes with the university. To get a great start in agriculture, Iowa State University is there waiting for you. On today's show we will talk all about it.
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Tip Of The Week
To be really secure, gates need to be chained on both sides
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/local-news/50603-madera-county-sheriff-s-office-partners-with-valley-crime-stoppers-to-crack-down-on-agricultural-theft-and-vandalism
https://starherald.com/news/state-regional/crime-courts/rural-north-platte-man-pleads-guilty-to-felony-neglect-of-livestock/article_b172b923-627f-5ea3-8985-7080414be446.html
https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/local-news/sioux-county-sheriff-seeking-information-after-john-deere-gator-stolen-from-farm/
https://www.theoakleafnews.com/news/srjc-district-police/2023/10/15/hemp-plants-stolen-from-shone-farm/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/23863762.police-appeal-horsebox-stolen-green-hammerton/
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/crime/2023/10/17/appeal-after-nine-pigs-stolen-from-farm-targeted-twice-in-seven-days/
https://farmersforum.com/opp-2-tractors-stolen-from-winchester-business/
Africa
https://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/headlines/3-face-conspiracy-cattle-theft-case
https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/nc-farmers-say-stock-theft-is-on-the-rise/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://news.yahoo.com/sioux-falls-man-gets-probation-102010789.html
https://www.agdaily.com/ffa/washington-man-finally-sentenced-after-killing-three-ffa-pigs/
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Olivia Pflaumer is an Agriscience teacher, former American Star Finalist, former FFA member and three time guest of the Off-Farm Income Podcast. On today's show she returns to give us an update on her career. Olivia first appeared on the show in 2016 when she was a junior in high school. Three years later she was back as an American Star Finalist in the category of Agriscience Research. Today, Olivia has completed college and student teaching, and she is an Agriscience instructor at the Global Impact Stem Academy in Springfield, Ohio. Today, we get to catch up on all she has done and is doing.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode we are catching up with Olivia Pflaumer who is now an agriscience teacher in a STEM Program in Ohio. This will be Olivia's third appearance on the show as she has been a high achiever for years now. Olivia's first appearance was back in 2016, and as a nice tie in for tomorrow I decided to replay that interview today. This will make for a great before and after picture of Olivia.
Joseph Pulver is an American Star Finalist in the category of Agribusiness. He and his brother are third generation working their families concrete business in the farming community of Randolph, Wisconsin. As such, Joseph has been doing one aspect or another of the concrete business since he was 11 years old.
By the time Joseph has a couple of years invested in the FFA, his advisor approached him and made a life changing suggestion. He suggested that Joseph form an LLC, and start his own business on the side of working for his father in the concrete business. Joseph took the advice, and JP Slabs LLC was born. At this point Joseph started working on the weekend in his own business. However, he needed somebody to take a chance on him since he was only 16. One farmer did and hired him to poor a pad for a grain bin to rest on. That led to word of mouth and a growing business.
Today, Joseph is 22 years old, and he is working full time for his father and still growing his own business on the weekends. He realized that while he knew concrete, he needed to learn more about business. So, today he is a graduate of Fox Valley Technical College with a degree in business. Joseph plans on operating his business on the weekends for the foreseeable future until he raises enough funds to buy into his father's business.
I had a list of farm update things to talk to you about today, but I didn't talk about almost any of that. As so often happens when I start recording, my mind goes somewhere that is cathartic as it often does when speaking to this fantastic audience. So, today there is a lot of reflection about how fortunate I am, the current events of today and a somber ending about those events. I hope you will join me.
Lainey Hutchison is an American Star Finalist in the category of agribusiness. Growing up on a cattle ranch in Tennessee, horses have always been a part of Lainey's life. That bloomed over the years to where she started competing in rodeo on horseback. Eventually, a parent approached her and asked if she would be willing to provide riding lessons to their daughter. She said yes, and an equestrian entrepreneur was born.
Today, Lainey is competing on the college rodeo team at the University Of Tennessee, Martin. Martin is close enough to her family ranch that she is able to continue providing riding lessons on the weekends. In addition, she and her mother started providing farm camps to kids, agricultural and non-agricultural, when Lainey was back in high school. She continues to do that during the summer, providing agricultural education to younger children.
We are 8 months into profiling agricultural colleges. I believe that we are dispelling some myths and uncovering some opportunities for the student who wants to pursue a future in agriculture. In today's I'll try to summarize what I have learned in the past 8 months.
Tip Of The Week
What does it mean to believe all victims?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12619815/Washington-family-farm-theft-suspect-chicken-kids.html
https://www.aginfo.net/report/57718/Sportsman-s-Spotlight/Stolen-Guard-dogs
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://southburnett.com.au/news2/2023/10/11/hay-thats-our-truck/https://www.bordertelegraph.com/news/23847191.sheep-injured-dog-attack-borders-farm/
https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/23845748.police-investigation-wootton-bassett-farm-targeted-theft/
Africa
https://www.kbc.co.ke/trio-arrested-as-anti-stock-theft-unit-recovers-stolen-livestock/
https://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/two-men-nabbed-for-suspected-stolen-cattle-in-limpopo-93a12917-ff95-43d5-9995-cf2e263e90b5
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.morningagclips.com/love-county-man-sentenced-for-horse-theft/
https://localnews8.com/news/crime-tracker/2023/10/10/1-arrested-after-pursuit-in-stolen-tractor/
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Today will our second installment talking about pricing and “is profit evil?” I did that for a reason. This is a question that has come up several times. It came up for me in my business. It has come up with guests that I have interviewed on the show. And, it is has come up from people who are working in my industry who have since gone out of business.
The fact that they went out of business is a hint as to how important this issue is. By being generous or being nice, rather than pricing their products or services correctly, they are now out of business and not sharing their gifts with the rest of the world. This is not a sustainable way of doing business.
We need to be concerned with sustainability, business sustainability. If we use entrepreneurship to support our farming or rural lifestyle and the business fails, then we lose the lifestyle. So, it is important that we price our goods or services in a way that will sustain our business. Otherwise, all of the positive impact we could have had with our agricultural enterprise will no longer exist.
Today we will be talking about pricing and “is profit evil?” I did that for a reason. This is a question that has come up several times. It came up for me in my business. It has come up with guests that I have interviewed on the show. And, it is has come up from people who are working in my industry who have since gone out of business.
The fact that they went out of business is a hint as to how important this issue is. By being generous or being nice, rather than pricing their products or services correctly, they are now out of business and not sharing their gifts with the rest of the world. This is not a sustainable way of doing business.
We need to be concerned with sustainability, business sustainability. If we use entrepreneurship to support our farming or rural lifestyle and the business fails, then we lose the lifestyle. So, it is important that we price our goods or services in a way that will sustain our business. Otherwise, all of the positive impact we could have had with our agricultural enterprise will no longer exist.
Whitney Glazier is an American Star Finalist in the category of Agricultural Placement. She knew she wanted to be an FFA member early in life, when her father was still teaching agriculture. As she and her sister got older and became more involved in showing pigs, he dad ended his 20 year career as an ag teacher and started farming full time and helping Whitney and her sister get to different pig shows.
Starting in her freshman year, Whitney knew she wanted to be an American Star Finalist. However, she didn't think that a girl from a small town like her could achieve that dream. However, she kept pursuing it, finding success but staying humble. Today she finds herself on the precipice of becoming an American Star and already having been honored by being a finalist.
Hattie and I just returned from Yellowstone National Park. On this previous weekend, every October since 2016, she and I have departed for Yellowstone and spent three days searching for wildlife and taking in incredible vistas. She is a senior in high school this year, so this may be it! I don't know what the future holds for this trip in October, but I do know that she will not be subject to the Kuna High School calendar next year and there will be a new set of scheduling obstacles to deal with when it comes to planning this trip.
On today's show I talk all about these past 8 years of Yellowstone with Hattie, and how this year we graduated to the level of guides!
Jasmyn Hoeger is a sophomore at the University Of Iowa and an American Star Finalist in the category of Agriscience Research. Her passion and her research project have their roots all the way back to when Jasmyn was in the 3rd Grade and her father was almost fatally injured by their bull. In subsequent discussions with doctors after the incident Jasmyn became aware that had the bull been horned the incident was almost certainly have been fatal.
Years later, now in the FFA, Jasmyn's teacher encouraged her to get into agriscience research through a science fair project that could also be used in the FFA. Jasmyn participated, and a flame for research was lit. This led to her beginning a journey that he is continuing today, into an economical and pain free method of dehorning cattle. Jasmyn believes that cost and pain caused to cattle are the two biggest obstacles to people dehorning calves. And, she believes that having cattle, particularly bulls, on farms that are horned causes a more unsafe working environment for farmers and ranchers. So, her research is directed at eliminated those two obstacles and creating safer farms by having less horned cattle on those operations.
What Jasmyn has already done is really incredible, and it is really easy to see what the practical application will be. It is amazing that she is only a sophomore in college, but obviously she will be continuing her education for some time and will be making a big difference in the world of agriculture!
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S.
[caption id="attachment_421096" align="alignright" width="145"] Nick Dorroh - Ag Student Ambassador[/caption]
Thisepisode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
I began my college career at a community college and got off to a great start academically. I have often stated, with all seriousness, that had I not had that beginning, I probably would not have graduated with a bachelor's degree. So, I believe that a community college is an absolutely fantastic place to begin a college pursuit, and that is why I wanted to profile as many as possible on this episode.
In today's episode I am proving Aims Community College from Fort Lupton, Colorado. We are going to be talking about the re-emergence of their agricultural program, the emergence of new opportunities and why a 38 year old man, who is redefining his life chose Aims for his new beginning.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Outgoing mail and locking mail boxes
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/target-closing-stores-due-to-theft-concerns-of-violence-toward-workers
https://www.klkntv.com/man-accused-of-smashing-window-to-break-into-rural-southeast-nebraska-home/
https://www.kbzk.com/news/crime-courts/mail-carrier-sentenced-for-stealing-mail-on-rural-routes
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/23819082.women-deny-stealing-kings-lambs-field-sandringham/
https://www.agriland.co.uk/farming-news/psni-appeal-for-information-about-farm-theft-in-co-fermanagh/
Africa
https://www.iol.co.za/the-star/news/ff-shocked-over-the-increase-in-police-arrests-for-various-crimes-639204c3-ec3f-49f3-b285-5821f80ccffa
https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-235955.html
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://abc11.com/cumberland-county-fayettevillle-animal-cruelty-abuse/13839586/
https://news.yahoo.com/hundreds-pounds-medicinal-fruit-confiscated-183627317.html
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Cassidy Johnston and her husband are the creators and owners of JRC Ranch Management & Consulting. This is a business that they are developing after years of working on different ranches throughout Colorado and having a myriad of different experiences. They believe that there can be a disconnect between absentee ranch owners and the folks who are doing the day to day work on the ranches, and they would like to be part of the solution to solving that problem.
In the interview Cassidy talks about how sometimes employees on ranches are not treated as well as employees in other sectors of industry. This leads to burnout, high turnover and poor performance of the ranch. Basically, nobody wins in these situations. In many cases, Cassidy believes that the problem lies in the disconnect and is not necessarily a character flaw of the ownership. She will talk all about her observations and how she aims to be part of the solution in this episode.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am profiling a cattle rancher striving to make cattle ranching better for everyone. In she and her husband's efforts, they are taking the perspective of ranch employers and trying to convey that ranch owners, particularly absentee ranch owners.
So, for today's re-cap episode I am going back to an episode I did that I titled "The Amazing Range Cow And the Amazing Rancher". Hopefully there is enough in this episode to give you some perspective on ranchers out here in the West are doing before we roll into tomorrow's show.
Hadley Steifvater is an American Star Finalist in the category of Agriscience Research. She has grow up around her father's veterinary practice, raising livestock of her own and also helping to solve problems in the production agriculture world in her region of South Dakota.
Hadley was homeschooled for the entirety of her primary school career, and her pathway into the FFA and agriscience research are a bit different than normal. Hadley was actually recruited by the FFA Advisor for McCook Central High School, Terry Reickman, as her father had been the FFA and Terry had been his advisor too. This recruitment took place her 7th Grade year, but it was not until 8th Grade that her parents allowed it.
In the first year, another of Hadley's FFA Advisors, Tracy Chase, encouraged her to do an agriscience research project. Hadley went on to win both state and national awards with that project in just the 8th Grade! This set her on a course of seeking research projects, and soon she was researching the best methods of farrowing pigs and caring for newly born pigs on behalf of her father and for one of his customers.
This led to Hadley researching block chains in the beef industry and assessing whether or not the origins of a steak could be traced back to the farm the calf was born on - a topic of particular interest to me.
Hadley is now at South Dakota State University, majoring in Animal Science, and she is looking at a future career in the veterinary field as either a veterinary nurse or veterinarian.
Today, I've got a lively farm update for you. We will be discussing:
- very successful FFA scholarship auction
- .75 inches of rain and done irrigating
- grazing goats on canal for two weeks straight
- Oso working out great
- still on pasture with cattle and hope to be for a couple more weeks
- corn, kochia and cover crops for goats to green
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Audrey Pinger is a 2023 American Star Finalist in the category of Agriscience Research. This all began in the 9th Grade with her adamantly refusing to the join the FFA as her friends tried to get her to sign up. Finally, after a lot of peer pressure (the good kind), she relented and became a member to join what would later become a nationally competing parliamentary procedure team.
During this time Audrey was encouraged to do an agriscience research project by her FFA Advisor. She ended going to and winning her state with the project, and this lit a fire. Soon, she was running four separate agriscience research projects, and obviously those projects stood out as she has become one of only four finalists in the category out of over 800,000 FFA students in the nation!
Audrey is currently studying to become an agriculture teacher at The Ohio State University, and she will also be receiving her American Degree this year.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Mid-State Technical College serves as a conduit between employers in their region of Wisconsin looking for talented and qualified recruits, and up and coming employees who need certifications and more to be qualified to work for those employers. This pragmatic approach is very beneficial to agriculture students because that is how we in agriculture tend to operate. And, because Mid-State Tech. has four locations, they can cater to all the different types of agriculture that are represented in each location.
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Tip Of The Week
The legal system does work….
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.agdaily.com/crops/california-authorities-still-trying-to-solve-watermelon-caper/
https://kansasreflector.com/2023/09/28/kansas-farmer-loses-appeal-in-bizarre-hog-effluent-disposal-trespassing-nuisance-case/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.southwestfarmer.co.uk/news/23805448.police-appeal-56-sheep-stolen-woolavington/
https://www.farmersguardian.com/news/4124922/bales-hay-slashed-police-investigate
Africa
https://www.citizen.co.za/witness/news/pietermaritzburg/criminals-target-power-cables/
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2023-09-28-five-suspected-rustlers-escape-death-as-their-vehicle-is-set-on-fire/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.klkntv.com/man-accused-of-igniting-hay-bales-burglarizing-northeast-nebraska-golf-course/
https://www.wctv.tv/2023/09/21/something-good-wcso-joins-4-h-hay-bale-contest-with-new-deputy/
https://www.fultonsun.com/news/2023/sep/27/man-sentenced-for-kingdom-city-farm-theft/
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Peggy Coffeen is a podcast host, farmer and seller of value added products. She also make a successful transition from a corporate career to self-employment after identifying two niche businesses and moving into them.
On today's ag business episode Peggy and I have an in depth conversation about the dynamics of moving to full time, self-employment. We also talk about many of the pitfalls you will face along the way and the fear that will seek to stop you. Peggy has a very unique perspective on identifying your target customer, and an interesting story that goes with that. In addition, she started a very niched podcast after seeing a hole in the dairy world that she believed needed to filled.
Come along for an inspiring and very interesting interview today!
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode we are going to be profiling an entrepreneur who transitioned from a full-time corporate career to being a full-time entrepreneur. In the spirit of what I normally do, I wanted to pull an episode from the archives that tied in with tomorrow's theme. I believe that this interview with Daryl Mast of Doorstep Dairy does so nicely. From the transition to the family legacy, this episode has it all.
Daniel Jossund is a 2023 American Star Farmer Finalist. I met him for the first time in this interview, but what an impressive resume he put forward. He has been farming corn, wheat, soybeans, barley and sugar beets with his family his entire life. However, at the beginning of his FFA career he joined his brother in a straw bailing business, and actually purchased his own bailer.
The purchase of that bailer was just the beginning for Daniel. Soon he was leasing ground from his grandmother and growing wheat and soybeans. Then he leased some ground from his chapter and began growing alfalfa. Just after graduation from high school he purchased 150 acres of his own and diversified even more.
Daniel is currently in college at North Dakota State University studying agricultural business and minoring in banking. When I asked him what was next for him, after college, without hesitation but with full confidence he said "full time farming". He is already well on his way to that dream, and her is wishing him the best of luck at the National Convention!
A while back I did a solo show defending farmers from a newspaper article calling them "hogs" for using the water that has been allotted to them for well over a century for farming See The Original Show Notes Below
An article recently popped up locally for me that supported the idea of the "pyramid scheme" that small cities get involved with that leads to the need to continue to approve development projects so that they can create new tax revenue that will pay for aging infrastructure. On today's Tuesday episode I've got a brief farm update for you, and then I want to read you this article and cite it as evidence that this "pyramid scheme" is really happening.
Weston Whiteside is an American Star Finalist in the category of Agribusiness. Weston has been working in the lawn care and landscaping business since he was 11 years old, and when he turned 16 years old he purchased the business from his father. Since then, Weston has made moves to transform his clientele from residential to commercial and to ramp up the earnings. He has been succeeding in that endeavor.
Weston is currently studying agricultural business and playing baseball at The College Of The Ozarks in Missouri. In addition, he is working in exchange for his tuition, so he has absolutely no tuition payments to make to get his degree. He is employed at the campus feed mill and does a variety of jobs in exchange for tuition.
When Weston graduates he plans on running his business, Whiteside Landscaping, full time and building the business even larger. He has a lofty goal of being financially independent by the time he is 30 years old, not so he can stop working, but so he can always do work that he loves and is passionate about.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This
[caption id="attachment_421012" align="alignright" width="90"] Allison Meyer: Head Ag Ambassador - Dordt University[/caption]
episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Dordt University is a private, Christian university located in Northwest Iowa. It is also one of the few Christian universities to have an agriculture program. The university has its own row crop operation, feed lot and dairy herd. In addition to that, Dordt is located in a very rural part of the state that is agriculturally intensive. So, students there have multitudes of opportunities to work in agriculture and make great money doing it!
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Tip Of The Week
Think safety first everyone, rural crime prevention is included in this
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wdayradionow.com/news/local-news/67960-kreps-family-farm-in-fargo-reports-two-burglaries-in-two-days
https://www.nemonews.net/2023/09/06/police-ask-for-assistance-from-the-public-following-rash-of-edina-burglaries/
https://gonzalesinquirer.com/stories/arrest-warrant-issued-for-woman-after-failure-to-appear-on-livestock-theft-charge,77684
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.northernfarmer.co.uk/news/23757438.three-arrests-north-yorkshire-farm-machinery-thefts/
https://www.brecon-radnor.co.uk/news/powys-police-appeal-for-information-on-20-stolen-brecknock-hill-cheviot-yearling-ewes-637930
Africa
https://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/news/piketberg-murder-shocks-farming-community-adc355b0-9fc3-43e0-bc4a-60a3f610a4d5
https://citizen.digital/wananchi-reporting/bomet-farmers-decry-rise-in-cattle-theft-meat-sold-in-neighbouring-sub-counties-n326894
https://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/news/parliament-urged-to-form-ad-hoc-committee-on-farm-murders-0dc177cd-bb47-4b33-a62b-759036d41879
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://themessenger.com/news/kellen-tolentino-joshua-kellogg-stealing-75-pounds-oranges-hawaii-farm
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/eric-edson-vermont-robbery-suspect-arrested-eluded-capture-using-car-bike-tractor-dump-truck-sailboat/
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Eric Rickenbach is the owner of RescueTechs and devotes himself to teaching others how to respond to emergencies on the farm. He has also been a first responder for decades and has been to many of these scenes himself.
When I found Eric's web page and what he did, I knew I wanted to have him on the show during National Farm Safety and Health Week, so we made it happen. Today we will discuss some of the most common instances of injuries and death on farms. We will also talk about taking the extra step to insure that you are working safely. And, we will talk about why the buddy system is so important.
Stay safe out there everyone...
Today we are continuing our focus on National Farm Health & Safety Week. Joining us are two FFA members from Bowling Green High School in Bowling Green, Missouri, Abby Haas and Courtney Kraft. They are spearheading a county wide effort to teach 4th graders about food storage safety as well as medication safety in their homes.
I love it when people do activities that accomplish two goals at once, and that is exactly what they are doing. At the same time they are teaching safety to farm student as well as non-farm students, they are exposing everyone to agriculture and the FFA. We know that the number of non-traditional FFA students is on the increase, and that is good thing. This effort will help to keep that trend moving forward.
The biggest contributors to farm accidents are probably impatience and complacency. Getting in a hurry, or thinking that danger doesn't exist just because nothing has ever happened before can lead one into a dangerous situation.
On today's show we are profiling the farm safety education philosophy of the Tunstall FFA Chapter in Dry Fork, Virginia. Dr. Jessica Jones, the FFA Advisor and her colleagues have figured out that impatience and complacency can be overcome by keeping safety in the front of one's mind. If you think safety first, then your chances of not overlooking a dangerous aspect of your job go way up.
Two of Jessica's students, Chapter President - Cole Abercrombie as well as sophomore member - Zac Chaney join me on the show today. They will talk about farming in their area, what they see as some of the biggest risks and how farm safety is taught in every agriculture class at Tunstall, regardless of whether or not it is Farm Safety Week.
Rylee Shelton is a senior in high school and the president of her FFA Chapter. She is also a beef producer and staunch advocate for agriculture, specifically the beef industry.
Rylee is currently running for both Missouri Beef Queen as well as the position of Missouri Farm Bureau Ambassador. As such, she is doing a lot of public speaking, both to agricultural and non-agricultural audiences. At the same time she is advocating for agriculture, she is also teaching about farm safety and handling techniques of working with cattle that minimize stress on the livestock and create the safest working environment possible for humans.
To the agricultural audiences Rylee focuses mainly on ways we can evolve into different handling techniques for betterment of our industry from both a public perception and safety standpoint. To the general public she talks about staying safe and safe cattle handling techniques as one of the ways in which she debunks misconceptions about animal abuse in agriculture.
The wisdom of how Rylee is going about doing this is fantastic, and I share her enthusiasm!
It is National Farm Health & Safety Week, and I am devoting this week to just that! Joining me today are two students from the Audrain County FFA
Chapter in Laddonia, Missouri. Brant Cope and Aaron Carter are the organizers of this years Farm Safety Day at their high school and put on by their FFA Chapter. Brant and Aaron have both participated in this event multiple times over the years, first as elementary school students and for the past four years as FFA students teaching at the stations.
On Farm Safety Day, elementary students from around their county will come to their school and be shown multiple different stations and taught how to be safe. This will include everything from electrical lines, to horses, to grain bins to atv's.
Tip Of The Week
https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/family-and-parenting/most-stolen-dogs-2023-these-are-the-10-breeds-of-adorable-dog-most-often-taken-from-their-owners-including-the-loving-jack-russell-3277394
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/danelo-cavalcante-manhunt-search-expands-b2409225.html
https://news.yahoo.com/tractor-used-help-grow-food-205412334.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/image-released-man-believed-connected-112500430.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKxOLudzTwD2h_Xn68QbBSIBw8n6C-6SOD4uosr5rYwmvsKerDGBL89-bWMZlmgontO7MC1n5ul2UJa1w38s_5qcgI2fBxoMJJY2S0UUot3NIK09UJ4ykRp5BjyEvkZ7YS_ElhAvrW647fN_QUb09yhD-vgUqnyRLbwMsgsNuOBn
https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/rural-policing-team-recover-1m-of-stolen-machinery
Africa
https://punchng.com/nifor-firm-collaborate-on-agricultural-development/
https://fij.ng/article/cattleman-wrongfully-imprisoned-for-six-months-on-false-accusations-finally-regains-freedom/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.facebook.com/100064418454752/posts/pfbid02tuv7vZ4QBBRLdneTNijdxb4NPE69KKu8eR6Pvbb3YXGeXve4rKRLE69gd1f97eYtl/?mibextid=cr9u03
https://kpq.com/farmer-holds-two-alleged-burglars-at-gunpoint-following-break-in/
https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/crime/man-arrested-stealing-over-5k-in-haybales-deputies-say/
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Jessie Jarvis is the owner of "Of The West" a job platform for agricultural jobs and Western lifestyle careers. She is also a lifelong rancher from Southern Idaho with a deep legacy of ranching work in the Gem State.
On today's episode Jessie will discuss why she created "Of The West", and how the inspiration came to her. She will also discuss some of the challenges of looking for a job in agriculture, and why being part of the 2% of the nation involved in ag can lead to a defeated feeling before you have ever submitted a resume.
Jessie has a passion for connecting people with the right opportunity, and that definitely comes through in today's episode.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode we are going to be talking about ag careers, starting an ag jobs website and delving into the entrepreneurial and professional employee aspects of a life in agriculture. So, for today's re-cap show I went back to one of the best profiles of an agricultural career that I ever did. Ironically, this took place on episode #002 of the show. That's right, this was the second episode I ever produced and the first interview I ever conducted!
This show features my late uncle, Allan Romander. Allan spent his entire working life in agriculture, and the bulk of his professional career as a crop advisor, then a pest control advisor and finally a certified crop advisor. He had the same position all the way through but over time the titles changed and the certifications became more challenging. Allan was the epitome of a professional and he loved agriculture. I don't think there ever was anyone better suited to advocate for this career path than Allan.
Luke Jennings is a 2023 American Star Farmer Finalist. He is also the state president for Ohio FFA, serving his second term as a state officer in the Buckeye State.
I first interviewed Luke in 2021 at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. The media center for the convention is in the media offices at Lucas Oil Field where the Indianapolis Colts play, so we sat down in a room over looking the entire domed stadium, the huge FFA stage and the football field below.
Luke went up on the big stage three times that convention, including one time as a National Proficiency Finalist. I thought I was surely catching this young man at the heights of his FFA career. I didn't think this because I didn't think him capable, but he had accomplished so much already it was just a natural thought. However, in the following school year he became an Ohio State Officer, in May of 2023 he was elected for a second term - this time as state president and then in July he was selected as a finalist for American Star Farmer!
I couldn't be more proud of what this young man has done and is now doing, and it is my thrill to have him back on the show.
Well, the largest looming topic on our farm this week is remember 9/11 and trying to wrap my mind around the fact that it has been 22 years already. Autumm and I will never forget that day, and we hope you found some peace and silence on Monday to take some time to reflect in your own way.
Also on today's show:
- Oso the new livestock guardian dog
- Treating chickens for mites with permethrin
- The biography of Tom Horn
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Callie Welty is a 2023 American Star Farmer Finalist, and after speaking with her it is not hard to understand why.
Callie has had three things ingrained into her since a young age; love of the FFA, love of Brahman cattle and love for the Texas A&M Aggies. Today, at age 19 she has become the president of the American Junior Brahmans Association, she is studying agricultural communications in College Station and the foundation of the SAE that has led her to be an American Star Finalist is her herd of Brahman cattle.
In the interview Callie talks a lot about how mentors have played an important role in her development as a student, student leader and breeder of cattle. It is a point that should be emphasized as too many people try to go it alone when there are experienced people that are more than willing to give advice and share life experiences. Callie is doing great things with the help of these mentors, and it shines through in her interview.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
The College Of The Ozarks is unlike any other college I have profiled to date. Not only do you work 15 hours per week for your tuition, but you are not allowed to pay for your tuition. Even better, the university does not allow its students to take out student loans. If you attend the College Of The Ozarks, your are literally guaranteed to graduate with $0 in student loan debt.
I discovered the College Of The Ozarks through an interview I did with Weston Whiteside (episode #1845 - 9/25/23), who is a 2023 American Star Finalist in the category of agribusiness. He is a third year student there and told me that he works in exchange for tuition when I interviewed him. On today's episode I speak with him and his agriculture professor, Tamara Holder, to get all of your questions answered.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Purchase a game camera with a cell plan
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.tnonline.com/20230829/fuel-stolen-from-utility-tractor-in-monroe/
https://www.local10.com/news/local/2023/08/28/miami-dade-man-accused-of-armed-robbery/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.townandcountrytoday.com/barrhead-news/farmer-reports-hay-bale-theft-from-field-south-of-barrhead-7465435
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-66644193
https://www.agriland.co.uk/farming-news/pregnant-cows-die-following-dog-chase-in-wales/
Africa
https://dailynigerian.com/gombe-farmers-night-vigil/
https://ke.opera.news/ke/en/society/99ff6a035ec141f604b18a8f1161e54f
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.wyff4.com/article/men-wanted-stealing-peaches-farm-south-carolina/44955458
https://myfox8.com/news/tractor-on-the-loose-2-men-charged-with-stealing-tractor-that-has-not-been-found-in-north-carolina/
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Shawn Kapanke is the Business Development Manager of Silver Spring Foods from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. This company has its roots figuratively in 1929 and literally in the ground of Wisconsin where hot and delicious horseradish is being grown on 5-7 year rotation.
Today's show is a bit unconventional for an Ag Business Episode, as I am profiling a larger company. Rest assured that Silver Spring is not a prospective sponsor, and they did not pay me for this episode. However, I love horseradish and don't know anything about it, so when they reached out this was a great opportunity to learn more.
And, and this is a big AND...as I researched this company it dawned on me that almost 100 years ago this began with a need for extra revenue and the creation of a value added product. Since we advocate for value adding on the show, looking at this awesome "after picture" seems like a perfect way to demonstrate proof of this concept.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode we are telling the story of a company that was born during the Great Depression from a need to make extra money during slow times during the winter. The answer that the founder came up with was a value added product. Today, that original product has inspired many other products and created jobs for hundreds of people and deliciousness for millions of people's meals.
As a great "tie in" to tomorrow's show I went looking for interviews that I had done regarding value added product. I cannot think of a better "tie in" than this interview that I did with Logan Schlaugh back in 2020. The creation of a value added product is literally what saved this young man's family farming enterprise. You have all heard me talk about the pressure to not be the link in the family chain that loses the farm. Well, this is real story about coming close but then being innovative and saving it with a value added product.
Tanner Mickey is a 2023 finalist for the award of American Star Farmer! He has done this through a variety of enterprises including corn, soybean and wheat farming; raising cattle and sheep; and working in his families seed sales business.
Tanner was first a guest on the show in 2019 as he was getting ready to start his senior year of high school. We did the interview one day prior to him leaving for Scotland with his livestock judging team to compete internationally. He was also just a few months away from becoming the Illinois State Star Farmer at that point.
I am very proud of what he has already accomplished and that he has been recognized as an American Star Farmer Finalist this year. We will catch up on everything he has been doing over the past four years on this episode.
Hi everyone. Big things happening recently on the farm, and I'll update you on all of those today, including:
- Lost another goat to the coyote - hopefully the last
- We now have a livestock guardian dog
- We have expanded our goat herd again
- I just started irrigation today for the first time in 2.5 weeks
- Heading to our final minor league baseball game of the season this evening
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Lance Moritz is a 2023 American Star Finalist in the category of Agricultural Placement. Lance was also previously a guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2019. Since that time, Lance has been through a lot. He has continued to work in and develop both aspects of his supervised agricultural experiences, and he had a kidney transplant! The transplant took him out of the field for several months, but it gave him the opportunity to look at the behind the scenes portion of running his families farm and landscaping business.
Lance just received his degree in Agronomy from Illinois Valley Community College in May, and he is now taking on more responsibility on his families farm. In today's episode Lance I spend some time catching up, and I spend some time congratulating him for this outstanding accomplishment.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This
[caption id="attachment_420892" align="alignright" width="182"] Curtis Lauderdale - Assistant Dean for Student Advising and Development[/caption]
episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
The University Of Wisconsin at Madison is a very storied land grant university that has been innovating int he area of agricultural research and education for decade after decade. The original mission of this university was agriculture, but the non-agricultural culture and tradition has grown to gigantic proportions over the years.
On today's episode we will take a look at all UW Madison has to offer to those seeking higher education as means to their future in agriculture. And, we will learn about these traditions and innovations.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Don’t get in a hurry when you are hiring or giving out money
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.agdaily.com/news/half-missing-wyoming-ewes-mysteriously-reappear/
https://www.gradickcommunications.com/da-gbi-determine-insufficient-evidence-to-seek-charges-in-case-re-stolen-items-found-on-property-owned-by-county-chairman/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2023/08/21/animal-rising-protesters-charged-after-sandringham-lambs-stolen/
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/crime/2023/08/23/land-rover-stolen-from-farm/
https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/23756271.liam-brown-admits-sex-cow-burton-farm/
Africa
https://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/elderly-bloemfontein-farmer-killed-and-his-wife-critically-injured-594a3f0c-1bbe-486f-971d-7e5ae45e5b63
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/cattle-purchase-turns-fatal-vanderbijlpark-man-faces-murder-charge-breaking-30-august-2023-latest/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.onlineathens.com/story/news/crime/2023/08/31/farm-worker-charged-with-felony-cruelty-at-madison-county-poultry-farm/70710576007/
https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2023/08/30/north-shore-pizzeria-owner-ppp-loan-vermont-alpaca-farm-fraud-dana-mcintyre-rasta-pasta-beverly/
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Joel Holland is the CEO of Harvest Hosts, a company that pairs up farmers with extra space with members who would like to spend a night in their RV in a picturesque setting on somebody's farm. I have seen both sides of this idea. As a person who likes to travel in my camper, I have spoke with individuals who are Harvest Host members, and I have found them all to be people that I would be comfortable having stay on my property. As a farmer, I have a spot on my farm that would work well for this, and I have considered becoming a host.
In today's interview Joel will talk about how farmers generate revenue as hosts. We will also discuss how you are kept safe and shielded from liability if you become a host. And, we will touch on the very positive experiences that both hosts and guests have when coming together.
On tomorrow's Agricultural Business Episode I will be speaking with the CEO of Harvest Hosts about how farmers can make extra money hosting people on their farms overnight. This made me think back to the interview I did with Kuna's own, Brooklyn Lowe, formerly of the Kuna FFA Chapter. Brooklyn and her family own and operate "The Farmstead" which is an agritourism destination about three miles from my own farm.
When I owned the gopher extermination business I did work for Brooklyn's father, Jim, at a previous location they operated at. Later, I was able to interview Jim about their business, and then I eventually came to know Brooklyn through my and Hattie's involvement in the Kuna FFA. The story of this family business, which Brooklyn will one day take over, is one of vision, patience, persistence and growth. And I think it ties in perfectly with tomorrow's ag business episode.
Kristin Nesbitt is in her fourth year of medical school and will be beginning her residency in about 9 months. She first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2015 on episode #35, when she had just become the president of her FFA Chapter at Meridian High School. I reconnected with her on Linkedin recently and saw that she was now in medical school, and I recalled that way back when she was a senior in high school she that that human or veterinary medicine is probably what she would ultimately end up studying in the future.
Kristin made the choice to treat humans towards the end of her sophomore year, and today it is my opportunity to catch up with this amazing young woman. We will also talk about the journey that she has been on, learn what medical school is really like and get some tips and suggestions for other students who want to pursue becoming a medical doctor.
I've got more weather on the farm update show for you today. It has been a wild 7 days of August weather here in Southwest Idaho. August is historically our driest month, averaging just under a 1/4 inch of rain. However, at our farm, in the past 7 days we have received 1.7 inches. Do I have any culpability for the negative parts of rain like this since I am enjoying the storms?
Isaac Detty is just beginning his sophomore year of high school and his second year of FFA, but you wouldn't know it from the complexity and number of SAE's that he has. When he is not collecting eggs to sell or feeding his meat birds for his meat chicken business, he is busy working with food that has already been grown but not consumed.
In addition to Isaac's entrepreneurial ventures, he has a benevolent venture taking food that would otherwise go to waste, like bananas, and turning them into something that will result in them being consumed and not thrown out. On the top of the pyramid is making something like banana bread or dehydrating the bananas. On the other end, the food is fed to chickens or livestock that will consume it, or it is being composted. Either way, the food is not being wasted by sending it to the landfill.
Isaac is able to identify the multiple positive benefits that looking at food in this manner have. For example, when they are dehydrating bananas, it give the food science class at his high school a project to work on that is right in line with what they are studying. It is thinking like this that led Isaac to be awarded a $1,000 SAE Grant in 2022, which he will be applying for again this fall.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This
[caption id="attachment_420718" align="alignright" width="138"] Hope Stansell - Student Ambassador[/caption]
episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
For a student focused on agriculture or natural resources there is no move diverse state in the country than Oregon. From high desert rangelands in the east to Pacific fisheries on the coast in the west, the State Of Oregon has something for everyone, and Oregon State University is the place to study it. On today's episode we will learn all about the unique and exciting opportunities available to agriculture students at Oregon's Land Grand University.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Learn from what the animal rights activists are willing to show you
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://nbc-2.com/news/crime/2023/08/15/search-continues-for-charlotte-county-cow-killer/
https://www.news8000.com/news/crime/animal-rights-activist-group-shares-anonymous-video-showing-minks-released-from-trempealeau-co-farm/article_2d692886-3c70-11ee-96c0-2f36b3ce3eef.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://fagenwasanni.com/ai/stoktake-facial-recognition-platform-aims-to-combat-livestock-theft/207237/
https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/23720637.powys-police-investigating-sheep-thefts-attacks/
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/crime/taranaki-farm-equipment-dealer-christopher-carter-ripped-off-25-customers-360k/GBGQN22LNVHP5DDKKBZIZ5DAVY/
Africa
https://punchng.com/jigawa-police-nab-four-suspects-with-stolen-goat-bulls/
https://www.thegazellenews.com/investigations/four-in-police-net-for-allegedly-stealing-goats-bulls/#google_vignette
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.klkntv.com/lincoln-man-hid-among-hay-bales-after-chase-with-nebraska-troopers-patrol-says/
https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/crime/stolen-tractor-trucks-recovered-in-genesee-county-larry-keene/71-50bd22e1-2136-4df7-ab3d-6a2116a70a3c
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Dustin Toberman is the owner of Omni Ag Consulting and a veteran of the commercial ag world and a former VP for Bungee running their northern division. After 20 years in this aspect of agriculture, Dustin has seen a lot of talented ag students come and go in internships and has done a lot of hiring. He has also seen what is impressive on a resume and in an interview, and he has seen the unrealistic expectations of newly graduated students.
At the end of Dustin's corporate career, his company was once again merging, and he decided that he did not want to go through another merger. So, he assessed what he was passionate about and realized that helping pair the right talent with the right opportunity was something that had always got him excited. This led to the development of Omni Ag Consulting, and within two years he is amazed by the impact he has already been able to make.
On today's episode we are going talk about his path, and we are also going to discuss how students coming out of college and heading into the agricultural career field can best succeed!
Here is Dustin's podcast, Boot Pit To Boardroom for you to check out:
Dan Miller is a mentor and coach to me and has been since about 2009 when I first started dreaming of an entrepreneurial lifestyle. Between 2009 and 2015 I was unknown to Dan, but I was consuming his books and his podcast in an effort to figure out how I was going to achieve my entrepreneurial lifestyle. Then, in 2015, three years after I started my first business I was able to put away enough money to go to one of his courses in Tennessee.
I have been a huge fan of his since discovering him in 2009, and I continue to be one today. On tomorrow's show we are featuring an agricultural career coach. However, for many of us we will need to look at ideas outside of agriculture and then bring them back and apply them here. So, in preparation for tomorrow's show I am replaying my very first interview with Dan Miller to give you the inspiration to do just that!
Brynn Karnes is a sophomore at Central Columbia High School in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania and a standout member of the FFA Chapter. She has deep roots in the Keystone State with farming on one side of the family and a multi-generational hardware store that has been serving farmers for decades on the other.
Brynn has definitely had her eyes opened to all the different opportunities for careers already, due to her involvement in the FFA. She first explored the option of being an agriculture teacher and thought she wanted to head that direction. However, then she took plant science and worked in the greenhouse and found something that she thought she could do for the rest of her life. And, who knows what else she will be exposed to over time that may even lead her in a different direction.
What I noticed in the interview was that as Brynn and I spoke about her future career prospects there was excitement in her voice. To me, that is the most important thing. No matter what she ultimately winds up doing for a career, her participation in the FFA has got her excited about her future!
Regarding the title of today's episode - you are going to have to listen to find out what that means. If you don't already know, it is explained in our conversation!
One week ago I was talking about how odd a weather event the wildfires in Hawaii were. And during that discussion (fact check me on this) I stated that it would be like having a hurricane strike Idaho (although wildfires in Hawaii are more common than that). This was well before I had ever heard of Hurricane Hilary.
Well, like magic, the biggest news story became Hurricane Hilary as she set her eyes on Southern California with a projected pathway that would march her right up to, you guessed it, Idaho. At the time I am writing this the news is reported that what is left of Hilary is 125 miles due west of Elko, Nevada and racing north. Well that happens to be a straight arrow right to my farm!
Dalten Durrant is just about ready to start his sophomore year of high school and his second year in the Kuna FFA Chapter. Dalten has a huge family in the community of Kuna with a deep farming legacy in my hometown. Dalten's family farm's name is "Big D Ranch" and they run one of the largest agribusinesses in the Treasure Valley of Idaho.
Dalten has been working in the family business since he was 5 years old, and his responsibilities increase each and every year. His first job was selling sweet corn from the retail sales area of the ranch, and since then he has progressed to some fun and some, not so fun, jobs on the farm. Dalten states that his favorite job during the summer is running the loader since the cab has air conditioning. His least favorite is cleaning out the grain pits because there is rotten grain in the bottom and it stinks.
Dalten is part of a long legacy of not only farming but FFA membership and community service here in Kuna, and he has goals for his FFA career over the next three years. It will be fun to watch.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below:
The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
The State of South Dakota, like many other states in the middle of the countries is dealing with the issue of shrinking rural communities and less qualified employees for agricultural companies in those areas. While I am not happy this is the situation for these communities, it does create fantastic opportunities for students who want to work in agriculture and live rurally.
Mitchell Technical College is based in Mitchell, South Dakota and is part of the solution to this problem for the State of South Dakota. Among the opportunities for agriculture students in South Dakota is learning the skills that lead into an agricultural career through Mitchell Tech. for free and having a guaranteed career position when your two year program is completed. This is done through a program called Build Dakota, and there are other programs available as well. Imagine landing your first career position while you are still in high school, having your college 100% paid for and having a job waiting for you when you finished.
Clayton Deuter, the Vice President of Enrollment Services at Mitchell Technical College, joins me on the show today. We will discuss how this works, what the benefits to students are and how to get this done. This is a very exciting opportunity for agricultural students from all across the U.S. to help them find their future.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Secure your horses
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/two-fillies-were-stolen-pasture-184400111.html
https://www.wtxl.com/someone-s-chopping-the-tails-off-horses-in-colorado
https://jcpost.com/posts/dbd47668-cfbd-4897-b164-eadea856dfe1
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.kent.police.uk/news/kent/latest/policing-news/burglar-who-stole-from-farms-across-kent-jailed/
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/sheffield-horse-theft-mum-offering-053652232.html
https://www.farmersguardian.com/news/4121724/police
Africa
https://ridgetimes.co.za/325501/stock-theft-on-rise-in-embalenhle/
https://theconversation.com/bandits-in-nigeria-how-protection-payments-to-militias-escalate-conflict-in-the-north-west-211224
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.newsbreak.com/miami-fl/3115971595777-stolen-farm-animals-discovered-crammed-into-back-of-van
https://www.agdaily.com/news/human-trafficking-suspected-at-utah-farm-bureau-presidents-operation/
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Mike Maxwell is the owner of Double M Ranch and a professional shearer of llamas, alpacas, sheep and even goats. He also does dental work on alpacas and gives shots as well trims hooves. Mike specializes in serving people on small farms with a few to many animals, but not enough to warrant hiring one of the big outfits. Mike is taking care of folks who just cannot access the larger service providers.
Mike's path into farming and working with animals came through his marriage to his wife, Kimberly, who had the property when they were married. He was, and continued to, work in the corporate world while they were raising sheep and chickens. Ultimately, he taught himself how to shear and take care of these livestock, and he started offering his services to others. His business soon grew larger than he could handle since he kept his corporate job.
Then, a twist came. Mike and Kim had planned on one day retiring to Costa Rica, and when Covid 19 ultimately resulted in a red hot housing market in the Treasure Valley of Idaho they realized that they could retire about 5 years earlier than they had planned. So, they sold the farm and made it happen. However, Mike did not want to abandon his customers in Idaho, so twice each year he flies back to Idaho and takes care of everyone's livestock for them.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am interviewing a gentleman with a livestock care business that includes shearing llamas. That interview has a quite a twist that you are going to want to hear about. For today's re-cap episode I decided to go back to the interview I did with Mike Huffman in 2015 in which we talked all about his llama care business.
Teah Vennes is an incoming sophomore at Shields Valley High School in Clyde Park, Montana and the newest of a Montana Ranching legacy that goes back to 1863! Her ranch lies in a beautiful area to the east of the Bridger Mountains that I used to frequent when I was a student at Montana State University. Teah is very involved in ranching, horses and cattle, but so much more.
In today's interview what really stood out is the relationship between the 4H and FFA. They are not the same, and you don't need one to do the other. However, the 4H certainly acts as a gateway into the FFA with similar activities such as livestock exhibitions.
With Teah being a 9th Grader at the time that I interviewed her, she is right in the midst of this transition. She has been very active in the 4H, as well as the Girl Scouts, with some interesting projects that sparked ideas that she is carrying forward into the FFA. One of those is raising rabbits and taking them to more municipal areas of Montana to give 4H, and now FFA, students ideas about how they can raise livestock even if they live in town. The rabbits are also a great way to spark a conversation about agriculture, giving Teach the opportunity to dispel some myths about where our food comes from.
Teah has her eye on becoming a Montana State Officer in the future, and I think this is a great start. But, as we learned in the episode, for right now she is concentrating on getting her driver's license as she was headed to driver's training as we finished this episode.
Today is a farm update episode, and we will be discussing the following:
- Cover crops are planted
- August cool down is over
- Coyote saga
- Grazing volunteer kochia
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Ashlin Havumaki is just getting ready to start her sophomore year of high school and her third year of FFA. As a lover of animals, Ashlin and her family keep all sorts of livestock and fowl on her grandparents farm just a few minutes from her home. And when she was going into the 8th Grade, a friend of her father's, who was also an FFA advisor, suggested the FFA for Ashlin.
Ashlin has definitely found her perfect place. Her fascination with animals fits very well within the FFA, and it allows her to turn that passion into an academic pursuit with her supervised agricultural experience. It also opens many other doors such as public speaking and career development events.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below:
The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
North Dakota State University is located in Fargo, North Dakota and is part of the greater Fargo/Moorhead metro area. NDSU is able to combine the opportunities that come with being a research based university with the feel of a small school that caters to students. On today's episode, Professor Adam Marx joins me to discuss the diverse agriculture in North Dakota, life on campus at NDSU and why there are so many international agriculture students in Fargo.
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Tip Of The Week
Sometimes they haven’t been stolen
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.8newsnow.com/weird-news/ap-willy-the-texas-rodeo-goat-on-the-lam-for-weeks-has-been-found-safe/
https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/state-police-investigating-theft-of-large-equipment-from-sheds-in-lawrence-county/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/man-arrested-apparent-theft-horse-074324772.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKxOLudzTwD2h_Xn68QbBSIBw8n6C-6SOD4uosr5rYwmvsKerDGBL89-bWMZlmgontO7MC1n5ul2UJa1w38s_5qcgI2fBxoMJJY2S0UUot3NIK09UJ4ykRp5BjyEvkZ7YS_ElhAvrW647fN_QUb09yhD-vgUqnyRLbwMsgsNuOBn
https://www.agriland.co.uk/farming-news/ni-farmer-records-thefts-of-silage-bales-on-video-camera/
https://www.mountainviewtoday.ca/beyond-local/cattle-theft-victim-says-the-system-is-broken-7350304
Africa
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2023-07-31-teenage-farm-attackers-arrested-after-crashing-stolen-car/
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2023/07/police-recover-stolen-goats-in-isiolo/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoUMTQzMDM3OTIzODYyMjU5NzA2NjYyGmRkNWM4ZGM4NzI2MzIxY2U6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AOvVaw2R3BkxHD9sBSrWCDQx6cV4&source=gmail&ust=1691195775057000&usg=AOvVaw2AD6nBIIaFfxjGBbUFcEqj
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.an17.com/crime/police_fire/31-year-old-from-springfield-arrested-in-atv-theft-case/article_f323e69e-2d91-11ee-ab86-7fc3c01adbad.html
https://www.wjhl.com/news/crime/wcso-2-indicted-in-farm-burglary-case/
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Michael "Mick" Hawkes has a storied military career followed by a storied corporate career in security from the U.K. In the early days of his special forces work, he was part of the response to terrorism in Northern Ireland. Part of his special forces duty included doing days worth of surveillance on farms, and then covertly entering the buildings of the farm to look for weapons and explosives. During this surveillance he saw the weaknesses that farmers had when it came to security, and he later used that to his advantage.
Years later, after his corporate career, Mick has decided to try and help the people of the U.K. as well as people all over the world to increase their situational awareness and increase their personal safety. This has led to the development of Hawkes And Co. and the training that he and his daughter are offering to everyone from elementary school children to corporate leaders. Included in their target audience is farmers, which is how I found Mick.
On today's show we will talk about Mick's agricultural business, but we will also discuss how farmers can improve situational awareness and security on their farmsteads.
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On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am featuring an entrepreneur with a security awareness business that has a speciality in crime prevention on farms. To tie in today's re-cap episode I am bringing back this interview with Dave Young, a co-founder of the Vistelar Security Group, that I did in 2020 about home invasions and self-defense on our farms.
Lauren Comes is a farmer and FFA student from Southwest Iowa. She has just completed her first, full year of FFA and is preparing to launch into even more FFA activities as sophomore. Lauren farms with her father and brothers on their multi-generational farm, primarily raising commercial cattle, but also growing some row crops.
In this interview Lauren and I spoke about the payoffs of farming. As she talked about in the show, not every aspect of farming is pleasant or enjoyable, but they are necessary to keep the farm going. And, eventually there is a payoff, and I don't mean money. That payoff is different for all of us. For Lauren it takes place in March when she gets to spend time with newborn calf and its mother in the barn. For me, it is in mid-July at the end of a long day watching the sun go down and listening to the cattle graze. Either way, there are those moments on the farm that make those unpleasant moments worth it.
Lauren is pouring all of her energy in the FFA and farming. She doesn't know what she wants to study after high school yet, but she knows it will be in agriculture. And certainly there is wisdom built into her father's choice to have the kids hand stack, heavy bails of hay in the hot, Iowa sun. There will be a day in Lauren's future that test her, possibly even makes her wonder if pursuing her career goals are worth it, and then she will remember stacking those bales and her motivation will return. It works the same for all of us who have ever done an unpleasant, physically taxing job. It pushes us forward and helps us get to where we are supposed to end up.
You all know that I have been trying to solve a coyote problem for some time now. Well, it still is not solved, and it has opened a pandora's box of how to do this and how to do that while not losing any more goats. There has been one issue in particular that has plagued me, and that is how to pen up the goats at night in one particular pasture I'd like to graze them in. Well, this weekend I got away for a couple of days and took some time to completely forget about the problems on the farm. And poof! Just like that I came up with a solution. I'll talk about this method in today's episode.
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Lane Carter is going into his fourth year of the FFA, but just his sophomore year of high school in a couple of weeks. He began his FFA journey in the 7th Grade with a vision of farming, full time after high school ever since.
Lane already has a great vision of what it is going to take. He has already started a side business, doing custom bailing for customers in his area of Northeast Missouri. He is trading labor on his families farm for the use of the equipment he needs to operate this business. He also has identified other side hustles that he could pursue to create off-farm income when the time comes, such as selling seed.
Lane is not waiting around though. He and his brother leased 50 acres and farmed it as partners last year. This year they are leasing 80. Lane's goal is to grow every year and to keep growing until all he has to do to survive is farm. He will take the off-farm job if he needs to, but he is making all the right moves right now to avoid that, or at least to minimize that.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below:
The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
The College Of Southern Idaho is a community college located in Twin Falls, Idaho. They have a fantastic reputation as an agricultural college going back to when my in-laws were farming fish in Buhl, Idaho and having interns from CSI work on their fish farm. The Idaho State FFA Convention is held at CSI every year, and it sits in the heart of the rich agricultural Magic Valley of Southern Idaho.
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Tip Of The Week
Do you keep track of metal prices?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.countryherald.com/news/local/towns/will-county/beecher/faa-seeks-publics-help-in-identifying-reckless-crop-dusters/
https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article277796823.html
https://advertiser-tribune.com/news/472193/have-you-seen-this-tractor/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://aboutregional.com.au/police-search-for-alpacas-allegedly-stolen-from-michelago-property/430836/
https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/?post_type=fp&p=6002605
https://www.farmersguardian.com/news/4121476/dog-caught
Africa
https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/new-suspected-goat-thief-loses-voice-in-court
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/business/article/2001478566/wamuchomba-urges-state-to-set-up-anti-coffee-theft-police-unit
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.btw21.com/post/sheriff-couple-charged-in-connection-with-stolen-tractor-and-bush-hog
https://www.wqow.com/news/crime/charges-settled-after-horses-found-dead-on-farm-2-accused-of-mistreatment-of-animals/article_f7981864-2d76-11ee-b295-af1b4157dd3c.html
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One thing the FFA is great at is giving all students, regardless of the size or scope of their operation, an equal chance of recognition. Today's Guest, Olivia Rossi, really demonstrates that.
Olivia has grown up on her families cattle ranch in the beautiful mountains of Colorado. She exchanges labor for the feed and housing of her her beef SAE, which consists of two steers. Even though Olivia lives on an expansive cow/calf operation and could put together a placement SAE with a large scope, she chooses to put together an entrepreneurship SAE consisting of just these two steers. And, she has taken this project all the way.
Olivia won grand champion with one of her steers, and she won a state proficiency award with her project of raising and showing her two steers. Two steers, that is all, and now she is entering her project for consideration at the national level! Olivia never stressed over the size of her project, but she pays close attention to the quality. And, in her application she focused on explaining how raising two steers could still give her insight into the beef industry and beef business, and she didn't allow anyone to look at the size of her operation as a limiting factor.
On tomorrow's episode I am featuring another student from Soroco FFA in Northwest Colorado. The stories that come out of this mountainous cattle country are so interesting. And our guest happens to be cousins with and have the same last name as previous OFI guest, Kayla Rossi. So, it seemed like a natural fit for today's re-cap episode to replay the interview I did with Kayla, talking all about how predators were a challenge for her SAE project in this wild area.
Ty Oyen has already been on the big stage at the National FFA Convention for he and his partner, Gage's, Agrisicence Research Project regarding water quality on part of Ty's farm in South Dakota. This happened in Ty and Gage's 9th Grade year of high school! It is amazing to see photos of those two receiving their awards in Indianapolis and to know that they have just begun their high school and FFA journeys.
However, after speaking with Ty for a few minutes you realize that being surprised that he accomplished this already is just underestimating him. Ty is devoted to farming, and his schedule reflects that. He is having very much a normal high school experience for an athletic person. He plays three sports - football, basketball and track - and of course, he is in the FFA. But all of that is book ended by farming.
Ty gets up in the morning at about 6am, and before he heads to school he bottle feeds about 30 calves. Then he has school all day, practice for whatever sport is in season after school and he finally heads home. But, when he gets home he changes clothes, heads out to the shop and works on whatever project his father and grandfather have given he and his brother.
When school is out for the summer, Ty is working in the family business custom bailing hay for folks or custom chopping hay and corn for other people's livestock feed needs. Looking into the future, Ty is focused on farming. He and his older brother are going to study to become diesel technicians, specializing in John Deere Equipment. They use a lot of John Deere equipment on the farm already, but it becomes increasingly more complex to work on. However, by becoming experts they will be able to solve a lot of these problems themselves, without the need to pay expensive shop rates and taken equipment back to the dealership.
Well, since we last spoke I have been in a sniper's next every morning by o500 waiting for my chance to exterminate this coyote that has cost us 7 goats. So far, no luck. However, I did catch it on the game camera and confirm that it is a coyote. This discussion will dominate today's farm update episode, but we will also talk about August weather, monsoonal moisture, the Canyon County Fair and corn, corn, corn.....
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Addison Gronley is just getting ready to start her sophomore year of high school and second year of FFA, and there are possibly some big changes coming her way. I interviewed Addison right after she had attended the Idaho State FFA Convention. Even before the convention she was very fired up about showing and judging livestock with some big goals on the horizon, namely proficiency awards.
The long drive back to Northern Idaho from the State Convention in the complete opposite end of the state did not reduce Addison's passion for the FFA. She told me that she was strongly considering becoming a home school student in the 10th Grade so that she could show sheep even more and develop her skills even further. A classic line from a very focused FFA student, "school gets in the way of shows".
I am fortunate to be able to interview a lot of National Proficiency and American Star winners on this show, and a frequent theme is setting the goal of achieving at that level early. Addison has definitely done this, and she is doing whatever she can to remove any obstacles that might stand in her way.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below:
The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Tuskegee is one of the most historical colleges in the United States, and it just keeps making history. Located in Central Alabama, this historic campus and agriculture program is central to many activities in Alabama and the surrounding states. It boasts a rich history of innovation in agriculture and it was teaching students about regenerative agriculture before it was cool. Tuskegee has a special emphasis on small farms in addition to production agriculture, and might be the exact right fit for you.
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Tip Of The Week
Insurance and Natural Surveillance
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wftv.com/news/local/no-horsing-around-orlando-police-search-suspect-bike-who-stole-horse/WO6ZFHGVGBE7FBHRGJYDOSIDLA/
https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/sheepherder-severely-injured-black-bear-174608985.html
https://kimatv.com/news/local/surge-in-car-thefts-yakima-county-sheriffs-office-sees-20-increase-farms-and-rural-areas-targeted
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/crime/suspected-diesel-thieves-snared-in-rural-crime-crackdown-4220745
https://globalnews.ca/news/9840232/maple-ridge-charity-tractor-stolen/
https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/reward-for-return-of-stolen-cattle-in-co-monaghan/
Africa
https://www.iol.co.za/mercury/news/northern-kzn-community-living-in-fear-after-two-lions-spotted-roaming-rural-emphendle-6f6b7b1d-0e45-43d0-ae6d-e6a4246c3da3
https://dailypost.ng/2023/07/16/woman-raped-to-death-on-her-farm/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.murrayledger.com/news/kirksey-man-charged-for-farm-fires/article_de39086a-242a-11ee-bb87-4b85ae1b1f8b.html
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/man-arrested-after-leading-officers-slow-speed-chase-stolen-tractor-police-say/HLG4QNOW7VEVTJIDW2IX3HDTIU/
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Kyle Stockdale is a dairyman and entrepreneur from Ontario, Canada. He first appeared as a guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2021 when he was about three years into the development of his company, KY Vision Sharpening & Clipper Repair. Today, I am thrilled to have him back on the show for an update on his business as well as to learn about how he has advanced as an entrepreneur.
It is always very exciting for me to welcome a previous guest back to the show, and in Kyle's case I learned a lot and couldn't be more proud of what he is doing.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode Kyle Stockdale is coming back on the show with an update on his business as well as his development as an entrepreneur. I am very proud of what he is doing and excited to share tomorrow's interview with you.
Kyle first appeared on Off-Farm Income in 2021, and so for today's re-cap episode I am replaying that original interview to give you the before and after picture. You are going to be impressed!
Ava Genter is a swine producer, a Star Greenhand winner and a Star Record Keeper in her FFA Chapter. Even at age 15 it feels like Ava has been waiting her whole life to be a member of the FFA. Creating even more anticipation is the fact that in Pettisville, Ohio every grade is in the same building for the entire 13 years of public education, but FFA does not begin until the 9th Grade.
Ava showed her first pig, on her own, when she was 2 years old. So, ever since Kindergarten she has been in the same building with those blue jackets and wanting to wear one. Finally, this year, it happened for her. And she is not waisting anytime getting used to the organization either. She applied to go the National Convention her freshman year, and she was able to go. She won a number of awards at her chapter's banquet in March and she has her sights set on being an officer.
As you can tell from the title of this episode, there was a resonating point that stood out in the interview. I hear it all the time from FFA students, and I always want to highlight this. 99% of the FFA students that I interview who are farming or raising livestock for their SAE are paying money for feed, facilities, inputs and equipment to a relative who wants, more than anything, to see them succeed. If that is the case, why do they have them pay? The reason is that agricultural people are wise and pragmatic, and they know that awards and record books are short term awards, but true success is learning how the real world works and getting the experiences that will lead to long term success.
This is true in Ava's case, and I wanted to highlight it in the title of this episode.
I thought I had dealt with the coyote issue near our farm and the threat was ended, but this morning I received a rude awakening. I found four dead goat kids, clearly killed by coyotes with only one being consumed. The rest, killed for sport or to train pups how to hunt. One is missing and was probably hauled off. That is basically all I am talking about in today's farm update.
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JD Thompson is in his first year of the FFA, and he is one of the most long term and forward thinking students that I have interviewed. Through research and exploration, JD discovered the business of raising deer for sale to high fenced hunting ranches. Once he discovered this he ramped up his research and found a ranch in South Dakota that was raising deer for this purpose. He reached out to the owner, asked him several questions and is soon going there for a tour. JD is hoping to work for him for a couple of weeks this summer to get a closer look at how the operation works.
JD has a very long timeline on this project. He will be developing his facilities over the next couple of years and saving his money in order to purchase his first deer. He is hoping to purchase his first deer by his senior year, and if things go better than expected by the end of his junior year. By that time, JD hopes to have visited some ranches in Texas and started networking with owners there that host hunters.
JD is showing a lot of wisdom in planning out a long timeline. This will give him the opportunity to learn and study and get experience. It will also prevent him from rushing in financially to a potentially volatile business and harming himself financially.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below:
The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
The Ohio State University is the largest university that I have profiled to date on this episode. Today, Dr. Tracy Kitchel joins me to discuss the College Of Food, Ag and Environmental Sciences. Being an agriculture student at The Ohio State University in Columbus definitely sounds like it has its advantages over the other colleges, almost like a refuge from the mass of over 67,000 students at that campus. We will also discuss the opportunities at the Wooster Campus and the way that both locations integrate together for an agricultural education.
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Tip Of The Week
Big events = opportunities for thieves
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.atholdailynews.com/Murdock-Farm-seeks-public-s-help-following-theft-51676335
https://www.djournal.com/new-albany/tractor-hauler-trailer-stolen/article_d2b1a942-20f2-11ee-bde5-07efb5060046.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://sunburymacedonranges.starweekly.com.au/news/voicing-for-farm-crime/
https://www.farmersguardian.com/news/4120405/farmers-warned-check-farm-security-royal-welsh-show
https://lacombeonline.com/articles/stolen-cattle-investigation-continues-for-alberta-rcmp
Africa
https://www.namibian.com.na/sampofu-calls-for-more-ear-tags-to-curb-stock-theft/
https://newcastillian.com/2023/07/17/saps-task-team-recovers-livestock-worth-over-r270k-in-nine-days/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://fox40.com/news/local-news/san-joaquin-county/sheriffs-office-puts-an-end-to-san-joaquin-hay-heist/
https://www.news10.com/news/crime/man-charged-with-robbery-at-halfmoon-farm/
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It is said all the time that you should start farming, right where you are at, in whatever way that you can. If you are in an apartment, grow some tomatoes in pots on your deck. If you live in a neighborhood, raise some chickens and enjoy the eggs. Don't wait to have 1,000 acres, start right now!
I believe in this adage, but I also understand the comparison that people might make to production agriculturists when they are doing something on such a small scale. That is a reason that I am so eager to introduce you to this episode's guests.
Joanna and Brian Guza both grew up on production agriculture farms and have that as their background. However, as a young couple growing their family they did not have the land to farm on a production agriculture scale. They did not let that stop them. They purchased their home on 2 acres, found a niche crop to grow and began farming and selling direct to consumer. And, when this episode is released they will be in the middle of harvesting over 300 lbs of garlic that they will sell out of, almost immediately.
It's all about the farming folks, no matter what your situation is. If you love it, do it. Just take it from Brian and Joanna and their delicious garlic.
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Emily Thimmes was a guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast back in 2016. Being a student at Miami East High School, under the tutilage of Marie Carity, she was encouraged to pursue an interesting entrepeneurship SAE, and she did! Emily was making quite a name for herself growing and selling herbs when I interviewed her.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode, I am profiling a married couple that comes from production agriculture and has now created a niche growing and selling garlic on a small episode. From one herb to another, I thought this was a great tie in to tomorrow's show.
Lacie Weber is in her first year as an official high school student but her third year in the Rutland FFA Chapter. Rutland is a very, very small town and all students attend school in the same building together. So, as a 9th grader Lacie has already served in two chapter officer position. And, she is coaching younger FFA members as well as 4H members in everything that she has been exposed to between both groups.
Lacie is very interested in shooting sports and excels in shooting a bow and arrow. During the interview I jokingly asked her if she had ever shot a bullseye and then split the arrow in two by shooting another bullseye right after it. Her answer was "yes"!
It is early for Lacie to know what the future looks like once high school is done. However, she and I both seem to think she will wind up serving others and teaching or coaching in some capacity.
Hi everyone. As I promised myself last winter, I am not taking one day of summer for granted this year. That does not mean that it is not full of challenges on the farm such as slow pasture growth, parasites in the goats and pink eye in the cattle. On today's farm update we will talk about it all.
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Sophia Sisil is a natural born entrepreneur and the owner of Sophia's Succulents, selling plants and arrangements in farmers markets around the Madera, California area. Sophia is also just getting ready to begin her 10th grad year of high school, but her 4th year of FFA. Starting in middle school, Sophia joined the FFA kind of because that was the thing to do in her family. However, by the end of her 8th grade year she was hooked and knew that she would wear the blue jacket for as long as she was able.
In today's interview Sophia talks about her succulent business and how she got started. Something stood out to me as she told the story. She said that she was at a Home Depot with a friend, and she saw pieces of a succulent plant on the floor, waiting to be swept up and thrown in the trash. However, her curiosity was piqued, and she took the pieces home and tried to propagate her own plants with the pieces. When she told me that part, I knew that something was different.
As I inquired further, Sophia told me that she had been trying to start businesses since about 6th Grade. She said that she has even tried selling her own clothes. She also said at one point she was drawing pictures and selling them on Instagram. She did this, even when her parents told her they didn't think it would work. That is a natural born entrepreneur!
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below:
The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
On today's episode I am joined by Dr. Aslihan Spaulding, a professor of Agribusiness and Food Industry Management as well as Cori Malone, and instructor and academic advisor - both from Illinois State University. This is my first exposure to this agricultural college, and I have to say that I am impressed. Illinois State University offers a performance based, non-resident tuition waiver, to students has a large college farm and a small agricultural college housed within a good sized university. This position agriculture students for unique opportunities and exposure while having class sizes in the single digits!
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Tip Of The Week
Don’t rely on others to follow through when it comes to rural crime
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/fulton-county-flying-change-equine-therapy-horse-trailer-stolen
https://www.12newsnow.com/article/news/local/deputies-are-asking-for-help-to-find-owner-of-stolen-tractor/502-eb22abb9-95aa-4751-97cf-f7629c83e3ef
https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/644122520/shaftsbury-barracks-theft-of-tractor
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.farminguk.com/news/uk-wide-crackdown-on-tractor-gps-thefts-to-commence-as-crime-rises_62955.html
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/alberta-rcmp-seek-suspect-in-rural-home-arson-in-strathcona-county
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/gardai-warn-farmers-following-monaghan-theft-spree-774131
Africa
https://www.dfa.co.za/news/de-aar-stock-theft-cops-nab-wanted-suspect-in-eastern-cape-1405c21b-426c-4bfc-b1b2-b8a20e7e5a58/
https://leadership.ng/police-arrest-4-for-cattle-rustling-kidnapping-in-adamawa/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://vicksburgnews.com/mississippi-department-of-agriculture-and-commerce-recovers-stolen-farm-equipment-valued-at-over-198000/
https://www.12newsnow.com/article/news/local/deputies-are-asking-for-help-to-find-owner-of-stolen-tractor/502-eb22abb9-95aa-4751-97cf-f7629c83e3ef
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Forrest Durham was first a guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast back in 2015 when he was an FFA student and running a roasted corn business. As a high school student Forrest was attending an average of 14 fairs or festivals per year for a total of 28 days. He was selling around 500 ears of corn per day at an average profit of $2 per ear. That's around $30,000 in profit. Not bad for a high school student working 28 days per year, right?
The roasted corn business was inspired by his father, who sold fudge and ice cream out of a mobile car and later a brick and mortar location. When Forrest finished high school he went to the University Of Kentucky and got a degree in agriculture, but then he was right back at it, taking over his father's business "The Sweet Shoppe".
Forrest is currently expanding "The Sweet Shoppe". They do mail orders and are starting to distribute fudge to local grocery stores. He is also building his cattle herd and has plans for a direct to consumer beef business. And, he already has a brick and mortar store front and large scale social media following for The Sweet Shoppe. So, selling cuts of meat produced on his very own farm is just a step away.
Forrest Durham is one of the most memorable FFA entrepreneurs that I ever profiled on this show. In just 12-16 weekends per year, during high school, he was making an very impressive income selling roasted corn at fairs and festivals. Forrest has continued his entrepreneurial ways and now taken over his father's fudge business and his running both a mobile stand, brick and mortar location and mail order business. I am having Forrest back on the show tomorrow to catch up with him and profile his continued entrepreneurial pursuits. I thought playing his interview from back in 2016 would be a great tie in for tomorrow's show.
Baylor Bloom is the owner of "Full Bloom Harvesting", a tree shaking business located in the Central Valley of California serving almond farmers in and around Gustine. At the time of this interview Baylor was almost 1/2 through his final semester of his 9th grade year of high school. However, his expertise on the permanent crop farming industry of California was like somebody who had been farming for decades.
Baylor has a passion for farming, and for his families 8 generation farm. As a matter of fact, he has immense knowledge of the history of the farm and how it changed due to the Great Depression almost 80 years ago. Baylor took over his fathers tree shaking business, and as a freshman in high school he leases the equipment on an annual basis and is responsible for every aspect of the business. This includes hiring people to transport his equipment since he does not have a driver's license yet and hiring labor to shake the trees during the time that he is in class at high school!
In this interview Baylor does a fantastic job of explaining to the audience how almonds are harvested, and it will of interest to anyone that has natural curiosity about farming.
My mom was a painter, and she used to watch Bob Ross on PBS religiously. Bob had a saying that has become very popular. When a brush stroke that he didn't intend happened, he called it a "happy little accident". I have stolen that phrase, but I use it when I talk about why I raise goats. Me becoming a goat farmer is definitely a "happy little accident".
On today's farm update episode, goats is what it seems like I have to talk about. I'll be discussing using them in our driveway to control weeds and growth as well as in a new area of pasture that I have planted. What amazing little creatures.
Levi Knopp is just finishing up his first year of high school, but he is fortunate to be finishing his 3rd year of FFA already. Coming from one of the school districts that allows middle school FFA, Levi got an early start. Levi was preceded in the FFA by his sister, and she has been a significant role model for him.
Levi has a lot of high school and FFA ahead of him, but he already has very clear goals and objectives. Among them are winning the state fair with a lamb that was born on his farm, becoming a state officer and ultimately becoming an agriculture teacher. It is rare, even for FFA students, have such clear, long term goals identified this early. However, it was apparent in the interview with Levi that he is a forward thinker.
Part of our discuss steered towards alternative farming methods and the world's growing population. Levi is an optimist, and he sees the glass as half full when it comes to future population. He is already looking into innovation and believes that new methods or farming, including urban farms and vertical farming, will be the answers that are needed to get the world through the exponential growth.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below:
The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
The University Of Tennessee Martin is one of the universities that inspired this episode. Hattie and I were made aware of UTM at the National FFA Convention, and after that conversation and hearing how affordable an agricultural education could be there, it got me started thinking about making this episode. Today, I am speaking with the Agriculture Department Chair, Dr. West Totten. There is a wealth of information in this interview about another agricultural college that will make it possible for you to create your future in Ag.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Rural crime is more prevalent in the U.S. than reported
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/crime/california-green-energy-investment-scheme/103-c2bf5a3b-e1c1-4931-8aa9-df785effb274
https://www.agweb.com/news/machinery/used-machinery/crime-sprees-target-precision-ag-technology-farms-and-dealerships
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/23634530.warning-rural-thefts-west-dorset-villages/
https://www.farmersguide.co.uk/nearly-a-fifth-of-waste-in-england-falls-into-criminal-hands-survey-finds/
Africa
https://nation.africa/kenya/blogs-opinion/opinion/it-s-in-the-country-s-interest-to-protect-avocado-growers-from-ruthless-cartels-4296510
https://www.foodformzansi.co.za/icymi-shock-as-fruit-thieves-attack-female-farmer/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://tscra.org/former-ranch-hand-indicted-in-smith-county-cattle-theft-case/?fbclid=IwAR2HA5ULV31qD1QacH8RmBoPkAtxPIeVR4ben0wwkN_Xou0k1ULBPMJg_xw_aem_AX04O7PxoezRe_5wetIMFJQy_mkKuNEAXa4dtPl5RmjnUl-PnSET0loniZFyaLm4eCE&mibextid=Zxz2cZ
https://www.kget.com/news/crime-watch/wasco-man-arrested-for-burglary-grand-theft-of-copper-wire-kcso/
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I have been fascinated with the idea of growing fodder as a livestock feed since I first learned about it in 2015. Recently I began searching for a guest to come on the show who was using this model, and I found Al Noorda just one state away in Utah.
Al is the owner of Spring Creek Livestock & Feed in Cedar Foot, Utah. He has been growing and feeding fodder for about ten years to his cattle and finishing them on nothing other than grass, hay and fodder. Al also sells fodder production systems and sources barley seed for customers. According to Al, fodder can replace 70% of your feed ration and allow you to feed lower quality hay to your ruminants. Also, the fodder keeps your cattle or other ruminants gaining weight through the winter when ranchers traditionally only feed for weight maintenance.
I have a natural interest in this system, so in today's interview you get to hear me ask questions that comes straight from the perspective of somebody who is interested in producing their own feed in this manner. I hope you learn as much as I did!
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode we are profiling a farmer who is feeing everything with fodder. This individual has really revolutionized fodder production as a feed source for his livestock. This made me think of the very first time I heard of fodder, and that was during an interview with Nancy Schiffer of the Kuna FFA Chapter in 2015. So, we are brining it back for you today as a lead in to tomorrow's episode.
Peyton Zinner is a former Middle School FFA President, and now she is a freshman FFA member at Western Hills High School in Frankfort, Kentucky. Peyton has grown up in an agricultural and FFA family. Actually, her uncle is one of her FFA advisors, and she keeps her sheep at his home.
Peyton is already making very mature decisions for her age. She has two major focus areas. First, is the FFA. She is improving the genetics in her growing flock of sheep and has objectives for breeding her own sheep that will go on to win at her county and state fair. Her other focus area is swimming, and she has already identified the two colleges that she wants to swim at in the NCAA.
Peyton is working towards both of these goals and knows that if she takes anything else on, it will diminish her ability to succeed at these two goals. This is a lesson that a lot of adults, especially entrepreneurs, cannot learn. My hat is off for Peyton thinking so far ahead, and I have all the confidence in the world that she will achieve both of these goals.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! Today is a great day for Americans, farmers, and non-farmers alike. As we celebrate the anniversary of American Independence we should think about the men and women who lived through this time. With this in mind, let's look at how it impacted farmers in the colonies during the 18th Century.
Here are a few of the things that farmers went through during the Revolutionary War:
- Trade routes to the market were cut off by war, either waterways or roads.
- Farmers could not plant surpluses because they might not be able to sell the excess and it would just rot on their fields.
- Herds of cattle and horses were depleted either by the plundering of the British or as provisions for the Continental Army.
- Farmers were away from their farms for long periods of time and had to start over when they finally returned.
- At this time, 90% of the population were engaged in farming so this really was a war fought by farmers.
I wanted to mention something that I read in Stephen Ambrose's book "Citizen Soldiers" about farm kids in World War II. He said that the commanders loved the soldiers that grew up on farms because they had been hunting for their whole lives, knew how to handle a rifle, and could shoot straight.
I wanted to pay tribute to four of my ancestors that fought in the Revolutionary War in this episode as well:
- Samuel Hubbard
- James Wilcox
- Jesse Richardson
- Jesse Rowley
Landon Berg is our first "Featured Freshman" guest of 2023. At the time of the recording he was right in the middle of the second half of his first year of high school. Landon lives on his fourth generation family farm, and with his father and brother they raise cattle, sheep and grow corn and soybeans.
Landon has a passion for livestock evaluation, and that led him to be on the high school livestock evaluation team as an 8th Grader. That team went to the National FFA Convention in 2022 and won a silver award. Landon told me that going to the National Convention to evaluate livestock was one of his biggest goals, and here he is already having accomplished that!
So, the natural question for Landon is what is his new goal going to be. He is very interested in the flock of sheep that he and his brother have started. Landon is hoping to begin improving flock genetics through artificial insemination within the next couple of years. And, he is hoping to return to the National Convention in the future as a National Proficiency Finalist.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below:
The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
On today's episode I speak with Dr. Antoine Alston, an Associate Dean in the Department Of Agriculture. In this discussion we talk about the historical significance of NCAT being a Historically Black University And College as well as a Land Grant University. We will discuss scholarships and real world learning opportunities.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Do you sell your roosters?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wjhg.com/2023/06/19/man-arrested-attempted-burglary/
http://newslj.com/content/lincoln-county-sheriff’s-office-says-don’t-take-sheep-dogs
https://www.1600kush.com/news/cushing-horse-trainer-accused-of-embezzlement
https://katv.com/news/nation-world/100-worth-of-farm-fresh-eggs-stolen-from-honor-box-in-rhode-island-outdoor-cooler-keeeps-backyard-community-theft-thieves-stealing-surveillance-footage-small-business
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/minister-must-act-now-on-dog-control-following-kerry-sheep-kill-ifa-771070
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/rural-crime-canterbury-lifestyle-block-owner-shoots-down-drone-over-burglary-fear/JBLBW6DC5NHXTL2TGBMVYCFIOY/
https://www.yourharlow.com/2023/06/21/farm-crime-and-surging-cost-of-living-pose-threat-to-livelihoods/
Africa
https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2023/06/21/u-s---u-n--pause-food-aid-delivery-to-ethiopia-after-theft
https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/have-you-seen-these-bulls-free-state-police-on-lookout-for-missing-brahmans-20230621
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://jcpost.com/posts/036b9760-c2da-46d6-8037-372a12049880
https://sanangelolive.com/news/crime/2023-06-21/wanted-serial-cattle-thief-corralled-tom-green-county-sheriffs-deputies
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://allongeorgia.com/georgia-public-safety/twelve-arrested-in-jeff-davis-co-in-relation-to-cockfighting-operation-more-expected/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYByoTNDAxMzI1MDgzMTk3MzAzMzUxMzIaYTZmNDE3MjRkMjY1ODg5ODpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AOvVaw23AwyMkg6AL1YuqGB7VgDk&source=gmail&ust=1687559438612000&usg=AOvVaw38AvUyEsOAyAJjIhqpNVUo
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Karsten Frecker is the owner of Frecker's Saddlery, a lifelong horseman and a lifelong craftsman. Along with several members of his family, including his wife, brother and sister, Karsten runs their saddle business from Dillon, Montana. The business was first started by Karsten's father, Kent, several decades ago, and Karsten just recently purchased it from him.
Like any business that looks straight forward on the surface, there are nuances and complexities to it that the owners make look non-existent. In today's interview with Karsten I spend a lot of time asking about how a person becomes a saddle maker, what Karsten is looking for in an apprentice and how the business works, i.e. producing saddles for sale vs. doing custom orders.
A very interesting part of this discussion is the manner in which people go about learning this trade. When Karsten brings on an apprentice, he hopes they will be with the company for the long haul so that they can recoup their investment in the apprentice and grow the business. However, this does not always happen, and some lessons that were learned the hard way have taught Karsten that only he and his brother will commit to doing custom work for customers with special orders. Therefore, they have over a 3 year waiting list for custom saddles, and they are constantly striking a balance between producing products and fulfilling orders.
Karsten states that the best way to learn to be a saddle maker is work alongside somebody with experience. However, if somebody wants to learn the trade in order to start their own shop this has to be done in an ethical manner. Karsten and I talk about this in the interview.
On tomorrow's ag business episode we are profiling a family business with a long legacy of building saddles for the regular market and for custom customers. This is a business that is so interesting for the folks who want to live in the world of horses.
Of course with saddle ownership comes saddle maintenance, and sometimes it is easier to outsource that work. So, I thought for today's re-cap episode it would make sense to go back to this interview that I did with Sarah Banowetz talking about her small business bringing old saddles back to life.
Andrea Buhrow is the owner of The Flower Patch, a multi-faceted flower business located in Ashton, Illinois. Andrea first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2020, right in the middle of lockdowns and quarantines from Covid. She was just beginning her FFA career and wanted to start her own enterprise, even though she had grown up on her family farm. She loved flowers, and people were looking for something to do locally because of limitations on travel. So, she started the Flower Patch as a "u-pick" flower farm where people could come have an experience, be outdoors and safe from transmission and leave with some beautiful flowers.
Ironically, as covid let up, this caused Andrea to pivot in her business. Most business owners got back to normal when the pandemic waned, but for Andrea that was normal. So, Andrea started selling bouquet subscriptions, selling at the farmer's market and continued with the u-pick business. Today, Andrea has just graduated high school and her business is running at full capacity. So much so, that she has had to cut back on orders for this summer!
On today's farm update show I am going to tell you about getting pushed and pushed and pushed and finally responding......to an annoying goat. Also, a little message about not giving up and is it really worth it!
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Kacie Wooten is the outgoing Kuna FFA Vice President, a 2023 Salutatorian, the squadron commander of her JROTC Chapter and her JROTC region's Outstanding Cadet of 2022. That is quite a resume and some very wonderful accomplishments.
Our family has known Kacie since Hattie first joined the Kaveman Kritters 4H Club of which Kacie was also a member. So, Autumm and I have been able to observe her as she has grown up and have become well acquainted with her family. From this, there are two character traits that Kacie has that help to explain all of the accolades and accomplishments she already has as a recent high school graduate - service and planning.
Throughout this interview you will hear Kacie talking about the common thread between all of her activities, and that is the ability to serve others. Surrounding that will be planning and goal setting. Kacie is a great example of what can be accomplished when these two characteristics are combined. And, she is not done. She is heading to Liberty University in just a couple of months with her eyes fixed on becoming a military chaplain, once again giving her the ability to serve others.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below:
The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Lake Area Technical College is a 2 year, public college, located in Watertown, South Dakota. There is a strong emphasis on real world, practical application of education at Lake Area Tech. In this interview I encountered a term that was new to me - Supervised Occupational Experience - this is a program, similar to an internship, designed to get students into the field and working which often leads to their first job out of college. In today's episode Greg Miller, the Agriculture Department Supervisor, joins me to talk about this highly recommended program.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Be careful with antique farm equipment on display
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.agdaily.com/lifestyle/hay-bale-scams-we-played-along-with-frauds/
https://southsidemessenger.com/lunenburg-sheriffs-department-looking-for-stolen-equipment/
https://kymkemp.com/2023/06/10/antique-hayrake-stolen-from-rio-dell-home/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.kent.police.uk/news/kent/latest/policing-news/rural-task-force-officers-recover-stolen-goods/
https://www.sheppnews.com.au/news/stolen-tractor-involved-in-slow-speed-police-chase-before-crashing-into-army-base/
Africa
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/farm-business-torched-mob-justice-elandskraal-impopo-2-june-2023/
https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/move-to-stop-livestock-theft-cartels-gets-boost-4278280
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://tscra.org/uvalde-county-man-arrested-for-felony-theft-of-more-than-650-goats/?fbclid=IwAR0ePebBbto6zAHxhaq4LgLQ2lHM0aMekTo2_O2-gjwL5oUnTdfBS1dD_xk_aem_th_AeHSx0tIF0PqLgh0kFdzb1ROg6Df-Gpa-NnlGZVNtKXrCvVd9iJbL9sHP72c03b_bcE&mibextid=Zxz2cZ
https://www.fox43.com/article/news/crime/mechanicsburg-woman-sentenced-up-12-years-prison-crime-spree/521-af0d18cf-c2f7-45d2-a499-9d926fac7f2a
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Alicia Tomlinson is the owner and creator of One Less Thing, a company that provides teaching materials and curriculum to agriculture teachers all around the U.S. Alicia and her husband, Brian, run this business full time and have been doing so since 2007. Both of them were agriculture teachers until they started their family and made this switch. Alicia was the first one to leave the workplace so that she could be home with their first born. Eventually, One Less Thing grew so much that Brian left the workplace to partner with Alicia in the business and take some of the workload from her.
I first interviewed Alicia in 2005 after learning about her business online. Since then I have got to know both she and Brian personally, meeting up with them at the National FFA Convention each year. Their business continues to grow, and now the son that they started the business in order to be home with has entrepreneurial aspirations of his own and works in their business from time to time.
There are many lessons about starting and succeeding in your own business wrapped into this episode. Alicia does a great job of illustrating those, and that is why I was excited to have her back on the show!
Alicia Tomlinson has become a friend and mentor over the years since I first interviewed her for the Off-Farm Income Podcast. On tomorrow's ag business episode she is coming back on the show to update us on her business and what has gone on, over the past 8 years. So, for today's re-cap episode I wanted to replay her first interview so you can have the complete before and after picture when you hear her tomorrow.
Sadie Rola has just graduated from Turlock Christian High School, just completed her term as her FFA Chapter's Reporter and just completed her term as a National FFA Style Squad Member. What is the National FFA Style Squad? Well, if you don't know, I didn't know either. However, I certainly do after conducting this interview with Sadie.
Sadie and I have very similar pathways that led us into agriculture, and she is going down a very similar path in the exact same place, that I did at her age. It is always amazing to me how when a person who has no agricultural background gets introduced to agriculture and its positive aspects, how that can bring them right into the profession. That is one of the great things about how the FFA is reaching students from neighborhoods more and more. We are getting more and more young people interested in agriculture. In today's interview, Sadie will explain exactly how that worked for her.
Autumm, Hattie and I just got back from an epic 9 day camping/road trip to Northern Idaho and across Montana to Red Lodge. We concluded yesterday by going over the Beartooth Pass and driving all the way across Yellowstone Park. I've got a lot to talk about in today's farm update episode, including:
- Hattie's State FFA Competition
- The Hiawatha Bicycle Trail
- Priest Lake, Idaho
- Noxon, Montana
- A German Restaurant in Missoula
- Camping at the fairgrounds in Bozeman
- A great wedding in Red Lodge
- The status of the farm when we returned
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Bailey Little is the owner of Queen B Farm, a Keystone State FFA Degree recipient and a brand new high school graduate. In her business Bailey is raising livestock, moving towards selling freezer beef and making products such as jewelry and tumblers for sale online as well as at rodeos and other craft shows.
Something really stood out in this interview with Bailey - she is not going to college. She has a good business up and running right now, no debt and a clear idea of what she wants to do with her life. At this point, except for a tweak here and there, she knows what she needs to know to continue to grow her business and have it be her sole form of income.
Bailey realizes that a time may come where she needs business acumen or some sort of craft methodology that she does not currently possess. However, since she learned all the skills she needed to do what she is doing now through YouTube, she has all the confidence in the world that she can repeat that process if needed. If that wont work, she is not opposed to taking a class or two. But, she is opposed to devoting four years and a bunch of tuition to a degree that won't make one bit of difference in her business and will only hold her back for almost 1/2 a decade.
Purdue University is currently ranked as the #3 agricultural college in the U.S. and the #5 in the entire world! And, did you know that Purdue University has had a freeze on tuition rates for twelve years? Factoring in inflation, it is cheaper to go to college at Purdue right now than it was 12 years ago.
On today's show I am joined by Andrea Lutz, the Assistant Director for Undergraduate Recruitment as well as Courtney Rodkey, a recent graduate in Ag Economics who is just starting her agricultural career with Corteva. There is a lot to get to in this interview as there are a lot of opportunities in agriculture at Purdue University.
Tip Of The Week
Would you consider penning up grazing livestock every night?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.oneidadispatch.com/2023/06/02/oneida-police-begin-more-foot-patrols-as-part-of-rural-violent-crime-reduction-initiative/
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/jun/03/former-pot-worker-jailed-in-seed-theft/
https://www.wcax.com/2023/06/01/police-search-person-responsible-atm-theft-truck-fire/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.politico.eu/article/farm-machinery-gps-theft-uk-rural-crime-ukraine-russia-war-sanctions/
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/drivers-caught-stolen-vehicles-drug-062852292.html
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/call-out-service-open-to-farmers-to-combat-farm-theft-768002
Africa
https://www.kenyanews.go.ke/27-farmers-groups-benefit-from-136-dairy-goats-in-marakwet/
https://dailynews.co.tz/tz-eyes-to-become-leading-meat-exporter/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.wjfw.com/news/purchaser-pleads-guilty-of-taking-trees-from-chequamegon-nicolet-forest/article_ac88c5f8-018e-11ee-abea-830fb5026fb7.html
https://www.mysuncoast.com/2023/05/31/man-convicted-sentenced-connection-with-theft-death-horse/
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Agriculture is unique in that it creates a passion and devotion in people unrivaled by any other careers that come to mind. I often quip that only actors, artists and musicians will work a second job just so they can work the first, but farmers will do it too. So many of them will work a full time job in the city just so they have the opportunity to farm. That is what this show is all about.
John Schomburg has this same devotion to farming, but he demonstrates it a little bit differently. John builds scale models of farm equipment and farming scenes, and he photographs farm equipment to capture its legacy before it is no longer seen on farms. And, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
In today's interview John talks about how he got started building models of farming equipment, why he has file cabinets full of old farm equipment catalogs, why he takes photographs if farms and farm equipment all over Wisconsin and how this all came together for him to win the National Farm Toy Show in 2005, 2012 and 2015. He even takes us on a tour of his studio and expresses his deepest feelings over the realization that his families farming legacy ends with him.
On tomorrow's ag business episode I am profiling a gentleman who has an unbelievable passion for agriculture, but he is not a farmer. However, he displays this passion through creating replica farm equipment and even replica farms. So, for today's re-cap episode I thought this interview with Carol Herden, talking about how she got started sculpting farm animals, was a perfect tie in.
Sage Whetnall has just graduated high school and completed her FFA career in Cardington, Ohio. Now it is time for her get her education, and she knows where she is going to do that.......under the blue skies of Texas on the back of a horse!
Sage and her family are very involved in the horse business from showing to rescuing to selling to rehabilitating. As a matter of fact, Sage already is a certified equine massage therapist and wants to start her own business massaging horses in the future. However, that future has to wait. It has to wait for Sage to go on an adventure and to learn the real ins and outs of working on horseback. Where better to learn that, than a cattle ranch in Texas.
Texas Lore means a lot of things to a lot of people, but it is never without cattle. It is either cattleman who became oilman, or oilman who bought cattle ranches. Either way, cattle are always involved. From Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving to Woodrow Call and Augustus McRae, cattle are part of the story. Where else is there a ranch called "King" that started its very own breed of cattle?
Sage really believes in hands on knowledge and has a passion for horses, Western riding and Western work. So, to get the experience and knowledge she needs to really understand how a performance or working horse is hurting and how to help it, she needs to see the work itself, up close and personal. Her plan to get this education is to go to work, and to work in exactly that field.
It is more than an adventure, it is a great way to learn!
Last week we worked all of our goats, and we had some volunteers helping us out who were there for no other reason than they love the idea of farming and want experience. It got me to thinking about the very first farm that I ever worked on, the one that belonged to my step-grandfather. That would have never happened on that farm, but I was happy to allow it on my own. He had a "closed" farm, and mine is "open". So, let's talk about the pros and cons of an "open" farm on today's show.
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Reagan Winner is a top four finisher for Ohio State Star Farmer in 2023. She is also a 5th year FFA student, chapter secretary and recent high school graduate. And underneath all of the titles, awards and the blue jacket is a person with a fiercely independent spirit and a "can-do" attitude.
Regan has been working on her own, on her families farm in Ohio, since she was 8 years old and started pulling the grain cart. In the 8th Grade she joined the FFA and realized that she would need a project for her supervised agricultural experience. So, she rented 12 acres from her father, exchanged her labor in the shop on the farm and at his trucking business, and began farming on her own. It didn't take long for her to realize that a nearby neighbor had a field that wasn't being used, and that could be productive. So, she approached him and rented his 34 acres.
For several years now Reagan has been farming over 40 acres on her own, working in the farm shop and working in her father's trucking business. She services the fleet including oil changes, greasing the trailer and chassis and inspecting the entire rig to make sure it is road worthy. Now, Reagan will be taking all those skills and pursuing a degree in ag business and ultimately becoming a certified crop advisor with the goal of starting her own business as a seed consultant.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below:
The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Abilene Christian University is in Abilene, Texas, and in my opinion it is in the perfect location for Texas adventure and Texas agriculture. I have been on campus myself and like the area very much. ACU has had an agriculture program for some time, but with fluctuations in faculty go fluctuations in programs. So, today they are highly specialized in animal science but have no agronomy. ACU is a private, Christ based university, and on today's show Dr. Jim Carpenter joins me to talk all about it.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
When is being neighborly not enough?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2023/06/04/thieves-steal-dump-calf-from-brookshires-dewberry-farm/
https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/56800/20230605/103-cattle-one-dog-dead-oklahoma-property-woman-arrested-surviving.htm
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://randfonteinherald.co.za/421458/mapogo-recover-sheep-stolen-in-dennydale-or-at-least-two-arrests-in-stock-theft-incident-in-dennydale/
https://www.southwalesguardian.co.uk/news/23568394.police-warning-powys-dog-owners-sheep-suffer-bites/
Africa
https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/eastern-cape-prison-officer-and-companion-killed-over-alleged-stock-theft-state-bakkie-torched-20230605
https://ke.opera.news/ke/en/society/789529e825b9be331ad9326e0195a4be
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://holtvilletribune.com/2023/06/04/sheriffs-deputies-arrest-alleged-thief-recover-stolen-tractor/
https://krocnews.com/two-men-charged-in-20k-rochester-area-storage-burglary/
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Natalie McFarland is a lifelong agriculturist turned agriculture entrepreneur. Officially launching McFarland Productions in 2014, she began telling the story of agricultural companies to help them serve others. Working primarily with business to business customers but frequently with business to consumer customers Natalie has grown her list of services from photography only all the way to being the marketing department for several of her clients.
Natalie and her team a great knack for capturing agriculture and the Western Lifestyle, and every single team member has an agricultural background. On today's episode with Natalie I really tried to focus on what the keys to marketing to agricultural customers. If/when you start your small, agricultural business you will be getting involved in marketing, like it or not. What are some of the ways you can stand out to the customers that you want to serve? Today, Natalie and I try to answer that question.
On tomorrow's ag business episode I am speaking with a woman who discovered her niche in marketing to a specific agricultural audience. She and her husband, like so many of us, are trying to carve out their spot in the world of agriculture and are facing the pressures of high land prices and encroaching urban areas.
I talk about this concept a lot on the show, and one of the premier themes I have dealt with over time has been that of existing in agriculture on the rural/urban interface. I thought this was a great tie in with our guest tomorrow, and wanted to bring back a solo episode that I made about this phenomenon today.
The Vega FFA Chapter has amassed over $1.1 million in scholarships and prizes through Ag Mechanics competitions in the State of Texas over the past 20 years. Jay Newton is the FFA Advisor and Emily Carlson is the Chapter President of the Vega FFA Chapter, and they join me on today's episode to discuss this incredible accomplishment and journey.
Starting in 2001, Jay Newton began to look at the FFA Experience a different way. Clearly, livestock projects dominated what students did for SAE projects, but he saw holes in those projects and opportunities for skill development that were being missed. So, he got the idea to try something radical. So, the next time he took his chapter to Houston, after the livestock shows were over they stayed an extra day and watched the Ag Mechanics competitions. Then, on the way back to Vega they discussed putting the chapter's efforts towards ag mechanics rather than livestock.
The students were on board, so Jay took the idea to the school board. This was the tough sell, but he was ready with a partnership that he had formed that would allow any FFA student to have a livestock project if that was what they wanted to do. Permission was granted, and the journey began. 20 years later, the small Vega FFA Chapter, has a story to tell and an example to share of achieving great success through Ag Mechanics.
Obviously we've had some unexpected setbacks on our farm recently. In today's episode I want to address those a bit more, how we handled the emotion of it and why a transition is being made. Also, I'll give you my review of the Hells Canyon Days Festival in Cambridge, Idaho: Hint - It was awesome...
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Sydni Wilson has just finished her junior year of high school and has already become a freelance, agricultural writer. She has a house full of house plants, and she raises meat chickens and does all the of butchering herself, with the help of her father. Talking with Sydni in today's interview there was a recurring theme - when she finds and interest, she goes "all in".
A fascinating part of this interview with Sydni was her love of writing. She has started many fiction, writing projects and written the first chapter of a novel. Then she puts it away and revisits it weeks to months later. In most of the cases she realizes that, that initial idea was not the one that is going to drive her to write a whole novel. It is a process, and it is an interesting way to determine which idea will give you enough motivation to carry it all the way through to a completed book.
Sydni's hobby of writing led her to an opportunity to become a freelance writer for an agricultural newspaper, while still in high school. Today she is using those writing skills to deliver agricultural information to people who need it. Sydni is very happy with the discovery of a practical application for her love of writing. She has done the same with plants, and says that her love of plants and horticulture may have actually eclipsed her love of writing!
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: [caption id="attachment_386296" align="alignright" width="106"] Hannah-Rose Foote: Student Ambassador and 2022 National FFA Officer Candidate[/caption]
The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
The State University Of New York at Cobleskill offers as wide of a variety of options for learning in agriculture as I have run across, particularly in animal agriculture. In today's episode we will be profiling degrees from Animal Science to Dog Training and from Dairy Science to Fermentation. It is fascinating all the different directions you can go at this "magical" agricultural university in Upstate New York.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Do you insure your hay and other feed?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2023/may/30/deputies-arrest-man-in-horse-pasture-after/
https://www.fox19.com/2023/05/31/stolen-cincinnati-school-bus-chased-into-indiana-cornfield-suspect-custody/
https://www.nwahomepage.com/news/cobblestone-farms-dealing-with-string-of-thefts/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/23547232.animal-activists-hand-sandringham-theft/
https://www.wisbechstandard.co.uk/news/23555533.huntingdonshire-four-agricultural-gps-system-thefts-month-may/
https://nation.cymru/news/rural-communities-in-wales-targeted-by-cross-border-criminals/
Africa
https://www.iol.co.za/sport/rugby/fight-back-and-well-kill-your-children-former-springbok-hooker-lukas-van-biljon-stabbed-in-farm-robbery-2a42e37c-b5f6-455f-aad1-726fad841494
http://www.times.co.sz/news/140379-mum-son-shot-dead-at-lundzi.html
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.ketk.com/news/crime-public-safety/32k-worth-of-stolen-hay-livestock-feed-recovered-in-east-texas/
https://www.altoonamirror.com/news/local-news/2023/05/martinsburg-cattle-theft-resolved-with-guilty-plea/
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Sheldon McKinney is the Executive Director of the Kentucky FFA Foundation. She is also the president of a group of foundation directors who have come together to collaborate on how to best support the FFA in their individual states.
On today's episode Sheldon is joining us to discuss how fundraising works, where the money goes and what it means to be a 501(c)3 organization and why that is necessary. The business of fundraising at the national, state or local level is a big business. As Sheldon says, money should never be an obstacle that stops an FFA student from taking advantage of the myriad opportunities available to them through the organization. State FFA Foundations exist to connect chapters and students to donors who want to support youth, agriculture and agricultural education.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am speaking with the executive director of the Kentucky FFA Foundation. We are going to be speaking about supporting state FFA Foundations as well as a new group of FFA Foundation Directors that has been formed called LEADS.
Anytime I think of Kentucky FFA, I think of this interview with Kaitlyn Elliot. I was so impressed by the old school manner in which she and her grandfather were growing, harvesting and processing sorghum. And, she sent me some delicious syrup which we thoroughly enjoyed. So, in honor of our Kentucky guest tomorrow, I am bringing this interview with Kaitlyn back.
Mylie Rexing is a district and chapter FFA officer and soon to be agriculture student at Purdue University. She has been working her father's butcher shop for several years, throughout high school. During that time an idea occurred to her to make ready to cook meals for people to purchase from the shop that would simplify meal prep for them at home. Mylie's Meals To Go was born.
Mylie has come up with a number of iterations of ready to go meals during this time, and that took her all the way to being an Indiana State Finalist in Ag Sales. During that time Mylie wanted to give back to her community, and she came up with a program of donating milk to families who needed with every sale of a ready to prepare meal. Mylie stated that her family has always been one that gives back, and she had watched that example while growing up. So, it felt like a natural fit for her to incorporate giving into her own business as well.
I hope you all had a great holiday weekend and took some time to remember those who have made the ultimately sacrifice so we could do exactly that. I have a couple of thoughts that I have been wanting to share with you, and today I will finally get to do it:
- Hard Work As a value - teaching non-traditional ag students about the world of work they are entering
- Having a job or business that is not automatable and cannot be replaced by AI
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Olivia Black is a senior in high school, a second year FFA student and the Michigan Star Award Winner in Agribusiness. In Olivia's school district the FFA Chapter is run by the Ionia County Career Center, and high school students are only eligible to attend there starting in the 11th Grade. Olivia has grown up showing cattle and pigs and with a significant family history in the Dairy Industry, so she knew that she wanted to be in the FFA. When she started her junior year, she enrolled in an agricultural course at the career center, making her eligible for the FFA, and she joined.
Two years prior to this is when Olivia's journey as an entrepreneur began however. Olivia has a rare gift that only a small percentage of entrepreneurs have. She was dissatisfied with a product that she was using on her show pigs, and rather than keep looking for something that worked better or settling for what she had, she decided to make her own. Absolute Products was born at that moment, and she has been developing this business ever since then.
Now, at age 17, Olivia has stood out among all the other FFA students in Michigan, even though she has less than two years of records. She is selling her product all over the Upper Midwest, and she plans on expanding even further. In addition, she is finding that while her product was developed for use on pigs, it works well on both dairy and beef cattle.
Olivia loves the livestock exhibition world, but she realized that in the not too distant future she was going to age out eligibility to show livestock. So, she has created a business that will keep her connected to this world and will help exhibitors everywhere solve some of their most frustrating issues. Olivia is off to college soon to get a degree in Ag Business, and it is all directed at growing this business.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Angelo State University is located in San Angelo, Texas and sits in the number one goat marketing spot in the number one goat producing state in the entire nation. Corey Owens, our interview guest today, grew up on a ranch 70 miles west of San Angelo where they raised 1,100 meat goats. As a goat raiser myself, I could barely get off the topic of Angelo State University being the perfect place for a student who wants to specialize in goat production. Of course, on Angelo State's 6,000 acre research ranch there is much more to study than just goats. In today's interview we will learn all about it.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Are your local legislators addressing the rising issue of livestock theft by activists?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.fox61.com/article/news/crime/wallingford-farm-life-size-mm-stolen-display/520-b63b9869-2f4c-4b54-aa82-dc623daa9b45
https://www.globalvillagespace.com/GVS-US/report-60k-tons-of-ammonium-nitrate-lost-in-shipping-as-explosive-chemical/
https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/cleveland/news/fbi-cleveland-seeking-public-information-surrounding-mink-farm-crimes
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.farminguk.com/news/nine-people-charged-after-spate-of-burglaries-from-north-wales-farms_62638.html
https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/crime/video-thieves-caught-on-cctv-stealing-gps-kit
https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/home/1175072/gardai-investigating-after-tractor-stolen-and-driven-around-before-being-abandoned-in-tullamore.html
Africa
https://ntvkenya.co.ke/news/cattle-raids-resurface-along-the-kenya-uganda-border-threatening-a-15-year-old-peace-accord/
https://www.pd.co.ke/news/pokot-tugen-communities-bury-the-hatchet-vow-to-end-livestock-theft-181565/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.bigcountrynewsconnection.com/idaho/woman-arrested-after-allegedly-stealing-horse-and-then-car-in-asotin-county/article_17dbbee4-f674-11ed-977a-b38b6916bbb3.html
https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/crime/article275579721.html
https://www.thedailynewsonline.com/top_story/ortt-proposes-livestock-theft-law/article_3de7a0a9-d0bf-59d8-bee0-204210a522cc.html
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Colleen Cummings is the owner of 2 Farm Boys Soap, a goat farmer and a mother who was looking for a way to engage her two sons in agriculture on her small farm in Heber City, Utah. There is a lot of family history on that small farm. Colleen's husband's family started farming that ground in the early 1900's. Since then, the land has been split up, and today they raise goats and grow hay on 15 acres of what was once a much larger, family farm.
Like so many people with goats, one thing led to another, and Colleen and her family ended up raising goats on their small acreage. However, her husband had been raised on a farm, so keeping and feeding livestock just for fun was not an option. The goats had to have a purpose. Ultimately, with this in mind, Colleen was exposed to the idea of making goat milk soap and tried it out. It took a bit to get the recipe correct, but once she figured it out product ideas and designs started coming out.
Today Colleen has a nice system in place. She only milks goats part of the year, but is able to freeze enough milk to keep her making soap all year round. Also, she sells at one farmers market only, every other week, for part of the year. And, the big event is the National Finals Rodeo. Colleen and the family have haded to Las Vegas two years in a row now, selling soap at one of the largest venues in Las Vegas - Country Christmas - which is held at the Rio.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am interviewing an entrepreneur with a goat milk soap business. As you know, the goat milk soap business is one of my favorites to profile. Well, tomorrow's guest discloses that her family got goats first, and then her pragmatic husband said that these goats need to pull their own weight if they are going to stay. And that is what led to their goat milk soap business.
This reminded me of the interview I did with Sydney Gordon way back in 2016. She loved goats and talked her father into getting some for their farm. However, he said the same thing - "these goats need to pay for themselves". And that is what led her goat milk soap business. I thought this tied in perfectly with tomorrow's show, and I am happy to bring it back for you today.
On today's episode I get to do something that I love, and something new that is a lot of fun. I will be profiling a great, Idaho FFA Student named Zane Nichols, and I will be promoting a summer kickoff festival in Cambridge, Idaho called Hells Canyon Days. So, this episode will be a bit different than normal.
In the first half of the episode I am speaking with Zane, who will be working in the concession booth on behalf of the Cambridge FFA on Friday night of the festival at an event called "Bulls & Broncs". I will also be speaking with the president of the Cambridge Commercial Club, Blake Loveland, and we will be talking all about the festival.
After I finish that part of the episode it is back to Zane to talk about beef cattle and working on a grain and hay operation as well as which sport he hopes to play at the next level. Enjoy the episode!
Our woes on the farm this year continue. I've known this was coming, but I confirmed it Friday at our veterinarian's office. All of my cows are open. We will be having no calves this year as our bull quit producing viable sperm sometime over a year ago, and I did not catch it because I did not have him semen tested, and I did not have our cows preg tested.
This is a hard lesson for me, and it is embarrassing....and I am telling all of you all about it on this episode.
Dori Stuever is a driven FFA student, a regional officer, a business owner and the feature of a newspaper article about her maple syrup business, County Line Kinds Pure Maple Syrup. Concentrating on marketing through social media, Dori is selling maple syrup throughout the United States, and she is the 6th generation in her family to be in this business.
Dori is also partnered with two neighbors, either tapping their trees or using their sugar shack for refining her maple sap into maple syrup. Being from the wide open, treeless spaces of Southwest Idaho, it is difficult for me to imagine, but Dori spends a lot of time in the woods of Michigan. She is either locating trees to tap, tending to her current taps or make sure that her prospective trees are healthy.
Dori is primarily home schooled, but she signed up for agriculture classes when she was in the 7th grade so that she would be able to be a part of the FFA. The FFA is another family tradition for her, going back to the days when her female relatives were not allowed to participate. When Dori is not at Capac High School for her agriculture classes, she is at home tending to her taps and frequently doing school work out in the woods because that is where she spends her time.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Take the time to verify checks, request a cashier’s check or do the transaction at the bank
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.unioncountydailydigital.com/articles/farm-watch-crime-prevention-program-comes-to-union-county/
https://www.wcjb.com/2023/05/13/lcso-deputies-are-searching-portable-sawmill-stolen-work-site/
http://www.columbiamagazine.com/index.php?sid=127344
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.kent.police.uk/news/kent/latest/policing-news/stolen-items-recovered-in-rural-burglary-arrest-near-paddock-wood/
https://www.miragenews.com/agforce-urges-members-to-beef-up-farm-security-1006065/
https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/crime/2023/05/14/thieve-steal-community-fruit-trees-only-planted-in-telford-recently/
Africa
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2023-05-15-farm-manager-attacked-by-illegal-fishermen-in-crime-wave/
https://ng.opera.news/ng/en/society/f8ab91b7629623dbb48c149a0f86c876
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.fox43.com/article/news/crime/organic-crops-fraud-scheme-minnesota-pennsylvania/521-63f1592c-d6d1-4257-b2f8-f3635b4ee5a1
https://www.magnoliastatelive.com/2023/05/14/cows-and-calves-stolen-from-mississippi-farmer-located-and-returned-suspect-identified/
https://www.agdaily.com/livestock/oklahoma-man-arrested-hot-checks-cattle/
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Tom Henson is the owner of T&T Services in Lapeer, Michigan along with his business partner and bowling partner, Tonya. I found Tom and Tonya's ad on Craigslist and was immediately drawn to it because of the ad for wasp removal. It was apparent that Tom was offering a suite of services that anyone in the world of farming would already have much of the equipment for, and I wanted to interview him to show other people what was possible.
It turns out that Tom has a very interesting story beyond his business. He retired from Ford Motor Company where he spent a large part of his career hand building engines for Shelby Cobra's. He is also a professional bowler with an average of 232! Tom has bowled in professional tournaments, is in four leagues and averages 50 games per week!
I had a fascinating time learning about the Ford engines and the bowling. Eventually we got into the business....
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am interviewing an entrepreneur who drew my attention with an ad about wasp removal. This made me think about the two hives of bees that I lost to wasps several years ago, and of course bee and honey production. So today I am revisiting an interview I did with Alan Mikolich about this very business.
Taylor Crouch is a sophomore in high school and her FFA chapter's reporter. She is also a three sport athlete and a serial entrepreneur at the age of 15. There is a lot to talk about from this interview with Taylor, but throughout all of the different sports, livestock shows, businesses and ways of connecting with people throughout the U.S. one theme stood out. The more active you are in high school, the more opportunities that you will be exposed to. In this way, students who are very involved really do have an advantage.
Based on Taylor's description of herself, I would call her an extrovert. However, not everyone is an extrovert, and that is fine. I think what is proven in this interview that is introverted students need to find a way to get outside of their comfort zone and become active. The reason is that the activity will lead you to meet new people, be exposed to different circumstances and experience new things. Somewhere inside of all of that activity there is something that will resonate with you, and will help to shape your future.
I consider myself an introvert, and I think my daughter is one also. I don't think that a person needs to be as social as Taylor to be exposed to many opportunities. But, and introverted person still needs to follow their interests and get involved in those interests. The biggest challenge for them may be not allowing their natural introversion to keep them from pursuing those interests. And, as Taylor points out in the interview, the FFA is an excellent place to learn to push those comfort zones and to start getting exposed to situations that will eventually spark and interest.
Well, I've definitely had better years on our small farm here in Kuna. At this point in the year, this has definitely been the worst year we have ever experienced. Last week, on two consecutive mornings, I found kid goats that had been killed by coyotes. On top of that, we have other issues going on that are going to harm our bottom line on the farm in the future.
On the other hand, some ideas I have put into place on the farm are working great, and I have a new friend in agriculture and podcasting that we get to celebrate on today's episode.
I've got all of that, and a bit of discussion about people with no boundaries on today's show.
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Agustin Luna is a sophomore at J.W. Nixon High School in Laredo, Texas, he is the chapter's reporter and he is responsible for cooking the pork ribs on the barbecue team. That's right, the barbecue team.
Until an article popped up on my news feed the other day, I was unaware that there was such a think as a high school barbecue competition. However, Agustin goes to school in Texas, so I shouldn't have been surprised. Agustin and his team have qualified to be in the state championship in may, just a few days before this episode is aired. The championship is held in Round Rock, at the baseball field that was built there to honor Nolan Ryan. How can you get more Texas than barbecue and Nolan Ryan.
Agustin and each of his teammates are assigned an item to cook for the competition. Each dish is scored individually by judges, the scores are compiled and a gross score is given to each team. The top teams from each regional competition get to advance, and J.W. Nixon is one of those teams this year. This is not an FFA competition, but at J.W. Nixon High School the team is from the FFA chapter.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Wake Tech. is a community college in North Carolina that offers an Associates of Applied Science Degree in John Deere Ag Systems. Our guest today is Professor Joh Paige Kearns, and we are going to be speaking with him about the trade school route, and how this program works. This is a very interesting interview as we explore how students can go to school for free, find a very rewarding career and learn to be experts on some of the most complex machinery ever invented.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Think before you click
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://whnt.com/taking-action/bbb-consumer-alerts/bbb-scam-alert-young-farm-equipment-falls-victim-to-corporate-identity-theft/
https://tscra.org/crime-watch-equipment-stolen-in-garfield-county-oklahoma/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/crime/senior-civil-servant-identified-as-suspect-in-attack-on-farmer-in-hillwalking-assault-case/a488592600.html
https://www.bordertelegraph.com/news/23504743.investigation-underway-third-sheep-attack-weeks/
https://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/news/23505803.farmers-warned-vigilant-thefts-agricultural-vehicles/
https://www.psni.police.uk/latest-news/man-his-seventies-left-very-shaken-when-masked-men-enter-his-property-east-belfast
Africa
https://punchng.com/court-jails-25-year-old-for-sheep-theft/
https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/police-officer-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-cattle-from-farm-in-the-north-west-20230507
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://ktvl.com/news/local/parolee-arrested-after-burglary-crime-spree-in-rural-medford-jackson-county-sheriff-office-police-criminal-trespass-stolen-property-evidence-arrest-jail
https://www.ksn.com/news/crime/arrest-made-in-rural-reno-county-burglary/
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Stacy Carr is an Agricultural Consultant and Coach from Johnson City, Tennessee. Hearing her story, it is obvious what it takes to be able to consult young and beginning farmers with no experience in the way that can - decades of work and experience in agriculture.
Stacy has a fantastic, exciting and rewarding business, but it is not the type of business that you just choose and start. This business takes a passion for all aspects of agriculture that has driven you to take your own risks, do your own work and spend your own money over a lifetime pursuing farming. Stacy has done that, in multiple different states and in multiple different ways. And today, she is reaping the rewards of all of that knowledge and experience by being able to share it with people from all walks of life, including young families who want a rural lifestyle, and help them to succeed in farming.
In today's episode Stacy and I discuss all of that experience, and how her business works. We will also talk about who the people are that want an agricultural lifestyle so much that they are willing to pay for somebody to guide them to that destination.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am interviewing a woman with an incredible breadth of knowledge and passion for farming, livestock, gardening and the soil. She has a very unique and successful model of consultation for small farmers and left me realizing how little I actually know. So, for today's re-cap episode I am going back to a 2016 interview I did with David Ridle of Skagit Farmers Supply where he was consulting with people on small acreages, as an employee of the co-op.
Seth Ariens is the Indiana State FFA President. Amazingly, he is also the Indiana State Star Farmer. In a great FFA state like Indiana, either one of those accomplishments puts you among the elite to ever have worn the blue jacket in the Hoosier State, but to be selected to both of those coveted positions, on the same night no less, puts you in rare air indeed!
In today's episode Seth describes his pathway to becoming a state officer. In describing this his says something that is a real key to the success that he is currently experiencing. He never looked at any of the officer positions that he held as a stepping stone. He went into all of them determined to serve as best as possible in that position, and the rest kind of took care of itself.
On the side of being the State Star Farmer, Seth has had some "happy accidents". I wouldn't call it luck however. We always say on this show that luck is preparation meets opportunity. Well, Seth looked at some things that happened as accidents and turned them into opportunities. For example, when his Australian Shepherd was unintentionally bred by another Australian Shepherd, Seth took advantage of the moment to sell the puppies and add this to his record book. His SAE was diversified agriculture, and her was another opportunity to diversify. It is this outlook on looking for opportunity that has helped to propel him to such great heights.
On today's farm update I'll be talking about how I think I am overstocked on the farm, and the recycled and new methods I am using to try and take advantage of all the forage on the whole property. Plus more....
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Brook Cutchin is the secretary of the Deane Bozeman FFA Chapter in Southport, Florida. She is also just 16 years of age and slated to graduate high school one year early later this month. She is heading to college next fall and has been accepted to a programed called "3 & 3", which means in her fourth year of her bachelor's degree she simultaneously begins graduate school, which for her will be studying the law to become an attorney and advocate for agriculture.
Brook first got introduced to the FFA her 9th grade year of high school when she took a required, introduction to agriculture class. At that point she realized that she wanted to raise livestock, and she has been engaged in the FFA ever since. She even raised and showed her own pig, showing and selling it at the Florida State Fair this past February.
The FFA has exposed Brook to many experiences that she never expected, and it played a major role in accelerating her time high school and graduating early. One of the experiences that Brook had through the FFA, that drew my attention to her chapter, was facilitating a goat yoga class for people in her community. She, along with other chapter members and supporters of her FFA chapter, put on a goat yoga class, for free. Donations to help the chapter build a livestock barn were accepted, but there was no charge to attend.
I've always wondered what the appeal of goat yoga is. Brook informed me that the point is to help people with anxiety about doing yoga in front of others, to let that go because everyone is watching the goats and not each other. I certainly believe that is what happens.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Utah State University has as many options for agricultural study as I have come across in doing these interviews. On today's episode I speak with Makenna Osborne, a graduate of Utah State's College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, and now a Recruitment Specialist for "CAAS". Makenna lists the many opportunities through the Utah State University including becoming a pilot and even making chocolate!
Here is the link for the aviation program fees at Utah State University: https://caas.usu.edu/avte/course-fees
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Keep an eye on your decorative horses.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wkyt.com/2023/05/03/police-investigating-multiple-thefts-decorative-horses-ky-town/
https://www.agdaily.com/crops/16k-chemical-theft-might-not-pay-but-reporting-the-thieves-will/
https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/tractor-stolen-off-of-jobsite-in-calumet-county-sheriffs-office-asks-residents-to-keep-an-eye-out/
https://www.katc.com/news/st-landry-parish/st-landry-crime-stoppers-help-needed-solving-theft-of-farm-equipment
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.farminguk.com/news/police-charge-six-men-after-suspected-agri-thefts-worth-nearly-1m_62545.html
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/23499717.man-arrested-police-rural-burglary-near-faringdon/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoUMTY2NjE3NjQyNTM1NzIxNTAzNDgyGmVhNjgzN2MxNmMwNjhjOGQ6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AOvVaw16CnIzFWoQm_Nz35Q-mMjr&source=gmail&ust=1683389109703000&usg=AOvVaw3o0ctoER2dOV3zX9pvv2uG
Africa
https://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/four-alleged-robbers-arrested-for-terrorising-farming-community-in-limpopo-found-with-stolen-goods-9ad0fd00-aa41-461b-84ad-f69f65a7ee57
https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/angry-mob-burns-truck-lynch-two-suspected-cattle-thieves-4222842
https://newsroom.gy/2023/05/04/life-imprisonment-for-cattle-farmer-who-killed-burnt-workers-body-over-stolen-goat/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.wkow.com/news/deputy-chases-car-into-farm-fields-near-poynette/article_ef8eb950-eaf7-11ed-92fa-cfca46c2d15d.html
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Caleb Branson and Shelby Redcorn are the owners of a business that is essential to keep production agriculture going in the U.S. and to keep their small community functioning in the Panhandle of Oklahoma where they live. Caleb has been operating cranes since he was a child, and both he and Shelby have been self-employed for their entire lives. Neither of them know anything different than getting paid when there is work and tightening the belts when there is not.
In 2017 they started C&S Crane And Steel, offering a myriad of services to farmers and other industries. From building grain storage facilities to replacing augers on bins, it is this, behind the scenes business, that is there to keep farmers going. During the interview I asked what motivates a farmer to build their own grain storage facility, and, as you would expect, it was all about giving the farmer the best chance of creating a sustainable business. But those facilities and other pieces of equipment like them could not be built if it weren't for entrepreneurs like Shelby and Caleb who have the expertise and took the risk to purchase the equipment that provides their community the ability to continually improve their operations.
There is folklore surrounding the American Farmer that brings with it a certain prestige, and deservedly so. We are all standing on someone's shoulders, and without folks like Shelby and Caleb, American Agriculture just couldn't operate and feed the world the way that it does.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am profiling a husband/wife team that has a unique and fascinating business serving farmers in the panhandle of Oklahoma. That gave me the thought of replaying Jonathan Demcack's interview from 2015 again for you. He started a business called "Droplet Irrigation" here in the Treasure Valley of Idaho, providing service to farmers, and I thought it was a great tie in with tomorrow's show.
Brycen Cole is in the 8th Grade and is a Junior FFA Member at Roby High School in Roby, Texas. Ever since he discovered podcasts, he has wanted to be a guest on one. So, when he heard that I was going to be interviewing one of the high school FFA members at Roby, he proactively asked his advisor to ask me if he could come on the show. I like proactivity. I obliged.
Brycen shows steers, plays three sports and is excited for the future. He told me that he is not sure what he will do, but he is certain that he will either be a basketball coach or an FFA advisor in the future. For now, he has his sights set on becoming an official FFA member next year and getting busy with everything that the FFA has to offer.
I have an exciting announcement in today's farm update. Hattie has been selected as her FFA Chapter's President. This comes on the heels of her being selected as her FFA District's President. So much of what she is accomplishing now has roots in the audience of this show supporting us and helping us grow, and we wanted to say thank you!
And, for students that are considering becoming a technician for a tractor manufacturer I have a story to share with you today. Depending on why you have chosen this path, this announcement may make a difference as to whether or not you continue to pursue this.
Here is the link to the article: https://coloradosun.com/2023/04/25/right-to-repair-farm-equiptment-colorado/
Matthew Ruff is a farmer from Ohio, a first year student at The Ohio State University and part of a family of agriculturists and innovators. Matthew's parents both grew up on farms and decided that they wanted to farm as well. So, after their marriage in 1997, they started pursuing enterprises that could lead to having their own farm. Ultimately, they purchased their own property and kept building it up. Today, Matt farms over 4,000 acres along side his parents, brother and sister.
What initially drew my attention to Matt was an article I read indicating that he had an "ear corn" enterprise. However, the article did not describe the specifics of the operation. During the interview I found out that he has taken over responsibility for growing 25-40 acres of ear corn with the intention of picking it, shucking it, bagging it and selling it on Amazon!
During the interview Matthew explains that there is strong demand for ear corn, still on the husk, by people who want to feed it to wildlife like squirrels and deer. He said that they have shipped bags of corn grown on their farm to every state in the lower 48! What an amazing niche....
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Wilmington College is a private university located in the heart of Ohio Horse Country. It boats a significant agricultural program and two separate university farms, one devoted just to horses. On today's episode Professor Daren Wright, the Director of the Equine Program, joins me to talk all about the college as well as the equine program specifically. We will also discuss the way that the scholarships at Wilmington work, and how this private institution stays competitive with public universities on cost.
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Tip Of The Week
It’s not hard to get signage or a uniform
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.facebook.com/183151455376856/posts/pfbid02P2tzkAuJQDeJQoAGY6DSGoipdE1MRNegwPWe5bLpn1xEP7KX7AGfpB35ap3iXFihl/?mibextid=cr9u03
https://www.kxxv.com/news/law-enforcement-searches-for-answers-after-burglary-in-madison-county
https://q1065.fm/tractor-stolen-from-greenway-equipment-in-hermon/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.farminguk.com/news/police-find-lamb-in-back-of-a-car-alongside-10-000-worth-of-drugs_62483.html?fbclid=IwAR0zsrbUGgX9fRW4HFpysPF6AP-zgs3r5IH6I9CwBFO4v_y-z-k7YCF9nF0
https://www.armaghi.com/news/portadown-news/farmer-fears-cattle-stolen-from-field-in-portadown/208451
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/man-broke-into-fruit-machine-after-spending-familys-holiday-money-at-the-bar/ar-AA1appt8
Africa
https://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/news/more-than-18-000-people-prosecuted-for-stock-theft-in-five-years-bheki-cele-6f25e696-a9bc-4988-a8d6-847a77efa427
https://www.kbc.co.ke/news/top-story/article/38259/bandits-have-no-place-in-kenya-kindiki-tells-senators
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.facebook.com/100076447704733/posts/pfbid0dK9aGtzSGRHXTeZLr9AXHwwY6punaWMkEo3fchTCWJ21xEzReVgKZWUVd77ndowBl/?mibextid=cr9u03
https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/rush-county/rush-county-man-arrested-after-stealing-more-than-47-000-in-soybeans-and-corn
https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/48789656/corry-man-charged-for-selling-stolen-tractor
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Tyler Schake is the owner of T&T Mobile Washing. Growing up farming, Tyler always took pride in, and got very good at washing the farm equipment. In his mid-20's he came to the realization that he wanted to go out on his own, and working on the family farm was no longer the right fit for him. At about the same time Tyler and his wife had their first son, and he knew that his responsibilities in life were increasing.
It was at this point that Tyler took the thing that he had developed a passion for on the farm, washing equipment, and turned it into a business. Starting with just a pickup, box trailer and pressure washer Tyler is now running three trucks, 7 full time employees and serving an area with a radius of about 275 miles. He is cleaning combines and other farm equipment for dealerships and farmers, and he is doing fleet cleaning for trucking companies.
In today's interview Tyler talks a lot about what he experienced when he decided to start his own business. Also, he educates me quite a bit on the reasons why a mobile washing business like his is so valuable to trucking companies. We talk a lot about entrepreneurship and a lot about this great business.
On tomorrow's ag business episode I am speaking with an agricultural entrepreneur who has taken "cleaning" to a whole new level. I thought this interview with Sean Westergaard from 2016 about his gutter cleaning business was the perfect lead in.
Adam Johnson is the chapter president of the Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. He is also the 2022 Minnesota State Proficiency winner in the category of poultry production and a 2022 National Silver Award winner.
During his time in high school Adam has been raising meat chickens during the summer for his supervised agricultural experience. He has been using the pastured poultry model and chicken tractor model taught by Joel Salatin, with a twist. Adam and his family do all of the butchering of the birds, and they use a cylindrical chicken plucker to remove the feathers. However, they found that there were still small feathers to be pulled and pin feathers to be burnt off of the birds, even after doing that. That is a very time consuming process.
To remedy this extra time that is needed, Adam and his family started skinning the birds to circumvent the need for this process. Of course, there will be customers who want the skin on the birds. So, they have shifted their business model to finding customers who want the birds skinned. This has worked, and now they have altered their operation so it serves everyone equally.
In today's episode I have a short farm update and some thoughts about why having a horrible job as a teenager is so valuable. I'll even tell you a story from a job I had when I was 14 years old.
Plus, and update on the growth of my community. Here is the link to the article that I read:
https://www.ktvb.com/mobile/article/news/local/growing-idaho/kuna-population-explosion-mayor-joe-stear-growth-schools-fire-services/277-096af5b1-6b53-4125-946d-d65a4027f071
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Lillie Cagle is the newly elected Tennessee FFA State Sentinel, and former East Tennessee Regional FFA President. She is also the chapter president of the Bledsoe County FFA and a senior in high school.
Lillie has a very unique story of how she came to be involved in the FFA. From the age of 12 -14 Lillie had some major responsibilities in her family, and even though her family raises cattle and she lives in an agricultural community she had not given any thought to the FFA or even knew what it stood for. However, around the beginning of her freshman year of high school those family responsibilities came to an end, and she was left kind of wondering what to do with her newly discovered free time. That is when the then president of the Bledsoe FFA Chapter invited her to an FFA meeting and told her that he thought it would be good for her. Nothing has been the same since.
Lillie has started an agricultural education project called "Ag Across The Board" aimed at teaching elementary students across the State Of Tennessee about agriculture. She has even run a summer camp to teach about agriculture and received upwards of $15,000 in donations to purchase a trailer and be a mobile agricultural education resource. Lillie is making a huge difference in the world of agriculture, and after hearing this interview you will think so too!
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Caitlin Alba, Recruitment Specialist with the Univeristy Of Wisconsin Stevens Point, joins me on the show today. Stevens Point, Wisconsin is located right in the middle of the state, and I have interviewed multiple students from Wisconsin and surrounding states who have chose this university to study forestry, fisheries and natural resources. I have been excited to profile them since I started this episode, and today we finally get to do so.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
If You Are Armed, Be Responsible And Learn How To Handle Fear - a new tactic for animal right's activists is spreading, and this does not mean that you can just start shooting.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/crime/police-urge-local-farmers-to-be-alert-for-suspicious-activity-on-farms-animals/71-e3b58ab1-a6a7-425a-bb6d-9a348416a9ff
https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/columbus/man-charged-with-assault-during-horses-medical-procedure-at-ohio-state/
https://www.facebook.com/100041702812369/posts/pfbid0EtTAimhczPhRaQKYpjq9iHDGZu8jQNKAxaTPYt7sfNf9gjynzZ9CNnvweE2V5AGZl/?mibextid=cr9u03
https://www.facebook.com/tscra/photos/a.10151880629109687/10160446777279687/
(prosecuted for cattle embezzlement in Oklahoma in 2018)
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/crime/2023/04/15/arrest-made-after-herd-of-cows-stolen-from-farm-found-120-miles-away/
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/northumberland-farm-man-jailed-trailer-26730849?int_source=nba
https://www.staffordshire.police.uk/news/staffordshire/news/2023/april/appeal-after-more-than-400-tree-saplings-stolen/
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/over-20-sheep-stolen-in-donegal-761240
Africa
https://www.blueprint.ng/man-jailed-for-stealing-one-yam-gets-niger-cjs-leniency/
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/dallas-fort-worth/ap-top-news/2023/04/20/cattle-raiding-by-jihadis-soars-in-mali-fuels-conflict
https://www.namibian.com.na/farmers-urged-to-stop-hiring-zambians-as-cattle-herders/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.kalb.com/2023/04/19/alexandria-man-arrested-theft-poland-community/
https://www.foxnews.com/us/utah-registered-sex-offender-arrested-after-dressing-up-elmo-around-kids-farmers-market-police
This is BJS’s first recidivism study on sex offenders with a 9-year follow-up period. Fewer than half of released sex offenders were arrested for any crime within the first 3 years of release, while more than two-thirds were arrested within 9 years. - https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/press/rsorsp9yfu0514pr.pdf
https://vault.si.com/vault/1999/09/13/every-parents-nightmare-the-child-molester-has-found-a-home-in-the-world-of-youth-sports-where-as-a-coach-he-can-gain-the-trust-and-loyalty-of-kids-and-then-prey-on-them
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Jerry Stephens is the Northern Plains, Regional Sales Manager of Agoro Carbon, and in today's episode he will be talking to us about getting paid to sequester carbon on your farm.
Today's episode is one of those in which I need to give a disclaimer before beginning. Agoro Carbon is not a sponsor of the Off-Farm Income Podcast, and they did not pay me to record this episode. Also, they are not a prospective advertiser. I agreed to have them on the show today because what they are offering might be a source of revenue for you that can help you to achieve and sustain the lifestyle in farming or ranching that you are seeking.
Carbon offsets are a hot topic, and farmers hold some of the best possibilities of capturing carbon through the practices they use on their farms and ranches. Agoro Carbon works in the area of voluntary carbon sequestration, meaning that there is no government involvement, and none of their buyers are compelled by the government to participate.
In today's episode I strive to have the conversation with Jerry that you would have, if you were considering working with Agoro Carbon to sequester carbon on your farm and to generate a new source of revenue.
Tomorrow's ag business episode is featuring a way of creating extra revenue on your farm. This may be a fit for some of you and not a fit for others, but I like to bring these ideas forward for you to do your own research and find out if they would be helpful to you. For our re-cap episode today I went back into the archives and found this interview with Ryan Conklin talking about another possible revenue source on your farm.
Casey DeVries is the "Test Plot Chairman" for the Forreston FFA Chapter in Forreston, Illinois. If that is a title you have never heard of before, it was also a new one for me. Casey's family has been farming in the Forreston area since 1948 when his great grandfather purchased farmland there. Today some of their land sits across the road from the high school. So, during Casey's freshman year he suggested doing test plots of corn in that field to compare varieties and provide the agriculture department a way to do hands on learning. The project stuck and is still doing four years later, and will continue after Casey leaves high school.
Casey and his family have a large farm and a large shop. Working on machinery and engines in the shop is a significant part of keeping the farm going. So, Casey has been doing something mechanical since around age 5. When it came time for an SAE, he decided to challenge himself. He purchased an old tractor, brought home and tore it all apart. He restored the transmission, the rear end and even painted it himself. And then he marketed it on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. Within one week it was sold to a gentleman in Wisconsin!
Forget the past, focus on the future? Is it all or one. Did I invent a metaphor. You will find all of this out and get a detailed farm update on today's episode. Also, what is the "DIY Death Trap"?
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Rylee Terveen is her FFA Chapter's President, a national Bronze Proficiency Award winner and a driven entrepreneur. Growing up in a family of agricultural entrepreneurs, Rylee knows what direction she wants to take for her future career. She will be graduating high school this year, and then it is off to South Dakota State University to study entrepreneurship.
There is a family business already established that Rylee can move into. As a matter of fact, she plans on taking it over along with her sister and running their families hunting lodge. However, it is a seasonal business, and, maybe more importantly, it is not of Rylee's making. Rylee knows she wants to be self-employed, and she knows that she wants to create something of her own. So, when college is done and when it is time to move into her career, she will be forming a business based on the knowledge she already has and the knowledge that she has yet to gain.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
On today's episode Dr. Doug Ullrich, a professor in and chair of the School of Agricultural Sciences at Sam Houston State University is joining me. Sam Houston State is located in Huntsville, Texas and as Dr. Ullrich describes it houses a very pragmatic, working class type of student seeking four year degrees in agriculture. A very interesting opportunity popped up during this interview, and that was working with exotic animal species from Africa, Asia and the Middle East as a result of an agreement that Sam Houston State University has with a "high fence game ranch" in the area. There are certainly unique opportunities at Sam Houston State, and this is another example of a pathway to the agricultural career that you are seeking.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Money can disappear very fast
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/crime/article274240930.html
https://bluebonnetnews.com/2023/04/12/montgomery-county-sheriffs-office-seeking-tips-for-stolen-tractor-trailer-in-cleveland/
https://www.kait8.com/2023/04/12/stolen-fertilizer-truck-found-submerged-ditch/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.farmwatcher.co.uk/alerts/man-arrested-and-charged-after-£70k-machinery-theft-in-aberdeenshire?utm_campaign=171d27cd-18d0-44e6-82a9-21722119cf7d&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=2a9cfada-76bc-4efd-8b52-0c6a560c9d01
https://www.youngwitness.com.au/story/8155933/fears-for-20-two-week-old-stolen-ostrich-chicks/
https://www.kildarenow.com/news/home/1084978/kildare-gardai-investigating-after-horse-transporter-and-puppies-stolen.html
Africa
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-65221387
https://chimpreports.com/dokolo-prison-escapee-killed-by-mob/
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2023-04-12-kinangop-farmers-angry-over-theft-of-livestock-farm-produce/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://houstonherald.com/2023/04/man-indicted-on-theft-of-timber-on-mark-twain-national-forest/
https://tscra.org/man-faces-felony-charges-in-robertson-county-cattle-theft-case/?fbclid=IwAR3WmRMOCk-9Cp9aM5Gk0QSV8Mey1-jzaqMGtegT9DHBhmSuXveqJNjAk4w&mibextid=Zxz2cZ
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Mark & Marcia Ruff are production agriculture farmers in Ohio and the owners of at least three businesses that compliment their farm. Along with their three children and all of their, year round employees, they are farming 4,000 acres of wheat, soybeans and corn. This all started back in 1997 when they knew they wanted to farm, and took a leap of faith with Mark leaving his full-time, city job to focus just on farming. Back then they were leasing approximately 300 acres.
Today, Mark and Marcia have proven themselves very capable both in the world of farming and in small business So much so, that opportunities literally come knocking on their door. They have a container loading facility on their property now and run this business for farmers in their community, and, as Mark describes in the interview, he didn't know anything about container loading until some folks showed up as his door and proposed the idea.
In this day and age people will tell you that there is no way to get started farming without inheriting land or being independently wealthy when you begin. However, Mark and Marcia are living proof that this is not correct. Today's interview with each of them will inspire you and leave you with no excuses if you truly want to farm.
On tomorrow's ag business episode I am speaking a couple who started their farm from scratch in 1997 and have grown it to 4,000 acres. They say it can't be done, but tomorrow we are proving them wrong!
This episode with Matt Kellog, talking about different niches for farmers at all levels is the perfect tie in for tomorrow's show.
Kyleigh Lock is just a sophomore in high school, but has accomplished a lot in just a short period of time. She is already her chapter's president and a district officer, and she has one several proficiency awards at the area and district levels. She is completely devoted to the FFA and to agriculture and it shows. When I asked her if she had any activities outside of the FFA, her answer was "yes, in the 4H", which made me chuckle.
Kyleigh is trying to build up her show string of heifers with superior genetics and phenotypes so that she can find success at larger and larger shows. However, obtaining heifers is not a cheap thing to do, so she has gotten creative. She has entered and succeeded at multiple different calf scrambles to obtain the show heifer she is ultimately looking for.
Kyleigh has already mapped out a pathway to becoming a veterinarian, and she already knows that she wants to open her own practice in the future. Something about her work ethic tells me that she is going to make it happen!
Hi everyone, I get to do something on today's episode that you have given me the privilege of doing. I am reviewing a product that a manufacturer sent to me for free in exchange for me testing and reviewing it. The product is the "Chickcozy" automatic chicken coop door, and I am giving it five stars! This product has been in use on my farm for several weeks now, and I have been able to check it every night, in the middle of the night while I'm looking after our goats who are kidding. Every night it is closed, not one chicken has been locked out of the coop and no predators can get into the coop to kill our chickens. Then the next morning when I get up, the chickens are out in the run, hunting and pecking.
The "Chickcozy" has worked just as I had hoped it would, and it has taken one little thing, that sometimes seemed like a big thing, off of my daily workload. I no longer have to make two trips a day to the chicken coop to let out or lock up chickens. And, even if that is not a big deal for you, the "Chickcozy" will act as a failsafe for you on those rare occasions that you forget!
You all know that you are my priority, and I would not recommend a product to you if I had not used it and believed it was worth the money. I can say that both of those things are true in the case of the "chickcozy". You can find the "Chickcozy" at https://chickcozy.com/.
In addition to my produce recommendation on today's show, I'll be talking about equipment breaking down, equipment getting fixed and the never ending process of the kidding season! Happy Spring and Happy Easter everyone...
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Hi everyone, I get to do something on today's episode that you have given me the privilege of doing. I am reviewing a product that a manufacturer sent to me for free in exchange for me testing and reviewing it. The product is the "Chickcozy" automatic chicken coop door, and I am giving it five stars! This product has been in use on my farm for several weeks now, and I have been able to check it every night, in the middle of the night while I'm looking after our goats who are kidding. Every night it is closed, not one chicken has been locked out of the coop and no predators can get into the coop to kill our chickens. Then the next morning when I get up, the chickens are out in the run, hunting and pecking.
The "Chickcozy" has worked just as I had hoped it would, and it has taken one little thing, that sometimes seemed like a big thing, off of my daily workload. I no longer have to make two trips a day to the chicken coop to let out or lock up chickens. And, even if that is not a big deal for you, the "Chickcozy" will act as a failsafe for you on those rare occasions that you forget!
You all know that you are my priority, and I would not recommend a product to you if I had not used it and believed it was worth the money. I can say that both of those things are true in the case of the "chickcozy". You can find the "Chickcozy" at https://chickcozy.com/.
In addition to my produce recommendation on today's show, I'll be talking about equipment breaking down, equipment getting fixed and the never ending process of the kidding season! Happy Spring and Happy Easter everyone...
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Daniel Laurent is a sophomore at Caldwell County High School, but he might as well be an instructor already when it comes to the breeding and showing of pigs. He is just in his second year of the FFA, officially, but all of his four older siblings were in the FFA and he has been talking and getting FFA experiences for the past 13 years since his eldest sister joined.
Daniel has a passion for animal agriculture, which has been apparent his entire life. When he was 8 years old he did his own research and told his father that he thought they should change their entire pig breeding operation from Yorkshires to Duroc's. He has his argument well thought out and documented, and eventually, this happened.
Today Daniel gets more excitement out of seeing a 10 year old kid win in the show ring with a Laurent pig than he does actually winning himself. He loves the process of matching up the correct pigs phenotypically and genotypically and then seeing the success it brings. All of this, and he still does not even have a driver's license!
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. Thisepisode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
On today's episode I am joined by Deana Core, an Assistant Dean in the College Of Agriculture as well as Caitlin Parks, a junior and College Of Agriculture Ambassador. I am definitely excited for any student who is going to attend Kansas State University and study agriculture after this interview, and you will be too!
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Planting season is coming, is your GPS equipment secure?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wbtw.com/news/state-regional-news/horse-gambling-bill-beats-long-odds-passes-south-carolina-house/
https://apnews.com/article/technology-education-lotteries-journalism-893a47d6d48f08d013d9e9374ca11ea1
https://www.kwch.com/2023/04/06/sheridan-county-sheriff-says-80-cattle-missing-near-hoxie/
https://www.eunicetoday.com/public-safety/antique-tractor-stolen-palmetto-area-field
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/crime/fife-crime-kelty-farmer-devastated-after-16-lambs-killed-and-four-injured-in-dog-attack-on-blairadam-farm-4096208
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-65209163
https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/23439608.isle-wight-dog-attack-sees-sheep-killed-compensation-paid/
https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/23421080.wrexham-family-distraught-goat-suspected-stolen/
https://www.suffolk.police.uk/news/latest-news/thefts-gps-farm-equipment
Africa
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/crime-police-arrest-three-men-with-16-stolen-sheep-7-april-2023/
https://www.namibian.com.na/22-sheep-stolen-at-otjimbingwe/
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2023-04-06-cattle-rustlers-face-life-imprisonment-in-new-senate-bill/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.tsln.com/news/two-ellis-county-men-charged-in-cattle-theft-case/
https://www.newsweek.com/man-steals-school-bus-dead-deer-naked-police-chase-pennsylvania-1793028
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Brian Simpson is the owner of Dirt Man X and RV Dump Bucket in Austin, Texas. He moved from Michigan to Austin about 9 years ago. As a previous owner of an excavation company in Michigan, he had the equipment and expertise to bring with him on the trip south. But, he couldn't bring his reputation because nobody in Austin knew him.
In today's episode Brian and I talk about serving farmers in Michigan and ranchers in Texas. We discuss going a little bit backwards in business from having loads of business through word of mouth to having to advertise and build trust and a reputation again. We also discuss how to move a business with that much equipment. What gets sold? What comes along?
Brian has great advice for those just getting started, and there are some stories of digging stuff up that you never wanted to find and the lights and sirens that come with those moments.
On tomorrow's episode of the Off-Farm Income Podcast, we are featuring a gentleman who has spent his career running his own excavation business. We will be highlighting what it took for him to move his business from Michigan to Texas.
This interview reminded me of another great guest who had come on the show back in 2018. Back then, Jon McNees was an FFA student. He had been working his father's excavation business for years, and he was progressively getting more and more responsibility. What I loved about the interview with Jon, is that he did not just think it was his birthright to work in that company. Even in high school he was doing whatever he could to add value to the company. He was able to do this through his participation in the FFA and by learning as much as he could about soils.
Bringing back this interview with Jon is the perfect lead in, to tomorrow's ag business episode.
Austin Elam is a senior at Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School in Paxton, Illinois. Prior to his sophomore year of high school Austin never envisioned himself as an FFA member, but because of Covid he was forced to choose one of two elective courses, introduction to agriculture or home economics. He chose agriculture, and after being introduced to different discussions about livestock he was totally hooked and became very active in the FFA.
Today Austin is preparing to graduate high school, and he has decided that he would like to return to the classroom in the future as an agriculture teacher. He has found a program in Illinois that will allow him to attend a community college and take courses through the University Of Illinois leading to a bachelor's degree. Through this method he will be able to obtain his degree without paying the high cost of tuition at Illinois. Austin is a pragmatic thinker, and he plans to bring that back to the classroom for future agriculture students.
There is a lot going on, on our farm and in our lives right now. We have definitely broken into spring and are charging forward with our farming season. Here is what is in our farm update today:
- A change in advertising
- College visits in Texas
- Kidding season is underway
- Our current stats on goats
- Hattie's SAE project and grant
- Afternoon feeding for afternoon kids and calves
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Isaac Hopke is the current Wisconsin State FFA Secretary. He is also the owner of American Landscaping in Spooner, Wisconsin and a student at the Univeristy Of Wisconsin, River Falls. Isaac's family purchased their farm when he was just four years old, but he can still remember the transition. From that point forward he developed a passion for the agricultural life and began showing animals in the 4H.
When 7th Grade arrived, Isaac was eligible to sign up for the FFA in his middle school. At the same time his older brother was slated to go the National Convention but had to drop out, so Isaac took his place. After seeing his first National Convention, Isaac was hooked! He has been totally devoted to serving in the FFA ever since.
Isaac continues to run American Landscaping, even as a full-time college student. And, he is currently changing his business status from sole proprietor to LLC. He has all of his options for a future career open right now with self-employment remaining at the top of the list.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Weatherford College is a junior college located about 30 miles from Fort Worth in Texas. WC boasts a very strong rodeo team as well as a very solid foundation for students who will eventually transfer to a university to finish their four year degree. Joining us today is the Department Chair of Agriculture, Business & Communication, Vance Christie. Vance is a product of the junior college system just like me, and he offers a lot of reasons that starting your agricultural college career at Weatherford College is the right choice!
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Have you assessed the value of the timber on your land?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.the-sun.com/lifestyle/7691064/legal-experts-break-laws-garden-without-knowing/
https://www.agdaily.com/news/kentucky-police-investigate-farm-stolen-walnut-trees-valued-at-30/
https://www.ptleader.com/stories/jefferson-county-sheriffs-log-gone-to-pot,110798
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/uk-world-news/rise-quad-thefts-leave-sheep-8276560
https://www.freepressseries.co.uk/news/23405044.quad-seized-becoming-stuck-mud-torfaen-farm/
https://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/news/23412447.fuel-theft-doubled-2022-reports-insurer-nfu-mutual/
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/world/864657/spain-police-arrest-16-in-olive-heist/story/
Africa
https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/news/rubanda-farmer-arrested-over-murder-by-mob-156531
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/nyanza/article/2001469649/how-nyumba-kumi-has-helped-fight-violent-groups-in-kuria
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.actionnews5.com/2023/03/24/miss-men-arrested-theft-ring-trucks-farm-equipment/
https://www.knoe.com/2023/03/22/ldaf-arrests-west-carroll-man-accused-felony-theft/
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Other than 5 or so years in the Air Force, Keith Pearson, has lived and farmed in Tomah, Wisconsin for his entire life. However, in 2015 the stress, long days and physical labor of farming was catching up with Keith and he decided to retire. As a result he sold 1090 acres of his 1100 acre farm and went to work in town to keep himself busy. However, a city job was not the right fit for Keith, and as life happened that became more apparent. So, Keith decided that in order to stay busy he was going to start his own business.
Keith missed being in the seat of a tractor in the spring and smelling the soil as it was newly turned over. So, he found a way to do that and have a business. Pearson Custom Tilling was born. Today, Keith is busy from the beginning of spring planting season until the end of September tilling people's gardens, plowing people's land, seeding deer plots or mowing acreages.
This side business gives him the ability to work on restoring Allis Chalmers Tractors over the winter, and bringing their life and luster back. Keith is a farmer through and through, and now he gets to share all of that knowledge with his neighbors and the new people moving in around him with visions of farming and sustainability.
There is something about the smell of dirt that moves some people to action. On tomorrow's ag business episode I am profiling a farmer who retired, sold his land and took a day job in town. However, after a year of that he missed the smell of freshly turned Earth, especially in the spring time. So, he started a tilling business and is thriving.
For today's re-cap episode I want to go back to episode #54 that featured Larry Hildebrant. He had a custom rototilling business, and he was also driven by working the soil. In Larry's case he even did some of his tilling for free, depending on the situation for the customer. Larry's interview is a perfect re-cap episode to lead us into tomorrow's ag business episode.
Aidan Yoho is the 2022 State Star Farmer of Kansas FFA and the State Secretary. He will hold both of those titles until July of 2023. But back in July of 2022, Aidan was simply an FFA Member from Yates Center, Kansas who was attending his state convention and who had thrown his hat in the ring in these two categories. As it turned out, state star farmer and the state officer team were both announced during the same session of the state convention. So, within 20 minutes of Aidan's life he went from not holding either of these titles to holding both!
So, where did this all start for him. It started with a passion for farming that still exists on Aidan's land today, his great-grandfather. Aidan's great-grandfather started farming with his brother on leased ground over 50 years ago. Today, Aidan farms with his father and his great-grandfather, but unfortunately his grandfather passed away in 2021. Being able to work with and learn from this great-grandfather has taught Aidan many valuable lessons about being successful in agriculture.
One of those lessons is that there is money to be made doing things that nobody else wants to do. Aidan listened to this advice, and that is how he got his start. Both in cattle and forage production, he applied the same philosophy. Aidan started out purchasing dairy cross calves that needed to be dehorned because they were cheap and not many people wanted them. He also identified problem areas on the farm that nobody wanted to mess with and started growing hay on them.
Today that has developed into an operation that allows Aidan to farm the more desirable hay ground and to purchase better cattle that end up making him more money in the long run. He has his sights set on returning to the family farm and running it when the time is right, but for now he is giving his full focus to making a run at being the American Star Farmer in a couple of years!
Today is a true farm update episode after a couple of weeks of going topical on Tuesdays. We will be discussing:
- Water in the creek
- A bit of green poking through in the pasture
- Hattie selected as district president
- Four kids on the ground
- Still waiting on calves
- Unseasonable cool and it seems like it is going to stay that way - the leaves and the birds don’t seem to care - must be all about daylight hours
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Makenzie McDaniel is a senior at Flowing Wells High School in Tucson, Arizona, and she is the "student advisor" member of her FFA Chapter's Officer Team. Makenzie has her sights set on becoming an ag teacher and FFA Advisor herself, and this role on the officer team suits that pursuit perfectly.
In this role, Makenzie watches how her fellow chapter members are progressing, sees what they need help with and is there to answer questions. When one of them is stumbling or has questions, she is there to assist, but without taking over, just by advising. It takes a lot of maturity to know how to advise without completely taking over the show, an Makenzie is already there.
In addition to her role on the officer team, Makenzie raises a market steer and market goat for the county fair, and she keeps them at the school's facility. This allows her and students who don't have land to raise animals and get that real world experience. Makenzie has applied to attend the Univeristy of Arizona, right there in Tucson, to study ag education. And, in about 5 years, I am hoping to be interviewing one of Makenzie's FFA students!
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Tarleton State University is located in beautiful Stephenville, Texas (one of my favorite places in the entire Lonestar State!). For ag students Tarleton State University boasts a 700 acre ag facility including livestock processing, ag fabrication and a retail outlet for the general public. Stephenville has a population of just 22,000 residents but is within an hour of a major airport in Dallas/Fort Worth.
The Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Barry Lambert, joins me today to talk all about Tarleton State University.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Defensible Space
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://news.yahoo.com/chicken-rescuers-used-loophole-beat-123000261.html
https://www.agriculture.com/news/livestock/10000-reward-offered-in-northeast-iowa-livestock-vandalism-case
https://kiwaradio.com/lightssirens/reward-offered-for-information-in-suspicious-primghar-area-fire/
https://www.wktv.com/news/crime/state-police-searching-for-trailer-stolen-from-westmoreland-farm/article_94d09afc-c814-11ed-bd1c-8726a0ebef63.html
https://bigislandnow.com/2023/03/20/hawaiʻi-island-police-be-on-the-lookout-for-a-stolen-tractor/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.farminguk.com/news/rural-crime-crackdown-sees-arrests-after-more-than-100-vehicles-stopped_62295.html
https://cochranenow.com/articles/search-leads-to-arrest-for-rural-break-ins-assault-
https://www.drumhellermail.com/news/35407-rave-communication-tool-supports-crime-reduction-organizations
https://www.agriland.co.uk/farming-news/stolen-40k-pump-and-4k-trailer-recovered-in-derbyshire/
Africa
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/five-people-arrested-in-northern-cape-for-stolen-sheep-and-car-21-march-2023/
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/police-arrest-three-suspects-recovered-livestock-19-march-2023/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://roanoke.com/news/local/illegally-cut-tree-brings-four-month-prison-term-for-giles-county-man/article_c2edcc20-c756-11ed-bbc5-8f3d9c52ff93.html
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/trio-arrested-for-burglaries-targeting-frederick-county-farmers (Originally reported on this in February)
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Kent and Shannon Rollins are the force behind teaching the world how to cook like a cowboy. On their YouTube Channel, "Kent Rollins Cowboy Cooking" and their new book, "Comfort Food The Cowboy Way", they share the wisdom, weather and recipes of the American West.
This all started somewhere around 1983 when Kent started cooking for an outfitter in a New Mexico elk camp. But really, it started much earlier than that when Kent was a kid and in his later years of being a ranch hand. At some point he traded in the branding iron for the cast iron, and he went to work making sure that cowboys were well fed before and after their long days in the saddle.
There are some traditions of the American West that are thought to be gone, that still exist. Cooking for cowboys on the range from a chuck wagon is one of those. In Kent and Shannon's book you get a glimpse of this tradition through the incredible photos that Shannon has taken while they are on ranches cooking. And in Kent's words, he captures the impact of the weather and how the right meal can ease the burden of facing the harshness of Mother Nature from the saddle all day.
Elisabeth Watkins was a guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2018. At that time she was an FFA student at Central Catholic High School in Modesto, California. Amazingly, Elisabeth was already a television cooking personality at that point. She had taken her love for cooking and agriculture, combined them inside and outside the FFA and taken them to incredible heights. She won her way onto a teen cooking challenge television show in New York City while still in high school, came away the winner and that propelled her to many different opportunities.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am profiling a chef and his new cookbook. Going back to what Elisabeth was able to do and continues to do with her culinary skills is the perfect tie in for tomorrow's show, and I am happy to replay her episode again today.
Wyatt Black is a sophomore in high school and is already mastering the art of adding value and finding profit. Wyatt has grown up with and around agriculture on his families small farm near Casstown, Ohio. As a member of the Miami East FFA Chapter, he needed to develop an SAE. That was no problem because he and his father had already been finding, repairing and re-selling used equipment for years. It was a natural fit, and Wyatt turned this into his project. Wyatt tends to specialize in fixing up trailers if he can. He says that he sees the highest demand for them, and they are generally the easiest to repair.
I saw an article pop up on Bloomberg today with the title, “Farmers Can’t Keep Hogging the Water in Parched Southwest”. I was unable to read it because it is behind the paywall, and I do not have a subscription. However, this is a topic that I have thought a lot about.
Allie Koss is the owner and creator of Happy's Horse Treats. She is also a sophomore in high school and the FFA Chapter Sentinel at the Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center of Paradise Valley, Arizona, which is a charter school specializing in agriculture. All students at the AAEC are FFA members, but there are different levels of activity for each of them.
Allie has grown up in the city, and her parents are not experienced in agriculture. However, at age 4 Allie said she wanted to take horseback riding lessons. Being wise parents, they did not just let Allie jump right into full blown lessons. For one year they took her to the Phoenix Zoo where she could get exposure to horses and some experience riding to gauge if her level of enthusiasm was genuine. It turned out that it was, and Allie has been riding horses ever since.
One day, at the barn that she rides at, a veterinarian was floating the teeth of a horse and showed Allie how to do it. From this point she was hooked and knew she wanted to be a veterinarian. This led to conversations with older people at the barn and the discover of the AAEC. Ultimately, this led her to the agricultural charter school and the FFA. It also led to her experimenting with making horse treats, her friends telling her that she should start a business and eventually, the birth of Happy's Horse Treats. Today, Allie sells horse treats from coast to coast and plans on growing her business through the end of high school, but possibly until she begins veterinary school in several years.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Texas A&M Commerce is located in the small, Northeastern Texas town of Commerce, Texas and provides abundant opportunity for developing your future in agriculture. On today's episode, Dr. Randy Harp, the Dean of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, joins the show to talk all about Texas A&M Commerce. We hear a lot about the family feel of smaller enrollment colleges on the show. Dr. Harp does a great job of illustrating the benefits of this.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Consider smart combination locks
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.kwtx.com/2023/03/14/dallas-teens-riding-stolen-horses-struck-by-vehicle-one-killed-two-injured/
https://www.12newsnow.com/article/news/crime/chambers-county-sheriffs-office-investigating-after-horse-stolen-from-winnie-ranch/502-6d01bbcc-b747-43c1-b854-78d5dc349829
https://krdo.com/lifestyle/animals/2023/03/16/__trashed-4/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/23385776.sentencing-delayed-man-admitted-stealing-cadbury-creme-egg-cargo/
https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/farmer-sick-tired-lack-police-26452948
Africa
https://www.independent.co.ug/nakasongola-235-cattle-stolen-in-10-months/
https://www.news18.com/buzz/when-200-inmates-escaped-from-uganda-prison-after-removing-their-uniforms-7304869.html
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.kimt.com/news/minnesota-woman-pleads-guilty-to-burglarizing-a-north-iowa-farm/article_f8b71386-c394-11ed-bffe-c7e9f2222ee7.html
https://www.twincities.com/2023/03/15/southern-minnesota-farmhand-charged-with-fatally-shooting-his-employer-last-fall/
Kacee Bohle is a fourth generation farmer from Illinois, a career agriculturist and an Ag Coach. On today's episode we are going to focus in on her business of career coaching in agriculture. Kacee has two main customer bases - agriculture students and professionals moving into or out of agriculture. She deals with a lot of diverse situations in this business, but being an entrepreneur gives her the flexibility to do so and to adapt to each unique situation.
Kacee's coaching is reflection of her own experiences. When she was graduating high school she did not really know where her future in agriculture resided, but she knew that it was in agriculture. She is the only one of her siblings interested in taking over the family farm, and she feels pressure to do so to keep the legacy alive. And, she has had multiple experiences in agricultural industry that make her uniquely qualified to help other people find their paths.
On tomorrow's ag business episode I talking with an agricultural career coach. This got me thinking of what episode to replay for you on today's episode, and it became clear. Our guest tomorrow specializes in helping people find their careers in agriculture. The other side to that same coin is how can you develop your farming and agricultural lifestyle at home. So, in today's re-cap episode I am going back to a special coaching session I did with Wendy from Ontario, Oregon about this very thing.
Preston Sechrest is a 2022 SAE Grant Recipient. He is also the treasurer of the East Davidson FFA Chapter in Thomasville, North Carolina, and he is going to use his grant money as well as money that he saved from working at a grocery store to purchase his first dairy heifer for showing.
This all began for Preston during his 9th Grade year of high school. He was considering becoming a game warden in the future, he still is actually, so he took an animal science class as an elective. When his teacher, Mrs. Leonard, did a unit on introduction to the FFA, he thought he had been tricked. However, by the end of school year he had been hooked, and he was a full-fledged FFA member.
His advisor encouraged Preston to go to a dairy cattle showing clinic to get introduced to this event. He went, and he took to it. People could not believe that he had never showed cattle before, and he got several offers to show for other people. He has done ten heifer shows for a neighboring farm since then, and this has sparked an interest that Preston believes he will have for the rest of his life!
Today I am breaking down an article that is talking about the new phenomena of "Bare Minimum Mondays". Here is the link if you'd like to read it yourself: https://www.kmaland.com/news/business/bare-minimum-monday-marks-latest-quiet-quitting-trend/article_38ef856d-0a0c-5016-9a2d-6e5e11a176d6.html
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Taylor Lacek is the 2o22 Minnesota State Star Farmer and a second semester student at South Dakota State University studying Agriculture Business & Communications with a newly added minor in journalism. She has a passion for telling agriculture's story, and has her sights set on being a column writer in agriculture.
Taylor's grandfather got the family involved in raising show cattle generations ago, and Taylor has continued that onward. Today, Taylor keeps abreast of the latest technology and methods in cattle breeding, employing embryo transfer and even looking into cloning to develop the genetics in her herd. Taylor taught me about a method of dealing with calves that are not getting going after birth during the interview called the "Madigan Squeeze". It was clear that she is constantly consuming information on the industry that she is passionate for, and it is this consumption that will turn her into a great purveyor of agricultural information.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
The Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is located in Tifton, Georgia. Andrew Thoron is a professor and the Department Head o the Agricultural Education and Communications Department. Today Andrew joins us to talk all about ABAC At Tifton.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Pay yourself first? What about the government? (equity theft)
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02QsndY18RDrxQw6QgYU38Nad9jEfworsfAfdWsXoA7hfxz979JqsjFmBiUMGtUGezl&id=100071992819041&mibextid=qC1gEa
https://mcdowellnews.com/news/local/mcdowell-sheriff-s-seeking-suspects-in-farm-equipment-theft/article_5cd5467e-bdfc-11ed-8d58-dfb8d594d8f2.html
https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/lancaster-farm-sanctuary-owners-say-someone-tried-to-break-into-barn-on-property/article_71c20248-b91f-11ed-8b7a-e7a140c74cb0.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/news/23371241.mps-back-laws-making-harder-steal-equipment-farmers/
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/ruthless-raiders-jailed-ramming-police-133300075.html
https://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/23372260.theft-25-sheep-appleby-maulds-meaburn/
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-41087269.html
Africa
https://briefly.co.za/south-africa/154764-old-mans-14-cattle-stolen-mpumalanga-heartbroken-police-continue-investigate/
https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2023/03/pastoralists-mps-want-president-ruto-to-personally-take-charge-of-north-rift-operation/
https://theeagleonline.com.ng/police-arraign-man-35-over-alleged-goat-theft-2/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://abc30.com/foster-farms-stolen-chickens-activist-group-jury-selection-begins/12927353/
https://www.weeklycitizen.com/story/news/local/2023/03/07/geismar-suspect-arrested-in-prairieville-horse-theft-investigation-ascension-parish-deputies-report/69983476007/
https://www.kmjnow.com/2023/03/06/man-arrested-after-stealing-tractor-worth-100000-in-tulare-county/
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Caite Palmer and Arlene Hunter are the hosts of "The Barnyard Language Podcast - "Real Talk About Running Farms and Raising Families". They are both farmers in different situations. Arlene and her husband are full-time dairy farmers in Canada with no off-farm jobs. Caite and her husband farm about 200 acres of row crops and raise livestock in Northeast Iowa and both of them work off of the farm. Caite and Arlene were brought together by a podcast, met on a Facebook group corresponding to that show and have only met in person one time. However, they have been hosting a weekly show together for almost two years!
I was recently a guest on the Barnyard Language Podcast. I enjoyed the conversation so much and was so impressed with how these ladies went about their business, I invited them to be guests on Off-Farm Income as well. They tackle some tough issues on their show - everything from parenting to domestic violence in rural communities. They have a mission and a big vision of how they can inspire more farming podcasts that will help farmers. I love it, and am thrilled to have interviewed them and to feature them on the show today!
On tomorrow's ag business episode we are featuring a team of agricultural podcast hosts who deal with real world issues and the challenges of parenting on a farm. These two ladies found each other through a shared passion to help folks with these challenges. One of them lives north of the border in Canada.
Their interview reminded me of the fantastic appearance that Elaine Froese had on the show discussing how to keep the family from splintering when farm transition and farm sale towards the end of a parent's career or life occurs. This is a great tie in with tomorrow's show as we feature two guests who deal with the challenge of family on the other end of the spectrum, when children are at their youngest.
Dane Haverkamp is the owner of Triple H Custom Hay. He is also a junior in high school, his FFA chapter's vice-president and a family farmer with his parents on their ranch in Kansas. Dane likes all aspects of agriculture, but his families operation is almost exclusively raising registered Black Angus Cattle. Around Dane's 8th Grade year he told his folks he would like to get his own equipment for cutting, raking and baling hay on their farm rather than having it done by a custom business. However, his parents told him that the amount of work needed on their farm would not justify the purchase. So, Dane came up with the idea of starting a custom hay business of his own to justify the purchase, and made sense. Dane purchased his own baler, swather and later a rake to start the business. In exchange for the work he does on the farm, he uses his parent's tractors to operate the implements. Today, Dane operates Triple H Custom Hay and has a growing business that he plans to operate for years to come.
I think our farm is at a point where I could just cruise if I wanted to. However, I keep looking at ways to improve, become more efficient and to become more profitable. What is that in me, and in all entrepreneurs? Does it ever go away?
Sydney Bruchhaus is the Louisiana State FFA Secretary, the Louisiana State Star Farmer and a senior in high school. To hear that an FFA student has achieved both state office and won a state star award is incredible enough, but to hear that they did this while still in high school is extremely rare or maybe never heard of. However, that is not the last or maybe even the most amazing part of Sydney's story.
Sydney spend the first two years of her FFA experience being quiet and shy. She took leadership roles and was a chapter officer, but she preferred to be the person who got things done in the background. However, at the beginning of her junior year of high school Sydney's FFA Advisor pushed her to participate in a public speaking contest. Sydney was nervous, which pushed her to practice, and she wound up taking second place in the entire state.
That second place price lit a fire in Sydney, and from that point on she was doing whatever public speaking that she could. She developed her skills very rapidly and devoted all of her time to practicing. Within 9 months of that first contest it was time for the Louisiana State FFA Convention, and she had decided to pursue becoming a state officer, even though she had only served as a chapter officer and not an area or district officer. And then, she was selected at the same convention that she won star farmer.
Sydney is living proof that it is never too late to do something great, and that you can accomplish things that other people think are impossible.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
The University Of Arkansas is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas and is the home of the Dale Bumpers College Of Agriculture, Food And Life Sciences. Madison Estepp is the lead ambassador for Bumpers College, and she joins us on this episode to talk all about studying agriculture at the University Of Arkansas.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Understand your state laws and your rights
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.ksat.com/news/ksat-investigates/2023/03/02/arbitrator-says-sapd-detective-falsely-claimed-he-was-nearly-hit-by-truck-prior-to-chase-upholds-his-termination/
https://ktxs.com/news/crime-watch/multiple-suspects-arrested-during-organized-crime-investigation-in-sweetwater
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/2023/02/23/thieves-steal-items-after-break-in-at-farm-outbuildings/
https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/aberdeen-news/aberdeenshire-becomes-second-most-targeted-8205693
https://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/23351579.burglars-take-safe-cash-ingleton-farm-shop/
https://newportdispatch.com/2023/02/28/theft-of-tractor-in-coventry/
Africa
https://www.citizen.co.za/witness/news/super-zuma-to-address-stock-theft-in-kwazulu-natal/
https://sokodirectory.com/2023/03/state-warns-buyers-against-transporting-avocadoes-in-open-pick-ups/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/man-charged-with-animal-abuse-in-stabbing-of-high-school-farm-animals/
https://lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=https://tscra.org/arizona-man-pleads-guilty-to-four-felony-charges-in-50000-el-paso-cattle-theft-case/?fbclid=IwAR1TtctGK_TQ1yqdmKFSNNq-5p3vC27IM0DUkXpd-Dw9Pe_oZ1_iCpRY6dU&h=AT0I3r6hpj8sN3DZsuSUlFc9mP9e5W1Zd3xejtscbagathGmUj5u3orOXHPBXDBriSCDCgi9BqoHSjv1Xcaf7UwOWv0gYMbZvLIWRAJ1nNv_rHoicAN_98HhJrRxhGk&s=1&mibextid=ncKXMA
https://www.wbrz.com/news/ascension-deputies-track-stolen-horses-and-trailer-to-baton-rouge-one-horse-badly-hurt/
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Aaron Juergens is a very busy, very energetic, serial agricultural entrepreneur. He first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2015 when we discussed his business spreading hog manure in Iowa. He was busy then, but the scope of businesses he had was nothing compared to today! Since our first interview Aaron has sold the manure spreading businesses and become involved in multiple other enterprises. Looking at his Linkedin Page I count 7 other enterprises, six of which are still running today.
On today's episode with Aaron we catch up on what has been going on in his life for the past 8 years, including getting married and having two kids. And we talk about partnerships, how to manage them and how he keeps all these different balls in the air!
Aaron Juergens was one of my first ever agricultural entrepreneur guests on the show. Since we first met in 2015 he has continued to expand and grow in his entrepreneurial pursuits. Tomorrow he is coming back on the show to update us all. For this week's re-cap episode I am revisiting our first interview from 2015 so you will have the perfect before and after picture.
Courtney Baker is a Pennsylvania State Proficiency Winner, a five sport athlete, a chapter officer and an FFA standout from Ulysses, Pennsylvania. Courtney graduated from Northern Potter High School in May of 2022, got married and moved to Alaska, all in a period of a few months. Now she is busy living on an Air Force base where her husband is serving and she is studying to become an elementary school teacher through Liberty University.
Courtney is used to working on the family dairy, competing in one to two sports per semester, serving as an officer and becoming a state proficiency winner. Now, she is pouring that energy and drive into her future career, her marriage and activities on base when there is only 3 hours of partial daylight outside during the Fairbanks, Alaska winter.
When Courtney finishes college and student teaching she plans to enter the elementary classroom with the goal of motivating and inspiring students the way her teacher did for her. She also wants to coach basketball. I can tell from her work ethic that she will do both to great effect.
Today is a farm update episode, and we will be discussing:
Mother Nature is so deceptive - looking outside at snow and frozen ground knowing that sometime in the next couple of weeks it is all going to change and I will go from feeling like I am in winter to feeling like I am behind.
Winter is definitely my most relaxed time of the year when it comes to the farm. This is the last week of that….everything starts to ramp up next week….
I bought an Indian motorcycle, and I wanted to get it done before the weather got good. I test rode it on the one 50 degree day we have had in the last 10 days and will have in the next 2 weeks…
I am very excited about it, but also a little sad to give up my Honda.
I start calving next week and calving season will be followed by kidding…so my chances to ride it very much is probably going to be delayed by more than just weather
Watched Borrowed Future with Autumm & Hattie as we start preparing for Hattie to go to college. Watching this and hearing the realities of higher education in the U.S. made me so proud of what agricultural colleges throughout the U.S. are doing. Just in the 20 or so that I have interviewed so far, I have found a multitude of very affordable options for ag students to get a four year degree if they want to. In my interview with Kansas State I found out that Mid-Western States are losing population and thus, future students, so there are many affordable options for agricultural education in the Mid-West. They need the students and they want to bring people to their states and try to keep them as permanent residents.
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Whitley Anderson is a District Officer in the Lonewolf FFA District in West Texas. She is also the chapter Vice-President at Snyder High School and immediate past-chapter president. She raises pigs and chickens and definitely has a passion for agriculture. As strong as Whitley's love to agriculture is, her love for sharing it with other people is stronger.
Whitely is currently a junior in high school, and she has her sights set on becoming an agricultural lobbyist after she completes high school. She wants to advocate for agriculture at the highest levels and be part of what keeps agriculture seen as the "backbone of America". She is not waiting for that first lobbyist position to start advocating however. Right now, in Snyder, Texas she is taking the opportunity to share agriculture with everyone.
Just one week before Whitley and I did this interview she facilitated the "Scurry Stars Livestock Show". Snyder High School is in Scurry County. Whitley had seen that some of her peers in other parts of Texas were parts of livestock shows for students with special needs, so she came back to Scurry County and proposed this to all the relevant decision makers. Everyone decided to move forward, and the second livestock show for students with special needs was completed, this time including goats and pigs rather than just chickens. Whitley said she was nervous, but everything went very well and she is excited to do it again next year and watch it grow!
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Howard College - Big Spring is located in Big Spring, Texas. Located at the southern end of the Texas Panhandle, in the middle of some of the most complex agriculture that the State Of Texas has to offer, Howard College - Big Spring offers its students real life, hands on agricultural learning in a tight knit community. On today's episode Kelby Vise, the Agricultural Sciences Chair Program and Campus Dean of Arts and Sciences joins me to talk agriculture, learning and college life in Big Spring.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Write down serial numbers and recover stolen property
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://kdvr.com/news/local/50000-in-equipment-stolen-from-stables-owner-worries-stables-are-a-new-target-to-thieves/
https://www.14news.com/2023/02/23/perry-co-sheriffs-office-seeking-help-identify-truck-involved-theft/
https://www.wjhl.com/news/regional/tennessee/cow-heads-found-illegally-dumped-in-west-tennessee/
https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2023/02/21/solutions-sought-as-the-federal-shooting-of-feral-cattle-in-the-gila-wilderness-approaches/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/crime/2023/02/19/sheep-stolen-from-field-in-south-staffordshire/
https://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/news/23325589.police-reports-three-bull-calves-stolen-farm-near-aboyne/
https://www.donegaldaily.com/2023/02/21/gardai-probe-theft-of-24-sheep-from-east-donegal-farm/
Africa
https://briefly.co.za/south-africa/153626-sheep-truck-overturned-western-cape-sparking-looting-online-debate-lots-hungry/
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2023-02-20-suspects-arrested-in-possession-of-stolen-goats-and-sheep-in-limpopo/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/crime/burglar-sentenced-to-15-years/
https://www.kentreporter.com/northwest/robbery-suspects-nearly-collide-with-train-while-fleeing-auburn-police-video/
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Arin Whitemountain and Tom Masterson are partnering together in Southeast Missouri to bring a niche haying service to very small acreages. Arin has invested in the necessary equipment to bale very small, round bales on small acreages with low horsepower tractors. He did it for himself last summer, and has developed a passion for these small and easy to use bales.
Arin recently retired from the Coast Guard and moved to a piece of property he had previously purchased in the area. Tom has become an agricultural mentor to Arin and has been helping to get him started in the world of farming. At the same time, Tom knows many people with small acreages in the area and helps them as well. This has made for a great partnership in growing this service, and they are both very excited about the production of small round bales and how it will help those folks with very small acreages to produce something off of their grass rather than just brush hogging it down.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am featuring two gentlemen with a very unique hay baling business. This made me think of the episode I did with Saydee Longhurst several years ago, and how she discovered a niche in how she was selling small bales. On today's re-cap episode I want to bring back that interview as the perfect tie in for tomorrow's show.
Noah McMeeken is a sophomore at Slinger High School in Slinger, Wisconsin and he is a recent recipient of a $1,000 SAE grant. Noah has interests in things that fly. He and his brother have been raising and showing ducks and chickens for the past several years, Noah loves to fly in aircraft, he is a competitive alpine skier and flies down the mountain and he has developed a deep interest in drone technology. So much so, that he was teaching me a thing or two about drones during the interview.
Noah is just picking up speed in his FFA career, and he has a vision of a business involving him flying FPV Drones and taking aerial photographs for farmers for crop scouting as well a multitude of other reasons. Noah is pursuing this with a lot of wisdom too. In addition to being proactive and seeking (and winning) the grant money to fund the project, he has chosen to purchase a kit and assemble the drone himself. Obviously, he could save himself time and headache by purchasing a fully assembled and ready to fly drone. However, he knows he will eventually break something on the drone. So, he looks at the assembly as preparation for that day. This way he will know how to fix the drone, rather than having to purchase a whole new unit. And this knowledge will come from the assembly.
Today is a farm update episode, and we will be discussing:
- Urban Sprawl and disappearing farms
- The period between the Super Bowl and March Madness
- When is it a good idea to get a Harley Davidson
- A better mouse trap
- Our new Ag College Episode
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Mackenzie Serrano is a Montana State FFA Officer and the winner of the Montana Star in Agricultural Placement from 2022. She has a great story of building FFA career in spite of circumstances that would conspire against her. She started her cow herd in Wilsall, Montana, which happens to be 172 miles from her home in Musselshell, Montana. She persevered through Covid, working a job at a "blood lab" to pay for more cattle. At the end of her junior year her FFA Advisor moved to a different high school and the vacancy was not filled. A recent college graduate was hired to fill the vacancy on a temporary basis, but he was not an ag teacher. So, Mackenzie took it upon herself to assist with developing lesson plans and keeping the chapter going, even when the school district was considering pulling the plug.
It was the final challenge that inspired Mackenzie to throw her hat in the ring as a state officer. She served as her chapter's president for three years of high school, and it was the challenge of continuing her FFA chapter's legacy against resistance that inspired her to become a state officer. That happened last spring, and she is just getting ready to end her term. What's next? Mackenzie is going to pursue a national officer position. First, she must be selected to represent the State Of Montana, and then it is on to sifting in Indianapolis next October. She has a very unique story, and I think she has a great shot.
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
The University Of Idaho is located in Moscow, Idaho. Matt Doumit is the Associate Dean Of Academic Programs and a professor in the College Of Agriculture And Life Sciences. Kacie Hoffman is the Director Of Recruitment & Student Engagement in the College Of Agriculture And Life Science. Both join us today to discuss the University Of Idaho CALS.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Who is coming to your farm to purchase your products?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/14/opinion/foster-farms-chicken-slaughterhouse-animal-cruelty.html
https://www.kake.com/story/48344689/palm-beach-gardens-rescue-wants-answers-after-2-horses-stolen-slaughtered-in-miami
https://www.wgal.com/article/man-charged-with-horse-theft-and-credit-card-fraud-in-york-county/42924278
https://www.yahoo.com/now/frederick-sheriff-warns-crime-ring-042159208.html
https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-news/farmers-raise-awareness-about-crime-in-rural-parts-of-central-virginia/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.miragenews.com/police-seek-information-after-logan-sheep-theft-948334/
https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/gardai-investigate-theft-of-six-cattle-in-kerry/
https://www.steinbachonline.com/articles/thieves-steal-grain-truck-from-local-farm
Africa
https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2023/02/kenyas-military-offensive-against-bandits-starts-today/
https://neweralive.na/posts/teens-nabbed-for-stock-theft
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/waterford-man-drove-across-a-farm-to-flee-from-police-was-charged-with-6th-owi/article_23c3af32-ad7c-11ed-9674-9b2eb7f20b6b.html
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2023/02/14/man-charged-with-theft-after-trailer-load-of-200000-creme-eggs-stolen/
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A.W. Erwin is a syndicated "cowboy cartoonist" with a quick wit and funny personality. He has been drawing cartoons of cowboys and cowgirls in funny situations for decades now, and this is his form of "off-farm income".
Making his home in north central Texas, he is immersed in the cowboy lifestyle knowing people far and wide who are preserving the old ways and arts of cowboying. To keep his commute as a short walk from his house to his studio, A.W. has developed a line of products he sells as well as services. He has mastered "re-purposing". A drawing he made yesterday might become a coffee mug tomorrow and a calendar next year.
A.W. made his first appearance on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2015, and he is back today with more inspiration and advice for artists who don't know how to turn their passion into a full-time business.
On tomorrow's episode I get to catch up with A.W. Erwin, who first appeared on our show in 2015 on episode #15! A.W. has a very quick wit, an incredible artistic ability and he has turned this into a successful business that has supported his family and his ranching endeavors for decades.
On today's re-cap episode I am going to bring the very first interview I did with A.W. back. You can get the before and after picture on A.W., and you will definitely get a before and after picture of me as an interviewer and podcaster....
Grace DiGiovanni is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Service Learning. With a title like that, you know that she had done something significant to help out her community, but after doing a complete interview with her it was obvious that she is wired to help her fellow human.
Grace is currently attending college at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. She has her eyes set on medical school and oncology. She has a scientific and inquisitive brain, and all of us are blessed that people like Grace exist. She has a desire to work on the macro and micro in oncology in her career. On the micro level she sees herself helping individual patients through oncological surgery to address their specific needs. On the macro she sees herself studying the tumors that she has just removed for the betterment of all of society!
Of course, this is no surprise when you learn what Grace's SAE was. She saw that the food that was being included in a local backpack food program was not very nutrient dense or healthy. So, she obtained a grant, community volunteers and donations from the community to change this. Ultimately she wound up taking over the entire program and leaving a legacy in her community. And, during all of this she obtained over 80 college credits through dual credit courses. That number is a new record of college credits obtained in high school on the Off-Farm Income Podcast!
I have been on a twelve day quest to find the sun, feel it's warmth and find my people.....I succeeded and today I'll tell you all about it...
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Andrew Snook is the owner of Snook's Lawncare & Landscaping in Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania. He is also the 2022 Pennsylvania State Star Award Winner in agribusiness. This all started when Andrew was very young and wanted very badly to push a lawn mover. Over time that developed to him requesting to go with his grandfather when he was out mowing other people's lawns. Finally, when Andrew was 11 years old he asked for a push mower for his birthday and was gifted one. This launched his entrepreneurial endeavor.
Andrew has also been exposed to agriculture and farming on his uncle and cousin's farm nearby his whole life. So, when he was first exposed to the FFA it felt like a natural fit for him and something that he wanted to pursue. Little did he know how well his love for lawn mowing and landscaping would fit with the required supervised agricultural experience.
Today, Andrew and his father co-own Snook's Lawncare & Landscaping, and they just converted it to an S-Corp. Andrew now has 2-3 crews working for him, he has added snow removal to the list of things that they do, and he sees the sky as the limit on where he can take this business!
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Modesto Junior College is located in the heart of the Central Valley of California. The abundance of different agricultural enterprises in this area of California make the learning opportunities at MJC vast. From permanent crops like almonds and fruit orchards to large scale agribusiness dairies to beef production and fresh vegetables there are farmers in this area doing everything an aspiring ag student might be looking for. And if ag industry is what you are looking for it can be found in the Central Valley and Modesto area, such as Gallo Wines, Del Monte, Foster Farms and many more.
Nicole Morris is a fourth generation dairy farmer and Animal/Dairy Science Instructor at Modesto Junior College. Today she joins me to talk about the multitude of agricultural opportunities at MJC.
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Tip Of The Week
Cameras, Cameras, Cameras
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.krsl.com/local/150-large-bales-stolen-near-olmitz
https://www.wilsoncountynews.com/articles/reward-find-stolen-tractor-get-10k/
https://www.al.com/news/montgomery/2023/02/3-goats-fatally-shot-at-butler-county-farm-suspect-sought.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.sundayworld.com/crime/courts/gang-stole-six-tractors-and-wrecked-donegal-village-which-was-irelands-tidiest-town/190732724.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-09/farm-theft-a-growing-issue-in-tasmania/101947714
Africa
https://www.the-star.co.ke/counties/western/2023-02-08-police-thwart-mob-attempt-to-burn-chiefs-office-in-busia/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.thejoltnews.com/stories/fleeing-fugitive-falls-in-fertilizer-field,9213?
https://www.sltrib.com/news/business/2023/02/06/bill-would-narrow-animal/
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Jessica Hart is the owner of Deschutes Farm Services in Bend, Oregon. She is also a certified veterinary technician and former rancher. Jessica moved to Bend about four years ago and found herself starting a new chapter of her life in a town that was starting a new chapter of its own. As many native citizens of Bend were moving out and making room for people emigrating from places like California, Jessica saw an opportunity.
Many of the California transplants had the money to purchase homes with acreage and had very options to purchase homes without acreage. So, there wound up being a lot of people with no experience, who never planned on raising livestock or farming, trying to manage small acreages. This is where Jessica came in with the skill set that she already had. Deschutes Farm Services was born.
Today Jessica specializes in hoof trimming for goats, farm and ranch sitting and consulting with new land owners on what type of operation to start and how to get it going. She is a full-time entrepreneur, working with new landowners.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am featuring a guest who learned a lot of different livestock management practices over the years, and then found herself living in an area with a lot of small farms. She took all of these skills and turned them into a small business helping these new livestock owners.
One of those skills is hoof trimming, and that reminded me of early interview with Randy Hettinga who has a hoof trimming business in my hometown of Kuna, Idaho. He serves the dairy industry and took some time to speak with me about how this business works. I thought it fit great to bring this interview back to you today.
Abby VanPelt is the President of the Austin High School FFA Chapter in Austin, Minnesota. She is a triplet, all of which are in the FFA, and she has an older brother who also was in the FFA. Her family raises sheep on their farm in Southeast Minnesota, and she has developed her own flock.
I often say that luck is the result of being prepared when opportunity strikes. I don't know that I would describe Abby being president of her chapter as luck, but the way that this came about illustrates the point. During her sophomore year Abby decided to attempt to become an officer and spend the year observing and learning from her older colleagues. She was put in the position of "at-large officer" and was content to be mentored and learn.
During this time the president of Abby's chapter moved away, and it caused a shift in the ranks. The serving vice president was moved into the president position, and Abby was selected to fill the vacant vice president position. Abby was in the position for this to happen because she was preparing. She had placed herself into a position that made this possible because she was forward thinking and planning for a future goal. It just happened a bit sooner than she was expecting. This propelled Abby forward as an officer, and today she is serving as her chapter's president.
I have failed a lot on my farm and as an entrepreneur. It is all part of the journey, and if you frame your perspective correctly it is part of the fun. In today's episode I am discussing some of these failures, including:
- Cover Crop fail - only just a few days of feed on that
- Holding goats until January
- Having listeners find Friday guests
- Finding a producer
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Amber Leabo is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Specialty Crop Production. This comes from years of experimentation on her families farm with her father, trying corn, permanent crops and more, finally ending with lavender. Amber has definitely found her niche growing, marketing and value adding to lavender. She and her family have set the market in Florida with lavender, defying the expertise of officials from the Department of Agriculture who said that lavender couldn't be grown there.
Today, Amber and her family make a myriad of value added lavender products at their home, and Amber sells them each weekend at different farmer's markets. Amber first began with a variety of Lavender called "Phenomenal" but soon discovered that because of all the moisture in Florida the variety was suffering from root rot. She went about trying to fix this problem mechanically by creating a specific potting soil mix that would drain moisture better. Just as she got that to work she discovered the lavender variety, "Sensational" and found out that it was not susceptible to root rot in her climate.
Amber knows everything about lavender, all the way to the name of the person who invented the varieties that she has used. But this is no surprise when you find out that as a junior in high school she has already won a national proficiency. And, she has taken extra classes so that she is actually graduating high school this May, one year early. No wonder she won such a prestigious award!
For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below: Today's episode is the very first of a series of episodes we will be producing to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.
Montana State University is located in Bozeman, Montana and offers 14 undergraduate agricultural degrees through the College Of Agriculture. Joining me today to speak about the College Of Ag are Associate Dean For Academic Programs - Tracy Dougher & Assistant Dean Of Student Success And Outreach - Elizabeth Greenfield.
Tip Of The Week
Consider new signage to deter theft
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wcia.com/news/teen-arrested-after-driving-stolen-tractor-through-champaign/
https://www.myplainview.com/news/article/chickens-killed-in-fire-at-connecticut-egg-farm-17749860.php
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/crime/trial-finds-dna-marking-helps-slash-farm-machinery-thefts
https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/gardai-investigate-theft-of-31-sheep-in-co-kerry/
https://www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/23286704.county-sheep-killed-police-warn-sheep-worrying-incidents/
https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/alleged-farm-stand-thief-turns-himself-over-to-central-saanich-police-1.6252783
Africa
https://news.pindula.co.zw/2023/01/30/cottco-employee-gets-wholly-suspended-jail-term-for-stealing-herbicides/
http://www.times.co.sz/news/138529-cops-turn-back-as-mob-batters-kills-suspect-cattle-rustler.html
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.meridianstar.com/news/local_news/multi-state-investigation-leads-to-recovery-of-multiple-trucks-in-claiborne-county/article_d534add0-58ad-5e41-b4e6-bd8647061f65.html
https://www.capitalpress.com/state/oregon/feds-drop-criminal-charge-against-oregon-farmer-reach-plea-deal-with-his-company/article_b34c51ba-a0f0-11ed-bb07-47b1a7b62fd3.html
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Kate Ziehm is the president and owner of Morning Ag Clips and has an incredible story of agricultural entrepreneurship. There are many ways and motivations that form people into entrepreneurs, Kate's was lifestyle. Many times people choose entrepreneurship for lifestyle purposes thinking it is going to bring them passive income and the famous "four hour workweek". Kate's lifestyle was a bit different than that. She was adjusting to being a single mother of three sons, and being there to raise them was her #1 priority. Entrepreneurship was what was going to allow her to fulfill that vision.
When Kate took over Morning Ag Clips it was simply an email sent to a list about agricultural issues in the State Of New York. Kate's vision, passion for agriculture and love of this business led to massive growth under her ownership. Today Morning Ag Clips publishes 28 versions, covering 35 states, with employees spread all over the country. It has evolved from the email list to a website and most recently, a mobile app!
Kate is truly an inspiration in agriculture, and in today's episode we get to share her story.
On tomorrow's ag business episode we are speaking with a very enterprising agricultural entrepreneur from New York State. The crux of her story is that through entrepreneurship and a set of skills that she already had, she found her place in agriculture. Today, she is making major contributions to our industry and keeping us all informed.
This made me think of my interview with Wil Crombie. Wil definitely had a winding path that took him out of and then back to agriculture, and finally into a new way of participating in farming. While Wil was away he was developing a skill set that would allow him to create the off-farm income that he would need and share the world of agriculture that he was passionate about. This was the perfect prelude to tomorrow's ag business episode, and I am happy to bring Wil's episode back for you today.
Dallas Sills is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Swine Production. Dallas farms in Northeast Georgia with his father, uncle, sister and cousins on a farm that was started in the 1950's by his grandparents. About four years ago Dallas was starting his supervised agricultural experience and also looking for what he could do on the farm that would be unique to him. He noticed that nobody in their area were raising and direct marketing pigs, so he decided to give it a shot.
Dallas ended up driving to Athens, Georgia and purchase seven pigs from the University Of Georgia Farm that he finished and direct marketed. Much of the feed for the pigs was grown on his farm, and he imported soybean meal and mixed his own feed rations. Soon after, Dallas decided to start having the pigs butchered and market cuts of meat rather than whole pigs.
As Dallas got this aspect of his business going, word of mouth started to spread, and his business expanded very quickly. One of the interesting ways in which Dallas' business grew was through selling sausage in a local grocery store. His name and telephone number was on the packaging, and pretty soon people who bought his sausage at the store were calling him and wanting to purchase multiple pounds of it directly from him. At the same time that Dallas was making money selling sausage, he was marketing and growing his business. It is a brilliant and symbiotic relationship.
Today is a farm update episode everyone. We will cover:
- Changing my security plans about goat theft
- The tractor that ended horsepower
- The lost art of manure pick up
- How to irritate staff at the livestock auction
- Why you should never put scrapies tags in your goats early
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Jackson Lohr is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Poultry Production and a former state officer for the Virginia State FFA. Jackson has known that he wanted to be a state officer since the 6th Grade when a Virginia State Officer took the time to speak with him at the state convention. Only one problem, Jackson considered himself to be introverted, so how would he get out of his comfort zone? Ultimately, Jackson found that focusing on the priorities of the FFA allowed him to ignore his fears and get the job done. And the payoff has been huge.
Not only did Jackson eventually become a state officer, but he also excelled in his supervised agriculture experience and won a National Proficiency Award. Jackson has grown up on a chicken farm in Western Virginia, and he has been working in some capacity on the farm since he could walk. He loves this lifestyle and this level of agricultural production. He is currently completing a two year agricultural management program at Virginia Tech., and then he will be right back to the farm to carry on this legacy!
Tip Of The Week
Know what services are available to you, and then learn how to fill the gaps
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://news.yahoo.com/livestock-rustling-no-bull-legislators-043200037.html
https://www.kmvt.com/2023/01/26/reports-livestock-theft-area-how-you-can-work-protect-your-animals/
https://magicvalley.com/news/local/to-catch-a-goat-thief-another-theft-reported-near-buhl/article_698d9a38-9b51-11ed-a5f9-4fffbb2023c7.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.agriland.co.uk/farming-news/man-arrested-on-suspicion-of-new-holland-tractor-theft/
https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/gardai-investigate-rural-robbery-in-co-kilkenny/
https://www.norfolk.police.uk/news/latest-news/appeal-after-content-horse-box-stolen-thurning
https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/suspected-coventry-fly-tipper-shopped-26081229
Africa
https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2023/01/two-cattle-thieves-in-remand-escape-from-police-cell-through-ceiling-steal-ak47-rifle/
https://dailypost.ng/2023/01/26/adamawa-police-command-arrests-208-suspects-in-26-days/
https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/84712-explained-inside-administration-police-units-their-ranks-police-roles
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://tscra.org/grimes-county-woman-arrested-on-felony-charges-in-ongoing-criminal-mischief-case/?fbclid=IwAR1w4dKHMTh2bP3JsXLQ63BJy646ZdpD41ZnClZApHpIBgoG0SUDk8azxds
https://www.denver7.com/news/national/first-responders-are-being-trained-on-obgyn-emergencies-to-help-fill-gaps-in-rural-america
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Andrew Swafford is a county commissioner in Bledsoe County, Tennessee and at the time of this writing he is 25 years old. Andrew is also the owner of three chicken houses, a 749 acre plot of timber, a forestry business called Four Aims Forestry and a graduate student at the University Of Georgia. He clearly is a high achiever, and this is something that we at the Off-Farm Income Podcast have known for almost a decade.
Andy, as he likes to be called, first appeared on the show in 2015 as a recently graduated high school student with a bee business called Andy's Bee Keeping. Back then he was collected, bottling and selling honey to customers all around his community in Tennessee. He was just getting ready to begin college at the University Of Tennessee back then, and oh how far he has gone since then!
I like to see the progress the guests on the Off-Farm Income Podcast have made from time to time, and I was blown away when I read Andy's resume on Linkedin. I am happy to welcome him back onto the show today to give us the details on the journey that he has been on and what is next to come!
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode a previous FFA guest comes back on the show. It has been 8 years since Andrew Swafford was first a guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast, and I am amazed with what he is doing today!
On our Re-Cap Episode I'm bringing back his very first interview from 2015 so you can see the before and he after picture.
Connor Pence is a 2022 National Proficiency Award Winner in the category of Diversified Livestock Production. In and of itself, this is a phenomenal accomplishment, but wait.....there's more. Connor is also a 2021 National Proficiency Winner in the category of goat production.
Connor first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast one year ago exactly when I given the opportunity to interview him about his Goat Production Proficiency Award. As a goat raiser myself, I found myself learning a lot from Connor. I titled that episode "How To Win A National Proficiency Award" because as we did the interview, it became apparent to me that the benefit of the interview with Connor exceeded goat production. He was giving students a template of what to do if they wanted to reach these prestigious heights.
Now, Connor has done this twice. Naturally, the title of this episode is "How To Win Two National Proficiency Awards". Connor is breathing "rare air" with this accomplishment, and it is to our benefit to have him back on the show to share how he did this.
Today is a farm update episode everyone. We will cover:
- Beautiful night skies during calving/kidding season
- The lure of the predator
- The great relief of remembering that goats are just dumb
- The archeology of our local area of Idaho
- The worst roads in America
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Jared Weigandt is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Landscape Management. He and his twin brother, Jordan, are poised to one day take over the family business, Sidney Landscape Services and become the 4th Generation of their family to own this business. They are also the 6th generation in their family to work in the landscape business, and what was apparent from this interview was that their deep family roots in this business are not taken for granted.
Jared is currently attending college at the University Of Northwestern Ohio and studying diesel technology. Jared works a lot on equipment repair and maintenance in his families business and is expanding his skills through this program. He is already applying what he has learned on the job.
Tip Of The Week
If you have a pet sheep that you love, make sure to treat the “help” with respect
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wyomingnews.com/today-tomorrow/article_0676edb8-9751-11ed-9355-2330ed569969.html
https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/teen-charged-with-stealing-a-tractor-tried-to-sell-it-on-facebook-edgecombe-sheriff-says/
https://www.kltv.com/2023/01/19/2-livingston-men-convicted-timber-theft-liberty-county/
https://www.wcax.com/2023/01/19/experts-share-tips-avoid-being-victim-logging-theft/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.miragenews.com/police-seek-public-assistance-after-theft-of-932286/
https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/23258978.people-urged-police-eyes-ears-halt-rural-crime/
https://www.agriland.co.uk/farming-news/man-convicted-after-skinning-sheep-and-feeding-it-to-hounds/
https://www.northwaleschronicle.co.uk/news/23260704.two-men-arrested-connection-theft-14-cows-anglesey/
Africa
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/crime/stolen-goats-confiscated-mpumalanga-january-2023/
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/police-disrupt-farm-attack-recover-19-sheep-18-january-2023/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/18/abducted-burkina-women-flee-gunmen-through-bush
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://navasotanews.com/college-station-man-arrested-for-stealing-8-head-of-cattle-near-navasota-and-trying-to-sell-them/
https://www.foxnews.com/media/man-stolen-tractor-leads-police-hours-long-chase-hitting-dumpster-church-what-day
https://www.porkbusiness.com/news/industry/stolen-show-pigs-found-after-48-hour-search-denver?fbclid=IwAR3A0-kv1zKA6H_NibcvRk6_M_H336O3UJMbpf9xj52lL0uB5I_pFoEYkZk&mibextid=Zxz2cZ
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The Shepherdess At Harmony Farms is named Grace, and she has an unbelievable story. Starting at the age of 11 she lived in the suburbs of Austin, Texas and was purchasing and re-marketing garage sale items online. She developed an incredible talent for online marketing during her teen years to the point that she developed a 7 figure apparel company using the marketing skills she had developed. Then, there was a drastic change.
Grace was living with her parents at this time, and they decided that it was time to move to an area where they could purchase some land and get further away from encroaching urban sprawl. This took the whole family to northeast Texas, where her folks bought 30 acres. In an effort to keep their agricultural property tax exemption, they began raising sheep, and for the first two years, Grace wanted nothing to do with this. However, in 202o that all changed.
Once Grace embraced taking care of the livestock and farming, she fell in love with the lifestyle and work. This led her to develop a passion for findng a way to stay on the farm. She took the online marketing skills that she already had and started applying them to the families farming enterprise and "The Shepherdess At Harmony Farms" was born.
Today Grace is selling premium Dorper Sheep, online courses, merchandise, sheep supplies and other SWAG. She is fired up about telling young people how they will be able to get into farming and why that is a great choice. And, she is putting outstanding content out on her blog and her YouTube Channel. And, I am lucky enough to interview her today.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am speaking a marketing prodigy who has come into her own marketing Dorper Sheep as well as educational materials regarding how to farm and raise sheep. This made me think of my interview with Jeremiah Geise who first appeared on the show in 2021 and talked about niche marketing for three different species of livestock. So, I decided to bring this episode back for you to compliment tomorrow's show.
Lizzie Schafer is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Beef Placement. Lizzie and her brother have been showing cattle nationally for their family farm for several years now, both from a competitive standpoint and in an effort to market their genetics. Over the years, Lizzie has taken on more and more of the responsibility of the cattle side of their families farm, including become the herd manager and making many of the major decisions about their cattle business.
Lizzie was recruited by several colleges for livestock judging during high school. Ultimately, she chose to being her college career at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kanas. Lizzie told me that livestock judging is the #1 sport on that campus, and they take care of their livestock judging students very well. She is studying agricultural communications and hopes to be standing outside of the show arena waiting to interview the winners and tell their stories at some point in the future.
Hello everybody. We have a farm update episode today, and I am excited about the developments at our place. I hope you will join us to talk goats, a new market for goats, beef, word of mouth marketing and so much more!
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Carrie Rhoades is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Dairy Production. Carrie grew up on a dairy farm in Ohio, and has been part of the FFA since her 8th Grade year. During that time she has been trading labor with her family in exchange for feed, space, veterinary treatment and everything else that comes with raising a show string of dairy cattle.
Early on Carrie's parents let her know that she was welcome to pursue a college education wherever she wanted, but she was going to have to find a way to pay for it herself. She decided that she did not want to go into debt to get her education, so she had to find a way to afford the costs. Also, she decided that college was going to be her best opportunity to live somewhere else and have a different experience than what she had always known in Ohio. It was not that she didn't like Ohio. Actually, she knew that she was going to spend her life in Ohio, but she thought it would be good to have one different experience during her life, and the best opportunity would be during college. However, this created the challenge of non-resident tuition.
Knowing this was coming, Carrie got busy during high school. She took as many dual credit courses as she could, all for free. When she graduated she had 30 credits, or her entire freshman year, completed. At the beginning of her senior year of high school she began looking for scholarships. She did not allow herself to indulge in imposter syndrome. She applied for everything, even the scholarships that she thought she might not be qualified for.....and she received several.
Mostly coming from her local community, Carrie set off to Oklahoma State University late in the summer of 2022 with one year of college already completed and scholarships that would pay for the next three semesters. That left Carrie with only three semesters to pay for. She is already on the hunt for more scholarships to get her the rest of the way, and she is going to live in school housing on the school farm for a very reasonable rate to take care of that expense. It can be done everyone!
Tip Of The Week
Be skeptical of outrageous stories and do a little checking
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://original.newsbreak.com/@yanasa-tv-1592052/2888279621257-cattle-mysteriously-die-or-go-missing-stumping-investigators
https://ksltv.com/517786/owner-deputies-fear-7-young-horses-were-stolen-outside-of-elberta/
https://news.yahoo.com/sheriff-officials-conduct-livestock-road-194737726.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/opinion/contributors/2023/01/12/we-all-pay-for-grocery-theft.html
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/dudley/sedgley/2023/01/12/search-on-to-find-culprits-for-stolen-trailer/
https://www.agriland.co.uk/farming-news/lincolnshire-police-appeal-for-information-on-farm-burglary/
https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/crime/nfu-warns-of-scammers-claiming-to-be-energy-company
Africa
http://www.times.co.sz/news/138392-theft-suspect-whipped-with-siswebhu-dies.html
https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/police-arrest-six-for-limpopo-game-farm-robbery-confiscate-ammunition-guns-and-cash-20230112
https://www.citizen.co.za/witness/news/bishopstowe-farmer-shot/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/wisconsin-woman-accused-poisoning-vet-husband-with-euthanasia-drugs/2CLFM32TINDKXOIGVKF5PWTXRA/
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Oregon-OKs-killing-2-wolves-in-new-pack-after-17714419.php
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Darrell Anderson is a career, agricultural broadcaster. He left his families farm after high school for college, and during college discovered his interest in broadcasting. This led Darrell in several different directions. Today, after a career's worth of the radio business Darrell is working as an independent agricultural broadcaster. He hosts a syndicated, 90 second show, called Farm To Fork that is played on stations all around the country, five days per week.
In today's episode Darrell will retrace his journey to where he is at today. And, we we will talk about how a young person who wants to be an agricultural broadcaster can start their own, independent show in the way that Darrell has, today.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am speaking with a gentleman who has a career's worth of experience in farm radio, radio in general and in creating a syndicated radio program. This took me all the way back to episode #36 for our re-cap episode when I profiled John Harrer who was beginning The Whoa Podcast, and we talked about building this type of broadcasting business.
Ethan Meissner is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Agricultural Processing. Since his 8th grade year Ethan has been working at a local meat locker near Marshfield, Wisconsin. He started out doing carry outs, cleaning coolers and any other small jobs that needed to be done. But over time the business and Ethan both evolved and changed. Today, the locker specializes in making sausages and hot dogs, pretty much anything that is ground and then stuffed into a casing. Ethan has become much more proficient and knowledgeable in running machinery and really the whole operation. This ultimately led his boss to trust him enough to take a day off on the weekends and leave Ethan in charge.
Today Ethan is studying agricultural engineering at the University Of Wisconsin at River Falls. He actually started out at another university studying just mechanical engineering. However, he missed agriculture and transferred so that Ag could be part of the emphasis of his major. On the weekends and during breaks from school Ethan returns home and works at the meat locker. For the summer he has his eye on some internships so that he can explore this career field even further.
On today's farm update show I want to inspire you on your journey in pursuit of your new lifestyle!
Trenton Jones is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Diversified Horticulture. He is also a former chapter, regional and state officer in Missouri. Trenton is currently in his junior year of college at Northwest Missouri State University where he is majoring in Agricultural Media, and he says that he finds himself leaning towards broadcast media at the moment.
Trenton's supervised agricultural experience and business began when he and a friend decided they would raise some plants and sell to friends and family. Eventually, they went down divergent paths. Trenton decided that he wanted to grow the business and get more serious about it, and the friend kind of faded out of it. This led to Trenton taking a job in the industry so he could learn more about the business. This eventually led to business opportunities for Trenton, filling opportunities that the business he was working for did not fill. This led to Trenton's business, "Trent's Tropicals", which he closed down last January because of how busy he had become as a state officer. However, Trenton says that "Trent's Tropicals" might make a comeback. He is finishing college for now, but that idea is still within the realm of possibilities.
Tip Of The Week
Brand your cattle, especially if they aren’t close to home
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.drovers.com/news/industry/top-10-scandals-seen-cattle-industry-2022
https://www.thefencepost.com/news/cattle-missing-from-baca-county-colo/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://globalnews.ca/news/9385037/rural-robbery-redwater-new-years-day/
https://www.rsnonline.org.uk/countryside-riders-targeted-by-bike-thieves-amid-record-lows-in-police-detection-rates
https://www.southernstar.ie/news/pedigree-angus-bull-and-four-in-calf-cows-stolen-4254875
Africa
https://www.chronicle.co.zw/five-men-nabbed-for-stealing-35-cattle/
https://www.mmegi.bw/news/jwaneng-police-concerned-by-rising-stock-theft-cases/news
https://www.the-star.co.ke/counties/rift-valley/2023-01-02-two-sisters-killed-by-bandits-amid-prayers-for-peace/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.thegeorgiavirtue.com/georgia-crime/owner-of-farm-labor-company-sentenced-to-prison-for-leading-multi-state-conspiracy-involving-forced-labor-of-farm-workers/
https://www.kwch.com/2022/12/08/kansas-cowboys-help-recover-cattle-after-semi-overturns-highway-50/
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Farm Link is a program in Nebraska that strives to match up retiring farmers and ranchers with new and beginning farmers and ranchers that are looking for an operation to take over. The obstacles of entry into farming and ranching are very high, making it difficult for a newcomer to get started. At the same time there are retiring farmers and ranchers that want to see their land support another family the way that it did theirs, and they are willing to work with a young person to make this happen.
Allan Vyhnalek is an extension educator for the University Of Nebraska at Lincoln, and he started the Nebraska Farm Link Program in January of 2021. In today's episode we will discuss how it works, options for transition plans and some of the things he sees that are holding new and beginning farmers back from taking full advantage of this resource.
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On tomorrow's ag business episode we are looking at the concept of farm transition again. It has been several years since I have done this, but it is a topic that we should keep front of mind because it is a valid way to begin farming or ranching. Back in 2017 I interviewed a young man who was a National Proficiency Finalist and a sophomore in college. He was raising his own cattle and working for a neighbor on his ranch, and that neighbor was ready to retire. The neighbor did not have a family member who wanted to farm the ground, and he was transitioning the operation to my guest, Stetson Dittmar. On today's show we will revisit that conversation.
Jay McClure is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Forage Production. This is the result of Jay's efforts on his families farm taking over responsibility for hay production under several center pivots. Jay is now a full-time farmer and has chosen this path as his career for the rest of his life.
Jay is faced with a unique problem. The family farm has been in the family for over 100 years, and during that time it has grown more and more reliant on irrigation. Jay and his family pump water from the Ogallala Aquifer, which is running out of water. Jay believes that the farm will not run out of water before his father retires, however he does believe that the aquifer will be exhausted before he is ready to retire. So, in addition to the everyday challenges of production agriculture, Jay is faced with what to do when the time comes and how to continue an over 100 year tradition in face of losing a precious resource.
On today's farm update show, let's talk about my goals for 2023, including:
- Be better at gopher control
- More frequent pasture rotations
- Sell sweet corn in a road side stand
- Start a working dog
- Become more of a vagabond on Idaho’s back roads
- Graze goats on our canal more
- Start a couple of pack goats
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Will Sherman is a 2022 National Proficiency Finalist in the category of Ag Processing. He has been cutting meat at Mound City Butcher Block in LaCygne, Kansas since he was 14 years of age. At age 18, just months after graduating high school he is already managing the shop. Will takes a lot of satisfaction from cutting meat. He sees it as a way to serve his community by preparing their meat for them, whether it be livestock or wild game.
Will is still deciding whether or not college serves his purposes, but he is sure that butchering is part of his future. He wants to eventually own his own shop, whether that means purchasing Mound City Butcher Block or starting from scratch. If he does attend college, his education will be geared towards making him a better business manager and butcher in his chosen profession.
Hattie Brechwald is a chapter sentinel at Kuna High School, has just started her own herd of goats, is a district winner in two welding methods and is my daughter. Traditionally, Autumm, Hattie and I record a year end episode for New Years. However, this year Autumm is sick and is in no shape to be a guest on the show, so it is just Hattie and I. I have been waiting for Hattie to get far enough along in her FFA journey to be a guest on the show, so I can profile her FFA accomplishments for all of you. About three months ago I realized that she had reached that point. Since then, I have been looking for the right time.
Well, it turns out that this year's New Years Episode is exactly the right time. I completely caught Hattie off guard with this. She was working this afternoon and then went to visit her grandparents. When she walked in the door, I told her that tonight was the night. So, her interview is totally extemporaneous. We literally recorded it about five minutes after she found that we would be featuring her. I think she knocked it out of the park, and I am proud she did so well with no time to prepare and no advantages just because her dad is the host!
Jana Earp is the Advertising and Partnership Manager at Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association in Fort Worth, Texas. The TSCRA began as a conglomerate of ranchers in Texas that banded together to stop cattle rustling in 1880. Since the this group has evolved, officially becoming the TSCRA in 1921. It's mission also evolved and turned from being focused on catching cattle rustlers to helping people succeed not just in raising cattle but in all aspects of agriculture.
This episode was originally going to be aired as a rural crime episode. However, it also evolved. The TSCRA does so much to help people from anywhere in the country to succeed in agriculture that this interview felt more like an ag business episode. So today, Jana will introduce the TSCRA to all of you and let you know exactly how this organization can help you succeed in agriculture.
Because of the holidays and the way they fell this year, I am not producing a rural crime episode this week. However, on tomorrow's ag business episode I am doing a show all about the Texas And Southwestern Rural Cattle Association, which I was introduced to through hosting this rural crime episode. So, for today's re-cap episode I thought it made sense to go back and revisit a rural crime interview that I had been able to do. This interview with Debi Metcalf of Net Posse made a lot of sense as there is significant overlap between what her organization does and what the TSCRA does. So, I'm bringing it back for you today.
Ty Steffen is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Diversified Crop Production. On his families property and on leased property in his hometown of Newark, Illinois he grows 4 acres of pumpkins, a 1/2 acre of broom corn and gourds as well as a large vegetable garden. Using honor system stands Ty markets his broom corn, gourds and pumpkins as decorative produce every fall.
There is an interesting twist to Ty's story. During his 9th Grade year he noticed some city land adjacent to a park that was going unused. Ty actually went to a board meeting for his village and requested to lease that ground to farm on. That lease was approved, and he obtained two acres, right in town to grow his crops. Ty is interested in continuing his business and remaining an entrepreneur after high school and college.
A quick farm update on a "kind of" week off between Christmas and New Years. This one has it all: goats, freezing rain and more....
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Hanna Schmidt is a junior at Mullhall-Orlando High School and the secretary of her FFA Chapter. She also has a business removing invasive cedar trees from the pastures and fields of the people in her community. In today's episode Hanna explains that the research she has done has indicated that cedar trees rob a lot of soil moisture from the grasslands, and their removal can result in higher carrying capacities for the property owners that she serves.
Doland FFA Avery Miles - Chapter President of the Doland FFA Chapter in Doland, South Dakota
Starting this year the Doland FFA Chapter decorated the town's park on Main Street for Christmas. The emphasis is on lights, but there is also a beautifully lit up FFA logo at the front of the display tying the community, Christmas and the local chapter all together. This project began with a $500 grant that was received from the South Dakota FFA Association, and it was quickly matched the Doland FFA Alumi Association. This is Avery's final year at Doland High School, but she believes that this will be come a tradition and will continue to grow in size and scope.
Southern Guilford FFA Hannah Barnes - Chapter President of the Southern Guilford FFA Chapter in Greensboro, North Carolina
For the past four years the Southern Guilford FFA Chapter has been conducting a toy drive, beginning in mid-November, to collect toys for children in their community that can be given to them as gifts on Christmas Day. The effort is now split into a whole chapter drive and an additional drive involving the just the officer team. The chapter is partnered with the U.S. Marine Corps through their Toys For Tots program, and all of the toys are handed over to them for distribution.
In this interview Hannah highlights one of her fellow chapter members that, in spite of the $5 spending limit, donated over $250 worth of toys to the event. The generosity of this student and the entire chapter is very heart warming.
Raft River FFA Jessi Knudsen - Vice President of the Raft River FFA Chapter in Malta, Idaho
What began with a canned food drive has now grown into a full blown gift giving extravaganza for the community in and around Malta, Idaho. As the Raft River FFA Chapter has continued to give to their community during Christmas anonymous donors from the community have joined in, giving money to the cause so that more can be bought and the joy of the season can be spread to even more people.
Sleepy Eye FFA Adam Johnson - Chapter President of the Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota
The Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter participates in a backpack food program, and this year for Christmas they are putting together "Holiday Boxes" for folks needing some help in their community. They are making "tie blankets" as a chapter and giving those away in addition some food, an ornament and personal care items.
Lumberton FFA Kamryn McInnis - Chapter President of the Lumberton FFA Chapter in Lumberton, North Carolina
"Share The Warmth" Project - the chapter used the proceeds from their poinsettia sale to purchase coats for kids identified by social services in their county. 52 coats were purchased and donated to children in the area.
Ripley FFA Riley Knotts - Chapter Vice-President Of The Ripley FFA Chapter in Ripley, West Virginia
Riley and his fellow chapters members are supporting the "Jackson County Hunting Heroes" program by butchering deer for the veterans who have gone out on the hunts and filled their tags. The Ripley FFA Chapter has been participating in this program for quite some time, and their involvement continues to develop. In this interview Riley talks about the veterans and holds in the high regard that they deserve.
Gracee Poorman has overcome a lot in her life, and dealing with the difficult challenges of overcoming obstacles is probably what attracts her to agriculture. She did not grow up in agriculture, but through a series of twists and turns she found herself working in a commercial hog barn. She also found many people skeptical about her ability to put in the work and be successful working in that environment, and that drove her to prove them wrong.....which she did!
Today Gracee is married and living and working on the family farm that has been in her husband's family for two centuries. She is what I would describe as a serial entrepreneur. Gracee is running several businesses including photography, pressure washing, agricultural consulting and public speaking. She keeps herself very busy with different streams of revenue as well as working on her families farm. In this episode, we will get a glimpse into what drives her.
Dresen Ferschweiler is a really incredible entrepreneur and has what I call "The Entrepreneur's Attribute. She was first on the show in 2021 talking about how she recognized shortcomings in sheep halters and decided to do something about it, very early on in high school. I have since met her, her family and her fellow chapter members at the National FFA Convention. Dresen is the epitome of an entrepreneur, and she is a great compliment to the guest I have coming on the show tomorrow. So, Dresen's episode was perfect for today's re-cap show.
Blake Moore is a 2022 National Proficiency Finalist in the category of Agricultural Mechanics and Repair. Starting on his uncle's farm somewhere around 6th grade Blake quickly found his curiosity piqued when he was in the shop around the tractors, feed trucks and pickups. Soon, he was working on engines and demonstrating aptitude.
6th Grade was also the very first year of his school's middle school FFA chapter. Always seeing his father's blue jacket hanging in the closet, Blake knew he wanted one of those. So, he signed up for the FFA and became very active, only to have his activity level wane just a bit going into his 8th and 9th grade years. However, one of Blake's advisors saw what he was doing mechanically and how much talent he had there, and encouraged him to start filling out paperwork for a regional proficiency award. One thing led to another, and Blake just kept winning! This propelled him all the way to the big stage this year as a National Proficiency Finalist!
Hi everyone. We have a farm update for you today and some more weather talk. Yes, I love the weather and I love interesting weather. We seem to have that in abundance right now, and I talk all about it in today's Tuesday Episode.
Halle Miller is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Small Animal Production & Care. She is also a junior at the University Of Akron in Ohio studying marketing and sales. Halle was previously a guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2021 on episode #1063 as she was preparing to graduate high school. At that point in time she was planning on becoming a nurse, but during that very spring her participation on the sales and marketing team through the FFA lit her fire for this industry, and she is pursuing this at college now.
Thanks to a strong work ethic and dual credit classes Halle is already classified as a junior in college, despite this just being her third semester since graduating. During high school she was able to complete 46 college credits that she took with her to Akron. Today she is still operating her dog breeding business, Borders Of Eby Eden with help from her entire family. And of course, her overcoming a dog phobia that began at age 6 remains a large part of her story.
Tip Of The Week
Get involved and create a community
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.bainbridgereview.com/news/3-break-in-to-bay-hay-and-feed-on-bi/
https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/12/police-shortage-california-rural-departments/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/llama-dead-two-others-injured-7930026
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/herd-14-cows-stolen-anglesey-25747562
https://www.police.sa.gov.au/sa-police-news-assets/murray-mallee-local-service-area/theft-from-rural-properties-murray-mallee#.Y5t4Ki-B2J8
Africa
https://www.citizen.co.za/witness/news/stolen-meat-suspect-shot-dead/
https://comarochronicle.co.za/276522/local-farmers-in-awe-amid-alarming-discovery/
https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/minister-asks-security-personnel-to-protect-vanilla-crop-from-thieves-4054556
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.kimt.com/news/freeborn-county-man-pleads-guilty-to-theft-chase-in-north-iowa/article_d536e794-7be4-11ed-b72a-9b237050cb62.html
https://muddyrivernews.com/noteworthy/auburn-ill-man-arrested-after-six-week-investigation-into-theft-from-farm-implement-dealer-in-pike-county/20221212141749/
https://tscra.org/volunteer-fire-departments-receive-funding-from-the-texas-and-southwestern-cattle-raisers-association-disaster-relief-fund/
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Lance Irving is the program director for the Leopold Conservation Award which is presented to one farmer in each of 25 participating states. The award comes after a farmer has been nominated for the conversation practices on their farm that are both financially sound and environmentally beneficial. The award is facilitated and presented by the Sand County Foundation, which is named after Aldo Leopold's watershed book titled "A Sand County Almanac" which was released in 1949.
On today's episode Lance will speak with us about the award, the work of the Sand County Foundation, working for a foundation and his journey that led him into this position. We will also discuss trends that he is seeing in agriculture and the use of conversation practices and the philosophy of the Sand County Foundation on educating people about this way of farming.
On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am profiling the Leopold Conservation Award that is given out by the Sand County Foundation each year to one farmer in 25 states. The Sand County Foundation has a significant tie to Wisconsin and, of course, Aldo Leopold. Whenever I think of old time Wisconsin, I immediately thing of Jerry Apps and his great story telling ability. So, on today's re-cap episode I thought it would be great to revisit the second interview I ever did with Jerry.
Arturo Madriz is a 2022 National Proficiency Finalist in the category of Agricultural Mechanics and Repair. He is also a senior at Madera South High School in California, and has a big time job in his father's trucking company. Just this year Arturo started going out on his own to repair damaged or broken down semis from the families business. He has driven up to 3 hours to take care of a truck that was broke down on the side of the road.
Madera sits right on California State Highway 99, which has more north/south truck traffic than any roadway, including interstates, in the United States. It is narrow and busy with vehicles traveling at a high rate of speed. Arturo had to replace two trailer tires on this roadway this summer. This is dangerous and stressful work. And, he doesn't just switch out wheels. He breaks the bead off of the damaged tire and re-seats a new tire on to the existing wheel.
To further help the family business, which his father started years ago after emigrating from Mexico, Arturo is planning on going to a diesel mechanic program after high school. One of the biggest expenses the business has is paying for expert diesel mechanic work, and Arturo plans to learn what he needs so that they can reduce that expense.
The last piece of media I took in last night before bed was the weather report. My favorite meteorologist predicted that the rain we were receiving would turn to snow over night but that little to no accumulation would occur. She did give the caveat that if snow were to stick it would have to be from a very fast and heavy snowfall, which was very unlikely.
The first thing I heard this morning was my wife on the telephone receiving a call notifying her that her school district was taking a snow day today because of the heavy snowfall over night and the horrible road conditions! I went outside to feed and found four inches of very wet and heavy snow. And for a weather dork like me, that is a very happy surprise!
Willie Schoonover is a junior at Mulhall-Orlando High School in Orlando, Oklahoma and he is the treasurer in their FFA Chapter. He is also the son of two veterinarians and moving quickly towards that same career pathway. Willie and his younger brother raise goats, cattle, pigs and sheep on their Oklahoma farm, and this is giving them great experience for their futures, as Willie told me that his brother is also interested in veterinary work.
Willie currently has his sights set on Oklahoma State University in two years, after he graduates high school. However, he has a dream of doing veterinary work with buffalo in Montana, outside of Yellowstone National Park. Maybe he can be persuaded to seek his bachelor's degree in Bozeman and hang a blue Montana State University flag up as well.
Tip Of The Week
Learn what a reactionary gap is and how to maintain one.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
Are the folks in this audience more susceptible to being defrauded of money? Well.....Perhaps.
Anytime that you have a goal that involves a lot of money, and it is difficult or next to impossible to figure out how you will obtain the money needed to reach the goal you become more susceptible to being scammed. Then you see a success story like this one and start thinking that the only way you will find success is by getting WAY OUTSIDE THE BOX like this young man did: https://www.agweb.com/news/business/farmland/young-farmer-makes-history-uses-video-games-and-youtube-buy-18m-land
So, in today's episode I want to take a minute to point out a scam that is currently underway. This is not necessarily a specifically rural crime, but if you are trying to find a way to create the capital needed to purchase your farm, you might stumble across these people while you are searching. Of course, they would be more than happy to take your money and disappear, even if you don't live in an urban environment and are not one of their traditional victims.
I've said many times that in order to succeed in our entrepreneurial journeys we may need to leave agriculture to obtain something (expertise, training, money, etc.) and then bring it back to agriculture for the lifestyle that we are seeking. But this is not what I meant!
https://sfstandard.com/criminal-justice/bay-area-people-lost-6-8m-to-scammers-this-year-already-as-pig-butchering-rises/
https://www.orangeleader.com/2022/12/07/video-can-you-identify-this-man-who-stole-from-tractor-supply/
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/wisconsin/articles/2022-12-07/state-files-criminal-charges-against-wisconsin-dairy-farm
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/two-old-lags-caught-secret-060000256.html
https://www.stourbridgenews.co.uk/news/23173977.stourbridge-farmer-hit-theft-60-sheep/
https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/25-lambs-stolen-from-cambridgeshire-farms-police-say-some-w-9288281/
https://www.farminguk.com/news/livestock-theft-could-ruin-livelihoods-insurance-expert-warns_61702.html
Africa
https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/news/two-suspected-cattle-thieves-lynched-in-kaber-149174
https://neweralive.na/posts/otjozondjupa-omaheke-stock-theft-hotbeds-750-cases-reported-countrywide-in-10-months
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.kpvi.com/news/national_news/2-men-arrested-on-possession-of-stolen-property-say-police/article_180bf112-11fa-5d48-89d9-6a4ef502b1ef.html
https://www.bctribune.com/news/deputies-recover-stolen-tractor-side-side
https://www.wbiw.com/2022/12/07/man-arrested-while-driving-on-the-flat-tire-of-a-stolen-grain-truck/
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/nation-world/national/article269719656.html
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Jenn & Phil Tomkins (Homestead Jenn & Phil) are the creators of "Rent The Chicken", an affiliate business that is helping farmers across the U.S. and Canada to create extra revenue and support their farming lifestyle. They are also helping prospective entrepreneurs to get experience running their own businesses and gain the courage to really go out on their own.
Phil & Jenn are based in Western Pennsylvania, but they have affiliates spread far and wide. They are also growing knowledge about agriculture by creating an easy way for non-farmers to get exposure to raising their own chickens and collecting their own eggs. Jenn & Phil first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2015 on episode #30, and today they are back to update us on the growth of their business and how they have sustained their transition to being full-time entrepreneurs.
On tomorrow's ag business episode I am catching up with Jenn and Phil Tompkins of "Rent The Chicken". They first appeared on the show in 2015 on episode #30. Their business is still going strong, and they are both full-time entrepreneurs in agriculture.
For today's re-cap episode I wanted to provide you with their very appearance on the show.
Peyton Parks is a junior at Topsail High School in Hampstead, North Carolina. She is also a third year member in the Topsail FFA Chapter and she has an eye for entrepreneurship. Peyton has been riding and caring for horses for several years. She has been pet sitting for neighbors for about three years now, including people with horses, and she finds herself very attracted to entrepreneurship.
This has led Peyton to make efforts to grow her business through postings on neighborhood apps that she knows people in her community use. She has found ways to make her self standout on those apps, and she is seeing results in calls for service. In her free time Peyton has her business on her mind, and this has led her to explore many of the different pet sitting apps that already exist. Peyton believes that she can build a better pet sitting app, and she outlines what she believes should be part of the app in this episode.
It is that time of year when we have successfully raised a calf crop to finishing weights and deliver them to the butcher. However, the timing of this trip factoring in the weather and traffic is always an interesting part of our story. And of course, it can be a little bit bitter-sweet to have these livestock that we have known for so long fulfill their life purpose. However, it is ultimately a very good day.
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Levi Smuin is a 2022 National Proficiency Finalist in the category of Ag Mechanics Repair & Maintenance, and is also from my home state of Idaho! Levi began his journey in the FFA during his sophomore year in high school. About one year prior to that he had started working for Rounds Farms & Trucking in Rigby, Idaho. This has led to a progression of responsibility on the farm and in the trucking business, and it was a natural fit for his placement SAE.
During our interview Levi talked about how important writing the narratives on his proficiency applications were. When I asked him more about that he talked about the method he used, which was a peer review type method with his fellow FFA students. He would write something, and then he would have his writing assessed by his classmates. When they finished preparing the narrative his advisors would look it over and possibly make suggestions. Then the process would start over again. I really liked this approach, as you can see that every member in that chapter has a little part in Levi becoming a National Proficiency Finalist!
Tip Of The Week
Getting physically involved is a rational choice decision too
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20221121
https://www.valleycentral.com/news/local-news/alleged-edinburg-cattle-thief-wanted-after-missing-court-date-records-show/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/23149371.police-launch-investigation-dog-thefts-herefordshire/
https://www.northerndailyleader.com.au/story/7994057/bonsai-worth-15k-stolen-from-vic-nursery/
https://www.independent.ie/regionals/kerryman/news/fury-in-kerry-after-widow-farmers-herd-hit-by-cattle-rustlers-42182507.html
Africa
https://www.foodformzansi.co.za/how-to-put-the-cherry-on-top-of-your-production/
https://humanglemedia.com/cameroon-army-sets-up-new-bases-to-face-growing-boko-haram-activity/
https://www.kbc.co.ke/news/local-news/article/33589/police-to-get-more-firepower-ppes-in-counter-banditry-plan
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/27659-30-000-of-chicken-stolen-from-perdue-farms
https://www.foxnews.com/us/alabama-tractor-supply-customers-thwart-alleged-shoplifters-open-fire-getaway-cars-tires
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Nick Tsiolis is the founder of Farmer's Keeper, a grain merchandising company in Chicago. Nick and his team provide grain merchandising advice and assistance to farmers of all sizes, and they are especially helpful to those farmers on the bubble who are thinking about marketing some or all of their grain in the futures markets.
I like to say that I can podcast about agriculture because I know a little about a lot. However, futures and the marketing of grain has always been a blind spot for me, so I was eager to speak with Nick and to learn more about how this is done.
On tomorrow's show we are getting an education on grain marketing. The first thing I thought of when considering a re-cap episode was this interview with Jake Fanning. He was well ahead of his age when it came to hedging through the commodities market, and today I want to bring this back to you.
Lila Wantland is a 2022 National Proficiency Finalist, a former chapter and area officer and a second time guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast. Lisa first appeared on the show in episode #1393 in May of 2022, and little did either of us know at that point that she would become a National Proficiency Finalist this year. On today's show Lila joins us from her dorm room at Oklahoma State University, where she is studying animal science. I wanted to have her back on the show to congratulate her on the incredible accomplishment.
We did something very different for Thanksgiving this year. We took a trip to Moab, Utah and spent the holiday with friends, rather than family. We then returned to a snowy farm to kick off the Christmas season!
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Will Harman is a 2022 National Proficiency Finalist in the category of Beef Production. Will farms with his family in Northwest Indiana where they grow corn and soybeans as well as raise cattle. The families cattle herd began with show animals for 4H, but as time went on and Will and his brother Ben were showing less, it turned into a direct marketing beef business.
Will's older brother Ben was a guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2018 in episode #518. Today he is a senior in college, and Will is in his first semester of college. Will is studying agricultural business with a minor in animal science at Purdue. He is looking forward to a future of returning to the family farm, if that is possible. He joked in the interview that if he does that he will have to learn to drive a semi and become a "super trucker". Ben is also interested in becoming a butcher, and he is currently doing everything he can to get exposure to that profession.
Tip Of The Week
Horrifically evil and violent crimes exist today, and they have always been with us.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.nydailynews.com/true-crime-justice-story/ny-thanksgiving-eve-murders-20221119-skj6nxxqvndlddaeosnhc2isca-story.html
https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/crime/vandals-destroy-irrigation-system-at-jacksonville-farm/77-5d3e0134-60d5-4b83-837f-67d78158702f
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/farm-thefts-what-you-can-do-to-protect-yourself/
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/newsbirmingham/poachers-armed-with-air-rifles-arrested-in-village-during-police-sting/ar-AA14k0ku
https://www.farminguk.com/news/dog-kills-seven-sheep-and-injures-dozens-in-north-wales-attack_61571.html
Africa
https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/cattle-farmers-in-nkomazi-fearful-after-30-cattle-are-stolen/
https://newsghana.com.gh/cameroon-deploys-troops-to-secure-border-with-chad-and-car/
https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/82083-mob-lynches-suspected-thieves-burn-vehicle
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.kltv.com/video/2022/11/19/man-survives-being-trapped-grain-bin/
https://www.farminguk.com/news/men-who-raided-13-farms-for-tractor-gps-kits-given-prison-sentence_61552.html
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Pete Curran began his career in agriculture at age 55 after a job loss. He began working in seed sales and started meeting farmers. This lit him on fire about agriculture, farming operations and farmers. Soon, he was doing something unconventional, asking farmers if he could take photographs of them. This led to a collection of photos and ultimately his book, "When I Listened To A Farmer".
I discovered Pete through social media, and he sent me a copy of his book. The photographs that he has been able to capture with just an iPhone are fantastic, and he clearly has an eye for telling a story through a lens. The writing style in the book is unique and makes you think. As Pete explains it, this is exactly how he communicates, and it works.
I have a ton of gratitude for all of you, and thank you so much for being in this audience. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Justin Duenke is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Diversified Agriculture. Growing up farming on a row crop operation, his family decided to add cattle to the farm when he was 9 years old. During a bad drought and seeing very poor corn out in the field, Justin's father made the decision to chop the corn for silage rather than try to sell it, and to feed it to their cattle. The only problem was that they did not have cattle, but they remedied that by purchase approximately 100 bred heifers.
Since that time they have stuck with the cattle, partially as a continuing hedge against a situation like this in the future and partially because Justin and his brother found their farming passion came from working with the livestock. Today they raise horses and cattle, grow soybeans and corn and are now experimenting with forage sorghum and rye as cover crops.
Justin is currently a sophomore at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Missouri. He is studying agricultural science but which eventually focus on nutrition. Justin wants to have the knowledge that will allow him to bring nutritional expertise back to the farm and to develop rations and methods to better feed their cattle.
Happy Thanksgiving Week to all of you! On today's solo episode, I want to take some time to thank our great sponsors!
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Annamarie Stone is a 2022 National Proficiency Finalist in the category of diversified livestock production. She is also a Missouri State Officer and three time guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast. On today's episode Annamarie comes back on the show so I can property congratulate her on being a national proficiency finalist and being a state officer. All of us here at the Off-Farm Income Podcast are very proud of what Annamarie has been doing.
Tip Of The Week
The more exotic the animal, the higher the risk?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.ksal.com/flatbed-stolen-with-1-2-of-a-hay-bale/
https://www.webstercountycitizen.com/opinion/article_fb4be72a-653e-11ed-a71f-0ba7e2e22c77.html
https://www.fox5vegas.com/2022/11/16/some-10000-mink-loose-missing-after-vandalism-rural-farm/
https://www.nola.com/news/northshore/two-accused-of-killing-stealing-deer-in-washington-parish/article_f30ee776-0677-50e4-8820-02f23b7267f4.html
https://www.tristatehomepage.com/news/have-ewe-seen-this-sheep-illinois-boys-1st-4-h-project-stolen/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-63649938
https://www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/news/maidenhead/181734/police-recover-more-than-1-million-worth-of-tools-stolen-during-rural-crime.html
Africa
https://allafrica.com/stories/202211160392.html
https://issafrica.org/iss-today/no-silver-bullet-to-stop-cattle-rustling-in-east-africa
https://solacebase.com/troops-kill-dreaded-bandit-leader-kachalla-gudau/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/coastal-farm-store-burglars-receive-6-and-10-year-sentences/
https://www.sctonline.net/state-slideshows-press-releases/mdac-ag-theft-investigation-stolen-airplane-engine-leads-recovery-6373be1461843
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/delays-continue-in-case-of-activists-who-removed-chickens-from-local-poultr/?ref=recent
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Ross Cady is a territory manager for Corteva Agriscience in South Central Minnesota. Ross first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast 7.5 years ago in 2015 on episode #27. He was one of the first ever FFA students featured on the show. Since then he completed high school, was an Illinois State Star Finalist, graduated from Iowa State University and found the job that he had always been imagining with Corteva Agriscience.
In today's episode Ross and I catch up on 7.5 years of life, we discuss the four internships he did during college and how they helped shape him, and we discuss how he identified the career position he wanted and then reverse engineered the pathway to obtaining that job - which he did!
Ross Cady was first a guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2017 on Episode #027. He is appearing on the show again on tomorrow's Ag Business Episode, seven years later. He is now a college graduate and has just started his career as a territory sales manager for Pioneer in Southern Minnesota. I could not be more excited for him or proud to feature him on the show again. To give you an accurate before and after picture, we will replay his original episode today.
Evan Mogler is a 2022 National Proficiency Finalist in the category of Diversified Agricultural Production. He is also a senior in high school and a fantastic mechanic with plans to develop a myriad of mechanical skills from service to software, exclusively on John Deere Tractors. Currently Evan farms with his family on their 3rd generation farm in Inwood, Iowa. Evan assists the family and 40-50 farm employees with their 4,800 sows and 100,000 annual market hogs, the 6,000 head of cattle they run through their feedlot and the row crop operation that fills the 2.5 million bushels of grain storage they have on the farm.
Evan's plan after high school is study for two years, to develop his expertise on John Deere Equipment, which is exclusively what is used on the family farm. He then hopes to go to work for the John Deere Dealership his family does business with as a mechanic until the time is right for him to take over the mechanic role on the farm.
Today I was listening to a radio show, and they were commenting on a TikTok Video in which an individual stated that there is no way to live on less than $25/hour in the U.S. with current cost of living averages. This got me thinking about another topic I have touched on in the past, and that is how lucky those of us with a rural mindset are because we can live so cheaply in so many rural areas. It also got me thinking about the common refrain about college tuition being so high and outrageous student loan debt compared to the reality that I encountered at the National FFA Convention.
On today's show I want to cover these thoughts more in depth.
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Morayah Cupp is a 2022 National Proficiency Finalist in the category of e Services. She is also an Agricultural Education student at Oklahoma State University and the owner of Mo's Mobile Coops, an innovative chicken rental business outside of Imperial, Nebraska. Morayah first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2020 on episode #815. Today she is back to discuss her selection as a National Proficiency Finalist and the experience she just completed at the 95th National FFA Convention.
If you employ people, even seasonally, you should know something about domestic violence.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Hay-I-91-exit-tractor-trailer-Hartford-17558670.php
https://www.taftmidwaydriller.com/news/catalytic-converter-theft-prevention-offered-in-taft-saturday/article_6950b198-5f99-11ed-9627-8fe95efb6659.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/news/farm-fencing-vandalised-as-trailers-stolen-9283200/
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/police-probe-launched-after-life-28441134
https://www.facebook.com/groups/756119108133221/permalink/1523888154689642/
Africa
https://www.kbc.co.ke/police-net-hundreds-of-stolen-livestock-as-crackdown-on-rustling-intensifies/
https://www.thebharatexpressnews.com/police-ambushed-gang-of-20-who-set-traps-for-officers/
https://mouthpiecengr.com/2022/11/unemployed-man-jailed-9-months-for-stealing-2-goats/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.bgdailynews.com/news/bg-man-pleads-guilty-in-theft-fraud-case/article_09c240ea-8903-598e-aca5-a89a5fdd1b63.html
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/delphos-man-jailed-vehicular-assault-004500960.html
https://www.pennlive.com/crime/2022/11/domestic-dispute-led-to-shooting-rampage-that-left-4-dead-in-rural-pa-township-police.html
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James McMurtry is a songwriter, singer and musician who has been writing incredible lyrics since the 1980's and touring the country entertaining audiences ever since. I have had tickets to see James for months with a show date of October 25th for several months. I reached out to James' business manager and made the request for an interview, and James graciously said "yes". So, during the afternoon prior to the show I sat down with James in his hotel room and learned a lot about music and song writing.
Erik Dylan is a singer and songwriter who has written some of my favorite songs such as "Baseball On The Moon", which he collaborated with Luke Combs on, and "Map Dot Town". He first appeared on the show in episode #471 and was gracious enough to agree to an interview.
On tomorrow's show I am featuring another great songwriter and performer. This episode with Erik flows into tomorrow's episode very well, and I am happy to bring some great music back to the Off-Farm Income Podcast.
Cydney Stables is a 2022 National Proficiency Finalist in the category of Agricultural Sales Entrepreneurship. She achieved this by starting a floral business her junior year of high school that she calls "Flowers By Cydney". Cydney states that this was during the Covid Pandemic, and 80% of the reason she started this business was that she wanted to make people feel a bit better during very tough times.
Cydney is currently a sophomore at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa where she plays guard on the basketball team and is also a scholarship athlete on the golf team. Cydney played basketball all through high school, which led to her being recruited by Graceland Univeristy, but she did not start golfing until her senior year of high school. However, she picked up the sport so fast that she made it to state that year and Graceland also asked her to play golf for them.
There is a lot going on, on our farm, and here is a bullet list of today's topics:
- Goats are eating our cover crops - and that is good thing.
- The time has changed!
- I'm seeing an increase in demand for beef and eggs all the sudden.
- Bird shortages.
- The 2022 World Series - 20 years later.
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Trentin Doss is the owner of Doss Repairs and a 2022 National Proficiency Finalist in the category of Agricultural Mechanics Repair & Maintenance. He is a senior at East Buchanan High School in Gower, Missouri. Trentin will be heading to the National FFA Convention for the very first time this year to find out if he becomes the National Proficiency Winner. Trentin has been repairing other people's engines since he was 11 years old, and over time he has progressed into larger equipment and more sophisticated repair techniques. When Trentin finishes high school in 2023 he has his sights set on becoming an mechanical engineer and building large tractors for companies like John Deere or New Holland, etc.
Tip Of The Week
Plan ahead for potentially contentious situations
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.myarklamiss.com/crime/man-accused-of-attacking-former-catfish-farm-employees-in-mississippi/
https://www.newschannelnebraska.com/story/47616568/columbus-man-and-woman-arrested-in-connection-to-farm-building-breakin-near-stanton
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.farminguk.com/news/livestock-rustlers-steal-18-cattle-from-farm-near-wrexham_61448.html
https://www.itv.com/news/border/2022-11-03/two-men-arrested-after-quad-bikes-stolen-from-keswick-farms
Africa
https://kesq.com/news/ap-national-news/2022/11/03/nigeria-police-search-for-farm-workers-abducted-over-levies-2/
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/toilets-have-been-stolen-and-sold-in-dunoon-breaking-31-october-2022/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.dailybulletin.com/2022/10/29/man-arrested-on-suspicion-of-stealing-1000-in-hay/
https://www.gwcommonwealth.com/state-press-releases/mdac-ag-theft-investigation-leads-recovery-stolen-property-yalobusha-and-6363f4166e62b#sthash.9j19A7mX.dpbs
https://www.norfolkneradio.com/townnews/crime/two-people-arrested-on-burglary-related-charges/article_a600bfcc-5b64-11ed-88c8-33e94e583789.html
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Farmer Lee Jones is a lifelong farmer, regenerative farming expert and innovative entrepreneur. Along with his brother, Bob, Lee owns and operates his families farm on land that has been his families farm twice. Everything you need to know about how to succeed in your personal quest to farm, i.e. perseverance, entrepreneurship, vision, goal setting and valuing people is in this episode. The Jones farm has existed for over 50 years, has been auctioned off and then risen again to grow to great levels of success. The principles discussed in this interview are essential for any person who has farming as a goal in their life.
Hanna Laney sells beef direct to restaurants in the Portland, Oregon area and first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in episode #784. Today I'm bringing this episode back to highlight this method of farm business sustainability and tie in with tomorrow's ag business episode.
Gracie Minyard is a 2022 National Proficiency Finalist in the category of agricultural sales & entrepreneurship, the 2022 Georgia State Star in Agribusiness, a national delegate to the National FFA Convention and she is on the livestock judging team at Blinn College in Denham, Texas. Gracie is also an entrepreneur and the owner of Gracie's Market, which she started the summer between her 8th and 9th Grade years. Today, Gracie has two produce stands, has just started selling her own value added products and has visions of more locations and a larger business after she finishes her Agriculture Business degree in college.
We are back to the farm and the simplicity of the farm life, but for three days last week my world was a whirlwind! A greater professional honor has never been bestowed upon me, and there are so many people to thank. In today's episode I want to re-cap the experience for you.
Laura Wuebker is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Agricultural Communications, a former Ohio State FFA Officer, former farm news director, college student at Oklahoma State University and current farm broadcaster. She began her broadcasting career during high school doing the farm report for a local radio station that hires high school students for agricultural segments. This led to her discovering a passion for agricultural communications and ultimately a job with Ohio Ag Net creating pre-recorded segments. It also led Laura to a double major of agricultural communications and agricultural business.
Tip Of The Week
Sometimes nice guys do finish last….
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2022/10/21/iowa-us-bank-vp-sentenced-falsifying-farm-loan-documents-cedar-falls-monona/69580727007/
https://www.tsln.com/news/strayed-or-stolen-south-dakota-brand-board-hiring-new-investigator-and-inspecting-manager-ranchers-dont-know-if-thefts-are-being-investigated/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.limerickpost.ie/2022/10/22/garda-alert-over-limerick-farm-robberies/
https://www.limerickleader.ie/news/local-news/945700/garda-appeal-following-theft-of-horse-box-from-yard-close-to-limerick-village.html
https://www.midlands103.com/news/midlands-news/gardai-investigating-cattle-theft-in-laois/
https://www.farminglife.com/country-and-farming/machinery-worth-ps50000-stolen-in-county-armagh-including-lamborghini-190-tractor-a-daewoo-130-digger-and-herbst-low-loader-3888784
Africa
https://reviewonline.co.za/554320/a-joint-operation-leads-to-the-recovery-of-11-cattle-in-limpopo/
https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/south-africa/2022-10-23-festive-season-is-theft-season-for-stock-farmers/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/westmoreland-man-arrested-alleged-turner-102036866.html
https://www.blainecountyjournal.com/story/2022/10/12/news/two-arrested-charged-with-5-felonies-6-misdemeanors-in-blaine-county-vandalism-case/8117.html
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Jenny Schweigert is a small farmer, agricultural advocate and a very well know agricultural communicator. Jenny has also faced challenges due to Crohn's Disease that threatened her life and put her on the sidelines of her ag communications business for several months. In today's episode Jenny and I catch up and have a great conversation about meaningful agricultural advocacy and communication. Jenny first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2015 in episode #50.
On today's episode we go back into the archives to revisit a great interview with a great agricultural communicator, Lyndsey Murphy. Lyndsey first appeared on the show in 2019 when we spoke about the businesses she was building in Ohio. She has a very interesting story, and this is one that I am very proud to bring out of the archives to play for you again.
Megan Clark is a 2022 National Proficiency Finalist in Agricultural Communications. She is also competing at the National Convention in extemporaneous speaking. Her pursuit of a National Proficiency Award will be the final act in her illustrious career as part of the CAC Media Group in Iowa, and she is currently pursuing a degree in agricultural communications at Iowa State University.
Megan first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2021 at the recommendation of her advisor, and she was certainly a polished speaker then. She has never slowed down and continues to advance her speaking and communications ability.
The whole family is headed to Indianapolis this week, and on Friday at 8am EST I will be part of the FFA National Convention Session and be receiving my Honorary American Degree. I cannot tell you how much this means to me, but in today's episode I try. I also have some thanks to give out on today's show!
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Kaitlyn Hart is a 2022 American Star Finalist in the category of Agribusiness. She is also a senior at the University Of Georgia, an ambassador for the University Of Georgia College Of Agriculture and the owner of a flower business called Kait's Blossoms. Kait has been part of the FFA since her sophomore year, and she will be graduating from college with a degree in Hospitality Management in May of 2023.
Tip Of The Week
Are you being proactive to educate yourself about crime prevention?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.lancasterfarming.com/farming-news/livestock/ny-stolen-cattle-case-borders-on-dangerous-precedent-opinion/article_b9f56c76-4bc9-11ed-8ac7-bfdcb4962126.html
https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2022/10/20/waterloo-resident-accused-of-stealing-horse-mane-hair-from-stable-in-wayne-county/
https://wset.com/news/nation-world/city-breaks-up-homeless-camp-pulls-out-150-stolen-cars-tons-of-trash-live-pigs-big-four-corners-natural-area-portland-oregon-housing-crisis-damage-neighbor-george-donnerberg-park-and-rec-environmental-impact
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.northants.police.uk/news/northants/news/news/2022/october/stolen-trailer-recovered-by-rural-crime-team/
https://www.irishexaminer.com/farming/arid-40986272.html
https://www.stamfordmercury.co.uk/news/stolen-trailer-is-traced-in-less-than-24-hours-9279904/
Africa
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/560495-police-arraign-four-herdsmen-over-alleged-cattle-theft.html
https://www.namibian.com.na/117109/read/Chicken-and-goat-theft-suspects-granted-bail
https://theeagleonline.com.ng/farmer-jailed-30-days-for-stealing-goat/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.kcbd.com/2022/10/18/warrant-details-arrest-woman-charged-fatal-crash-involving-farm-tractor/
https://dothaneagle.com/community/jcfloridan/news/local/crime-and-courts/two-arrested-on-drug-firearm-charges-in-jackson-county/article_007fc8a4-4bc4-11ed-9ed2-6b539f22b665.html
https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/596544336/concordia-parish-man-arrested-for-felony-theft
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Lesley Kelly is a farmer, podcaster, author and speaker with a very personal message about mental health on farms. Growing up on her families farm in Saskatchewan, Leslie thought she was bound for the big city and things "bigger" than farming. However, as those dreams started to come to fruition she realized that she missed the farming lifestyle, and when the opportunity to farm full-time with her husband, father and brother presented itself she and her husband made the leap.
There have been many stressors throughout this journey from mother nature and the nature of farming. These have taken their toll on everyone in the family in one way or another. On today's episode Lesley will discuss her journey, why we both love Mad Men and breaking the stigma of mental health in our agricultural communities.
On today's re-cap episode we are going back to episode #912 when we spoke with fellow ag podcaster, Jason Medows. Jason is a cattle rancher in Missouri with his wife and children. His podcast, Ag State Of Mind, deals with the issues of mental health in agriculture, and in this interview we have a very candid discussion. This is a great tie in to tomorrow's ag business episode that is going to touch on a lot of the same subjects.
Cameron Pokorny is the 2022 Wisconsin State Star in Agribusiness, valedictorian of his class, a Presidential Scholar, A Coca Cola Scholar and is beginning his post-high school education at the University Of Wisconsin, Platteville as a sophomore in college because of all the dual credit courses he took in high school. Cameron is also the owner of Cam's Coop, a poultry business producing eggs and meat that donates 95% of what it produces to charity. In addition to business owner, Cameron was also his FFA Chapter's President and a seven year FFA student.
Cameron joins me on today's show for the second time since I first found out about his business and supervised agricultural experience in 2019. A lot has changed since then, and he will catch us up on all of it today.
Today is a legitimate farm update! We will cover:
- Weaning our calves and why this year all the neighbors have something say
- The progress of my cover crop experiment
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As an agricultural broadcasters I can't say that it is not intimidating to interview a student who has risen to the level of being a national proficiency finalist in ag communications, but that is just what I did in today's interview with Jordan Howell. However, I found out something during the interview that compounded this original factor.
Jordan Howell is just completing her first semester at Iowa State University. All throughout high school she had been working at a radio station and learning the ins and out of the radio business, including the market reports for agriculture. She was able to compile this into a great supervised agricultural experience and record book, and ultimately this has culminated in her being selected as a national proficiency finalist this year!
With me being a self-trained, amateur agricultural broadcaster, that was intimidating enough. However, I am also a self-trained, amateur meteorologist, and during our interview I found out that Jordan had chosen to go to college in Iowa because she is pursuing a degree in meteorology, and she though Iowa State Univeristy's program was exceptional.
I have looked into meteorology programs several time and decided that I did not have the mathematical aptitude to complete one. However, that did not stop me from asking Jordan a lot of questions about meteorology and having a very interesting conversation about....you guessed it, the weather!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Ag Communications
HIGH SCHOOL: Howells-Dodge High School; Howells, Nebraska
MASCOT: Jaguars
FFA ADVISOR: Hannah Groth
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR JORDAN HOWELL:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Howells-Dodge High School Website:
Jordan's FFA Advisor's Email Address: hgroth@hdcjags.org
Howells-Dodge High School Telephone Number: 402-693-2207
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Pay attention to the cases out on the fringe.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.salon.com/2022/10/10/activists-saved-piglets-from-a-factory-farm-have-been-acquitted_partner/
https://www.goskagit.com/news/crime/farmers-killing-of-elk-sets-off-legal-dispute/article_3b2fd2b6-467c-11ed-95c7-bf5d9bb43acc.html
https://easttexasnews.com/polk-county-news-2/3070-stolen-tractor
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.steinbachonline.com/articles/rcmp-searching-for-suspects-following-theft-of-tools-in-zhoda
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/23037536.man-jailed-hastings-burglary-dna-found-milk-carton/
https://www.farminguk.com/news/north-wales-sheep-butchered-and-another-shot-with-crossbow_61286.html
Africa
https://informante.web.na/?p=327367
https://www.defenceweb.co.za/security/civil-security/farm-attacks-and-murders-raise-concerns-on-food-security-in-addition-to-personal-safety/
https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/man-arrested-following-murder-of-young-farmer-during-robbery-on-limpopo-farm-20221010
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.wsfa.com/video/2022/10/05/alabama-farmers-donate-tons-hay-drought-stricken-texas/
http://www.westcentralsbest.com/todays_country_1057/news/arrest-made-in-livestock-theft/article_bf39bc84-496a-11ed-87fd-5b95c83407c7.html
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Karoline Rose is the founder and CEO of Cattleman U, KRose Company, and The Rancher's Daughter. Her mission is to show ranchers - specifically ranch women - how valuable their creative side is on the ranch. She believes empowering women on the operation is the best way to ensure the operation continues on for the next generation, and that is what she and her team strive to do. Watching women strive for and achieve personal and professional growth on their ranch lights her up.
Karoline first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast seven years ago as she was beginning this journey. Today we get caught up. It is amazing how far she has come in under ten years.
On tomorrow's ag business episode we are catching up with previous guest, Karoline Rose. I first had Karoline on the show in 2015, and she was doing amazing things then. However, her progress and everything that she is doing in the world of cattle marketing and cattle raising is really astonishing. The growth of her multiple enterprises is coming along at an astonishing rate. I am going to replay her original interview today so you can compare it to the new interview I did with her tomorrow.
Being a small farmer and constantly needing to fix things and problem solve for equipment that I need but that is not manufactured, I find myself really jealous of those people with great mechanical aptitude. Today's guest is not only one of those people, but he is also the 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Ag Mechanics Design & Fabrication.
Levi Marlatt has been working out in his dad's shop ever since he can remember, and at some point he realized just how much he enjoyed machining parts and equipment. He started doing this more and more out of his own curiosity and to help his father with his high performance diesel business. When Levi wasn't out helping to raise corn and soybeans on the families Indiana farm, he found himself solving problems and discovering a very mechanical aptitude.
About the time that Levi began in the FFA and realized that he needed an SAE, his father started referring his diesel customers to Levi to machine parts for them and to reverse engineer parts that failed and improve them. Levin took to this with zeal, and through word of mouth he has created a client list of customers in 8 different states.
Today, Levi is the owner of Marlatt Machine, and he is attending college to perfect his welding skills, learn to read blueprints and get an associates degree in machining. Everything that Levi is studying is immediately applicable in the shop and in his business, and he loves it. He has a long term goal to create lightweight chassis for pulling tractors and to sell them all over the nation. Something tells me that this will happen, and this won't be the last product that Levi creates and sells.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Marlatt Machining
HIGH SCHOOL: Rushville Consolidated High School, Rushville, Indiana
MASCOT: Lions
FFA ADVISOR: Blaire Orme
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR LEVI MARLATT:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Rushville Consolidated High School website:
Levi's FFA Advisors' Email Address: ormeb@rushville.k12.in.us
Rushville Consolidated High School's Telephone Number: 765-932-4051
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and ensure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers, and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
"Because American farmers are able to provide for so many of us, they give more and more of us the freedom to pursue goals and livelihoods beyond growing the food we need to survive."
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack
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This weekend was my annual father/daughter trip to Yellowstone National Park. Man are we lucky to live so close!
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
How would you like to launch your career as a film maker in high school? Well, that is what today's guest has done, and of course there is an FFA component to his journey that has propelled him to this place as well as to being a National Proficiency Finalist!
Hayden Endicott graduated high school last spring, and he has launched directly into his chosen career as a film maker. Since the age of 10 Hayden has been making films and learning to use a camera. Over that time he has developed great skill behind the lens, directing people and seeing ideas come to fruition. This has led to his company, "Criminal Productions".
Hayden's three older brother's preceded him in the FFA and inspired him to be a member. Since that time, he has made several films for the Riverton FFA chapter and even made small, fictional films outside of his SAE. You may remember Hayden's brother, Hunter Endicott, as a guest on our show in episode #397.
One of the things that I found so compelling about Hayden's journey and his maturity is the research that he did into college and film school. His research indicated that there was nothing he would learn in college that he could not learn on his own with the availability of resources on the internet today. So, he chose not to attend college, put the tuition money into his business and spend this time developing his business and creating content.
Hayden currently has a 40 minute, agricultural movie in production and he already has a commitment from one theater to show it. He is learning not only film making but also the business of selling films, and he is trying to create a project that is profitable so he can use that to show investors that his business is worth investing in.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Criminal Productions
HIGH SCHOOL: Riverton High School FFA; Riverton, Kansas
MASCOT: Rams
FFA ADVISOR: Jacob Larison
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR HAYDEN ENDICOTT:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Riverton High School website:
Hayden's FFA Advisors' Email Addresses: jlarison@usd404.org
Riverton High School's Telephone Number: 620-848-3386
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
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Tip Of The Week
Never give up - property can be recovered and crimes can be solved years later.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2022/10/05/news/nm-supreme-court-ruling-resolves-legal-question-about-prosecuting-cattle-theft/173051.html
https://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/crime/report-horse-shot-killed-while-grazing-in-brown-county/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.humberside.police.uk/news/two-arrested-following-warrant-farm-haisthorpe
https://globalnews.ca/news/9175675/canola-theft-central-alberta-farm/
Africa
https://news.yahoo.com/tv-garden-experts-killed-fed-140404459.html
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2022-10-03-police-recover-firearms-ammunitions-in-turkana-as-war-on-bandits-intensify/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.ketk.com/news/local-news/sheriff-stolen-hay-baler-recovered-over-a-year-later/
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/oct/04/cody-easterday-who-perpetrated-244-million-ghost-c/
https://wvmetronews.com/2022/10/04/pennsylvania-brothers-charged-in-alleged-tractor-theft/
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The whole point of the Off-Farm Income Podcast is to provide you with business ideas that will help you to support your farming or ranching lifestyle through entrepreneurship. Today's guest is already doing that, just at age 22. There is a twist to Justin Miklaszewski's business. The business he created, which is exploding by the way, guarantee's his farm will sell 100% of the livestock it produces at a premier price.
Justin started direct selling cuts of meat when he was about 15 years of age. This happened not because he was trying to start a business but because he was out of freezer space with two pigs he was feeding that he was unable to sell at the state fair. He put out an ad on Facebook to sell the meat and the response he got was huge. He saw something in that opportunity and explored it. He had desired to own his own business for years already at that point, and this seemed to be a good fit.
Over the next six years he built this business up to the point that he constantly had people coming to his home to pick up meat. It was sometime after that, that he realized he needed to find a retail location, and then, just like that, the perfect spot opened up on a highly trafficked highway. That location and the large number of farmer's markets that he was participating in propelled him into a very fast growing business.
Justin competes against himself, and part of what drives him is the ability to see just what he can accomplish. Considering that he is just 22 years of age, it is going to be exciting to see where he takes this!
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On tomorrow's ag business episode I am featuring an absolute phenom of agricultural entrepreneurship who is building quite a retail business for the livestock that he raises on his farm. For today's re-cap episode I am going to take you back to an interview I conducted with David Hancock who was doing the same thing when we first spoke, and he has continued to build an unbelievable business since then.
The original show notes are below:
SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS: Do you dream of farming and being able to stay on your farm full time? Do you love to share agriculture and what you love about it with other people? Do you enjoy livestock and love to brag about the meat you produce on your own place?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then selling retail cuts of your own meat at a farmer's market or on your own place might just be the answer you are looking for.
Let's face it, my show is all about using entrepreneurship to support your farming endeavors. Even though this is what I do and what I teach, it does not mean that it is the ultimate goal. Ultimately, all of us would like to do nothing but farm. We would like to be that person who wakes up with the chickens, beds down the cows and only leaves the farm because we want to in between.
Our guest today, David Hancock, has a recipe for doing just that. No two farms or farmers are alike, and you may have more or less challenges than David has had to overcome. But one thing is for certain, he loves farming and needed to figure out a niche to achieve his dream of farming full time. He did that through selling individual cuts of meat.
David shares a wealth of information in this interview. It is practically a blue print for anyone who wants to find a way to farm full time.
CONTACT INFORMATION AND LINKS:
Facebook: LINK
Website: LINK
Telephone: 301-752-2353
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In today's episode, I finally get to the other half of the story. In my previous interviews with Case Edwards, who is an American Star Finalist this year, he has always given all the credit for his accomplishments to a classmate of his named Terrance Crayton. When Case was a sophomore and Terrance was a junior, Terrance approached his FFA advisor and suggested that their chapter have a small engine team. His advisor said, "sounds good, you put it together, teach it and run it" and Terrance did. At Terrance's suggestion this is where Case got his first exposure to small engine repair, and it has now propelled him all the way to being an American Star Finalist in the category of placement.
In and of itself, that is an amazing story, but of course there is more. Terrance is also an American Star Finalist. That is right, both he and Case, will share the stage as American Star Finalists this year at the National FFA Convention. Terrance's category is agribusiness. Since he was in the 9th grade Terrance has been repairing people's equipment and small engines for them. At first he relied on his grandfather to drive him from place to place, but eventually he saved enough of his money to purchase his own pickup which he turned into a service truck for small engine repair.
Terrance's business grew and grew with the help of word of mouth advertising as well as Facebook Marketplace. Today he is studying Ag Education at Auburn University, and this time next year he should be employed as an FFA Advisor. Terrance gives credit to his grandfather's ability to teach mechanics to him for giving him the interest in small engines. He gives credit to a typo on a class schedule that put him in an "Ag" class rather than the "Art" class that he wanted. And he gives credit to his ag teacher who kept nudging him into FFA activities until he finally totally committed and his accomplishments in the FFA really took off.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Agribusiness
HIGH SCHOOL: Wetumpka High School, Wetumpka, Alabama
MASCOT: Indians
FFA ADVISOR: William Norris
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR TERRANCE CRAYTON:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Wetumpka High School website:
Terrance's FFA Advisors' Email Address: william.norris@elmoreco.com
Wetumpka High School's Telephone Number: 334-567-1178
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and ensure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers, and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
"Because American farmers are able to provide for so many of us, they give more and more of us the freedom to pursue goals and livelihoods beyond growing the food we need to survive."
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack
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This weekend we did an experiment selling coffee from our farm on a friend's coffee trailer. I wouldn't say that we have a new business, but I was reminded how just trying something can lead to a waterfall of business ideas, and I will discuss this with you today.
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Agriculture is a large umbrella, and below that umbrella there are divisions. The fact that there are divisions does not mean that this is contentious, but it does mean that everyone in agriculture generally leans one of two ways and then gets more specialized from there. I happen to lean towards animal agriculture, and that is fueled by my passion for cattle. Today's guest leans towards crops, and he has a passion for cotton!
Peter Bliss has been farming for several years now. Starting out 30 acres of inherited ground, he has built his farming enterprise into hundreds of acres of owned and leased farm ground. He is growing cotton, wheat and almonds. Even though taking care of cotton is much more complicated than the almonds that he grows with less potential profit, that is where is passion lies.
It is so interesting to me to know that the way I feel about raising cattle and watching them graze in the field is the way that Peter feels about seeing cotton plants come up and eventually display their snowy white fiber. Really, after spending 30 minutes speaking with Peter about his farming endeavors, there is no question as to why he has been nominated as an American Star Farmer Finalist this year!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Cotton, Almond & Wheat Production
HIGH SCHOOL: Golden Valley High School, Merced, California
MASCOT: Cougars
FFA ADVISOR: Cody Jacobsen
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR PETER BLISS:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Golden Valley High School Website:
Peter's FFA Advisor's Email Address: cjacobsen@muhsd.org
Golden Valley High School Telephone Number: 209-325-2011
FFA LINKS
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and ensure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers, and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
"Because American farmers are able to provide for so many of us, they give more and more of us the freedom to pursue goals and livelihoods beyond growing the food we need to survive."
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
The “old and the new”, community and technology, can win against rural crime.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wdam.com/2022/09/26/deputies-searching-stolen-tractor-jones-co/
https://wgno.com/news/louisiana/livestock-theft-in-lasalle-parish-leads-to-arrest-of-mississippi-man/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.farminglife.com/country-and-farming/rural-thieves-targeting-farm-pick-ups-including-older-toyota-hilux-and-mitsubishi-l200-models-3858393
https://www.farms.com/ag-industry-news/sask-rcmp-warning-farmers-of-truck-thefts-016.aspx
https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/farmers-urged-to-be-vigilant-as-number-of-sheep-stolen-on-the-rise/
https://www.bordertelegraph.com/news/22641781.witness-appeal-following-theft-quad-bikes/
https://durham.police.uk/News/News-Articles/2022/September/Rural-Watch-members-thanked-after-stolen-vehicles-recovered.aspx
https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/22569871.expensive-milk-churns-stolen-bennetts-farm/
Africa
https://www.herald.co.zw/police-blitz-targets-illegal-meat-vendors/
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2022-09-27-ruto-warns-against-relief-food-theft-as-he-flags-off-aid/
https://dailytimes.com.pk/1002745/11-killed-by-cattle-rustlers-in-north-kenya/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://texasborderbusiness.com/additional-suspect-arrested-in-multimillion-dollar-burglary-case/
https://www.thetrucker.com/trucking-news/the-nation/mississippi-man-steals-truck-of-driver-who-stopped-to-help-him
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On today's episode I get to catch up with one of the first guests I ever had on the show, Pake McNally. Pake first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2015 to talk about blacksmithing and his aspirations for ranching. Today he is back and we will be talking blacksmithing, why he joined the Army at age 30, starting a family, starting over in the blacksmith world and much, much more. You are going to enjoy this interview. I sure did!
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On today's re-cap episode we are going way back into the archives, all the way to episode #18. I am going to replay an interview I did with Pake McNally over seven years ago when he had just taken over a blacksmith shop and was building that business with aspirations of having his own cattle herd. On tomorrow's ag business episode I am having him back on the show to catch up, see what's changed and get a glimpse into what his life looks like now. I thought letting you hear the "before interview" would help prepare you for the "after interview.
The original show notes are below.
If you are interested in this business don't forget your safety glasses! KEY IDEAS:
ADVICE FROM PAKE MCNALLY:
READ YOUR ART: In Pake's free time he finds magazines to read that inspire his artistic ideas. He looks at car magazines and other things that give him ideas. He and Nevada Miller both do the same thing to give them ideas, they look at magazines and journals about their interests and receive inspiration.
PRACTICE: When Pake is not looking for inspiration in reading materials, he is tinkering and experimenting with cheap or free materials that he has found and can afford to practice with.
MAKE MISTAKES: Pake tells you not to be afraid to make mistakes. The only way to get better is to "fail forward." Experiment, make mistakes and learn from them.
EDUCATE YOURSELF: Don't ever stop learning. Pake is always reading, experimenting and doing whatever he can to keep learning.
STAY HUNGRY: Do not allow yourself to become complacent. Pursue something that interests you, and if that interest fades find something else that interests you.
PAKE MCNALLY'S PERSONAL HABIT THAT IS CONTRIBUTING TO HIS SUCCESS:
TINKER, EXPERIMENT AND SEEK KNOWLEDGE: When Pake gets home from the shop in the evening it is automatic for him to pick up experimental materials, a magazine or a Youtube video that is going to help him grown in his craft.
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE THAT PAKE MCNALLY HAS RECEIVED:
SAY NO: Of course you want to say "yes" at some point. That day is coming. But one thing that is consistent across all genres of entrepreneurs is the inability or at least struggle with saying "no".
Pake was reminded early by Tom Smith, a blacksmith and mentor to Pake, that he would have to be able to say "no." If Pake says yes to everything the quality of his work will suffer, both because he would not have time to do his best work and because he would take projects that do not interest him.
BOOK RECOMMENDATION:
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Today's guest is the epitome of the reason that interviewing FFA students, and specifically, American Star Finalists is so rewarding. The level of knowledge, skill and ability that these students have is always amazing. What is even more amazing is the way in which the FFA can bring it out and help them achieve new heights of achievement.
This is definitely true for Cory Yarbrough who is an American Star Finalist in the category of Ag Placement this year. Cory has grown up on a farm in northeast Georgia, and he is an expert in the broiler chicken industry already! At the age of 21 Cory has immense experience in working in his families four broiler houses, doing hatchery management at the University of Georgia and even consulting for chicken producers when he did an internship in the poultry industry. Birds are definitely the backbone of what drives Cory in agriculture.
In addition to all of his work with chickens, Cory raises cattle for his family and manages market hogs for his uncle. There is no question why diversified livestock is the title of his placement SAE. Cory will be graduating with a degree in poultry science this December, and then it is on to post-graduate studies to get his PhD in poultry science. He will be focusing his career on solving problems for poultry producers, like his family, through research and education. And, he will be the third generation of poultry science graduate from the University of Georgia in his family, and the third generation a post-graduate degree in poultry science in his family as well.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Diversified Livestock Production
HIGH SCHOOL: Madison County High School, Danielsville, Georgia
MASCOT: Red Raiders
FFA ADVISOR: Katherine Bell
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR CORY YARBROUGH:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Madison County High School website:
Madison County High School's Telephone Number: 706-795-2197
Cory's FFA Advisors' Email Addresses: kbell@madison.k12.ga.us
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and ensure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers, and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
"Because American farmers are able to provide for so many of us, they give more and more of us the freedom to pursue goals and livelihoods beyond growing the food we need to survive."
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Thanks to friend of the show, Warren Clark, we have an interesting study about off-farm income to present you with today. Also, I've got a farm update for you, and let's talk about the best example of prioritizing starting a farm I've ever covered on this show!
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When Terrance Crayton of the Wetumpka FFA Chapter started the small engines team as a student at the school, he just wanted to work with engines. I doubt he knew what that was going to lead to. When he did that, one of the people that he encouraged to join was a sophomore named Case Edwards, who happens to be today's guest. Case took to working with engines like a duck takes to water, and it broadened Case's FFA career and put him on an unbelievable trajectory that led him to become a chapter, district and state officer as well as a National Proficiency winner in 2021.
Today, Case is back on the show because now he has been nominated as an American Star Finalist in the category of Ag Placement that is a result of the work that he has done over the years in mechanics. The jobs that Case held during this time are a direct result of him learning about small engines, and he gives a ton of credit to Terrance for that. As Case stated during our first interview in 2021, if you had shown him a spark plug at the beginning of his sophomore year of high school, he wouldn't have known what to do with it. Now look at him!
If that story were not enough, Terrance, wasn't just a coach. He was also a fellow student and chapter member, and he was running his own small engine business. He competed in the FFA as well, and unbelievably he is also nominated as an American Star Finalist this year, but in the category of Agribusiness. I will do a separate interview with Terrance, but enough cannot be stated about the fact that Case and his classmate that inspired him to try mechanics are both nominated as American Star Finalists in the same year!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Agricultural Placement
HIGH SCHOOL: Wetumpka High School, Wetumpka, Alabama
MASCOT: Indians
FFA ADVISOR: William Norris
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR CASE EDWARDS:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Wetumpka High School website:
Case's FFA Advisors' Email Address: william.norris@elmoreco.com
Wetumpka High School's Telephone Number: 334-567-1178
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and ensure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers, and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
"Because American farmers are able to provide for so many of us, they give more and more of us the freedom to pursue goals and livelihoods beyond growing the food we need to survive."
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Participate in your community, it will shield you from many of the effects of rural crime.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://kmph.com/news/local/stolen-hay-trailers-worth-roughly-37000-returned-to-owner-in-porterville
https://www.ketk.com/community/1000-reward-for-info-on-10-hay-bales-stolen-in-crockett/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
From James Dixon - https://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/news/21480205.scores-sheep-dead-horrific-dog-attack/?ref=nuo
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/dog-destroyed-after-attacking-sheep-7606725
https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/crime/8000-litres-red-diesel-stolen-suffolk-farm-9285986
Africa
https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/watch-they-were-armed-to-the-teeth-small-scale-farmer-living-in-fear-of-livestock-thieves-20220921
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/traditional-court-condemns-19-year-old-to-death-breaking-21-september-2022/
https://www.myjoyonline.com/chop-bar-operator-arrested-for-allegedly-buying-stolen-goats/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.taftmidwaydriller.com/news/man-arrested-for-thefts-in-lost-hills-buttonwillow/article_da305494-39c5-11ed-b958-3f3c4751b2a3.html
https://www.panolawatchman.com/general/panola-county-sheriffs-office-assists-in-cattle-rustling-case/article_b32b8cc8-39da-11ed-a9b0-67d8f741d897.html
https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/students-receive-money-after-goats-were-stolen-from-them
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
The technology that is emerging in agriculture is really amazing, and it all points to a future with less rural crime and easier management. It also brings people into agriculture that may have never believed they would wind up there. Enter today's guest, David Philpot.
You may remember in episode #988 that I interviewed David Smith of Ceres Tag about the rural crime prevention and detection capabilities of this smart ear tag. As David has been growing his company, he has been speaking to groups about investing with him. Both David and, well, David, are from Australia, and this is what brought them together. David Philpot belongs to an investor's group, and during one of their meetings David Smith came to speak with them about investing in Ceres Tag.
Not only did David Philpot become an investor, but he realized that a website called Mapipedia, which had been a hobby of his for some time, would be highly useful when paired with Ceres Tag. So, the two David's began working together and have just completed a mock sheep theft in Australia in which Ceres Tag, coupled with Mapipedia, was able to detect the theft and help law enforcement track down and recover the stolen sheep.
On today's episode David Philpot will explain all of the possible uses of Mapipedia in the livestock industry, including better management, bio-security and theft prevention.
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Two weeks ago on our rural crime episode I read a report of a "mock sheep theft" that was conducted by the University Of New England in Australia involving Ceres Tag and Mapipedia. On tomorrow's ag business interview I am interviewing the creator of Mapipedia and talking all about how it can help with livestock theft detection and recovery as well as biosecurity and management of grazing. I thought it made perfect since to play our previous interview with David Smith, the creator of Ceres Tag on today's re-cap episode to prime you for what we will be talking about tomorrow.
The original show notes are below:
Every week on our rural crime episode I report on stories of stock theft in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Canada, etc. For so many years it has just seemed at best to be a nuisance that came with raising livestock and at worst, a devastating incident that could drive you out of business.
Technology has actually helped stock thieves. For all of our efforts to brand livestock, keep electronic records and surveil the most likely location to sell the stolen stock it still goes on. And today with big pickups and bigger livestock trailers in addition to portable working pens, it is easier than ever for thieves to take off with your livestock without leaving a trace. At least in the 1800s, they could only move as fast as the cattle, and they left tracks to follow. Today, on a paved road, there is no such luck.
It is about time that technology jumps ahead of the stock thieves, and I think that it has happened. A couple weeks ago I read an article about a livestock tag that communicates directly with satellites in outer space and that is very difficult to remove from a cow's ear. I reached out to the company and asked if this tag had been designed to help combat livestock theft, and they told me that it had been. I immediately requested an interview to profile this new technology for all of you.
Today the CEO and Co-Founder of Ceres Tag, David Smith, joins us to talk about getting rid of stock theft. David is going to talk about all the capabilities of this tag that he and his wife invented in Australia, and what the implications will be both for theft deterrence as well as grazing efficiency and direct marketing. There are some incredible possibilities here, and I am eager to share them with you!
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In the 1980's the "Future Farmers Of America" changed their name to simply the "FFA" because they knew that they were helping to create opportunities for students, inside and outside of agriculture, that went beyond traditional farming. What a move by this organization! Looking at the results they are getting in 2022 with their top achieving students, you can see just how much further the influence of the FFA has been able to spread since making that move.
Today's guest, Marin Lonnee, is a perfect example of the results of this decision. Marin was introduced to the FFA through a middle school agriculture class when she was in the 6th Grade. That class exposed her, not only to the FFA, but to agriculture, research and her own, innate talents. The spark that lit the fire with that first class has resulted in years of research by Marin.
Marin's research has not always been solely focused on projects that fit within the parameters of the FFA, but most of the time it has been. Regardless of where it fit, her research has always included a social component with a practical impact on people and the betterment of their lives.
Today, Marin is an American Star Finalist in the category of Agriscience Research. In speaking with her about what she has done, the reasons she has chosen her research project and her vision for their applications it is no mystery at all why she has been nominated for this prestigious award!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Agriscience Research
HIGH SCHOOL: Oconee County High School; Watkinsville, Georgia
MASCOT: Warriors
FFA ADVISOR: Chelsea Bengaud
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR MARIN LONNEE:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Oconee County High School Website:
Marin's FFA Advisor's Email Address: cbegnaud@oconeeschools.org
Oconee County High School Telephone Number: 706.769.6655
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
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On last week's Tuesday episode I started talking about how my original business, Idaho Gopher Control, has now had three sets of owners. It got me thinking about the all of the unintended, positive ripple effects of starting my very first business. It also made me realize how close I came to chickening out on starting my own business, and what would not have happened if I gave into fear. On today's episode, I'd like to discuss those things with you.
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I am always thrilled when a previous guest returns to the show as an American Star Finalist. It is a thrill to know that these students went on to carry their talents to that level. That is the case with today's returning guest, Cotton Booker.
Cotton first appeared on this show in episode #671. Back then he had just become the National Junior Auctioneering Champion, and he was representing the FFA while doing that. Cotton has his own auctioneering business and has continued to master his craft. Obviously, his success has been recognized as he is now one of four finalists for the American Star Award in Agribusiness.
Cotton is now in his junior year of college at Oklahoma State University, and he is studying ag business as well as pre-law. He hasn't quite decided to whether or not law school is in his future just yet, but he sees a lot of application for a law degree in his families business. Already an expert in the business of auctioneering, Cotton has a reverence for his profession that we should all envy. There is no doubt in my mind that is has been my privilege to interview him these two times and that on both occasions I have been speaking with the future leader of this industry.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Auctioneering
HIGH SCHOOL: Colfax High School; Colfax, Washington
MASCOT: Bulldogs
FFA ADVISOR: Michael Heitstuman
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR COTTON BOOKER:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Colfax High School website:
Cotton's FFA Advisors' Email Addresses: MICHAEL.HEITSTUMAN@csd300.com
Colfax High School's Telephone Number: (509) 397-4368
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Have you insured your assets and feed from theft and fire?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.heraldandnews.com/news/local_news/police-tractor-saddles-water-stolen-from-elderly-woman-leads-to-marijuana-raid/article_8964cdb6-3113-11ed-b93e-efe1579e9372.html
https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/crime/suspicious-fire-at-dulls-farm-prompts-investigation-boone-county-sheriff-says
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.gx94radio.com/2022/09/10/publics-help-needed-in-recovering-a-stolen-truck/
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7899117/missing-tas-calves-found-after-theft-fear/
https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/police-investigate-theft-20-lambs-7565995
Africa
https://www.zimeye.net/2022/09/10/david-muhambi-in-serious-grain-scandal/
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/farmkenya/article/2001455285/farmers-mount-electric-fences-to-guard-avocado
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.agriland.co.uk/farming-news/essex-man-jailed-after-arson-attack-on-farm-kills-120-pigs/
https://www.x95radio.com/2022/09/09/vernon-woman-charged-in-connection-with-recent-cattle-theft/
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On today's episode I get to interview a neighbor. Well, at least a neighbor compared to so many of my other guests. Felecia Hillyard raises goats and flowers at her farm on Chicken Dinner Road in Caldwell, about 20 miles from my farm. She has a very interesting business model with enterprises that compliment each other.
To hear Felecia tell her story, the first time she laid eyes on goats, behaving like goats behave, she was enamored. This got her started talking about how much she wanted to raise goats when she was at work, and it turned out that one of her colleagues name Jamie, raised goats of her own. Ultimately, Felecia purchased 12 goats from Jamie, and Jamie ended up being a close friend and mentor to her.
Soon, Felecia leased the farm that she currently owns and started growing her herd. It wasn't long after that, that she recognized that between manure, bedding and hay waste the goats were leaving behind what would be great compost. She started making compost with the bi-product and needed something to do with it. This led her to start growing flowers.
Felecia found a farm that was going out of business and selling a hoop house, and she bought it. After disassembling it at their location she transported it back to her farm and put it back together. Today, Felecia grows flowers in her goat compost, cuts them, arranges them and sells them at an unsupervised roadside stand in front of her place. She hasn't experienced any problems with theft, and since the beginning the bulk of her sales have changed from cash purchases to electronic purchases.
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On today's episode we are revisiting a very early episode I did featuring Chris and Ramona Long. They were raising rabbits and then creating "rabbit tea fertilizer" with the manure that was for sale. I loved the concept that they had, and how they were using the waste as a value added product.
This interview is a perfect tie in for tomorrow' ag business episode, and I am looking forward to bringing it back to you right now.
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The complexity and diversity of a large scale production agriculture farm is always mind blowing to me. I can get stuck trying to understand just one aspect of a farm at that scale, let alone see how it all works together. Fortunately for today's guest, Jacob Wuebker, he does not have that problem. And, his mastery of the processes of his families farm and his ability to document all of it through his supervised agricultural experience has led him to be nominated as an American Star Finalist in Ag Placement this year.
Jacob starts his day at 6am, going straight to one of his families pig barns where they farrow out over 100,000 pigs each year. For the next three to four hours he has various responsibilities in the barn before heading outside. At that point it it time to grind grain, and he grinds a lot! Feeding all the pigs on the farm demands a lot of grain, and this is not even counting the dairy steers they raise up from approximately 250 lbs to finished weight on their homegrown feed.
If there is time left after the grinding, Jacob can find himself pulling out over 2 miles of hose to spread manure on their crop fields, spreading straw in the cattle pens for bedding or working the ground in a tractor. Jacob's future is in this farm, and that is what motivated him to take several dual credit classes during high school and have already graduated college in December of 2021! It probably has not hurt that his mother is also his FFA Advisor and has been there to guide him through the dual credit process as well as his record book.
Jacob is doing what he loves, and it shows in how he is being recognized as an American Star Finalist!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Ag Placement
HIGH SCHOOL: Versailles High School; Versailles, Ohio
MASCOT: Tigers
FFA ADVISOR: Dena Wuebker
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR JACOB WUEBKER:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Versailles High School Website:
Jacob's FFA Advisor's Email Address: dena.wuebker@vtigers.org
Versailles High School Telephone Number: 937-526-4773
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Today is a farm update episode everyone. I've got a ton of reasons to be both excited and thankful this fall, and I will be detailing them in this episode:
- We have our irrigation shut off date
- I am already feeding hay (with a caveat)
- My newly planted cover crop is coming up very well!
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Our guest today has an amazing story of becoming involved in agriscience research, not limiting his research interests to one aspect of agriculture and of doing good in the community. He also has an amazing story of legacy. Ryan Hess is part of the Stephenville FFA Chapter, and as an American Star Finalist in Agriscience Research he not only is the third finalist from Texas in three years, but he is the third finalist from Stephenville High School in three years!
As if his contributions and findings in research were not enough, Ryan has been very involved in both the FFA and his community. He was pivotal in the town of Stephenville in getting funding for and installation of calisthenics equipment along their river trail. Also, he has served in many officer roles over the years, including that of Texas State Officer.
Ryan is not studying Ag Communications at Texas Tech University, along with his preceding American Star Finalists from Stephenville High School. He hopes to continue his research in the area of social interaction and find new and better ways to share the message of agriculture with the world.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Agriscience Research
HIGH SCHOOL: Stephenville High School; Stephenville, Texas
MASCOT: Honey Bees
FFA ADVISOR: Ryan Best
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR RYAN HESS:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Stephenville High School FFA website:
Ryan's FFA Advisor's Email Address: ryan.best@sville.us
Stephenville High School's Telephone Number: (254) 968-4141
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Pay attention to the rising cost of living - now that you understand rational choice crime.
Ceres Tag Article:
Ceres Tag Episode Link
https://www.une.edu.au/connect/news/2022/09/report-released-on-stock-theft-prevention-ear-tag
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/crime/elderly-couple-targeted-in-rural-home-invasion/69-dd37dcc0-3563-4005-8664-143cfe88ce9b
https://www.lobservateur.com/2022/09/01/tpso-seeks-help-identifying-generator-theft-suspect/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.northernirelandworld.com/news/crime/rural-crime-alert-as-police-probe-a-spike-in-burglaries-in-mid-and-east-antrim-3835334
https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2022-09-07/two-sheep-found-dead-and-two-injured-in-dog-attack-in-dorset
https://www.itv.com/news/2022-09-07/you-shouldnt-buy-meat-in-the-pub-butchers-worry-food-fraud-is-on-the-rise
Africa
https://www.theafricareport.com/238234/crops-and-conflict-how-insecurity-affects-nigerias-agriculture-sector/
https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/watch-28-stolen-sheep-found-inside-minibus-taxi-abandoned-on-n12-20220905
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2022-09-07-three-arrested-after-robbery-and-stabbing-on-farm-in-leslie/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.ouraynews.com/news/keeping-eye-ranch
https://www.centralmaine.com/2022/09/01/two-teens-charged-in-arson-burglary-theft-case-in-farmington/
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
We have talked about the different ways in which businesses get started on this show many, many times. The most common answers are people being frustrated that something does not exist and then creating it, or people seeing a product or service and knowing that they could do it better. While these encompass the vast majority of stimulus behind business development, there are other reasons that can be even more compelling. In today's episode our guests, Karen and Nik Fitch, will share their story of the development of the Cuddle Cow Company and how unbelievable adversity inspired this business.
Nik and Karen have been married since 2017, and prior to meeting each other they were both already on a path to farming and raising cattle. After they exchanged vows, they were able to obtain a farm together that was in CRP. This gave them time to focus on fixing up facilities as well as the home, and they continued to build a herd of cattle that Karen had already started on her father's property.
Since she was very young, Karen had been dealing with a congenital condition called "AVM" or "arterial venous malformation" which was located on her upper spine. This had required constant monitoring by physicians and some surgery to deal with, but the prognosis was good. However, in 2019, quite by surprise, that all changed and Karen found herself with a significant spinal cord injury as a result of the "AVM". This led to months in multiple different hospitals, her having a very elevated risk to Covid when that began and her not not having the use of her limbs and needing 24 hour care.
This is the type of situation that can and does lead so many people to lose hope or to blame the world for being unfair. However, in Karen and Nik's case it led to inspiration. After the spinal cord injury took place they were inspired to start a business that would raise money for spinal cord research at the same time as it functioned as a business for them.
Seeing a gentleman whose business model was donating a pair of shoes to somebody in need for every pair that he sold inspired them to try the same thing. There were a few criteria for this business. First, they wanted the business to somehow share their farm and love of agriculture with the world. Second, they wanted the business to help further spinal cord research. And last, they wanted to provide the comfort to their customers that had been brought to Karen when somebody sent her a blanket to snuggle with while she was in the hospital. Cuddle Cow Company was born.
In today's episode hear the incredible story from Karen and Nik themselves, and find out all about how they decided to sell blankets, how they are able to enhance those blankets and how they have broadened their product line!
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I have always enjoyed profiling guests who had their own meat rabbit business. It is a very interesting niche business that seems to have so much upside. However, I have never had a guest on the show who has a meat rabbit business that has propelled them to being a finalist for the award of American Star Farmer! Well, that is exactly what Emily Makos has done, and it is my pleasure to introduce you to her today.
Emily has been raising rabbits since she was 8 years of age on her families "hobby farm" in Wisconsin. After getting to know rabbits better and better over time, she decided to start selling rabbits for meat. She actually broke into this business selling them into the restaurant business, and this eventually evolved into direct sales to individual customers.
Later, Emily pivoted again and started selling rabbits to people as a form of dog food. There are aspects of rabbit meat that people really like, and she was able to serve this customer base. What is so interesting about this aspect of her business is that she is vertically integrated, and she is able to take advantage of the entire rabbit. Emily sells the fur, she dries the feet and ears for dog chews and she grinds the rest of the animal for a healthy dog food for discerning dog owners. Since her consumer for this products are not human, she can do all of this herself without USDA oversight.
Emily is currently studying to become an occupational therapist in an accelerated program through Concordia University. She sees rabbits staying as a part of her life, and hopes to use them as therapy animals in the future.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Rabbit Production
HIGH SCHOOL: Juda High School; Juda, Wisconsin
MASCOT: Panthers
FFA ADVISOR: Joseph Lynne
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR EMILY MAKOS:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Juda High School Website:
Emily's FFA Advisor's Email Address: lyne@judaschool.com
Juda High School Telephone Number: (608) 934-5251
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
I have been looking into some innovative ways to improve the productivity of my farm, and some really outside the box ideas. On today's farm update, I'll tell you all about them.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
I am always amazed by the natural curiosity that students who are American Star Finalists for Agriscience Research have. Today's interview illustrates exactly why that is.
Sydney Hefty has quite an FFA legacy already going in her family. Her cousin, Leah Hefty, previous a guest on this show, was also an American Star Finalist in the category of Agriscience Research, and is now Sydney's FFA Advisor. Sydney and Leah's grandfather was a career FFA Advisor, and he introduced Sydney to science and research when she was just five years old, but not because he saw this coming. He wanted Sydney to get involved with public speaking as soon as possible, and the only avenue open to her at that age was the science fair. Little did he know that he was tapping into a natural curiosity and aptitude for research that would carry forward all the way to today and the National FFA Convention.
Sydney has been researching ever since. For example, she once looked at a wind turbine, wondered how it worked and then designed her own out of an empty cylinder of Quaker Oats. She also saw the need for something different that would be able to kill pigweed because of its resistance to conventional herbicides, and she developed her own, organic herbicide with a 94% kill rate!
All of this has led Sydney now to Purdue University where she is studying agricultural economics, she is already teaching courses as a sophomore and she continues to chase her natural desire for research and problem solving!
Here is Sydney's Recipe for her natural herbicide
- 6oz of 20% concentration vinegar
- .o02oz of dish soap
- .5oz of orange oil
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Integrated Agriscience
HIGH SCHOOL: DeKalb High School; Waterloo, Indiana
MASCOT: Barons
FFA ADVISOR: Leah Hefty
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SYDNEY HEFTY:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the DeKalb High School Ag. Department's website:
Sydney's FFA Advisor's Email Address: mdice@dekalbcentral.net
DeKalb High School's Telephone Number: (260) 920-1012
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
"Because American farmers are able to provide for so many of us, they give more and more of us the freedom to pursue goals and livelihoods beyond growing the food we need to survive."
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Don’t underestimate the power of the GOAT…
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://fox40.com/news/national-and-world-news/are-you-kidding-me-goats-take-over-deputys-car-eat-his-paperwork/
https://lacrossetribune.com/winona/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-implicated-in-20-000-worth-of-theft-damage-in-winona-home-burglary/article_61b13338-2946-11ed-b4a6-5ff1ca2ce8b8.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.therural.com.au/story/7885103/kalahari-red-bucks-reported-stolen/
https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/cctv-captures-man-stealing-bottles-24898555
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/taranaki-farm-prowler-attempts-to-steal-quad-bike-but-crashes-into-fence/YTLVVMANUTRZZ6P4PJJ5WY6L7A/
https://thelatch.com.au/shoplifting-australia/
Africa
https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/16715-jihadists-in-burkina-faso-garnering-popular-support-through-crime
https://briefly.co.za/people/137171-heartbroken-farmer-woke-stolen-tractor-sa-offers-support/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://abc30.com/tulare-county-ag-thest-businesses-sean-tenbroeck-arrested/12183388/
https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/588672472/vernon-parish-man-arrested-for-fuel-theft-and-crimes-committed-to-logging-equipment
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Some time back we broadened our horizons on the Off-Farm Income Podcast, and on our ag business episodes started interviewing farmers with value added business rather than just off-farm businesses. That has been a great decision, and I am so happy that we opened it up. It is interviews like today's that remind my why this was such a great decision. Profiling farmer/entrepreneurs like today's guest, Andrew Bowman, make that decision and easy winner.
Andrew lives and farms in the heart of the Corn Belt, as his family has done for over 100 years. And for all of those generations his family has included popcorn in the list of crops that they grow. So, when Andrew and his wife took over the family farm after his father passed away they knew that popcorn would be part of the story. However, they also started looking at the sustainability of the farm business for the next generation, and that led them to look into doing something different.
The idea that they eventually landed on was directed marketing a niche product, and that is when Pilot Knob Comforts Popcorn as a company first "popped"!. Through a series of connections that included farmers in the area, friends and instructors from college led to the development of a popcorn brand with red and blue popcorn kernels. Today, PKC Popcorn can be found all over the country and ordered online and they are just getting started. In today's episode you will hear the story of the development of this company, and I predict that you will be trying PKC Popcorn very soon as well!
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
On tomorrow's ag business episode we are interviewing an entrepreneur who is making a delicious, value added product for direct sale to customers. His interview reminded me of the time I was able to spend with Forrest Durham back in 2015, and it make perfect sense to bring Forrest's episode back as our replay episode of the week.
The original Show Notes are below:
I continue to be blown away by the students that I get to meet doing interviews for this show. Forrest Durham is no exception. I think I am going to sell the gopher business and start a corn roasting business! Forrest Durham has inspired me. What an amazing business and learning process for this young man.
Forrest Durham is an FFA student at Larue County High School in Kentucky. He traveled all the way to Texas with his father to purchase a corn roaster. Then, he started roasting and selling corn at festivals and fairs throughout Kentucky. His business has blown up. Inspired by his father's fudge business, he has found a way to bring agriculture directly to people who want to taste the delicious foods that are grown on our farms.
I think you will be inspired by Forrest Durham as well!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Roasted Corn Sales at Fairs and Festivals
HIGH SCHOOL: Larue County High School, Hodgenville, Kentucky
MASCOT: Hawks
FFA ADVISOR: Mrs. Misty Bevins and Mr. Chris Thomas
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR FORREST DURHAM:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Larue County High School website:
Forrest's FFA Advisors' Email Addresses: Misty.bivens@larue.kyschools.us & chris.thomas@larue.kyschools.us
Larue County High School's Telephone Number: 270-358-2210
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
"Because American farmers are able to provide for so many of us, they give more and more of us the freedom to pursue goals and livelihoods beyond growing the food we need to survive."
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
It is always a great thrill for me when a student who I have previously interviewed on the show comes back on as an American Star Finalist! That is happening in today's episode with Emma Victery. Emma was first on the show in 2020 when she was the national proficiency winner in beef production placement. She has continued her efforts, and now she is back as an American Star Finalist!
Emma's original show notes are below:
Having a business model on your farm that is sustainable is challenging. Of course, if you are commodity-based there are so many factors that are outside of the control that you've got to get bigger and push harder. If you are smaller you are almost forced into being niche so that you can increase the size of your profit margins. And then of course, if you only offer one product you can get into really hot water if the price or demand for that product falls.
In a perfect world, we would all know what type of farm business we were going to be involved in, in the future, and we could plan out our skill sets accordingly. Of course, there is no such thing as that perfect world. However, the FFA offers a future farmer the best chance of coming as close to this perfect world as anything that I know.
This is illustrated very well by today's guest, Emma Victery. Emma has grown up on her family's farm in Oklahoma. She is hoping to take it over at some point in the future. She and her father have been looking at different products they could sell, different markets they could be in, and different ways to grow the business so that it will last for Emma and for future generations.
Just recently they began marketing bulls as a compliment to their commercial herd. Looking into the future, Emma sees the sale of embryos and using embryo transfers on their farm as a way to offer other products and to really speed up the rate at which they improve their genetics. Right now, Emma is a senior in high school. But that does not stop her from looking into the future and trying to figure out how she is going to make all of this happen.
Emma will start college at Oklahoma State University in the fall of 2021. She is planning on double majoring in animal science and agricultural communications. She wants to go to veterinary school, become a veterinarian, and specialize in reproduction so that she can use those skills for embryo transfers on their farm. This would also give her a great form of off-farm income. Right now she is taking over the marketing responsibilities on their farm, and she plans on using her studies in agricultural communications to strengthen her abilities in this part of the business.
All of her efforts have led Emma to be the 2020 National Proficiency Winner in Beef Production Placement. She is looking at applying for several more proficiency awards going forward, and feels like her journey in the FFA has just begun. She has also been accepted to the honors college at Oklahoma State already due to her academic performance. Emma is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the cattle industry, and it is going to be fun to watch!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Beef Production Placement
HIGH SCHOOL: Chickasha High School; Chickasha, Oklahoma
MASCOT: Fighting Chicks
FFA ADVISOR: Emily Schmidt
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR EMMA VICTERY:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Chickasha High School Website:
Emma's FFA Advisor's Email Address: Eschmidt@chickasha.k12.ok.us
Chickasha High School Telephone Number: 405-222-6500
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Hi everyone. So often we talk about things you have to do to become or succeed as an entrepreneur on the show. So, in this episode I decided to discuss 10 things you don't have to do as an entrepreneur:
- Get Bossed Around
- Commute
- Ask Permission To Do Something
- Watch A Clock
- Live In A Certain Area
- Work Overtime
- Buy Expensive Clothes
- Be Drained Mentally
- Postpone Your Life
- Depend On Others
If I hadn't already convinced you that starting your own business was the way to create your off-farm income, maybe this list will push you over the top!
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
It is that time of year again, and it is my pleasure to interview the American Star Finalists for this year's National FFA Convention. What a great time of year, and what a fantastic guest to kick off this series of interviews with!
I am always fascinated with the way the mind of the finalists in agriscience research work, and with Danae Westra that is very true! Not only has Danae been doing research on her families dairy since her freshman year of high school, but she has been doing research with immediate, practical applications in the family dairy business. In addition to that, Danae has a big personality, and that has show through in the names that she has given each one of her projects:
- Freshman Year: "Calves R Us"
- Sophomore Year: "Milk R Us"
- Junior Year: "Protein 4 Life"
- Senior Year: "Milk It 4 All It's Worth"
- Freshman Year Of College: "Mastitis Mishaps"
In this interview with Danae you will hear a repeated theme - getting up at 6am to do research before school started. Whether that was weighing calves, pulling blood samples or collecting urine, she was out there, everyday, getting it done before school even started. This is what is so inspirational about FFA students, and this is why Danae has already been recognized as one of the top four agriscience researchers out of the 850,000+ FFA students in the nation!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Agriscience Research
HIGH SCHOOL: Central Valley Christian High School, Visalia, California
MASCOT: Cavaliers
FFA ADVISOR: Kelsey De Jong
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR DANAE WESTRA:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Central Valley Christian High School website:
Danae's FFA Advisor's Email Address: kdejong@cvc.org
Central Valley Christian High School Telephone Number: 559-734-9481
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - FFA students can start small businesses through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% and the rest of the world. FFA provides the needed education, training, and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and ensure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers, and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the food search is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Have you considered the use of Air Tags?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.effinghamradio.com/2022/08/16/individual-arrested-in-connection-with-stolen-tractor-and-truck-multiple-local-agencies-assisted-in-investigation/
https://www.farmanddairy.com/news/wooster-man-arrested-in-holmes-co-cattle-thefts/730964.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/police-launch-probe-alleged-repeated-27770051
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-62584263
Africa
https://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/r1-500-bail-for-29-year-old-man-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-six-cows-7e6c1153-52f7-4091-8230-32e4e70bbdd3
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/08/kano-man-jailed-6-months-for-stealing-goat/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://myrgv.com/local-news/2022/08/17/weslaco-man-charged-with-horse-theft-after-selling-3-miniature-ponies/
https://www.reporter.net/news/local_news/judge-sends-grinch-to-prison/article_6f344410-1f09-11ed-b5e7-1f374dd4390f.html
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
On today's episode I have an interview that is going to blow your mind. We all know that farmers are innovative and solve their own problems, but the story you will hear today goes beyond anything I've ever profiled.
Doug and Kathy Applegate met while attending community college in the 1970's and started dating right as they were finishing up their education in 1978. 44 years later, in 2022 they are the owners of Praxidyn with 11 full time employees, manufacturing the MIXMATE in what used to be the farrowing barn on their Iowa farm. There is a lot of story to be told about that 44 years sandwiched between today and community college, and in today's episode we get the story.
There are some highlights about this interview I want to let you know about before you listen. First, is that this exactly the kind of story that the Off-Farm Income Podcast was designed to profile, but on a much larger and more complex scale than normal. In the interview Doug talks about the fact that they used to raise hogs as a way to diversify their farm income and reliance on corn and soybeans. However, they stopped raising hogs and started a business to accomplish this diversity, and the who reason for the beginning and existence of Praxidyn is to support both of their sons coming home to farm.
In addition to that, both of their sons, Brent and Luke, were standouts in the FFA and are pivotal to the innovation, design and manufacturing that is Praxidyn. In 2006 Brent was the Iowa Star winner in agribusiness, and 2010 Luke was a finalist. Clearly, their time in the FFA as well as 4H has had something to do with their development as entrepreneurs and inventors. In addition to that, when the boys were around 9 years old, Doug and Kathy got them started welding and computer programming! What a combination, and after you listen to this interview you will see what it has led to!
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
On today's Re-Cap Episode we are going back into the archives to profile a great entrepreneurial story. This story involves seeing the market place, taking a risk and building custom equipment. What really stood out to me in this interview was that the our guest recognized that through consolidation, many smaller farmers were feeling unvalued and left behind. He found a way to fix this.
The original show notes are below:
SHOW NOTES Today we get to profile a fascinating agricultural business. Craig Bailey, the owner of Green Mount Grain Roasting, will be
joining us to talk all about the business of mobile grain roasting. This is a very niche business, and as he will explain you need to be located in the correct type of area for this business to work.
Craig is a fascinating entrepreneur. He has a high risk tolerance, and that his what led him to start his poultry farm and to purchase the equipment for grain roasting. In addition to that he is doing row crop farming and raising some livestock.
This is a fascinating business that I never knew about until one of our listeners, Josh Gullman, contacted me and suggested it. Craig serves smaller farmers and dairies in his area who don't raise enough grain and soybeans to purchase their own roaster, and who are not big enough to get priority at the stationary roasting businesses. Craig services four states with his equipment, and believes there is room for other people in the U.S. to start this business as well.
HOW TO CONTACT CRAIG: Facebook:
Facebook target="_blank"> Email
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Our guest today, Maria Sterling, started her supervised agricultural experience out with two business partners. As she describes it, the three of them were partially joking about what to do for their SAE and the idea of them raising chickens for eggs came up. They decided to go for it, and between the three of them they were able to obtain two, $1,000 SAE grants, to fund the project. This was during their sophomore year, but by the end of their junior year, only Maria was still interested in the business.
I have definitely experienced the same thing in life. Several people are interested in a project, but when the everyday challenges of the work set in, just one or two people are left standing. In this case it was Maria, but looking back on how it developed, it kind of looks obvious now that she had the passion. When Maria found herself being the sole owner of the business she branded it "Sunny Side Eggs" and started marketing through word of mouth, at her school and on social media. And, she has found herself at times, not able to keep up with the demand for her eggs.
Maria just graduated this year, and she is off to the University Of North Carolina at Wilmington, right around the time that her episode is released. She is still deciding what to study but had narrowed it down to either marine biology or environmental science. She says that no matter where this ultimately takes her, you will find her raising chickens, either on a larger basis like now or in a back yard flock.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Egg Production
HIGH SCHOOL: Smyrna High School; Smyrna, Deleware
MASCOT: Eagles
FFA ADVISOR: Kellie Michaud
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR MARIA STERLING:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Smyrna High School Ag. Department's website:
Maria's FFA Advisor's Email Address: Kellie.michaud@smyrna.k12.de.us
Smyrna High School's Telephone Number: (302) 653-8581
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
One lesson I have learned, over and over again, throughout my entrepreneurial journey is that persistence pays off. This latest example happened in the strangest of ways.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
As many of you know I am very lucky in my connection to the FFA. Of course, through this show and by doing interviews for the National FFA, I have the 30,000 foot, nationwide connection to this great organization. However, in my community of Kuna, Idaho I also have the local connection, which for the past three years has included being part of the advisory committee for our FFA chapter of which my daughter is now a member.
Part of my duties being on the committee include interviewing students who had applied for scholarships at the end of their senior year of high school. This year one of those interviews was with today's guest, Jadelyn Mecham. Jadelyn's interview was very impressive, and it was the first time that I learned that she had a supervised agricultural experience working with driving horses. I was intrigued by this aspect of horsemanship that I am yet to have profiled on the show.
A few weeks later, I was working at the Kuna High School Ag Expo, pulling a hay wagon around filled with elementary school students who had come to learn about agriculture. During a down moment I was able to visit with Jadelyn again and discuss more in depth, her project working with horses. That was plenty for me, and I invited her onto the show.
Today, Jadelyn and I will be talking about breeding horses, fixing bad behaviors in horses and how you train a driving horse to get used to the feel of the harness, having a load to pull and having somebody control it from the rear. Jadelyn also introduces me to the horse breed, Gypsy Vanner, which I was unfamiliar with until this interview.
I learned a lot in this interview, and I am sure that you will as well!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: DrivingHorse Training
HIGH SCHOOL: Kuna High School, Kuna, Idaho
MASCOT: Kavemen
FFA ADVISOR: Travis Edwards
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR JADELYN MECHAM:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Kuna High School Ag. Department's website:
Jadelyn's FFA Advisor's Email Address: Tedwards@kunaschools.org
Kuna High School Telephone Number: 208.955.0200
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Anchor your safe to the floor
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.shorelinemedia.net/oceanas_herald_journal/news/general_news/burglary-suspect-flees-reward-offered/article_4c6fbe34-8832-54f4-b025-a7fc54977570.html
https://darkhorsepressnow.com/hazlehurst-man-wanted-in-copiah-county-atv-theft/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/20672070.distressing-incident-deer-decapitated-left-manure-pile/
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/ashford/news/terrifying-moment-masked-burglars-creep-around-kitchen-272125/
https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/crime/milk-float-theft-shock-as-milkmans-transport-stolen-at-marsh-lane-near-sheffield-3809602
Africa
https://www.businessinsider.co.za/cattle-lockdown-starts-in-south-africa-2022-8
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2022-08-16-deal-with-bandits-and-assure-us-peace-ruto-told/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.facebook.com/208481162694659/posts/pfbid0XP72oCtHXqFdXQEebMZGt1nDb5MeYVzXtMpyLyPEyj3g8sY3dSUYaPBByTecSwBTl/?d=n
https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/crime/article264610911.html
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Why did it take so long for the small, destination winery business to take off. With the benefit of hindsight, it seems like it should have been obvious for decades. No matter how long it took for the American public to realize they loved going to places like this is fine. What matters is that families like that of Maggie Hall, today's guest, have the ability to create sustainable agricultural businesses by giving people what they want.
Maggie is the only child of two free spirited and creative lovers of agriculture. Maggie says that to look at them, you wouldn't know how free spirited they are, but her parents have been seeking a way to live and maintain an agricultural lifestyle since before she can remember. For a couple of decades this took the form of a horse farm that included breeding, training, selling and even cart pulling for special events. However, about seven years ago the bottom fell out of the particular horse market they were in, and they made a change to growing grapes and running a destination winery.
Today, Maggie is the social media marketing expert for her parents' business, Broken Spoke Winery. On the same farm that used to be primarily devoted to horses they now grow grapes, make wine, host events, provide entertainment and sell locally produced, value added products. Maggie describes their location as the "middle of nowhere" but as it turns out, a lot of people vacation in the area. So, with the assistance of social media, Maggie can target folks in the areas that tend to travel to her part of Maryland and inform them about the events and entertainers that will be appearing at Broken Spoke Winery.
In today's interview Maggie will tell us all about the journey, her role and her parent's philosophy on business and agriculture!
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
On tomorrow's ag business episode we are profiling a very interesting entrepreneur in the wine business. It occurred to me that this would be a great opportunity to return to a very impressive FFA interview I did years ago with Mark Cavellero, who at that time was growing grapes for champagne that he was too young to drink!
The original show notes are below:
INTRODUCING MARK CAVALLERO!
Our guest today is a finalist for the star farmer award at the 2017 National FFA Convention. Mark Cavallero is studying plant science at Reedley Jr. College in Reedley, California. During high school he started farming grapes and almonds on his family's farm in Madera, California.
While Mark was farming he started trying a new variety of almonds that did not require him to bring in bees to pollinate. He stated that move has saved him a lot of money in operating costs and it has worked out well.
Mark also grows Thompson Seedless Grapes, and the primary use of his grapes is for the production of champagne at a nearby winery. He is looking forward to turning 21 in about 1 month and being able to taste what his grapes finally turn into.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Grape And Almond Farming
HIGH SCHOOL: Madera South High School; Madera, California
MASCOT: Stallions
FFA ADVISOR: Tim Deniz
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR MARK CAVALLERO:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Madera South High School Ag. Department's website:
Mark's FFA Advisor's Email Address: timdeniz@maderausd.org
Madera South High School Telephone Number: 559-675-4450
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
"Because American farmers are able to provide for so many of us, they give more and more of us the freedom to pursue goals and livelihoods beyond growing the food we need to survive."
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Our guest today is from my home state.....well, that is if you are counting the very state that any of my ancestors ever lived in, in America, that is. My ancestors founded two town towns in Connecticut in the 1600's, and whenever I am lucky enough to interview a guest from that great state, I have to brag about that for a moment.
Coming back to present day, Amelia Withington, just finished up her 11th grade year of school and will be starting back as a senior very, very soon. During her time in the FFA she has been creating one of my favorite, value added products - goat milk soap. This is such a great product and business for an FFA student who raises goats and is looking to make great money.
When you start looking into the benefits of goat milk soap, it almost sells itself. And goats can be kept in a small area but still produce a large amount of milk, or in Amelia's case, raw materials! Operating a business like this, Amelia is able to learn about agriculture production, value adding, marketing and sales. It is a great way for a student to learn about business and industry!
Amelia's business is called "Just A Girl And Her Goats Soap And Stuff" and she is selling her products in farmers markets in her area. She has also recently obtained an alpaca, and she plans on harvesting fleece from it for another value added produce, yarn!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Goat Milk Soap Production
HIGH SCHOOL: Lyman Memorial High School; Lebanon, Connecticut
MASCOT: Bulldogs
FFA ADVISOR: Brenda Wildes
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR AMELIA WITHINGTON:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Lyman Memorial High School Website:
Amelia's FFA Advisor's Email Address: Brenda.wildes@lebanonct.org
Lyman Memorial High School Telephone Number: 860-642-7567
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
I am overwhelmed with gratitude today and thrilled to tell you all that I have been selected to receive an Honorary American Degree from the FFA this October at the National Convention. I owe big thanks all around for this honor, starting right her in my hometown of Kuna, Idaho.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
My journey to hosting the Off-Farm Income Podcast all began with me becoming a business owner. That original business was named Idaho Gopher Control, and i used compressed carbon monoxide to exterminate gophers for farmers. Prior to purchasing the equipment and starting the business I did my research, and part of that research included asking some questions to a gentleman named Rod Zehr who lived about 50 miles away from me in Ontario, Oregon. Rod used these machines and had a successful business, and he was kind enough to take the time to meet with me.
Today, I am honored to welcome Rod's son, Tanner Zehr, onto the show. Tanner is a senior at Vale High School in Vale, Oregon and at age 18 he has a decade of gopher extermination under his belt already. He has learned a ton about the machinery, the business and about hard work. On today's episode I get the opportunity to reminisce about the gopher business and hear from a young man who has been inspired to entrepreneurship and is about to begin his journey!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Gopher Extermination
HIGH SCHOOL: Vale High School; Vale, Oregon
MASCOT: Vikings
FFA ADVISOR: Anna Chamberlain
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR TANNER ZEHR:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Vale High School website:
Tanner's FFA Advisor's Email Address: achamberlain@valesd.org
Vale High School Telephone Number: 541.473.3181
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Don’t forget that this life is about community.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/goats-allegedly-stolen-from-highland-high-school/
https://tscra.org/crime-watch-cow-missing-near-lake-striker/?fbclid=IwAR3zVjLuEKX6gjuio3lAuo49CliCyRkHj-KqrOITMS47cRC4N4v-ueAu8eo
https://tscra.org/crime-watch-cow-missing-near-kennard/?fbclid=IwAR2jL2NcdENyYPyQyOhc3oxMtagVmMCKS9i-SEaOAA4SWoyawS0Ln4MuwmY
https://tscra.org/crime-watch-cows-stolen-near-mcgregor/?fbclid=IwAR0OZcwobvKtZ1BXdUkwxesO2hG0tjQsstMmLdf4LMiyLOXLpCQXl5FgMZc
https://tscra.org/crime-watch-calves-missing-near-wills-point/?fbclid=IwAR0OZcwobvKtZ1BXdUkwxesO2hG0tjQsstMmLdf4LMiyLOXLpCQXl5FgMZc
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://planetradio.co.uk/greatest-hits/dorset/news/police-appeal-man-kicked-head-horse-dorchester/
https://www.southwestfarmer.co.uk/news/20622528.keep-trailer-safe-theft-targetted/
https://www.norfolklive.co.uk/news/norfolk-news/norfolk-farmers-targeted-burglars-cctv-7449476
Africa
https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-222258.html
https://www.newsday.co.zw/2022/08/rustler-forced-to-eat-raw-goat-meat/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/oh-holmes/man-arrested-after-6-cattle-stolen-in-holmes-county-sold-at-auction
https://www.goskagit.com/growskagit/fundraising-efforts-pay-off-for-viva-farms/article_b4f4f1ec-8d8f-52fe-b49b-83520c854631.html
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Have you ever gone to a wedding in somebody's old barn, loved the venue, had a great time and later asked your spouse, "why don't we do that"? It looks simple doesn't it? Most people don't have land or barns, so, if you have one, the other or both, why wouldn't people just flock to your property and pay you thousands of dollars to have their weddings there?
Our guest today, Lea Cahill, has gone through this entire process from first thought to six months worth of bookings and great success. In today's interview she will talk with us about starting this business, the mistakes she has made and she will share some great tips on protecting yourself from liability.
If that were not enough she will talk about how to deal with alcohol consumption, liability insurance, what to demand from customers and what to demand from venders. This really is a treasure chest of great information on the realities and pitfalls of this type of business.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
On today's re-cap episode we are going back into the archives into one of my trips out to North Carolina to speak at the University Of Mount Olive. While I was there I was lucky enough to visit the Broadslab Distillery and hear a great story of entrepreneurship and full-time farming. I'm happy to bring this interview with Jeremy Norris back to you today.
The original show notes are below.
SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS: This show is all about finding a way to stay on the farm full time, or at least as much as possible, through entrepreneurship. Our guest today is the epitome of doing just this. Jeremy Norris has been entrepreneurial for a long time. He built up a couple of good body and paint businesses as well as some investment properties.
He could have clearly just held on to the businesses and the rentals with a nice, passive income coming in from all of that. However, his goal to farm his families land was too strong. He ended up selling his investment properties and one of his auto body businesses to purchase the family farm that has been in his family since the 1840's.
Jeremy had learned from his grandfather that in order to pay for an expensive piece of farmland you had to get creative with what you are selling. His grandfather did it with a roadside vegetable stand, but then the interstate came in and took the drive by traffic away. So, that option was out for Jeremy.
Jeremy decided that he would follow another family tradition, making corn liquor. He now grows his own corn for making the whisky, and he adds a lot of value to the corn with the fermenting. The moonshine brings in customers for what is now a fantastic agri-tourism business. He has found ways to double or triple the revenue off of everything he does with multiple markets and back up markets. It's really a remarkable story
ADVICE FROM JEREMY:
CARDS: Don't play all of your cards on one hand. Test your ideas before you go "all in" on it.
BACKUP: Always have a backup plan, just in case the first idea doesn't go your way.
REVENUE: Make sure to create additional revenue streams as soon as you can, so you are not overly reliant on just one source.
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE JEREMY HAS RECEIVED:
"Stay Conservative, Be Creative & Think Things Through"
PERSONAL HABIT THAT HELPS JEREMY SUCCEED:
Jeremy will stay at his location until late at night until he is satisfied that everything is put away, tidy and correct for the next day.....every day.
CONTACT INFORMATION AND LINKS:
Website: LINK
Email: LINK
LISTEN TO US ON SATELLITE RADIO! WE ARE CONTRIBUTORS TO "FFA TODAY" ON RURAL RADIO SIRIUS XM CHANNEL 147! "FFA Today" airs on Rural Radio Sirius XM Channel 147 Saturdays at 7:30 AM Eastern and Sundays at 6:30 PM Eastern. Please let RURAL RADIO know that you like hearing us on their channel! Here is how to contact them and leave feedback: Email: zacht@rfdtv.com Website: RuralRadio147.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/RURALRADIO147
When you are young, you have energy, and you might as well take advantage of it! That is very true for today's guest, Lane Willard. Lane is between his 9th and 10th Grade years right now, and he has one year of FFA under his belt. And, he has been busy. In addition to working on his families farm, he is playing sports, raising his own livestock, farming his own ground and participating in the FFA.
Lane and his family have been farming this ground for three generations now. In the late summer is when Lane really feels the heat. Right at the time that he is getting his pigs and heifers to the fair, football practice begins. So, he has football practice in the heat, farm work after practice and animals to take care of at fair. Luckily his coach, his family and his community support the FFA and everyone understands.
I've got nothing but gratitude for you in this episode. We just hit 2 million downloads, and my mind is blown! I've known this was coming for some time, but I don't think it really hit me until I actually saw the number on the screen. What makes this more unbelievable is that we just celebrated hitting our one millionth download in August of 2021. So, it took us 7 years to hit one million and just one year more to hit two million! Thank you all so very much!
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
All summer we have been profiling students transitioning from their 9th to their 10th grade years in the FFA. These interviews are a lot of fun to do because if I can ask just the right question I can tap into area of expertise that are already developed in these young students.
Our guest today is Hayven Smethurst. She has a lot of involvement in the FFA. She joined because she thought it would help her to advocate for agriculture, and she took action. She did this by recruiting her friends, who are not involved in agriculture, to join the FFA with her. She believes through these efforts she can expose more people to agriculture and help to bring people into this industry to keep it going into the future. So far she has successfully recruited three people to join her chapter who otherwise would not have done that!
In addition to her advocacy efforts Hayven loves animals and raises several different species at her home. She also works with dairy cattle on her grandparents dairy, and she shows dairy cattle for a nearby dairy with registered Holsteins. If fitting, training and showing 8 head of Holsteins in a summer were not enough, she also shows horses and keeps 8 of her own.
When I started asking Hayven about showing horses and being successful in the arena, her knowledge and expertise really started to shine. She had a lot of great information for any future or current exhibitor who wants to show horses and has goals of improving their performance. Hayven's passion for the equine shone through in the interview so strongly that I titled the episode "how to succeed showing horses"!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Equine & Dairy Production
HIGH SCHOOL: Seneca High School; Seneca, Wisconsin
MASCOT: Royals
FFA ADVISOR: Brigid Leofeoholz
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR HAYVEN SMETHURST:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Seneca High School website:
Hayven's FFA Advisor's Email Address: bloeffelholz@seneca.k12.wi.us
Seneca High School Telephone Number: 608-737-9177
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Is there a way to make your livestock stand out if stolen?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://etvnews.com/udaf-issues-warning-rising-number-of-stolen-livestock-and-livestock-killings/
https://www.enidnews.com/news/pollard-farms-former-ranch-manager-accused-of-stealing-selling-cattle/article_30231848-140d-11ed-80d3-43d738f3af80.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://mydroll.com/rural-crime-wave-forces-farmers-to-paint-their-flocks/
https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/padstow-farmer-angry-been-made-7419195
Africa
https://dailytrust.com/woman-65-killed-buried-on-her-farm
https://zwnews.com/stock-theft-man-39-juvenile-15-steal-8-herds-of-cattle-from-neighbour/
https://www.gistmania.com/talk/topic,541882.0.html
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://kgab.com/weld-county-father-and-son-busted-for-allegedly-stealing-hay/
https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/crime/two-sought-in-three-burglaries/
https://www.myclallamcounty.com/2022/08/04/two-suspects-in-recent-burglary-cases-arrested-third-perp-still-at-large/
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
I am sure you have heard it said before that farmers take great care of everything: livestock, soil, crops, equipment - except they neglect themselves. This neglect can come in the form of nutrition, exercise and mental well being. In fact, even though farming is associated with very difficult, manual labor, with a lot of the technology that is available today to farmers, it can be a very sedentary job at times.
Our guest today, Amanda Nigg, has always been into sports and fitness in one way or another. When she launched her career in the insurance industry in South Dakota she was introduced to her husband who was a fifth generation farmer. Soon, she found herself living a life that was the complete opposite of what she has envisioned.....and loving it!
Amanda did not allow living in a very rural part of the country to diminish her passion for fitness and working out, and then a personal catastrophe happened - their newly constructed home burnt to the ground. Shortly after this occurred the entire country shut down due to Covid. Amanda found herself strongly relying on exercise and fitness to manage her mental well being as she and her husband worked their way through this time.
This was the inspiration for her to begin Farm Fit Momma, her fitness and mental well being coaching business. Amanda went for it, 100%, and her business has taken off. Now she has been featured on RFDTV, several podcasts and radio. She has a huge network of farmer followers and social media and she has more people applying to be a client of her business than she can serve.
We are lucky enough to have her tell her story on today's episode!
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
On tomorrow's ag business episode I am profiling an entrepreneur who is staying fit on her farm. I thought bringing back this episode with Dolly Denson, "The Fit Stock Show Mom", was the perfect segue into this business interview. Today, Dolly has grown her business even more and is the host of the "Be The Mom Movement Podcast".
The original show notes are below.
SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS:
Those of us that work in agriculture, and especially those of us that are working towards a future in agriculture are very busy. We are either totally devoted to the farm or business that we now have started, or we have pinpoint focus on how we are going to achieve that dream and are doing everything we can to reach it.
Focus and passion are wonderful things, but they can pull you away from a balanced life. In the end, it does not matter if you have accomplished a major dream, if the rest of your life is left neglected and in shambles.
The first thing to usually get neglected when we find this focus is ourselves. And the first part of ourselves to get neglected is usually our physical health. There has to be somebody, somewhere who understands us and how difficult it can be to find time to pursue better physical health.
Well, let me introduce you Dolly Densen - The Fit Stock Show Mom. Here is someone who comes from our shared experiences and has figured out a system to help all of us find the time and ability to eat well and exercise, even when we are busy and on the go.
Dolly is a health and fitness coach who lives in our agricultural world. Specifically, she has children who show animals all over the State of Texas, and she knows what kind of challenges that brings for parents. She has figured out how to tailor a health and fitness plan to the needs of us in agriculture through careful selection of workouts and nutritional programs.
Dolly is now a sponsor of the Off-Farm Income Podcast. So, you will hear me singing her praises every week. Autumm and I are participating in her program, but for very different reasons. Autumm is in great shape, and wants to be in even better shape. I am am the typical person who has been so focused on my other projects that I am out of shape.......and I need help! Thanks goodness for Dolly!
I hope you enjoy Dolly's passion and enthusiasm in this episode. There is a lot of good information here not just about fitness, but also about how she identified her niche in agriculture and has been able to turn it into a business that she can do from anywhere. Dolly is definitely an Off-Farm Income producer, and you will enjoy her story.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
When I conducted my interview with Carter Ollendick it was right before he and his parliamentary procedure team departed for a competition. Naturally, I asked him about his participation in both the Conduct Of Meetings team as well as the Parli team during the interview, and he had something interesting to say. He told me that he would recommend participation in these teams to incoming FFA students because they teach you to give your own opinion and argument in a given situation, and they force you to learn to how stick to what you believe and back that up. This is just one more of the many life and career skills that students learn in the FFA.
Carter comes from a rich tradition of FFA participation in his family, and even though he just finished his 9th grade year of school, he already had four years of experience because he was able to begin in the 6th Grade. It is always interesting interview students who were able to begin in middle school, because they are ahead of the game when they get to high school.
Carter has been showing livestock for many years now, starting in the 4H and continuing into the FFA in middle school. At this point he has a lot of experience showing cattle, pigs and sheep. So, last year his parents suggested that he try something new. He agreed, and he grew a pumpkin patch. Then he set up two roadside stands and sold his pumpkins on the honor system. He reports that it went very well.
There are a lot of horrible stories out there right now about the natural disasters that our fellow humans, and more specifically, our fellow farmers and ranchers, are experiencing. If you are not going through these dramatic hardships, and you have tinges of guilt about "why not me" or "why am I so lucky", you are not dealing with something abnormal. This is probably a very low form of what is known as "survivor's guilt".
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Everyone likes to joke about sibling fights, sibling rivalries, etc. And, of course, there is a little bit of truth in every joke or it just wouldn't be funny. However, many of the students that I get to interview on the show live way out on farms or in very small towns where their siblings might be the only other kids around. And, when they are being brought up in a farming and/or ranching situation together they might not just be siblings but also coworkers. So, when does it make sense to partner up with your sister or brother?
Our guest today, Brooklyn Buck, is just one of those students. She is between her 9th and 10th grade year of high school this summer, and her younger sister is between her 6th and 7th grade year of middle school. Brooklyn will be starting her fourth year of FFA, and her sister will be starting her first. With all of that said, they have been partners in a herd of cattle for several years now, and they both love it. So much so that they are keeping all their heifers and trying to grow the size of their herd every year.
Brooklyn brings up a lot of positive reasons that partnering with her sister has been beneficial to her. She is also not afraid to admit that they fight and disagree frequently as well. However, the most compelling part of the argument she has might just be calving season. Earlier this year they did the bulk of their calving in February, and this meant getting up multiple times throughout the night, in the cold, to check on heifers. However, with them being partnered they can split those duties, and each of them gets more sleep.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Brooklyn's Heifers
HIGH SCHOOL: AHSTW High School; Avoca, Iowa
MASCOT: Vikings
FFA ADVISOR: Jennifer Sellner
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR BROOKLYN BUCK:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the AHSTW High School website:
Brooklyn's FFA Advisor's Email Address: jennifer.sellner@ahstwschools.org
AHSTW High School Telephone Number: 712-343-6364
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Nobody, even a judge is above the law!
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.facebook.com/1405668393032001/posts/pfbid028u7vQu4YyvuM1kjxGjokmewm9na8PzAGBeMnbinWtG4TVZYtU4PS36Uv3UWxsxjDl/?d=n
https://www.wvva.com/2022/07/25/higher-drug-use-linked-increase-crime-wyoming-county/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/spike-pembrokeshire-livestock-deaths-due-153224480.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMrBpAUoK7lEAySXwJ9IqryvByz8WDZtO1VMbngP20CuhExF4ae6jI1tF7clW7CgXka4LjmwMBP5ZgHH1v51ZExNYFMWY2d4PW0zd86bBpij5ROI-Hadi9RwXQQYuywEjGrU0zxSgnqE6aYsYmm1aZR3bykm21nfiUvZOq2bqCeE
https://www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/dairy-news/dairy-opinion/milking-it/thieves-use-air-power
https://www.kilkennypeople.ie/news/home/869048/gardai-investigate-theft-from-south-kilkenny-farmyard.html
Africa
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/co-antrim-husband-of-wife-murdered-in-south-africa-expresses-betrayal-over-june-sentencing-41870000.html
https://allafrica.com/stories/202207260199.html
https://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/news/kwazulu-natal/alleged-stock-thief-says-cows-were-for-his-fiancee-but-flees-before-cops-arrive-b35d9dc2-dcce-4024-8ab4-43d7f941b965
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.beefmagazine.com/beef/5-trending-headlines-beef-world-12
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In today's episode we are interviewing a fascinating entrepreneur with a fascinating, value added, agricultural business. Tina Schooler and her husband farm lavender, and they create a myriad of value added products with the lavender that, until this interview, I did not know were possible to make. Chief on my list to try is the lavender beer bread.
Where I live in Idaho, there are a few different lavender farms. As a matter of fact, my wife and daughter, like to frequent one nearby in Kuna. Even with that I never knew there was a difference in lavender between culinary and non-culinary, as I learned in today's episode.
Tina has considered a lot of different ideas for how to monetize this crop that she and her husband grow, and she has some great ideas, such as teaching people how to make lavender based cocktails. With all of that there was a business principle that really stood out to me in this episode that I was excited to emphasize and share with all of you. That was how Tina tested the market before diving in head first. She took a very slow and cautious approach, even though her nearest competition was over 100 miles away. And once she determined that a demand existed, and that people would purchase the value added products she had in mind, she then dove in and has set up a great e-commerce and local sales business.
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This great interview with Alaskan, Jennifer Sharrock, is the perfect tie in to tomorrow's Ag Business Interview. Jennifer is a teacher at heart and teaches people in Alaska how to grow their own food and increase their self-sufficiency. It is my pleasure to bring this interview back to you today.
The original show notes are below.
SHOW NOTES It is always exciting to interview a person who had a dream of working full-time, in agriculture, for themself who has made it come true. We get to do that today when Jennifer Sharrock joins us on the show.
Jennifer has a very interesting story. She grew up in New Jersey, went into the insurance industry and lived all around the country through her career. One of these stops was Alaska. In Alaska, Jennifer found her people, met her husband and started her family. She also discovered a passion for permaculture, regenerative agriculture and growing her own food during their tiny growing season.
Jennifer really dove into this, starting around 2015. Since that time things have snowballed with her teaching classes to other people about how to farm on a small scale, the way that she does. For the past 2+ years, Jennifer has been a full-time farmer and entrepreneur. She grew her farm business large enough to be able to quit her insurance job and be completely independent.
This is a powerful thing, and in the interview with Jennifer you will hear how it has impacted her. It is really an amazing thing to watch or listen to when somebody like Jennifer is able to make this transition. You spend so much time dreaming about this lifestyle, never knowing how to make it happen. Then one day you have a break through and before you know it you are there. This is my story, and this is Jennifer's, and I am excited to profile it for you.
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What year in school is too soon to start an agricultural business that serves large farmers? I'm not sure, but, based on today's interview, I know that the answer is not 9th Grade. Ashton Brusveen has just completed his 9th Grade year of high school, and he has been part of the FFA since 7th Grade. He has grown up farming on his families land, helping to produce corn, soybeans, rye and wheat. But when it came time for him to develop a supervised agricultural experience, with his grandfather's help, he decided to start a business providing a service to other farmers.
This business, "Seed Clean", all began with some conversations with older farmers in the area talking about the need for a seed cleaning business. As the idea was discussed it became apparent to Ashton and his grandfather that there would be a lot of business for a person who started up a business like this. It just so happened that Ashton's grandfather had an old, Clipper fanning mill, in a shed on the farm.
Ashton and his grandfather cleaned up the old mill, and his grandfather even purchased an old co-op facility that was no longer in use for the logistics of farmers bring seed in. Then they made an arrangement that Ashton would run the seed cleaning business as his own, splitting the profits with his grandfather until the time that he was completely paid back.
The demand for this business turned out to be even higher than they expected. Therefore, Ashton is now investing in a larger mill, a Clipper 99 fanning mill, that will give him the ability to serve more customers and clean their seed faster. In addition to all of this he has got his eye on expanding his services in the future to bagging corn, and he is considering hiring his first employee.
I am very excited to watch and see how this business develops. This has got national proficiency and possibly even American Star Award written all over it!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Seed Cleaning
HIGH SCHOOL: Cambria-Friesland High School; Randolph, Wisconsin
MASCOT: Hilltoppers
FFA ADVISOR: Lauren Frances
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ASHTON BRUSVEEN:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Cambria-Friesland High School website:
Ashton's FFA Advisor's Email Address: francesl@rsdwi.org
Cambria-Friesland High School Telephone Number: (920) 348-5548
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
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I think that every one of us that owns property, raises livestock or grows crops has days that, as hard as you try, you cannot remember why you are doing this. Some days can be so frustrating that you just cannot remember why it is all worth it. I am definitely having one of those days today, and I'll share the whole story with you on today's episode.
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c
It has been a lot of fun to profile this group of FFA students as they begin their journeys in this fantastic organization. One of the reasons I enjoy it so much is it gives me a chance to capture their level of knowledge, sophistication and responsibility right at the beginning of their journey. Then, in a few years I can speak with them again and see how they have grown and really become experts in their chosen SAE's.
Today's guest, Olivia Check, really fits this profile very well. She has grown up around the stock contracting business with her family and BC Bucking Bulls. During the summer rodeo season she is gone to different rodeos weekly, helping her father with the business when he takes bulls for competition. While she is there she gets to compete on horseback barrel racing, break away roping and pole bending. And when her time in the arena is through, it is back to the business.
Olivia is learning a lot, and one of those things has been how to work with such large animals as rodeo bulls. She described being fearful of the large animals at the beginning but developing a comfort level being around them. Today, instead of fear she has a deep respect for these gigantic bovines, but she is able to work effectively around them because she has learned her trade.
When looking into the future Olivia sees multiple different career areas in agriculture that interest her. One of those is running the family business. Currently she is deferring to her older sister. If she wants to run the business, Olivia has other areas of agriculture that she wants to explore. If not, Olivia wants to make sure that the family business continues.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: BC Bucking Bulls - Rodeo Stock
HIGH SCHOOL: Seneca High School; Seneca, Wisconsin
MASCOT: Royals
FFA ADVISOR: Brigid Leofeoholz
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR OLIVIA CHECK:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Seneca High School website:
Olivia's FFA Advisor's Email Address:
Seneca High School Telephone Number:
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
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Tip Of The Week
Lions And Teen Driver’s, Oh My
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.deltaplexnews.com/jefferson-county-sheriffs-office-searching-for-stolen-tractor/
https://kgab.com/cheyenne-police-asking-for-publics-help-in-solving-trailer-theft/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/20292758.17-year-old-boy-arrested-several-sheep-killed/
https://www.edenmagnet.com.au/story/7825733/crooks-make-more-profit-from-tobacco-crops-than-heroin/?cs=7
https://www.wellingtonadvertiser.com/letter/stolen-sheep/
Africa
https://www.chronicle.co.zw/watch-thieves-give-methodist-villagers-sleepless-nights/
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2022-07-17-wildlife-authority-kills-pride-of-lions-after-affected-community-stages-sit-in-over-safety-concerns/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.fox19.com/2022/07/21/caught-stealing-man-arrested-with-26-stolen-catalytic-converters/
https://www.kake.com/story/46912127/kansas-feedlot-workers-charged-with-cattle-theft
https://dothaneagle.com/community/jcfloridan/news/local/crime-and-courts/marianna-man-arrested-in-theft-of-tractor-seed-speader/article_cf1154f4-068b-11ed-aca2-bb99d6bae10e.html
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I am a huge fan of wool and wool clothing. I am also a huge fan of my family heritage and legacy. But....I am no comparison when it comes to today's guest. Starting when she was 13 years old, Kelsey Patton, decided that she wanted to knit a sweater. However, she and her mother did not just go buy her some yarn so she could get started. Instead, they purchased sheep, a spinning wheel and much of the other necessary equipment so that they could produce their own raw materials and then refine them into a sweater.
That one decision started Kelsey on a journey of entrepreneurship, farming and raising sheep that has been growing and evolving ever since. Today, Kelsey is the owner of "The Fiber Mill", which is her very own mill that processes the wool of small farmers from all over the nation so that they can sell locally raised, raw materials to their customers who will in turn, create something beautiful with the product. Kelsey and her mom still maintain a flock of sheep so that they can do the same.
In today's interview Kelsey will talk about the journey and the growth process. She will also talk about transforming herself from being an artisan to a business owner and the boss of her employees. Turning a craft that you love into a legitimate business is great, but it also forces you into roles that you didn't necessarily sign up for. Kelsey talks all about that and more in today's interview.
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On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am profiling a very impressive entrepreneur with a passion for wool. I also have a passion for wool, which was reflected in this solo episode from 2019. Below are the original show notes:
Show Notes Me and the whole family were back up in the Wood River Valley of Idaho this weekend so that I could elk hunt. It just so happened that a friend of ours had a condo available that they could not use this weekend. So, the whole family was able to go.
I hunted during the days, and I was able to hang out with Autumm and Hattie in the evenings. Because of the short days, we actually ended up with quite a bit of time together, so it worked out really well.
For my outdoor clothing I prefer to wear wool to any other fabric, natural or man made. After this weekend, I really want to solute all those farmers who are producing wool. On my first evening I got my pickup stuck and was out in the middle of nowhere in a snow storm for quite a while. I was dressed in wool base layers, socks, pants and a heavy wood sweater. I was dry and warm, and the wind just did
not have that much impact on me.
The next two days I spent climbing steep slopes in about 2 feet of snow in pursuit of these elusive big game animals. Between taking every step knee deep into snow and laying prone in the snow several times I never got cold or wet. The wool clothing did just as advertised, and I could not have been more pleased. This miracle fabric is an excellent investment!
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Our guest today is well ahead of her time advocating for agriculture and dispelling myths about animal ag as well as the FFA. After listening to her interview, there will be no question in your mind why she is doing this.
Taylor Russell comes from a rich, Wisconsin, FFA tradition. Her aunt was the first ever female national officer from Wisconsin, both of her parents were state officers, her two older sisters are in the FFA and her mother is her ag teacher and FFA advisor. Is that enough?
Hearing all of that, it is no surprise that Taylor got started in the FFA as soon as she was eligible at Shullsburg High School, which for her was in the 7th Grade. Since then she has developed three businesses. With the rest of her family she raises sheep and sells lambs every year to exhibitors from the 4H and the FFA for participation in jackpot shows and fairs. Taylor raises her own steers for exhibition and sale, and she raises chickens and sells eggs to friends and family in her area.
As if this were not enough, she has another supervised agricultural experience in agriscience research that already yielded her a Gold level award at the national level. Taylor has been researching how people in the FFA communicate about the organization using social media. She has seen a lot of mis-information on social media about cruelty to animals as well as the 4h and FFA being corrupt organizations that indoctrinate students to be cruel to animals. So, she decided to combat what she knew to be untrue.
It almost seems like farming has taken a back seat for me this summer so far. Immediately after getting home from a very rare, but very large and fun vacation it was time to start turning over a rental house from which a tenant had moved out. So, I've been irrigating in the morning, getting work done on the podcast and then heading into Boise to work on one of our streams of revenue.
In today's episode I'll talk about this stream of revenue and a little about our journey using this to build our current lifestyle. I also came across an interesting article about the unrest in Sri Lanka right now and discuss this. Surprisingly to me, farming is at the heart of why there are so many protests in Sri Lanka right now.
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Our guest today is not afraid to get started. She first began raising goats when she was five years old by asking for a pet goat for her birthday. Her parents said that she could have one only if she took responsibility for it, and she did without hesitation. Fast forward 8 years, and Kylie Mann found herself in her second year of FFA during the 8th Grade. Her small chapter needed people to fill officer positions, and despite her young age Kylie volunteered to help out, becoming the chapter's reporter.
That kind of tells the story on Kylie. She is a go getter, and she doesn't let fear slow her down. She is a three sport athlete and loves the competition. Today she has grown her herd of goats to 13 does. She shows goats, sells goats to other exhibitors and also markets goats through a livestock auction. Raising registered Nubian goats is just the beginning for Kylie. She sees her future as being on a farm, raising animals and working as a veterinarian.
Coincidentally, one of Kylie's FFA Advisors, Amelia Hayden, was a previous guest on my show on episode #687 when she was an American Star Finalist. Between Kylie's fearless attitude and having mentorship like that, there is no telling where this will take her!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Goat Production
HIGH SCHOOL: Lincoln City High School; Lake City, Minnesota
MASCOT: Tigers
FFA ADVISOR: Nikki Flaaen
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR KYLIE MANN:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Lincoln City High School website:
Kylie's FFA Advisors' Email Addresses: nbeucler@lake-city.k12.mn.us
Lincoln High School Telephone Number: (651) 345-4553
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
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Tip Of The Week
Clean out the garage and the shop to make room for vehicles.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://fox40.com/news/local-news/catalytic-converter-woodland-police-etch/
https://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/gas-theft-becoming-an-issue-for-farmers-in-kern-county
https://www.valleycentral.com/news/local-news/pharr-pd-searching-for-stolen-tractor-trailer/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://eastdevonnews.co.uk/2022/07/14/rural-crime-east-devon-farm-burglary/
https://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/20277002.ram-ewe-killed-vicious-attacks-near-wiltshire-farm/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/missing-toggenburg-goats-queens-county-1.6519309
Africa
https://www.newsday.co.zw/2022/07/wadyajena-fingered-in-farm-inputs-theft/
https://briefly.co.za/cars-tech/131821-cops-catch-taxi-21-stolen-sheep-north-west-baaaad-idea/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.dnronline.com/dnronline/stolen-cattle-found-returned-to-pulaski-county-farm/article_486b8f79-4e04-5245-84cb-c0eb50193585.html
https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/crime/2022/07/13/kaiser-plea-for-lauren-landavazos-forever-horse-theft/65372256007/
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On today's episode Ryan Conklin, attorney and owner of Wright & Moore Law Co. in Delaware, Ohio, returns to the show to discuss another revenue generating agreement possible on your farm. Ryan first appeared on the show in episode #1353 where we discussed cell tower leases and what to look for if you were going to put one on your farm. In today's episode we are going to talking about renewable energy leases, specifically solar energy.
As you will see in the episode there are many pros and cons to entering into one of these agreements. Also, there are things to look out for that a quality attorney who specializes in this type of agreement can help you navigate through. We will also discuss what to expect to be paid, different types of solar projects, what an "escalation rate" is, what a solar purchase agreement is, property taxes and much more.
Putting in a solar farm is significantly more invasive than a cell tower, but there might be a situation in which this is the right fit for you. I hope this helps!
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On tomorrow's Ag Business episode we are going to be discussing create and outside the box ways of creating off-farm income to support your dreams of farming or your farming lifestyle. This interview that I conducted with Stacy Funderburke about agricultural easements outside of Atlanta, Georgia back in 2021 is a perfect lead in to tomorrow's episode.
Below are the original show notes.
SHOW NOTES There are two fundamental issues that have always plagued me when it comes to farming. First, what do we do about urban sprawl and disappearing farm ground? Second, how can a person expect to start a successful farm and be a full-time farmer with land, input, and equipment costs being so high? So, when I was contacted by The Conservation Fund asking to be on the show and talk about their answers to these questions, I jumped at the chance.
The folks at The Conservation Fund are pro-agriculture, and they are particularly fond of locally produced farm goods that follow their model of sustainability. They also abhor disappearing farm ground. So, they are working to increase locally produced goods while slowing urban sprawl. Right now they are doing this in the 30 counties, metro area of Atlanta, Georgia as a pilot project. But the prospects are very good for expansion.
In this episode, I speak with Stacy Funderburke, who is heading up the "Working Farms Fund" on behalf of The Conservation Fund in the Atlanta metro area. This program aims to pay farmers the actual market cost for their farms. Once purchased, they place the farms into an agricultural easement so that they will be farmed in perpetuity. And this is when the fun really starts.
Once these two things have taken place they match up the particular farm with an experienced farmer, who has been leasing ground or working as an employee and is looking to start their own enterprise. Because the land has been placed in an agricultural easement the price is not driven up by demand from developers. This gives the new farmer a reasonable shot at purchasing the land. To begin the new farmer enters into a lease on the farm ground with an option to buy.
The Conservation Fund helps the new farmer with obtaining resources, sharing equipment, and developing markets. In exchange, the City Of Atlanta and its surrounding metro area have another local producer who can bring locally grown food to market in that area. It is a win/win/win situation. You don't need to be from Georgia to participate in this and be selected as one of the new farmers. We will tell you all about this in today's episode.
Connect with Stacy Funderburke and The Conservation Fund:
Website: conservationfund.org
Facebook: facebook.com/theconservationfund
Instagram: instagram.com/theconservationfund
Email: sfunderburke@conservationfund.org
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What a wonderful thing an inquisitive mind can be. This is especially true for an FFA student, and it always amazes me how soon this begins to show itself.
For today's guest, Meredith Shanks, her inquisitive mind started to show very early, and this was partially because she was able to begin the FFA very early. In Portage, Wisconsin students are able to begin the FFA in the 6th Grade, which is what Meredith did. She said that she was enticed by free donuts and orange juice, but she stayed for the fun with other people who were interested in agriculture.
Meredith already had an interest in livestock, specifically cattle, from visiting and working on her grandparent's farm near her home. By the time that Meredith got to her 8th grade year of FFA it was time to start a supervised agricultural experience, and agriscience research just seemed natural. She was actually already doing research with animals. Learn more in today's interview.
Our Tuesday episode this week coincidentally comes out on my 49th's birthday! Talking about my birthday is not really what I want to do, but as I thought about the fact that one year from today I will be turning 50, I had some thoughts. Really what it has come down to is that my vision of what my farm life would look like comes more true each and every season. As we see 100 degree temperatures on our farm, it reminds me of the way that I grew up down in California and the vision that I created for myself back then. Every season of raising livestock we get a little better, and as I reflect on being a year away from the milestone of 50, this seems more and more like something that I could do forever.
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As you all know, I am a big fan of SAE Grants, and I wish that every FFA student would take advantage of this opportunity. So, I don't take it lightly when a student does. In today's "Featured Freshman" episode we are talking with Ella Raatz from Colby, Wisconsin. Ella lives in town, keeps dairy heifers at the farms of people that she shows cattle for and is already an officer of her FFA chapter. In addition to all of this, she has already been awarded $3,000 in SAE grants, and I recorded her episode in February of her freshman year!
Ella comes from and FFA family, and she has been showing dairy cattle since she was four years of age through the 4H. She is currently serving as the president of her 4H chapter and secretary of her FFA chapter. She used her first and second SAE grant (one national and one through the State of Wisconsin) to purchase a dairy heifer. The third grant she used to purchase embryos.
Tip Of The Week
Know your rights, and also know that law enforcement is trying to do the right thing.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.khon2.com/hawaii-crime/waianae-farm-pleads-for-help-after-special-fencing-was-stolen/
https://www.pahomepage.com/news/state-police-looking-for-monroe-county-tractor-thief/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.fwi.co.uk/machinery/atvs/tracker-firm-sends-hunter-team-to-track-down-stolen-farm-kit
https://metro.co.uk/2022/07/07/security-tags-put-on-cheese-butter-and-baby-milk-amid-soaring-costs-16960844/
Africa
https://allafrica.com/stories/202207070492.html
https://thetowerpost.com/2022/07/07/armed-robbers-steal-musevenis-goats/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2022/jul/07/4-sisters-plead-guilty-in-fraud-scheme-against/?crime
https://ktvo.com/news/local/person-of-interest-in-memphis-stolen-tractor-case-located
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On today's episode we are profiling a company that has come up with a very unique concept to improve farming and improve lives locally, here in the United States, as well as globally. I will be speaking with Randy Krotz, the CEO of Agwiki, and he will be talking all about the concept and why it is both beneficial to American Farmers while being benevolent to the rest of the world at the same time.
My discussion with Randy is not the first time that I have learned about Agwiki. About one year ago I had a great conversation with one of the founders and creators of Agwiki, John LaRose Jr., and learned about how this company came about. While Agwiki is not a sponsor of the Off-Farm Income Podcast, I have been intrigued with the concept ever since. I always enjoy efficient products that accomplish two or more positive things simultaneously, and Agwiki appears to be once such product.
Today's interview is not an endorsement or effort to get you to subscribe to or invest in Agwiki. However, I do think that the concept of Agwiki is powerful and its origination is organic. Therefore, it is something that I wanted to share with all of you in the Off-Farm Income audience.
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On tomorrow's ag business episode I am profiling a company using a new concept of social media to improve farming and share farming methods all over the world. I thought replaying a solo episode I did about how to use Linkedin to grow your business would fit in nicely for our re-cap episode. So, I am replaying episode #678 for you today.
Below are the original show notes:
Who Am I? I recently published a two part episode about building your own podcasting business on my new show, The Microphone Money Podcast. It dawned on me that is a great skill for everyone following the Off-Farm Income Podcast to know. I have talked about using Craigslist to market your business before. Today, we will talk about LinkedIn.
Let me first start by admitting that I am not a LinkedIn expert. But I have used it to build a successful business, and I think it can be valuable for you as well. The only reason I am evening willing to talk about this, is that I have found a strategy with Linkedin that has helped me to build my custom podcasting business, and will help me to attract new business. I know how to use it for this one thing. I'm sure that if I was tested on all of the capabilities of this social media platform I would know about 10% of its actual capabilities.
So, please keep that in mind as we go through this episode.
Who Are You? I assume that you fall into one of the following three categories when it comes to LinkedIn:
- You've never heard of it or at least do not have an account
- You have an account, populated with some business contacts and a lot of your friends, and you really don't understand how to use it
- You have an account, and you know more about how LinkedIn can benefit you in business than I do
Those of you in categories 1 and 2, I've got great information for you. Those of you in category 3, stick around, I bet I have something for you that you have not thought of.
Category #1 I want to talk to you category 1 people for a moment and tell you what Linkedin is.
LinkedIn is a social media platform that has a business purpose. You may or may not be on Facebook already. Or, you possibly avoid Facebook like the plague because this is not the place for you. We will address why you should not avoid Facebook in a future episode. For now, please think of LinkedIn as very similar to Facebook but for business.
On LinkedIn you have "connections" instead of friends. Also, your profile is much more at the forefront of what you do. You can also post text, photos, videos and there is a great article writing function.
On a platform like Facebook you connect with friends and family as the primary function, and you share anything you want with them. Connecting with strangers is not something that is the primary function of Facebook unless we are talking about a business page or group. But that is a different topic.
Think of Facebook as a wedding or high school reunion. You get to see friends and family that you don't get together with that often any longer. You catch up, talk about the kids, talk about your work and maybe share a thought or two about the state of our country or your favorite baseball team.
Contrary to Facebook, connecting with strangers is the main function on LinkedIn, but within a certain set of boundaries - business. Think of LinkedIn as a business conference. You are there with a bunch of people in your industry, and you might all be able to serve each other in different ways. People are open to you coming up to them and asking what they do or even sharing what you do. But there is a decorum and a boundary. We are here to create professional relationships, not life-long friendships.
Certainly, aspects of what goes on in Facebook and what goes on in LinkedIn bleed over between the two platforms. But there is a level of expectation of professionalism and focus on business when you are on LinkedIn. If you would not say it or do it at an industry convention, you should not do it on LinkedIn. You want to remain professional and focused on the people you are there for. You don't want to go on a rant about whomever is in the Oval Office at the time (unless that is your business).
Treat LinkedIn As LinkedIn With all that said, don't treat LinkedIn as Facebook. As a matter of fact, don't even create an account if you are not clear on how you want to use it. I had a LinkedIn account for years that I mis-used. I don't really know what I was thinking. When I first opened it, I think I thought so highly of myself that I assumed that I would be discovered on LinkedIn and whisked off to my dream job.
That did not happen, and I ended up using it incorrectly. I had a lot of connections with my friends on my first LinkedIn account. So, when I tried to connect with someone on LinkedIn, if they looked at my connections they would not see any sort of consistency. They would see bartenders, school teachers, pharmaceutical sales people, farmers, etc., etc. Basically, looking at my site showed that I was not serious or professional.
So, don't use LinkedIn for that. Use Facebook for that. On Facebook, everyone expects you to have an eclectic group of friends from all walks of life. And, if you have a crazy aunt who attacks your friends for their views when they are posting on your page, that is just what is expected on Facebook.
But remember that Facebook is a wedding, and that crazy aunt is invited. So, your friends know what to expect. LinkedIn is a business conference. Imagine having a conversation at a business conference with someone whom you'd like to work with, and your crazy aunt walks up and attacks them because they are using a plastic straw to drink their iced tea. Not good. Business lost.
Tear Down Your Old Site A little truth here. When I opened my first LinkedIn account it was basically just a second Facebook account for me. I connected with all my friends who were also on LinkedIn, did not post any meaningful content and let it sit idle for years, waiting for the magic to happen.
When I started to get serious about my custom podcasting business and I looked at my LinkedIn site, it was embarrassing. I had done everything that I just told you not to do, and I did not want any potential clients to see it. So, I closed it down and started over.
Do you need to close yours down? I think that depends on what you have been doing with it. But, if there are a large percentage of people that you are connected to that have no business being at your virtual industry convention, I would say yes. Tear it down!
Starting Over Let's draw up some rules for when you start up your new site:
Rule #1 - Only request connections with people for legitimate business purposes. If you run across an old high school friend who is in an industry that has nothing to do with your work, don't connect here. Make a note and connect on Facebook.
Rule #2 - Turn down requests to connect. Yes, some people are going to be offended by you not connecting on LinkedIn or refusing to connect. You have to weigh this. I have a few people that I have accepted connection requests from on Linkedin that are not in my business circle. Just a few. For the rest I have sent them a note stating that I won't be able to connect with them on my LinkedIn page, but would be more than happy to connect on Facebook. Or, I just ignored this. You will have to weigh which of these responses is most appropriate for you in a given situation.
Rule #3 - Don't "set it and forget it". Be active on your page. As you are publishing podcasts, share them here. Write articles that are pertinent to your industry and share them. Keep updating your profile and make sure it is well written, grammatically correct and shows what you want it to show.
I currently have 10 articles posted on my LinkedIn profile. These are not just posts. I post on there almost every day when a new episode of one of my shows comes out. The article function allows you to write and post articles much like you would find in an industry specific magazine. These get read by people searching on LinkedIn for your topic. But I believe the greater value is the way these articles position you as an industry expert.
Think of it this way. Let's say that your industry of choice is field mowers, and your niche is under tractor mowers. And let's pretend that you have a brick and mortar store called "The Under Tractor Mower Store". If a potential customer came in, was shopping for a new mower and was considering buying one from you they would have questions. You, being the expert would answer their questions, and you would even answer some other questions that they did not know they had.
Being able to have this conversation with a potential customer is very valuable because you have the opportunity to show them the value of your product. When you write articles on Linkedin, this is your way having this conversation with your potential customers. And when they look at your profile and see your articles, this is their way of walking into your virtual store.
As an example, on my LinkedIn profile I have an article titled "If You Have An Agricultural Message To Share, You Better Have A Podcast". This is not the most eloquent writing, but it is direct and to the point. This article is written for the potential customer that visits my virtual store and has an agricultural message to share. That title is going to catch their eye, and they are going to be intrigued. When they get done reading the article they are going to have their questions answered, even the questions they did not know they had.
This positions me as an industry expert, and it works!
Rule #4 - Don't send out a lot of connection requests to everyone in your industry on day one. Be strategic about this and have a reason to connect. This platform is not about having the biggest number of connections. It is about having quality connections. As I talked about last week, there is a strategic way to make connection requests that will get you more bang for your buck. More on that in a moment.
Rule #5 - Don't include the kitchen sink on your profile. Think of LinkedIn, all of LinkedIn, as a virtual resume. The #1 rule of a resume is that you don't want it to be too long with superfluous information on it. This means that you need to understand who you are targeting with your LinkedIn page and tailor the page to that audience.
Let me give you an example. I took one career path in college, then I did a complete 180 degree flip with my career after college, and then I came back to the original career path that I had been on in college after about 15 years.
The industry umbrella that my current niche falls under is agriculture. But my career for 15 years was in policing. During my time as a police officer I earned a master's degree in criminal justice. I am proud of this degree, but I do not list it on my LinkedIn profile. In my opinion it will only serve to confuse my potential clients. So, I list my bachelor's degree only, which is in agriculture.
This rule applies to your work experience as well. If you look at my profile, all I list are the podcasts or radio shows that I host or contribute to. That is because my target market are companies who are going to need someone to host a show for them. You will want to cater to your target market.
Rule #6 - Beware of what you post. I read a great post once, and I cannot remember the name of the author. I wish I could so I could them credit for this. Before you ever hit "submit" or "post" or "send" or whatever command will make your thoughts public you should step away from the keyboard, do something totally unrelated to your post and then come back to your computer.
Re-read your post and make sure that it says what you want to say. More importantly, make sure that it does not say anything that would not want to say. Make sure that in the heat of the moment you did not write something that you would later take back if you could. You never know who might read this post. If they are offended by what they see, you may never get a chance to make amends because you might never know they even read it. They might just choose to not do business with you.
Rule #7 - Don't just accept connections and go on about your day. Be grateful for the connection, and send a message to your new connection thanking them for connecting. Make yourself stand out and build rapport. And, yes. Some people could care less and they are just trying to get another number, or they are trying to get business by connecting with as many people as possible. You will smell that out soon enough.
Developing Your Network When you start reaching out to people in your industry on LinkedIn you have to understand how they will see you. You must try to see yourself through their eyes. They are not going to see an energetic start up with a great ideas who is willing to take risks and put themselves out there because they are so passionate about this industry. They are going to see another entrepreneur with a business idea who wants to connect with them because they work for a company with big budgets.
If your new connection is nice enough to accept your connection request, even though they don't know who you are and don't know anything about your company they are likely just a nice person. Meaning they are accepting it because they would rather do something positive, say "yes", then something negative, say "no". But that is probably as far as it is going. They are not going to look at your profile.
If I am right about this, why send the connection request? Once they click "accept" and move on, your chance to get them to spend any more time on you or to look at your profile has just passed you by. If you think there is a benefit to having them show up on your profile as a connection, there probably is not. There are lots of people, with lots of connections on LinkedIn. So, this probably does not mean much to the potential customer who looks at your profile.
So, I suggest connecting with people when you can either offer them something, have advice for them or when you want to pitch them an idea. This will up the odds of them actually looking at your profile. At this point you are just planting seeds, and there are a lot of things that are outside of your control. For example, you cannot force them to go through your profile or read your posts. But they might, especially if you have piqued their interest somehow. If they read your articles the chances of them becoming more interested in you or your ideas will go way up.
There is another bonus to doing this. It is the message function. For now, if you want to send a message to a non-connection, LinkedIn requires you to be a premium member. This is expensive. But, there is a loophole. If you are requesting that somebody be a connection, you can include a message to them for free, explaining your reason for connecting.
This is a great way to be able to contact some high level people and plant a seed. And if they are intrigued by your idea, they are almost guaranteed to look at your profile. They would be derelict in their duty if they pursued something with you, spent their scarcest resource (time) on the idea and never took the time to determine if you were legitimate.
So be strategic in how you build your network on Linkedin. If you have your eye on a connection, say the vice-president of marketing for the "Under Tractor Mower Company", do some research. Read about this person online. Find out what he or she said the last time they were interviewed. Did they mention any pain points? If they did, can you do a little leg work for them? Then can you send a message with your connection request stating, "I read that it was a tough decision whether or not to make under tractor mowers or PTO driver mowers. I found some research from Germany saying that solo farmers prefer under tractor mowers more."
This is a pretty crazy example, but hopefully you get the point. Even though these people are in the power position you should still find a way to help or give to them rather than just come to them wanting something. They get a lot of that everyday. You want to stand out by being different.
Sharing Your Resume
This is really similar to building your network. But when you are going to be meeting with someone for real, like at a coffee shop or something like that, it is a great idea to connect on LinkedIn just before that meeting.
If they have agreed to meet with you about one specific idea, they would likely want to prep for the meeting before hand. You can simply send them a connection request a few days prior with a message that says, "I thought I'd connect with you here so you could see my profile prior to our meeting in a couple of days. Looking forward to the conversation."
You are doing something gracious for them by making it easier for them to prep for the meeting. But you are also being totally transparent and showing them you have nothing to hide. And, even though you are meeting to discuss one specific idea, you probably have many different ideas you would like to pitch them.
If they read one of your articles that applies to them, they might see that you offer another service or be intrigued by your expertise enough to ask about it. They will see you as offering more value, and you do not have to overwhelm them with all sorts of ideas on the day you meet. You can be casual, let your profile speak for itself and avoid looking desperate.
Get Recommended LinkedIn has two fabulous features called "Skills & Endorsements" and "Recommendations". This creates unbelievable opportunities for you.
What if a person, who is respected in the industry, was willing to either endorse you, your business or write you a recommendation? What if whole world could see it?
LinkedIn makes this possible.
Whether or not you have already connected or you are requesting a connection, I would follow this request up with a telephone call. And if you cannot get through on the phone I would try a hand written letter requesting a recommendation or endorsement. This is powerful stuff, and you should strike while the iron is hot.
And don't be shy about offering to recommend them or even doing it proactively. Just make sure that you have a legitimate experience with them that gives you credibility in the recommendation. If you recommend someone who you have never met, or never interviewed it is likely to look like pandering.
Timeless Advice
The great news about this advice is that it can change with technology. So, if LinkedIn develops a bunch of new technology by the time that you read this, you can still use this advice. My hope is that LinkedIn stays around for a long time, and that you can benefit from my experience doing this for a long time to come.
Best of luck to you with this method. It is a lot of fun!
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Tessa Camacho is the very first "featured freshman" guest to come on the Off-Farm Income Podcast. And she came highly recommended by a previous guest, Mackenzie Camacho, who happens to be her older sister. You might remember MacKenzie from episode #1195 when she was an American Star Finalist, and when I was lucky enough to meet her in person at the National FFA Convention in 2021.
Tessa is part of long family legacy in the FFA. Both her parents were members and regional officers, and both of her older sisters are still involved in the FFA. Seeing that many blue jackets around the house, it was natural for Tessa to follow in those footsteps. In addition to all of that, she has been participating in the 4H for several years showing pigs, and it was a natural transition in the FFA. All of this time in the show arena has already paid dividends as well, as Tessa has been highly recognized for her showmanship skills with pigs.
Today is the first time I've been behind the microphone since 6/21/22 and the first time I've been on the farm since 6/22/22. I've got stories to share! Plus, we are doing something special with FFA interviews for the rest of the summer.
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Hi Everyone. Just a quick episode today while I am out celebrating our Declaration Of Independence to say Happy Fourth Of July and thank you for all you do in agriculture!
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I was have not been in or anywhere close to the farm studio all week. Since, I produce the rural crime episodes "fresh", the day before they publish each week, I was not able to produce one for you this week up to the quality standard that I hold myself to.
In lieu of a "stale" rural crime episode I decided to share the rural crime prevention tips that I created for Sirius XM Channel 147 with you. I am hoping that you will listen to these as you drive the tractor or get down the road in the pickup and that one of them will give you an idea that helps to prevent crime on your farm!
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I did an episode a few months back titled "it was all because I wanted cattle". Everything that is currently true about my present and future lifestyle can be traced back to this one desire. Today's guest has the same type of story, and oh, where that has taken her.
In addition to a love for cattle and a desire to have raising livestock be a part of her life, Eliza Walton has hustle....major hustle. She has been building her cattle herd since she was in high school, and she has moved her herd across the state of Pennsylvania multiple times as her father has made moves. Each time she has done this her herd has been bigger than the previous time, and she has had to find a farm to raise them on.
The last time this took place Eliza had just recently finished college. Her father had purchased a feed mill in Coburn, Pennsylvania named "Martin's Feed Mill", and she went to work for him. For the next five years, she learned the business. Then, it was time for her father to move on to the next adventure. However, this time, Eliza would stay when her dad went.
Eliza purchased Martin's Feed Mill and began running it with their twelve employees, carving out a niche of delivering feed for free to customers who ordered 500 lbs or more, when her competitors will not deliver under 3,000 lb orders. In addition to the feed mill, Eliza still had the cattle herd to tend. She struck up a business relationship with her business partner in another business, Sinking Creek Meats, and was able to provide the cattle herd while her partner provided the farm. Then, they started direct marketing individual cuts of meat.
Today, Eliza is actually owner of or partner in three agricultural businesses. However, she is where she wants to be, she is growing her businesses and she is tending to her cattle. She is also continually opening up new doors that only entrepreneurs tend to see, and she is going places!
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Tomorrow I am profiling a young lady that has dove into the feed business in a huge way. As a great lead in to that interview, I chose to replay this powerful interview with Sandy Hansen-Wolff about the challenges she faced and the things she overcame in establishing her own feed and see business.
The original show notes can be found below.
SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS:
Our guest today was thrust into the world of agribusiness in a situation that she would have never chosen. However 16 years after this happened she finds herself running a successful feed and seed business, feeling innovative as an entrepreneur and realizes that although she never realized it, she had entrepreneurial tendencies even as a child.
Sandy Hansen-Wolff is the owner of AgVenture Feed & Seed. She found herself with this business at the age of 30 after her husband passed away. Sandy did not know a lot about the business when this happened and found herself with the responsibility for making it solvent before selling it could even be considered. However the sale never came as she discovered that running this business was rewarding and fulfilling.
Today, Sandy has the business and she is a sought after speaker, coach and entrepreneur. She gets to spread her message of entrepreneurship all over the country and has a very inspirational story to tell. We were lucky enough to have her tell her story on this episode.
ADVICE FROM SANDY:
MENTORS: Sandy says "go get some mentors" and start learning from other people who have been where you want to go.
LOVE: Love of your passion is not enough. Working in your business is fun for every entrepreneur. You need to learn to love working on your business, such as doing the book work, budgets, etc.
NEGOTIATE: Do not be afraid to negotiate well and get the price that your products or services are worth.
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE SANDY HAS EVER RECEIVED:
LISTEN: Listen to others. Do not just dismiss someone as a critic because they are saying something critical about your business. Maybe they know something and you should make a change.
PERSONAL HABIT:
FITNESS: Sandy wasn't always fit, but she is now. She exercises, watches what she eats and meditates (kind of) every day. She knows that if she does not feel good physically and feel good about herself, she will not be able to lead, innovate and inspire.
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Email: LINK
Website: LINK
Facebook Page: LINK
Telephone: 320-764-9910
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I've done two interviews with students from New Hampshire in the history of the show, and today is #2. What a fascinatingly different way of life then I am used to in the West!
Our guest today is a lobster fisherman. Ella Byrne has grown up in the lobster industry with an entrepreneurial father who is a self-taught lobsterman and also has a maple syrup business on land. Ella has been fishing lobster for some time now, and in the interview she tells the story of how a business pivot, caused by Covid, stuck and why she is continuing it. The business that was born out of that pivot is F/V Sugar Daddy Lobsters, and Ella now uses social media and a home tank to tell fresh lobster right from her house.
Ella has big dreams, and she is still figuring out the direction that her life is going to take. However, she is positive that it includes coming to the West in the very near future to work on a "dude ranch". She has never been to the West before, but she wants to see the mountains, the farms and the wide open spaces. We are all out here, waiting for her arrival! Until then, you will find Ella on the Atlantic Ocean, setting traps and bringing them back up, providing the most succulent creatures from the sea for the rest of us to enjoy!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Lobster Fishing
HIGH SCHOOL: Exeter High School; Exeter, New Hampshire
MASCOT: Blue Hawks
FFA ADVISOR: Anne Demarco
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ELLA BYRNE:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Exeter High School Website:
Ella's FFA Advisor's Email Address: ademarco@sau16.org
Exeter High School Telephone Number: 603-395-2400
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
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Have you ever heard of "peecycling"? Apparently it is a thing, and today let's talk about it. With these fertilizer prices, anything is worth considering!
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Holden Nuhn first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast back in 2019 when he was a 9th grader on episode #623. This was before Covid, and we had no idea what was coming! Back then I was so impressed with his "could-do" attitude, and how he had found a way to show dairy animals even though he didn't have any of his own.
On Today's episode, Holden is back! We are going to be catching up on what he has been doing in the FFA for the past four years. I'll give you a hint - he really got involved with supervised agricultural experiences! And, he is now restoring his third tractor and finding great success with this endeavor.
Below are the original show notes from my interview with Holden back in 2019.
Show Notes Hosting this show always gives me the opportunity to interview people who find a way to make things happen. Whether it be my adult or student guests, I am always lucky enough to speak with people who have a "can do" attitude.
That is really what stood out to me in today's interview with Holden Nuhn. Holden actually started buying and raising dairy feeder calves when he was in the 3rd grade. By the time he was in the 6th grade he decided that he wanted to start showing dairy heifers. However, he did not have the facilities or herd to do that. But, he did not allow that stop him.
Holden made a connection with a local dairy farmer and worked out an agreement in which he could lease a heifer to show. They have a great agreement, which he talks about in the show, where they both benefit. It is truly a great example of a situation in which both parties win.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Dairy Production & Tractor Restoration
HIGH SCHOOL: Western Reserve High School; Collins, Ohio
MASCOT: Rough Riders
FFA ADVISOR: Mark Starkey
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR HOLDEN NUHN:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Western Reserve High School Website:
Holden's FFA Advisor's Email Address: mstarkey@western-reserve.org
Western Reserve High School Telephone Number: (419) 660.8508
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
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Tip Of The Week
Steel, Copper & Fuel are all expensive - guard anything of value right now.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.salina.com/story/news/2022/06/15/salina-grain-elevator-sees-theft-over-30-k-copper-wire/7610694001/
https://www.wbko.com/2022/06/15/ohio-county-sheriffs-office-searching-stolen-vintage-plow/
https://www.14news.com/2022/06/14/mpd-looking-stolen-skid-steer-belonging-pollard-sons-excavating/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-40897088.html
https://m.farms.com/ag-industry-news/top-prairie-and-national-stories-from-the-first-half-of-2022/
Africa
https://saharareporters.com/2022/06/15/police-arrest-87-suspected-boko-haram-terrorists-kidnappers-others-north-east-nigeria
https://www.the-star.co.ke/counties/eastern/2022-06-13-bandits-kill-herder-steal-over-60-cattle-in-marsabit/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.hawaiipolice.com/6-13-22-police-arrest-and-charge-three-in-agricultural-theft-investigation
https://www.outtherecolorado.com/news/trailhead-theft-suspects-face-22-charges-in-colorado-after-arrest-including-multiple-felonies/article_1ed09124-e8e3-11ec-ab63-0fe700ede1e9.html
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Soooo, you want to know what my favorite business that I've ever profiled on the show is do you? Well, I still can't pick, but a brewery where delicious beers, delectable meals and lots of fun are all located has to be in the top three!
Today's guests, Trent and Vicki Bushner, are full-time farmers in Yuma County, Colorado. And for the past 25+ years, Trent has just happened to be a hobby brewer. So, a couple of years back when a young man they knew invested in a building on Main Street in Yuma City and was looking for new businesses to fill out the downtown area asked, they said "yes, now is the time to start a brewery". Tumbleweed Brewing & Wine Company was born!
The farming heritage in Trent's family goes way back. Trent was too young to remember much but did get to meet his great-grandfather who was 4 years old and living near battlefields in Missouri during the Civil War. That eventually translated to farming in the Eastern Plains of Colorado, first as dry land with irrigation infrastructure eventually being developed to the point that now it is about 50/50.
We recorded this interview in April, and at that point Trent and Vicki had only seen .5 inches of measurable precipitation since harvest of 2021. They already had some crop failures this year, and we've got our fingers crossed for them that between the time we recorded the interview and when it airs that they get a lot of rain. Just in case they don't, the next time you drive across the plains, take a different route and wet your whistle in Yuma, Colorado at Tumbleweed Brewing & Wine Company!
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Tomorrow we are featuring a farm couple who has started a fun and successful brewery in Eastern Colorado. I thought a look back and the opportunities surrounding hop farming would fit right in.
Below are the original show notes:
SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS:
I have three themes that I want to cover this week. All of them have to do with entrepreneurship:
Hop Farming Business Opportunities
Currently we are planting record acreage of hops in the United States and there is still a shortage for craft beer brewers. People are planting hops in small areas all around the United States to support their craft brewing hobbies or businesses. In order to use and grow the hops certain things need to be done. This creates an opportunity to serve these farmers. This is very similar to the journey that Jonathan Demcak described in episode #12. Here are some of the things they need:
- Poles
- High-Tensile Cable
- Twine Pitching and Drying Equipment
- Gorst Valley Hops (Supplier)
- Bine Implement (Supplier)
Vertical Farming
I read about vertical farming a couple of weeks ago and had to share this with you. People are using hydroponics to turn spare bedrooms and garages into farms! They are suppling restaurants with fresh greens and making money. The article I am linked to here profiles a gentleman named Dan Albert from Seattle, Washington who left his day job just to run his vertical farming business.
This proves that anyone can farm. Even if you live in an apartment in the middle of a big city!
Loneliness
This is a bigger problem than you would think in entrepreneurship. Once you go to work for yourself a sense of isolation can creep in pretty easily. In agriculture many of the tips and tricks to combat this will not work. However, the effects of this can also be countered by being outside, in the sun, working with animals and receiving intrinsic rewards from your efforts.
But, this is something that I have experienced, just in missing the hustle and bustle of things going on around me. I have tried to replicate this occasionally by doing some of my computer work at a McDonald's where people are coming and going.
Here is an article that discusses some of "loneliness pitfalls" of being and entrepreneur and how to deal with them. Remember that we have to take this "non-agricultural" information and convert back to make sense in our world.
Forbes.com
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I am always happy and honored when a listener reached out and requests to be part of the show. Sometimes it is a fit, and sometimes it is not, but I am always thrilled that they want to be part of what we are doing here. Our guest today is one such listener. Kyleigh Render is a very impressive FFA student. She will be "graduating" from high school in one month, but there is a twist to her story. Kyleigh is homeschooled, so her experience has been a bit different.
During Kyleigh's freshman year of high school, she actually did attend school on campus with other students. This was in Michigan. She took an agriculture class that semester, and thus, she was automatically enrolled in the FFA. This stuck. She relished the group and the roles that she could play. Soon, her parents decided to move to be by family just outside of Belgrade, Montana and she went back to homeschooling. However, she took it it upon herself to seek out the Belgrade FFA Chapter and inquire about membership. They were very familiar with having homeschool students in their chapter, and she was welcomed right in.
Today, as Kyleigh looks forward to her career after high school, she is very motivated to educate others about and advocate for agriculture. As a result, she started "The Farmer's Story Podcast" this previous February, and she has been telling the stories of how food gets grown and produced in the U.S. ever since. Her long term goal is to interview a farmer from every state in the U.S.
Kyleigh wants to build "The Farmer's Story Podcast" into a full-time career, and she is ready to launch! Just as soon as her high school career ends, she will be off to the races!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: The Farmer's Story Podcast
HIGH SCHOOL: Homeschooled and part of the Belgrade FFA Chapter; Belgrade, Montana
MASCOT: Panthers
FFA ADVISOR: Kyle Gavin
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR KYLEIGH RENDER:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Belgrade High School website:
Kyleigh's FFA Advisor's Email Address: kgavin@bsd44.org
Belgrade High School Telephone Number: 406 388 6862
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
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I have been saying for quite sometime that direct marketing grass finished beef at a premium price was the equivalent of selling a luxury item and that when the economy got bad there would be less customers for this type of product. I've also been curious about the entire local food movement that has been growing and thriving for so many years now.
I believe that it is a foregone conclusion that the American economy, and really, the world economy, is heading into a recession or is already in one. So, my predictions and quite possibly my business model is about to be tested. A couple of things to consider going into this are:
- If demand for locally produced or premium agricultural products decreases, can you lower your prices and survive as a business?
- Will demand for beef in general diminish and be replaced with more chicken and pork consumption?
- Will the memory of empty grocery shelves during the pandemic be enough motivation for people to continue to support local agriculture in spite of higher prices?
- Will your off-farm business lose business due to people having less disposable income, such as an agritourism business?
- If your off-farm business serves farmers, will they start doing the service you provide themselves to save money?
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Rarely does this happen, but today's interview features the daughter of my previous Friday episode guest. Shelby Shuman has just finished her junior year of high school, and she has been conducting auctions since she was twelve years old. Early on in her auction career she knew she wanted to start her own business, but she never really implemented it until her freshman year of high school when she joined the FFA and was required to start a supervised agricultural experience. At that point, Shelby Shuman Auctions was born.
Inspired by her father, Scott Shuman (featured in episode 1413), she now travels all over the country conducting auctions. Her niche is benefit auctions, and she has great success finding clients. As Shelby puts it, it is rare to find a female auctioneer, but to find one who is in high school and in the FFA is extremely rare. In addition to her outstanding skill conducting auctions, the uniqueness of her stature makes her a big draw.
Shelby has one year of high school left, and then she is off to Liberty University in Virginia to study entrepreneurship. Being a career auctioneer is in the list of possibilities for Shelby, but she has not made up her mind yet. She is going to go explore all of the options that are out there for her and find the correct path. If it leads to auctioneering like her father, then so be it. If it does not, she will always have the skills and experience that beginning an auction career at age 12 can give you!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Auctioneering
HIGH SCHOOL: Eaton High School; Eaton, Colorado
MASCOT: Indians
FFA ADVISOR: Heidi Lanning
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SHELBY SHUMAN:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Eaton High School website:
Shelby's FFA Advisor's Email Address: hlanning@eaton.k12.co.us
Eaton High School Telephone Number: (970) 454-3374
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
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Tip Of The Week
Keep you cell phone with you around the farm: https://wgno.com/technology/man-tracks-apple-watch-to-find-sons-stolen-car/
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://ktvo.com/news/local/man-uses-fake-67500-check-to-steal-tractor-hay-rake-from-outside-memphis
https://whky.com/tractor-truck-stolen-from-springs-road/
https://www.turnto23.com/news/crime/kcso-seeks-help-iding-farm-equipment-theft-suspects
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/20214063.tagged-herefordshire-farm-burglar-sentenced-court/
https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/crime/diesel-stolen-from-farm-near-woodbridge-in-suffolk-9036568
Africa
https://www.farmersweekly.co.za/agri-news/south-africa/politicising-stock-theft-doesnt-help-sas-farmers/
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/fuel-tanker-hijacked-driver-assaulted-petrol-stolen-old-airport-road-isipingo-kzn/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.wdhn.com/news/local-news/geneva-co-sheriffs-office-makes-arrest-in-the-theft-of-work-tools/
https://www.kttn.com/missouri-man-sentenced-to-8-years-in-prison-for-stealing-firearms-from-farm-supply-store/
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Is there any more fundamental business to the world of agriculture than that of auctioneering? I say "no". Auctioneers have been there in good times and in bad times, whenever folks need to sell farms, ranches, equipment or otherwise, for whatever reason. The auctioneer is always there trying to maximize what these folks get for their lifetime of work and for their next chapter.
Today's guest, Scott Shuman, has made a life out of doing just this, both in good and bad times. Scott is based in Northern Colorado, and has been involved in agriculture his whole life. During high school and later college, he was doing anything he could to be around the auction industry and auctioneers because he found himself really interested in it, and it made a great job for a student. Eventually, Scott went on to get his master's degree in agricultural education, but there was something about the world of auctions that kept calling him back. So, after a year and a half of teaching, he found himself heading back to the front of the auction and he has not looked back.
Today, Scott is a partner in Hall And Hall Auctions, and he travels all over the world helping to sell premier farm and ranch properties. On today's show he is going to talk about the life of an auctioneer, how to get started in that industry and when your too old to start this career (hint: there is no maximum age).
In addition to the world of auctioneering, Scott as just released a book: A Million Acres & Counting, and he was pivotal in helping the National FFA to design a supervised agricultural experience to help students start their own auctioneering business during high school. We have all of that an more for you in this great interview!
**Scott's daughter, Shelby, is our featured guest in episode #1415.
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On tomorrow's ag business episode we are featuring a gentleman who has made an interesting career out of auctioning farm and ranch real estate. On the following Monday we are featuring his daughter, who is in the FFA and is also an auctioneer. It is a complete look into the world of this interesting and fundamental career. So, for our re-cap episode this week I wanted to take a look back at some of the other auctioneers who I have profiled on the show. Who better than Cotton Booker, who as the 2018 International Junior Auctioneer Champion!
The original show notes are below:
INTRODUCING COTTON BOOKER!
Today I get to introduce you to a humble young man who is having great success. Cotton Booker is the 2018 International Junior Auctioneer Champion, the youngest ever auctioneer at the Barrett Jackson Auction and the Washington State Star winner in agribusiness.
Cotton's family is in the auctioneering business, and he has been learning about it his whole life. Cotton has had a lot of success through auctioneering, and he went to a professional auctioneer's school when he was only 13 years old as the youngest student they had there.
Today, Cotton works for his families business, and he has also started his own auction company, Booker Auction. He is carrying on the family legacy and trying to help people out in agriculture when it comes time for an estate sale or otherwise.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Auctioneering
HIGH SCHOOL: Colfax High School; Colfax, Washington
MASCOT: Bulldogs
FFA ADVISOR: Michael Heitstuman
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR COTTON BOOKER:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Colfax High School website:
Cotton's FFA Advisors' Email Addresses: MICHAEL.HEITSTUMAN@csd300.com
Colfax High School's Telephone Number: (509) 397-4368
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
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I am starting to think that plant breeders are born, not made. At least every time I interview a young man or woman with this passion it appears that is correct. In today's interview I am speaking with a junior in high school that has already obtained $10,000 in funding to begin an apple orchard on his high school's property. Gabe Olson-Jensen is our featured guest, and look at this list of accomplishments:
- Started working at a local orchard at age 12
- Grafted his first trees at age 12
- Obtained land at his school start a 1/4 acre apple orchard in 2020
- Applied for and received a $1,000 SAE grant in 2020
- Applied for and recieved $9,000 in funding from USDA SARE in 2020
- Purchased 200 apple trees and trellising and began the orchard in 2020
- Using integrated pest management to sustain and grow the fruit trees
Gabe really has an amazing story as so many of these seed breeders do. Today, we will profile it all for you!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Plant Research
HIGH SCHOOL: River Falls High School; River Falls, Wisconsin
MASCOT: Wildcats
FFA ADVISOR: Ryan Pechacek
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR GABE OLSON-JENSEN:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the River Falls High School website:
Gabe's FFA Advisor's Email Address: ryan.pechacek@rfsd.k12.wi.us
River Falls High School Telephone Number: 715-425-1830
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
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Baxter Black, who I have been a fan of for at least three decades has passed. In 2015 Baxter generously agreed to be a guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast when we had barely began and had no catalog and no reputation. He provided me with a great, long-form interview as well.
The world learned that Baxter was ill and on hospice care back in January of 2022, and in February of 2022 we replayed his interview as tribute. We are doing it again today as we have lost one of good ones. The original show notes are below.
KEY IDEAS:
ADVICE FROM BAXTER BLACK:
WORK FOR FREE: Baxter's advice is to 1,000 shows for free before you figure out what you are worth.
HAVE SOMETHING TO WRITE ABOUT: Baxter related a great story about a young man that walked 15 miles to meet him because he wanted to become a cowboy poet. But the boy was not a cowboy, so he did not know anything to write about. Baxter sent him off to get ranch working experience, to learn his subject matter and THEN to start writing.
BAXTER BLACK'S PERSONAL HABIT THAT IS CONTRIBUTING TO HIS SUCCESS:
YOU NEED TO FORM A HABIT: Once Baxter started writing a column, he started a habit of writing everyday. Now on every plane ride, or nightly before bed, he writes. This is how he has produced so much content.
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE THAT BAXTER BLACK HAS RECEIVED:
GET YOUR MESSAGE OUT: Baxter told me that it was not until he was addressing a group of ranchers in Colorado that one of the took him aside and suggested that he write a column. The message that Baxter received was that he had a message to get out, and he needed to get it to a wider audience. You need to take that step, and find a way to get your message to the people who are looking for it.
LINKS:
Baxter Black's Website: BaxterBlack.com
Baxter Black's Facebook Page
Baxter Black's Twitter Feed: @BaxterBlack
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:
Mr. Black recommends this book which is about entrepreneurship, overcoming obstacles and following your own path. Click on the image to go directly to Baxter Black's webpage where he sells this book:
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It is so interesting how students answer the elevator question I ask them during my interviews. Mallory Bowers' answer may be the most interesting that I have heard thus far. She told me that "agriculture saves lives", and then she went on to articulate her thoughts on why this is. Everything from people finding their purpose to the basic need for food was included in her explanation.
I guess I should not be surprised. Mallory was raised by an FFA advisor, and she has already began the transition process of taking over her families sheep operation. In addition that, she joined the FFA just as soon as the rules would allow her, and she was just recently named the State of Indiana Proficiency Winner in Sheep Production!
Mallory will have graduated high school by the time that this interview airs, and she is headed to Lincoln Land College just over the state border to study agriculture, compete in livestock judging and prepare herself for the dual careers of teaching agriculture and running her own sheep operation. As I told her during the interview, she is planning on being busy. She replied with an "Oh, Yeah!".
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Sheep Production
HIGH SCHOOL: Tippecanoe Valley High School; Akron, Ohio
MASCOT: Vikings
FFA ADVISOR: Michael Jones
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR MALLORY BOWERS:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Tippecanoe Valley High School Website:
Mallory's FFA Advisor's Email Address: jonesm@tvsc.k12.in.us
Tippecanoe Valley High School Telephone Number: 574-598-2100
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
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Tip Of The Week
If somebody pays for $20 worth of gas but is pumping for hours, you might check it out.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wwnytv.com/2022/06/08/thousands-gallons-thieves-using-modified-trucks-steal-gas-stations-police-say/
https://www.ocala.com/story/news/courts/2022/06/07/prosecutors-ocala-florida-drop-charges-death-600-pound-pig/9999829002/
https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/friend-remembers-gilbert-woman-killed-by-unknown-person-at-home-near-san-tan-village-parkway-and-ray-road/75-90972a32-0521-4913-93f1-adf690d099ac
https://www.ky3.com/2022/06/03/catch-a-crook-man-steals-egg-incubator-deceased-willard-mans-home/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/news/stolen-horse-boxes-recovered-by-police-9257998/
https://www.realagriculture.com/2022/06/risk-of-theft-a-key-hold-back-of-expanding-fuel-storage-survey-suggests/
Africa
https://dailytrust.com/farmer-bags-1-month-for-concealing-stolen-yams
https://lowvelder.co.za/784133/limpopo-saps-arrested-889-for-criminal-activities/
https://www.enca.com/business/zim-deputy-minister-arrested-alleged-fertiliser-theft
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.nj.com/hunterdon/2022/05/man-arrested-71-neglected-cows-horses-pigs-taken-from-his-rescue-farm-officials-say.html
https://turnto10.com/news/local/rhode-island-arrested-connection-with-animal-cruelty-investigation-north-kingstown
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In today's episode I get to learn about a species of livestock that I had never heard of before, the Pacovicuna. A Vicuna is the wild ancestor of the Llama, and they have characteristics in their fiber that just cannot be replicated by Llamas. Jane Lavene and her husband, Arthur, raise the largest herd of Pacovicuna's in the U.S. on their farms in the Denver, Colorado and Salida, Colorado areas.
In today's episode Jane teaches us about the Vicuna, the Pacovicuna and the unbelievable process of starting a herd of these animals some 27 years ago. In addition, she discusses her fiber business and goes into great detail about he sophistication of maintaining the genetic integrity of this animal as well as selling the best and most matching fiber possible.
Jane will also explain a lot about the fiber, and how it is graded and sorted. In addition to this part of the business Jane talks about the benefit of selling into a luxury market. The fiber and felt from a Vicuna is of such quality that it demands top dollar, and that means that it is used in luxury items. Selling into this market creates a stable demand for Jane.
And if all the information about this highly sophisticated, value added business were not enough, Jane also discusses her multiple streams of revenue approach which includes horse boarding, vacation rentals and much, much more. Enjoy this episode!
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Today, I am replaying my interview with James Budd of Alpacas Of Montana. This is perfect segue into our ag business interview tomorrow, talking about luxury wool and fleece production. At the time I did this interview with James he had built a worldwide brand with Alpacas Of Montana. He continues to grow and succeed, and it is my pleasure to bring the interview to you again.
Below are the original show notes:
SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS:
Do you like to be warm in winter? Who doesn't? Would you like to farm? Who wouldn't? Our guest today combined these two things and now has 5,000 of his closest friends over on the weekend!
James Budd and his wife Sarah are accomplished professionals in their respective fields. About fifteen years ago James decided that he had accomplished enough, and he wanted to try something on his own....anything. He talked with Sarah about raising alpacas after reading an article, and she reminded him of the several reasons that would not be a fit for him. She was right, but then he had two other things happen on the same day telling him he should pursue this business. He tried again and Alpacas Of Montana was born.
James and Sarah moved from Colorado to Bozeman, Montana, bought property and of course, alpacas. They began raising these animals and learning about them. Eventually James came up with five different revenue generation models from these animals and started pursuing them all.
The revenue model we talk the most about today is the production of products from alpaca fiber - socks, hats, mittens, gloves, etc. Alpacas Of Montana now produces a wide product line that are sold all over the world. James has a passion for business in general and of course, his business. This has led to their latest open house on the farm in Bozeman with over 5,000 people coming to visit.
ADVICE FROM JAMES:
GET HELP: Nobody has accomplished great success without getting help from others. Don't be afraid to seek your own.
SMART: When it comes to your particular product, service or area of expertise be the smartest person in the room. Know the most.
NETWORK: The old saying is "it's not what you know, it's who you know". James really believes that the power of your network will be a key to you being successful.....but he still believes that what you know is very important.
BEST ADVICE JAMES HAS EVER RECEIVED:
"A Little Bit Of A Lot Is A Whole More Than A Lot Of Nothing" - find your market and get a piece of it. Then work on getting a bigger piece.
PERSONAL HABIT THAT HELPS JAMES SUCCEED:
RE-PRIORITIZATION: James prioritizes his day, everyday. About mid-day he does it again to get the most productivity.
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INTRODUCING LANE COLSTON! There was a very consistent theme running through today's interview with Lane Colston from Western Hills High School FFA.....people. When I asked Lane about why he had joined the FFA, he talked about all the great people he had known who had been FFA members, and he also talked about the great people he has been able to meet by being a member. When we talked about the reigning horse world that he is such a big part, he was talking about being able to meet great people again. I definitely get the feeling that Lane is the type of person that everybody likes, and that is certainly going to treat him well in the future.
Lane comes from a family with a horseback tradition. And for him, it didn't really catch until he was 8 years old. Ironically, being from Kentucky (a great horse state) he found his passion for horses in Wyoming. On a family vacation to the Grand Teton Mountains they took a trail ride on horseback, and something clicked for Lane. When they got home he looked around and saw the same horses that had always been there, but now he was determined to spend his time riding them rather than just looking at them.
Since that time Lane has become a horse trainer, exhibitor and rider. He competes all over the U.S. on reigning horses, he purchases them green, trains them and then sells them. In addition to this, he is learning the family concrete business and plans on studying business in college so that he can help both businesses grow!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Reigning Horse Training & Sales
HIGH SCHOOL: Western Hills High School; Frankfort, Kentucky
MASCOT: Wolverines
FFA ADVISOR: Jenna Harrod
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR LANE COLSTON:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Western Hills High School Ag. Department's website:
Lane's FFA Advisor's Email Address: jenna.harrod@franklin.kyschools.us
Western Hills High School's Telephone Number: 502-875-8400
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
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Today, we take a look at what has been going on, on our farm and with the podcast. We also take a few minutes to discuss the importance of creeds and some of the most well known creeds in agriculture.
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INTRODUCING SAMUEL JIMENEZ!
Buckle up to learn something new in this episode. I sure know that I did when I was conducting the interview!
Samuel Jimenez has just graduated high school, and he has just been awarded a California State Proficiency Award in Specialty Animal Production Placement. How you ask? By raising thousands of Koi Fish in his families business in Madera, California.
Sam's parents have a business called Mad Town Koi Fish, and she sell Koi all over the world. In addition to the production of fish they produce a high quality manure/fertilizer for their business partner's pistachio orchard with the waste of the Koi. Sam has been learning this business inside and out over the years, and now when a buyer is at the farm to purchase fish it is Sam who takes out the nets and catches the fish for sale.
During our interview Sam told me about a type of Koi called a "Tancho". This is a very rare and very desirable pattern on the body of the Koi that results with a red circle on its forehead. While Same told me that Koi will sell for $5-$7 per typical fish, a Tancho can sell for up to $25,000! This fish business is very much like other livestock businesses. They even have a breed organization and they compete in shows for the grand champion Koi.
I learned a ton in this interview, and you will too!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Koi Fish Production
HIGH SCHOOL: Madera South High School; Madera, California
MASCOT: Stallions
FFA ADVISOR: Tim Deniz
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SAMUEL JIMENEZ:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Madera South High School Ag. Department's website:
Sam's FFA Advisor's Email Address: timdeniz@maderausd.org
Madera South High School Telephone Number: 559-675-4450
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Keep a close eye on your copper and diesel.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.bakersfield.com/news/kcso-asks-for-publics-help-to-id-burglary-suspects/article_ac759778-e1f3-11ec-b4a6-479a9fa9db46.html
https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/crime/2022/05/31/hobart-man-sentenced-after-admitting-3-counts-arson/9912721002/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/monaghan-gardai-investigate-theft-of-power-washer-from-tractor/
https://www.tipperarylive.ie/news/home/824636/tipperary-gardai-investigate-theft-of-scrap-copper-worth-up-to-2-000-from-field.html
Africa
https://www.modernghana.com/news/1161670/cr-three-caged-over-lynching-of-suspected-plant.html
https://www.iol.co.za/mercury/news/sheep-worth-r14-000-stolen-from-howick-farm-recovered-f7bb8a7b-b3e9-4ed2-8a21-49643e7f5e0c
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://columbuscountynews.com/2022/06/tractor-theft-suspect-a-man-of-many-names/
https://www.crimevoice.com/2022/06/01/rural-crimes/
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
It is amazing where an agricultural passion can take you. Even though I know that, I am not quite sure I have ever profiled a story quite like today's episode with Daniel Oduntan.
Daniel grew up in the city of Ibadan in Nigeria, Africa. Sometime, around the time he was 30 years old, a woman from Denmark put on a workshop about beekeeping that he attended. This was the beginning of what would become a lifelong passion for Daniel that would eventually see him live on three different continents.
Daniel's interest in beekeeping was piqued, and he started studying, first obtaining a bachelor's degree in agriculture in Nigeria, soon to be followed by a master's degree in entomology. Not long after this Daniel moved to Germany to study beekeeping in Bavaria. His interest in and passion for bees allowed him to develop a global network of contacts in the beekeeping industry, and that eventually brought him to Pennsylvania for a conference. During this conference he met a family with multiple generations of beekeeping experience which he had been admiring from afar as well as many other contacts.
This ultimately led Daniel to decide to base himself in the U.S., and after researching where to live he found Salt Lake City, came across the country and settled down. Today Daniel is operating his own business, Bee-Craft Consult, from Salt Lake City, he has authored two books on beekeeping and he has started a foundation to raise money to educate people worldwide on the art of beekeeping!
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
On tomorrow's ag business episode we are talking all about bees with a fascinating entrepreneur who has traveled the world. I thought that a look back at this great interview with Saralynn Smith would be a great idea as she talked to us about the very beginning stages of starting her bee business.
Below are the original show notes:
SHOW NOTES
If You Want To Raise Bees, You Will Need The Right Clothing!
Introducing Saralynn Smith!
Sara Smith is involved in one of the most ancient of agricultural enterprises, bee keeping. Her story is kind of unique. Instead of developing her bee hives with the purpose of harvesting honey or selling products, she and her father started them to pollinate the plants and flowers in their yard.
Soon, they had 3 hives and excess honey! After giving honey away to people in their community, the idea of "3 B's" came up. Sara decided to make the beekeeping her supervised agricultural experience. Now she will be producing lip balm from her honey with all natural ingredients.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Bee Keeping and Product Development
HIGH SCHOOL: Dinwiddie High School; Dinwiddie, Virginia
MASCOT: Generals
FFA ADVISOR: Cindy Blaha & Laurel Bishop
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SARA SMITH:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Dinwiddie High School Website:
Sara's FFA Advisor's Email Address: cblaha@dcpsnet.org
Dinwiddie High School Telephone Number: (804) 469-4280
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
INTRODUCING EMMA ALBERS!
I like to say that if you are hitting all of your goals, you aren't setting them high enough. Today's guest understands that completely. Emma Albers set a goal of becoming a national proficiency finalist when she was in the 9th Grade. She just graduated high school a couple of weeks ago, and she is on the cusp of that accomplishment.
Emma actually has three very strong supervised agricultural experiences and proficiencies - beef production, grain production and veterinary science. It is the rules that actually held her back. In the State of Kansas, one student can only advance to state proficiencies with a maximum of two projects. Ironically, on Emma's farm she gets the most enjoyment out of working with the cattle. However, her strongest two proficiencies were veterinary science and grain production, so that is what she put forth.
Later this month Emma will find out if either of her proficiencies won at the state level. If one of them does, she will be on to compete for that national proficiency award that she decided that she wanted so many years ago!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Beef & Grain Production Entrepreneurship, Veterinary Science Placement
HIGH SCHOOL: Doniphan West High School; Highland, Kansas
MASCOT: Mustangs
FFA ADVISOR: Hannah Adame
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR EMMA ALBERS:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Doniphan High School Ag. Department's website:
Emma's FFA Advisor's Email Address: hadame@usd111.org
Doniphan High School Telephone Number: 785-442-3286
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Today is our farm update episode, and the theme is definitely "never give up". With the odds stacked against it, spring rain fall has really made a big difference in our irrigation season. And, I've got another project that I need the "never give up" attitude for! Plus a success story on a new marketing effort. I hope you enjoy!
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Have you ever had the experience of speaking with a person and not being able to match what you are hearing to your preconceived notion about who they would be? That was my exact experience speaking with today's guest, Ben Bugbee. Fortunately for me, I interview a lot of FFA students, and that means that I have this experience frequently. Ben is just finishing his 11th grade year of high school, and when our interview started I had an idea of what an 11th grader should sound like. However, if you did not know that Ben was in high school and heard this interview you would think that he had been running his own business for a couple of decades and had the experience of his peers that are in their 30's! Perhaps this is what led Ben to be named the Minnesota State Star in Agribusiness in 2022.
Ben is the owner of Water Ready Rentals in Paynesville, Minnesota, and he also works at his families resort, Bug Bee-Hive Resort, which has been in his family for 102 years. In addition to that, Ben is a regional vice-president in the FFA and concurrently serves as a chapter officer in the Paynesville FFA Chapter. Ben has owned his own business since he was 14 years old, and to hear him speak about the pitfalls of renting out watercraft is like listening to an expert put on a seminar about running a business such as this.
Ben is clearly a "non-traditional FFA student", and as he points out, capturing students like himself is exactly why the FFA changed its name decades ago. With that said, Ben knows exactly how his water sports business relates to agriculture and is able to articulate that clearly. Ben believes that with a lot of "blood, sweat and tears" that the FFA helps to teach students, from on or off the farm, the work ethic and tradition that is captured in American Agriculture!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Pontoon Boat Rentals
HIGH SCHOOL: Paynesville High School; Paynesville, Minnesota
MASCOT: Bulldogs
FFA ADVISOR: Natalie Utsch
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR BEN BUGBEE:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Paynesville High School website:
Ben's FFA Advisor's Email Address: nutsch@isd741.org
Paynesville High School Telephone Number: 320-243-3410
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Find the strength to be patient before passing judgment.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://localnews8.com/news/crime-tracker/2022/05/26/new-details-released-about-reported-animal-abuse-and-fire-investigation-at-local-farm/
https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/putnam-county-sheriffs-office-asks-for-help-locating-trailer/77-5a0c6a2d-6733-46f6-bad3-965ec315742d
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.nfuonline.com/updates-and-information/fly-tipping-debate-in-parliament-gains-support-from-mp/
https://www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/rural-news/rural-machinery-products/techno-crime-hits-ag-sector
Africa
https://www.news24.com/witness/news/pietermaritzburg/body-of-a-missing-kzn-farmer-found-with-gunshot-wounds-20220526
https://chimpreports.com/40-guns-recovered-as-joint-security-forces-continue-to-pacify-karamoja/
https://chimpreports.com/soroti-sub-county-chief-2-lc-chairpersons-remanded-over-livestock-theft/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/man-arrested-laton-recovery-stolen-135100990.html
https://www.thefencepost.com/news/ponca-city-man-arrested-in-larceny-of-domestic-animals-case-in-osage-county/
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There are very few things that make me happier than when I can pull a gold nugget out of an interview that I know is going to be helpful to the listeners. That definitely happened in my interview with Kendall Teichmeier today.
Kendall works full-time in agriculture. His first exposure was a fifteen year career of managing large hog operations in Nebraska until his body just could not handled the work any longer. After a brief stint of factory work Kendall made his way back to agriculture and started working at a seed cleaning and production facility in Broken Bow, Nebraska, where he still is today.
Recently Kendall has started a side hustle, which is exploding with business opportunities. He started a company called "Axe Kickers", which is a mobile axe throwing lane that he can take to corporate events, fairs, festivals and even weddings. He built it so that it can be set up indoors or out, and it just happens to be a lot of fun! Word of mouth about Kendall's business is now spreading like wildfire, and it appears as though he is going to work every single day this fair season between his full-time job and his new business. I couldn't be more excited for him.
I also could not be more excited for you, because as Kendall told the story of developing this business he exposed me to a new idea. And if the idea is new for me, I know it is new for almost all of you!
In January of this year Kendall took his idea to the Nebraska Association Of Fair Managers annual conference. He purchased space for a small booth and spent his time talking with the managers of all the county fairs in his state about the event that he had created. Each one of these fair managers wants to have a successful fair, and the name of the game for success is people having fun. So, several of these fair managers were very interested in his mobile axe throwing lane and contracted with him to come to their fair.
I had never heard of an association like this or the fact that they had an annual convention with an expo hall in which performers, exhibitors, etc. could show off what they had to offer. But as I listened to Kendall it occurred to me that all these different county fairs are a brand new market that many of us have never even considered. And, most of probably had never given any thought to purchasing a booth at one of these conventions and having direct access to decision makers who can hire us!
If you have a business, talent or event that could be a part of a fair, you should start researching this right away!
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
On today's show we are going back into the archives to look at an off-farm business that generates revenue at fairs and festivals. This is a great tie-in to tomorrow's ag business episode.
Mark Hufford has the fascinating business of doing educational displays and talks about the use of oxen in the frontier and colonial times. Below are the original show notes from his first episode with us.
SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS: Today we are heading to Indiana to talk with a 6th generation farmer about how he and his wife changed their farming model to something that was more palatable and profitable for them.
Mark Hufford of Double M Farms will be joining us and talking all about their direct marketing model for beef as well as pork. It is a bit different than what I do, and quite possibly a bit better. He was also be discussing one of his forms of off-farm income, raising oxen and taking them to exhibits and shows in their region.
Mark has a lot of great advice for us in this episode and a great story. He and his wife's pursuits have taken them all over the country to ultimately wind up back in Indiana and trying to figure out a way to make it in farming. Today they are well on their way, and he will share that with us here today.
CONTACT INFORMATION AND LINKS:
Blog: http://www.thefarmerspitchfork.com
Facebook Page: LINK
Telephone: 765-268-2104
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
On this show, I have said that work is not the enemy, the wrong job is the enemy, on multiple occasions. Today's guest, Lila Wantland, probably summed that statement up better than I have ever done in our interview. This is one thing I love about interviewing FFA students. They learn, early on, that work can be fun and it is all just a matter of finding the right work for them.
Lila has grown up on her families dairy farm in Missouri, and she had fully embraced that life. She milks cattle every day, and being a 99% family run operation, she has invested herself in every other aspect of the farm from the good to the bad. She is particularly fond of taking care of the bottle calves but dreads when it is time to cull a long serving cow.
Her family primarily milks Holstein cattle on their dairy, but over the years she became interested in other breeds of dairy cattle. So, she found herself purchasing her own Guernsey, Jersey and Brown Swiss cows and putting them into the milking herd. Lila finds herself very interested in all the different breeds as well as the different personalities that each of them has.
In our interview I asked Lila if she was interested in returning to her families dairy at some point in the future. While she is heading off to get an animal science degree at Oklahoma State University next year, returning to the dairy is not what she sees in her future. I really admired this in her answer, as she has already figured out that even though the family dairy is the basis of her love for livestock and farming, she needs to find the path that she is meant to be on to find satisfaction in her daily work.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Dairy Production
HIGH SCHOOL: Niangua High School; Niangua, Missouri
MASCOT: Cardinals
FFA ADVISOR: Cody Starnes
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR LILA WANTLAND:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Niangua High School website:
Lila's FFA Advisor's Email Address: cstarnes@nianguaschools.com
NianguaHigh School Telephone Number: (417)473-6101
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Today is a farm update episode everyone. Here is what I will be talking about:
- A big strategy change in the way we are raising goats.
- Less means more
- Work smarter not harder
- The inverted bell curve of grass growth on our farm in Idaho
- I am unable to imagine being short on forage later this summer
- Some farmer/inventors who were innovating themselves out of an obstacle and found their invention being very desired and successful
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
I've said it before, and I will say it again - I really enjoy interviewing FFA student entrepreneurs because they are not encumbered by fear and other responsibilities that frequently stop adults like myself from exploring business ideas. With this fear being absent, these students go try ideas, and in many cases they discover businesses that work and are replicable by adults. In this way, these high school students are actually the leaders for adults, if adults are willing to look at what they have done and follow the example.
My guest today, Ethan Kneisler, is a perfect example of this. Ethan is just finishing up his junior year of high school and lives in a farming community in Kansas. He and his father came up with the idea of him starting a bale wrapping business in their area because they saw problems that they could solve on their own farm with this practice and then saw that others in their community had the same problems. Namely, the need to produce more forage on a small acreage that would allow for the feeding of all the farm's livestock. This led them to experimenting with different forage crops and balage, and it has worked out very well.
Ethan is just going into his second season of operating "Jimmy's Custom Wrapping". Through this business he is convincing people in his area of the ability to raise different forage crops and to have them wrapped. There are a lot of positives to this method, and Ethan is making it pay for his customers.
In listening to the arguments that Ethan has to overcome when convincing farmers to give this a try, I can hear a lot of reasons that an adult, with more to lose than Ethan, might dismiss this business and not start. However, if an adult is willing to look at the example being set by a high school student like Ethan and trust what they are seeing, they can identify a very viable business idea for the region in which they live!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Custom Bale Wrapping
HIGH SCHOOL: Lyndon High School; Lyndon, Kansas
MASCOT: Tigers
FFA ADVISOR: Tim Kilgore
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ETHAN KNEISLER:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Lyndon High School website:
Ethan's FFA Advisor's Email Address: kilgoret@usd421.org
Lyndon High School Telephone Number: 785-828-4413
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Before you pick fruit off of someone else’s tree, you might want to hear this episode.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://wgntv.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/video-shows-unusual-traffic-stop-chase-involving-horse-and-buggy/
https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/is-it-legal-to-pick-mangos-off-your-neighbors-tree-14500558
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.9news.com.au/national/man-accused-of-breaking-into-sydney-school-and-assaulting-farm-animals/38c4b129-2ea2-4e68-bafc-93b31f5c5efe
https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/20148599.burglars-hit-herefordshire-home/
https://www.bordercountiesadvertizer.co.uk/news/20146919.secure-property-warning-generator-stolen-llangollen/
Africa
https://www.herald.co.zw/vet-department-works-on-cattle-branding-roll-out/
https://issafrica.org/iss-today/rising-insecurity-a-setback-for-the-gambias-transition
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.fresnosheriff.org/media-relations/ag-task-force-detectives-arrest-chemical-thief.html
https://santamariatimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/lompoc-man-accused-of-drug-charges-stealing-avocados-in-goleta/article_a5861e96-80c8-5dca-8e2b-b7b05559c984.html
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Our guest today is highly educated about the world of agriculture, believes strongly in advocating for ag and knows that we need to reach out to children with the truth about farming and livestock before inaccurate information is told to them so many times that it becomes ingrained. And it is these core beliefs that led Jackie Nix to strike out as a children's author and create her first book, Modern Farms and create her publishing company, Moo Maven Publishing.
Jackie really has an amazing story. She grew up around other people's farms but not on her own. This was enough for her to develop a passion for agriculture which led her to Virginia Tech. University to study animal science. She followed this up with a master's degree in agriculture which led her to become an extension agent. After several years in this field she went to work in private industry, selling feed, and then two big disruptions happened in her life. Her father became terminally ill followed by Covid 19.
During this time period Jackie focused on family, and that meant leaving the corporate world for a while. This time away from the busy business world gave her extra time to think, and that is when she was inspired to write her first book, Modern Farms. Jackie has a vision of what she wants to produce, and how she wants to educate children about what farming really is. She is so true to her vision that instead of contracting with a publishing company, she started her own. This was all about creative control and making sure that the vision she has in her mind is the same one that gets to the children who read her books!
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tomorrow on the show I am featuring an entrepreneur who is helping to teach children about agriculture. This reminded me of the great interview I did with Katie Benson about her efforts to do the same, and I wanted to bring that episode back for you today. Below are the original show notes for this episode.
SHOW NOTES Introducing Katie Benson!
Katie has a different supervised agricultural experience than we normally profile. However, I had to have her on. She is doing a lot to advocate for agricuture.
Katie's SAE is "ag education." She is teaching all the third graders in her school district about agriculture. She has done a number of things including dispelling myths about agriculture and making products, such as butter.
Katie has had multiple students tell her that they want to join both 4H and FFA after they are done with one of her lessons. She plans on continuing her education after high school and becoming an agricultural education teacher and FFA advisors.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Agricultural Education
HIGH SCHOOL: Staples Motley High School; Staples, Minnesota
MASCOT: Cardinals
FFA ADVISOR: Kerry Lindgren & Brian Schornack
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR KATIE BENSON:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Staples Motley High School Website:
Katie's FFA Advisor's Email Address: klindgren@isd2170.k12.mn.us
Staples Motley High School Telephone Number: 218-894-5400
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
I first discovered Sam Martin through an article that mentioned he and his families anhydrous ammonia business, Martin Custom Anhydrous, and that is what led me to invite him to be a guest on the show. However, I wound up getting a lot more than I bargained for with this guest.
Sam is a former chapter president, former Iowa State Vice-President and current Iowa State President. He just obtained that lofty title in April of this year. In addition to that, he is operating multiple supervised agricultural experiences including a cattle business, a sweet corn business and of course the family business of custom applying anhydrous ammonia all over Southwest Iowa.
Sam and his family are the epitome of the farm families that I strive to profile on this show. They are on farm ground that goes multiple generations deep, and they are always looking for a way to continue the legacy. This is what led to them starting Martin Custom Anhydrous. They took equipment that they already had and used it to serve farmers in their area, filling a need that existed. They took the fact that their farm was smaller than others and turned that into a competitive advantage. When many farmers were burnt out from being in the tractor more than them during they year, from farming more acres, they could step in and inject anhydrous ammonia for the farmers who didn't want to see the inside of a tractor again until spring. It worked out great, and their business has really taken off.
At the same time, the business is providing a way for Sam and his siblings to generate additional revenue to support the family farming operation and it creates an opportunity for each of them to return to the farm. At the same time, Sam's mother, Sarah, is teaching agriculture at Shenandoah Community High School and brining in off-farm income in that manner.
It is a very interesting story. So much so that the length of my interview with Sam is about twice as long as a normal FFA interview.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Beef Production, Custom Fertilizer Application, Sweet Corn Sales
HIGH SCHOOL: Shenandoah Community High School; Shenandoah, Iowa
MASCOT: Mustangs
FFA ADVISOR: Sarah Martin
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SAM MARTIN:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Shenandoah Community High School website:
Sam's FFA Advisor's Email Address: martinsf@shenandoah.k12.ia.us
Shenandoah Community High School Telephone Number: 712-246-1581
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
It is very difficult to know what is in the future on our farm this year, and I know this is true for so many of you out there. From weather to input prices to unavailability of fertilizer there is a lot that we just don't know. For me, this big unknown is water and hay prices. I don't know how long I will be able to irrigate for this year. If they stop delivering water at the end of July, that is 2 extra months of hay that I have to feed. The end of August equals one month extra.
With an already existing hay shortage due to massive development in the area, the drought is just making a pre-existing problem worse. I am not sure how much hay that I should buy, because I don't know when I will begin feeding. I have no idea what the price will be because farmers won't set that until after the first cutting his complete. I have even heard that some farmers aren't taking reservations for hay, and they are going to set a floor price and auction their hay off to the highest bidder.
I have already reserved all of my hay, and I have not heard anything back from that farmer indicating that he is canceling my reservation and conducting an auction. I am hoping that is not what I am looking at. However, I do expect to be paying much higher prices and purchasing more hay than usual at those prices. So, the impact on my bottom line will be significant.
So, starting out the season I am trying to take advantage of every blade of grass grown on my place. There are a few different patches of grass in areas that are not fenced that usually get mowed. This year, I am using temporary fencing or even putting up some additional permanent fence in order to graze these areas. Every single blade of grass is going to matter for me because how long I get to irrigate is out of my control, and when it is over, it is over. The more grass I have standing at that moment, the longer I can wait to begin burning hay.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
In the world of entrepreneurship people love to throw the term, "passion" around as if that is all you need to make it. I certainly is not the only thing you need, but it definitely helps. Today's guest has exactly that, and it comes shining through when you speak to her.
Grace Brown is fresh off of finding out that she is a state proficiency winner in diversified livestock production in Illinois. She is already filling out an application to compete at the national level. Speaking with her for just a couple of moments, and there is no question how she achieved this accomplishment.
Grace is raising cattle with her brothers in a business they named, "B4 Shorthorns". In addition to raising cattle, she raises broilers during the summer, market goats and show goats for sale. And, she describes all the different aspects of her businesses as "fun". That is how I know it is her passion. For example, Grace talked about what went on during Covid in the chicken business, and how she and her family had more customers than ever before. She thought this was a blast!
If that were not enough, Grace has an after school job milking cattle on a nearby dairy. Currently she milks over 130 head each evening after school and on the weekends when needed. She is is heading off to college next fall to start studying animal science with the hopes of becoming a veterinarian. Grace is definitely a student to keep our eyes on!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Diversified Livestock Production
HIGH SCHOOL: Flanagan - Cornell High School; Flanagan, Illinois
MASCOT: Falcons
FFA ADVISOR: Jessica Collins
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR GRACE BROWN:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Flanagan - Cornell High School Ag. Department's website:
Grace's FFA Advisor's Email Address: jcollins@fc74.org
Flanagan - Cornell High School's Telephone Number: 815/796-2291
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Is your liquid fertilizer secure?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wwlp.com/news/crime/hadley-woman-pleads-not-guilty-to-35-counts-of-animal-cruelty/
https://www.idahopress.com/news/state/cartel-financed-oregon-pot-farms-expand-to-growing-indoors/article_89345cce-2502-53b1-9692-67d3973ecd1a.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/crime/police-seize-more-than-1m-in-stolen-farm-vehicle-parts?fbclid=IwAR0DiD6j_-iGPT_2FrrcOyBj9DGomI8FazTKjaLDh2gEaCukwGYs3FW_K-o
https://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/news/police-crack-down-on-thefts-of-horse-boxes-9254022/
https://www.dorset.live/news/dorset-news/liquid-fertiliser-worth-more-8000-7077091
Africa
https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/free-state/four-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-sheep-in-free-state-7f3d7e60-49fa-49bd-8993-0c06f895996c
https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/free-state/police-recover-over-150-stolen-livestock-cbb18a97-7cdb-4ba8-add4-cead3ca85e3b
https://neweralive.na/posts/murder-accused-to-apply-for-bail
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
“We sleep soundly in our beds, because rough men stand ready in the night to do violence on those who would harm us"
https://www.nwestiowa.com/news/man-arrested-for-burglary-near-larchwood/article_8eb213c2-d18d-11ec-a148-3bcd85b92835.html
https://www.kwqc.com/2022/05/12/burlington-man-is-custody-4-counts-burglary/
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Today's episode is a bit different than any normal, Off-Farm Income episode. Today I am speaking with Kathleen Dowling. Kathleen and I have a lot in common. We both grew up in California, we both started our collegiate education at a community college, we both had a dream of moving to Montana, we both became Montana state residents and we both got ag degrees from Montana State University.
Recently I saw a post on the Facebook Group, My Job Depends On Ag, that Kathleen had put up. She expressed a bit of frustration with finding a career in agriculture and was asking for recommendations from other people. I reached out to her and offered to provide some career coaching if we could release the conversation as a podcast. She agreed to that, and today's episode is that conversation.
On tomorrow's episode I am speaking with a young lady about her future career prospects and finding her way to the agricultural life that she is dreaming about. So, for today's re-cap episode I thought that I would go back to a special coaching episode I did with a woman named Wendy from Ontario, Oregon. I find it is helpful to hear people brainstorm through these ideas as they try to find a way to make it all work. I hope this is true for you as well. Below are the original show notes.
SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS:
Today is our second episode devoted to coaching a listener for free. I hope you see the consistency here. I tell you to work for free, and I am working for free to develop this part of my business.
Our guest today is Wendy from Ontario, Oregon. Wendy and her husband both work full-time and have a farm dream. They have purchased a 200 acre farm about 90 minutes away from her husband's work and recently purchased another 500 acres nearby. Now they want to fix up an old farmhouse on the property and they need funds to make this happen.
They are leasing out a large portion of the farm and farming the rest. However, there is 20 acres of pasture available and they have their eye on the cattle business as a way to generate revenue to help with the remodeling of this house.
This turns into more of a consulting session than a coaching session. But there is good information in here on a couple different models of using direct marketing to make beef really pay.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
"The FFA and agriculture is a very welcoming culture. You just have to put yourself out there, and you will be accepted". These are the words of the very wise FFA student who is today's featured guest, Kendall Lawson.
Kendall is a senior who will be graduating within about a month of this episode's release. She loves to watch plants grow the same way that I like to watch cattle graze. And, this inner voice has led her in the direction of a successful supervised agricultural experience and business called "Kendall's Creations".
Kendall originally began this project by growing succulents, but she moved on to "air plants" in terrariums. At a church bazaar she found that people were interested in purchasing them and supporting what she was doing. Soon, she was selling them to family and friends and eventually this led her to selling them to perfect strangers and using social media for marketing. This final transition is one that is indicative of a real business with real value.
In today's interview Kendall offers some real pearls of wisdom including following her inner voice, pivoting her business model and how she is choosing a career that matches the lifestyle that she wants to live, irregardless of how much money she makes. Kendall is a definite role model, and it is my pleasure to be able to capture the wisdom that she has to share.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Kendall's Creations
HIGH SCHOOL: Yelm High School; Yelm, Washington
MASCOT: Tornado's
FFA ADVISOR: Austin Baker
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR KENDALL LAWSON:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Yelm High School website:
Kendall's FFA Advisor's Email Address: austin_baker@ycs.wednet.edu
Yelm High School Telephone Number: 360.458.7777
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
This morning I was out in one of our pastures moving our sprinkler line. I was wet, my hands were muddy and wet and I was already behind the 8 Ball for the day. As I normally do, I had a podcast playing while I worked, and the host of the show read a quote that has been attributed to Thomas Edison. The quote stopped me in my tracks.
The quote says, "Opportunity is missed because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work".
This quote really struck me for a couple of reasons. First, as I often say on the show, farming is a lifestyle business. If it were not about the lifestyle than nobody would invest all the time, the heartache, the work, the money and the education into it. You could invest all of that into other enterprises that would return you a lot more on that investment.
Those of us that farm cannot be afraid to work, and eventually that turns into opportunity. Of course, those that do not farm see your later success as a snapshot of that moment, and they never see all of the risk and hard work that led up to that moment. Talking about this always reminds me of a conversation with a friend when they found out that I had become the host of the D&B Supply Radio Show & Podcast. They asked me how I was able to do that, and before I fully answered they replied with "you just kind of fell ass backwards into it?", answering their own question.
I let that one go, as I just did not have the energy or motivation to justify all of the work I had done to reach that moment. We are still friends and there were no hard feelings, but this is a perfect illustration of people not seeing the hard work that is behind momentary success.
The other reason that this quote struck me so powerfully was that I was actually wearing overalls. I'm not talking about Carhartt bibs that have become standard winter workwear. I am talking about denim overalls that farmers in the 30's would have been wearing as standard work clothing. I am talking about clothing that almost nobody wears any longer and will definitely garner you a second look from strangers if you wear them to town.
My step-grandfather wore overalls every day of his life, and every day that I knew him. He only ever changed into pants if he was going to the sale or going to the doctor. Other than that, he wore overalls. I always wanted a pair, but I never allowed myself to get a pair until I actually had my own farm. Now, Autumm and Hattie, tacitly accept my work wear choices with a smirk every now and then, but I tell you, there has never been a better piece of work clothing invented. I am all about function and not about form, so if you want to see someone in denim overalls, just come on out to my farm.
Standing there on 33 acres of open ground in one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S. and the most rapidly appreciating real estate market in the U.S., I knew what was under my feet. And, I also knew that many people would have cashed out long ago in order to move into a life of leisure because they don't see work as opportunity. I thought of another statement that had been made to Autumm and I a few years earlier. As real estate had been appreciating in our area for some time, this person was speculating what our farm was worth. Then she said, "if this place is worth......, I'd sell it tomorrow and be done with all this work." Obviously, we didn't purchase our place just to turn around and sell it. Our farm is the culmination of a 20 year dream of farming, not land speculating. But, looking at the statement from that person today proves that Edison was correct, if he did, in fact, say that. Our place is probably worth twice as much as that person was speculating back then, and over the course of the past 3-4 years since she said that there has also been a lot of "opportunity" on our farm disguised as work dressed in overalls.
During the moment I heard that quote, I had a feeling of satisfaction, and I knew that at least I was following Thomas Edison's model of finding success, and couldn't be all bad. And, I'd never been more proud to be wearing overalls.
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Today's guest, Remi Gardner, is the second student from the Paris FFA Chapter that I have interviewed in as many days. I find myself just as impressed today as I was with my first interview of a Paris FFA student, both working in the world of cattle production. Obviously, I am going to have to get myself to Henry County sooner, rather than later to see what is going on in the beef industry down there!
Remi is just finishing up her freshman year, and she is accomplishing a ton already. She has already been named a regional proficiency winner for her supervised agricultural experience and has ever intention to continuing to compete for proficiencies. She has a very unique experience of not coming from a farming family, but finding placement as an employee on a farm. In this way she really is a great example of how FFA students from in town can still find the livestock or crop experience that they want.
Remi named her own episode today. As a matter of fact, she had a couple of lines at the very end of the show that I had to write down and preserve. I like to ask students what they would tell somebody about agriculture if they had just two minutes to pass along some information. Without hesitation, Remi fired way with "Agriculture is not boring!". I thought that was great and should be the title of her episode. However, she continued explaining and really uncovered a nugget of wisdom by saying "you just have to put in the work and agriculture will provide an opportunity for you".
Especially with that second quote, I thought Remi provided wisdom well beyond her years. I am looking forward to following her FFA journey and seeing where she takes this!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Beef Production
HIGH SCHOOL: E.W. Grove High School; Paris, Tennessee
MASCOT: Patriots
FFA ADVISOR: Laura Moss
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR REMI GARDNER:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the E.W. Grove High School website:
Remi's FFA Advisor's Email Address: mossl@henryk12.net
E.W. High School Telephone Number: (731) 642-9733
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Hold off on the evening beer until the farming is done.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wsiltv.com/news/mushroom-hunters-find-body-in-rural-missouri-water-well/article_24ca595e-b064-5db4-b546-6f1d27d50a02.html
https://www.wqad.com/article/news/crime/durant-firefighters-injured-crash-farm-sprayer-walcott-man-arrested/526-ea30d944-4a36-496a-9bc5-6af818350de5
http://www.mymcr.net/news/forsyth-man-indicted-for-stealing-34-goats-in-lamar/article_91d10216-cbcf-11ec-87da-e785c7154def.html
https://www.thelcn.com/news/police/geneseo-police-seek-help-with-tractor-theft-investigation/article_1a589062-fce7-572d-8844-647625694415.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/50694/20220505/uk-55-sheep-disappear-isle-lewis-theft-increased-15-covid.htm
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/cars-wrecked-after-stolen-tractor-23859952
Africa
https://www.the-star.co.ke/counties/rift-valley/2022-05-03-six-suspected-cattle-rustlers-arrested-in-isinya/
https://www.newzimbabwe.com/poverty-and-unemployment-drove-me-to-steal-goats-teen-tells-court/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://whnt.com/news/northeast-alabama/stolen-gator-recovered-in-dekalb-county-thanks-to-social-media/
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/05/02/half-moon-bay-hemp-farm-owner-sentenced-in-labor-theft-case/
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
The ability of farmers to innovate and solve problems is probably on of the most remarkable things about the women and men that make up this profession. In today's episode we are going to speak with one of those farmers.
Jeff Sberna farms his families land in Northern Ohio. As he states they are not a big farm, which means that they don't have big equipment. Even at the height of their farming of 300 acres of family ground, they still operated with smaller machines. Their farm lies on an old riverbed, adjacent to the Great Lakes, and this creates a number of challenges for them, including many different soil types, gravel and drainage issues.
In about 2008 Jeff was trying to solve the problem of soil performance on their farm, and he believed that he needed to rip the soil to a depth of about 16-18 inches. However, there were not implements that would work with their smaller equipment that would get this job done. What is a farmer to do when this happens? Invent what you need! And Jeff did it. Tune into the show today to find out more.
Today, enjoy an interview an interview I did with a fellow who was frustrated by not having the tool he needed when working on auto engines and did something about it. Tune in as Shane Mulligan shares his story and how he created a NASCAR partnership to help him market his MAXX Leverage tool that he designed.
Today's guest is a self-professed "showmanship freak". Showing livestock in jackpot shows and fairs is Pacee Miller's "thing". She talks about getting everything perfect and striving to be the best in the ring, and this has come true for her on more than one occasion.
Pacee is a young lady who has a passion for agriculture, and more specifically, cattle. As soon as she finishes up school for the day she heads to a local dairy farm where she feeds bottle calves every evening as an after school job. When she finishes up there, she heads to one of two locations of her families farm to help her father with their herd of beef cattle. Currently they are breeding cattle through artificial insemination. They run several different lines of show cattle, and Pacee helps to synchronize all of their estrus cycles so they can all be bred simultaneously. She is hoping to earn her AI certification through the FFA next year.
Once the work is done at that location, Pacee heads home where she keeps the livestock that she will be showing during the current or upcoming show season. She has a few head of cattle there that she has chosen to take into the ring. She also keeps two goats and two pigs that she will also show.
Hearing about all of her experience with cattle, you might think that beef is where it all started for Pacee. However, in the interview she tells us that she actually began her showing career with one pig. It has all built from that first animal. Pacee is currently ranked in the top four proficiencies for beef entrepreneurship in the State of Ohio. She will find out on May 5th, if she wins state!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Beef Production
HIGH SCHOOL: West Holmes High School; Millersburg, Ohio
MASCOT: Knights
FFA ADVISOR: Jaime Chenevey
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR PACEE MILLER:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the West Holmes High School website:
Pacee's FFA Advisor's Email Address: jchenevey@westholmes.org
West Holmes High School Telephone Number: (330) 674-6085
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
I talked about "finding the next Boise" on episode #1152 and have spoken about Rapid City, SD being one of these possibilities in the past. This article demonstrates that was true.
https://www.realtor.com/research/april-2022-wsj-rdc-emerging-housing-markets-index/
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
I don't make too many predictions on this show, but every now and then I interview an FFA student and can see that all the ingredients for great success are present. Today's interview with Caden Delaney is one of those moments.
I first found out about Caden through an article stating that he had won a regional proficiency award in forage production. This interested me, as I have seen a lot of great entrepreneurship SAE's start this way and lead to a custom haying business, etc. I reached out to Caden's FFA advisor and requested an interview. They accepted and then signed up, filling out the form that I send to all guests on the show.
As I was prepping for the interview I saw that Caden was just in the 9th grade! I immediately wondered if this was a typo, as I am not used to seeing 9th graders achieve at the level of winning proficiency awards. Caden's grade in school was one of the first things that I confirmed with him prior to beginning the interview. As we started talking about his project and agricultural background, it became apparent that Caden was sophisticated well beyond his grade level.
As he explained the selection of the Shorthorn breed of cattle that he raises with his sister it all became clear. Caden told me that phenotypically the Shorthorn cows that he has look sound for breeding, but he uses an Angus bull with a low birth weight EPD on the first calf heifers because the Shorthorns that he has don't rank as well as he would like in calving ease. My mind was blown! This was information that I did not learn until well into college, and the sophistication of knowledge that Caden had just kept pouring forth.
I asked Caden how he had learned all of this already, and it was apparent that he has such a love for cattle and agriculture that he is consuming as much information as he possibly can. This, in combination with being able to go out to his own cattle and apply the book knowledge that he had been reading about, really has him functioning at a very high level as a 9th grader, when you would just be expecting him to just be getting his feet wet.
It is still very early in Caden's FFA career, and he will choose the path that is correct for him. However, I believe that if he continues to demonstrate this kind of passion for his SAE's, and he continues to compete for proficiency awards that he has an excellent chance of being an American Star Finalist and even the American Star Farmer in five or six years!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Forage Production
HIGH SCHOOL: E.W. Grove High School; Paris, Tennessee
MASCOT: Patriots
FFA ADVISOR: Laura Moss
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR CADEN DELANEY:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the E.W. Grove High School website:
Caden's FFA Advisor's Email Address: mossl@henryk12.net
E.W. High School Telephone Number: (731) 642-9733
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Take Your Sheep To Work
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.greenwichtime.com/news/article/Greenwich-Police-188-000-stolen-from-17136181.php
https://www.aol.com/unknown-highly-contagious-disease-kills-215425520-015111804.html?
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.farminguk.com/news/sheep-turn-up-at-police-hq-as-part-of-authentic-introduction-to-rural-life-_60298.html
https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraine-accuses-russia-stealing-grain-during-war-2022-04-28/
https://www.agriland.co.uk/farming-news/thieves-steal-lamb-from-learning-disability-farm/
Africa
https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/south-africa/2022-04-26-duo-implicated-in-brutal-limpopo-farm-attack-make-first-court-appearance/
https://www.africanews.com/2022/04/26/zimbabwe-goes-after-revenue-collection-authorities//
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.kfvs12.com/2022/04/26/detectives-recover-stolen-equipment-south-lynnville-1-arrested/
https://www.southwesttimes.com/news/timber-thieves-indicted-large-scale-theft-government-land
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I am fascinated with the business of being a private crop consultant, and with that I have only interviewed two or three of these folks in my time hosting this show. However, the concept is so interesting because of the talent and knowledge level that these folks have to have. A private crop consultant is competing with crop advisors from fertilizer companies, where farmers are purchasing product already. The advisement that the farmers receive at those companies comes as a value ad to them purchasing their fertilizer there. So, when an individual gets paid to provide crop consulting services without being part of a value ad, you know that they are bringing significant value to their clients.
That is the case with today's guest, Brandon Vining. Brandon has worked as a crop advisor for one of the big fertilizer and ag companies. Eventually he thought that he could do more good for farmers as an independent, so he struck out on his own and started Pro Gro Consulting in his area of Eastern Idaho. While that region has specific crops and specific issues, Brandon started seeing patterns and similarities in other parts of the country by communicating with people online about agronomy. At the same time, friends from other parts of the country were sending him photos, soil test results and descriptions of problems and asking his advice on how to solve them.
Today's episode is a replay of an interview I did with Jonathan Meeker as he takes us through his journey of working for someone else so that he could end up working for himself. It is the story of someone seeking entrepreneurship and getting there by being patient and by being smart about how he got there. Today, learn more about Meeker and his re-development company.
Original Show Notes:
KEY IDEAS:
Today's guest has definitely got an entrepreneurial spirit. So, it was wisdom that caused him to stop being an entrepreneur and go back to work for somebody else. After Jonathan Meeker's first entrepreneurial venture he decided that he wanted to move in a different direction. That direction was the re-development of permanent crop areas in the San Joaquin Valley of California where he is from.
In order to get trained up in doing this, Jonathan went to work for a company that specialized in doing this. After he had learned the business, or at least enough to go out on his own, he found a niche that his current company was not really serving. He then started his own business, JMeeker Company, in that space and went back to work for himself.
Now Jonathan works for agricultural investors as well as absentee farmers in getting their vineyards, orchards and other crops up and going.
ADVICE FROM JONATHAN:
RESEARCH: You have to know what it is you are going to be selling. You better do your research ahead of time.
PRICE: Figuring out price can be a very difficult thing to do in a market that has not established strict going rates. Make sure you get a good feel for what the price can be when planning your business.
QUALITY: Do not stretch yourself too thin. If you do, the quality of your service will suffer, leading to damage to your reputation and thus less and less work.
ADVICE RECEIVED:
OVERTHINKING: Don't overthink things. Keep moving forward and going in the correct direction.
PERSONAL HABIT THAT HELPS JONATHAN SUCCEED:
PATIENCE: Jonathan describes himself as a very patient person. This is important for anyone in agriculture, but when you are dealing with permanent crops it is even more important.
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For the first time ever, completely by accident, I am releasing an interview on the guests actual birthday! Happy 18th Birthday to Gracie Wagner!
Now that we have got that out of the way, let's talk horses, agriculture and FFA. Gracie has grown up in what could accurately be called a "horse family" in the Central Illinois area. She has been around and on horses for her whole life, and that has led her in many, positive directions.
When Gracie was starting high school, this led her right into the FFA. Her older sister had been part of the FFA, and Gracie knew she could find her people in the FFA as well. However, it was not something that she was sure would work out at first, it was just something that she was "trying out". She existed in her chapter for her entire 9th grade year, using a borrowed blue jacket. However, she got involved in some leadership development activities, namely Conduct Of Chapter Meetings, and the intensity and team atmosphere hooked her. By the time she hit her 10th Grad year she was fired up.
Gracie has served on her chapter's officer team for all four years, but it was her 11th grade year when she became her chapter's reporter in which that really clicked. She loved taking the photos, writing the media releases and communicating on behalf of her chapter so much, that when she ran for an officer position for her 12th grade year, the only one that she applied for was reporter. Gracie found herself being named one of the top 10 FFA chapter reporters in the State Of Illinois in 2021, and she is hoping to repeat that this year!
Gracie knows where she is headed after graduation. She is off to Central Arizona College in Coolidge, Arizona where she will be competing in college rodeo. She hopes to compete for all four years and then, who knows!
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Equine Entrepreneurship
HIGH SCHOOL: Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School; Paxton, Illinois
MASCOT: Panthers
FFA ADVISOR: Mike White
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR GRACIE WAGNER:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School website:
Gracie's FFA Advisor's Email Address: mwhite@pblpanthers.org
Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School Telephone Number: 217-379-4331
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
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Today, I have a farm update for you that is the result of some busy weeks and sleepless nights. I've also got exciting information about how Hattie is progressing in the FFA, and I want to address an article I saw stating that locally produced food is the answer to inflation.
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If you are going to have calves in January, in Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula, you had better have to barn space. But, what if you have twins! Well, that is what happened to today's guest, Mitchell Foote, this winter.
Mitchell is a sophomore at Ubly High School and in his fourth year of the FFA. Each year he shows cattle and pigs at the county fair as part of his supervised agricultural experience. His older brother is also in his chapter, as the chapter's president. Some time back, they decided that they would like to show their own cattle that were born on their farm. So, they adjusted their calving season to start in January, so they would have calves that were old enough to be weaned prior to their fair in August and that would make weight for the "prospect" class of cattle that can be show there.
These are great goals, but they also come with their own challenges as winters in Michigan can be brutal. For this reason, the cows that are calving are kept in the barn and then the calves are kept out of the weather indoors with their mothers for a month or more. However, as Mitchell and his brother grow the herd, space inside the barn comes at a premium, and this year they had a set of twins! They are making the best of it though, trying to get some of the mud in the farm yard scraped up so that they can get some of the cows with older calves out of the barn!
Mitchell is active. In addition to his new officer responsibility as the "student advisor" in his chapter, he is playing two sports: football and basketball. His school is having a lot of success in both sports, and he is having a great time playing varsity already! If that were not enough, Mitchell has already earned three proficiency awards at the state level: one gold and two silver.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Diversified Livestock Production
HIGH SCHOOL: Ubly High School; Ubly, Michigan
MASCOT: Bearcats
FFA ADVISOR: Melissa Kramer
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR MITCHELL FOOTE:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Ubly High School website:
Mitchell's FFA Advisor's Email Address: mkramer@ublyschools.org
Ubly High School Telephone Number: 989-658-8202
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:
Tip Of The Week
Let PETA make you money…buy stock in Super Glue!
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.phillyvoice.com/horse-pennsylvania-state-police-killed-troopers-investigation-chester-county/
https://www.ladbible.com/news/latest-peta-demonstrators-superglue-themselves-to-starbucks-counters-20220422
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.9news.com.au/national/drug-and-rural-crime-eight-people-charged-nsw/a5495fe8-e2be-471d-bb26-5bf5cc5f5bf3
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10742037/Cattle-rustler-pulls-1-5m-livestock-heist-NT.html
Africa
https://informante.web.na/?p=318179
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2022-04-22-two-suspects-linked-to-fatal-chicken-farm-shooting-arrested-one-shot-dead/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://thebusinessjournal.com/prolific-thief-arrested-accused-of-crimes-at-two-farms-in-single-day/
https://bossierpress.com/mississippi-man-arrested-for-theft-of-livestock-in-west-carroll-parish/
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Amber and Krystal Wilke are mother and daughter, and they are operating a very successful laser art and engraving business from their family farm in Kimball, Nebraska. While this might seem like the main part of the story, as successful as it is, it is just the tip of the iceberg.
Amber and her husband have been able to create an enterprise on their 4th generation, Nebraska farm, that has allowed their children to come back and work there. Now, they are surrounded by multiple generations of family, living at the farm. Krystal lives 12 miles away in town, but is back on the farm full-time. This has been done through expansion as well as innovation.
It's always fun to showcase FFA students that have done amazing things and have been able to take talents and passions and turn them into viable SAE's. Today's guest did just that. This is a replay of an interview I did with a very special welding artist. Learn more about Maci Krites and her "weld art" on this episode.
This summer, my family and I will grow a large patch of sweet corn. This is something that we have done several times over the years. And, if you were to ask me when we would be getting started, I would tell you that it would be sometime in May. And by my answer, it shows how I view getting started, and in a lot of ways, what type of farmer I am....or at least where I have room for improvement.
This dawned on me in my interview with Lydia Whaley today. Without even learning about Lydia's supervised agricultural experience you can already see that she is an all-star. She has responsibilities on her families cattle ranch in Missouri and is very active there, and she has already served as her chapter's vice-president and is just beginning a term as her area's president. By the time I got to learn about her SAE, I already knew she was exceptional.
However, when I asked Lydia about growing 4-5 acres of pumpkins each year I really got a glimpse into the way that she thinks and an indication of why she is seeing such success. Lydia doesn't plant her pumpkins until June, but when she tells you about her project she states that she gets started in January or February, which is obviously the middle of winter.
Lydia's project begins with the selection of seed and pumpkin varieties that she will be growing during the next season. She looks at her project much more holistically than I do my corn patch. Lydia realizes that her customers are voting for their favorite pumpkin varieties each and every time they select one from her honor system, road side stand. So, starting in January, she assesses which were the most popular varieties of pumpkins she sold the previous fall and begins making decisions about what she will be planting in June.
Some time ago, I was studying a martial art called Kajukenbo. My instructor was a very nice man with a lot of experience and training. And on one of those nights the man who had instructed him came to our class, observed and offered some instruction to the students of his student.
On today's episode of the Off-Farm Income Podcast, I am lucky enough to offer you a similar experience. Dan Miller, the famed author of 48 Days To The Work You Love and the host of the vastly popular podcast, the 48 Days Internet Radio Show, is our guest host. And, he is interviewing me!
It was my huge honor to be invited by Dan to be his featured guest for a private group that he facilitates called the 48 Days Eagles Community. On Monday's, Dan brings a guest on for their Monday Mentor Training, and on 4/11/22 it was me! I discovered Dan Miller in 2009 when I was first dreaming about a different lifestyle...actually, the lifestyle that I have now. If it had not been for Dan, I wouldn't be living the life I am living today.
Dan and I have got to know each other over the years, and he has kept informed about my progress as an entrepreneur and podcaster. I can't tell you how special it is that he thinks my story and experience is valuable enough to share with his exclusive audience. And today you get a special peek behind the curtain.
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As you all know I am a fan of the lawn care and landscaping business. I have seen students in high school do some amazing things with this particular business, working it all the way up to a six figure annual income while still in high school! In my own experience, I know a full-time farmer who as able to become this by starting a landscaping business during college, building it up and then selling it and using the proceeds to purchase his farm.
It might seem like that those are all the positives of this business, but wait....there is more. This "future millionaire maker" business can be started with no money! I have interviewed several students, including today's guest, Jack Frank, who have started their lawn care business using the equipment that their customers own.
Tip Of The Week
Watch a rural crime movie tonight: https://crimereads.com/seven-great-rural-crime-films/
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.keyc.com/2022/04/14/thieves-steal-machine-goat-goofy-goat-farm/
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/woman-attempts-to-glue-herself-to-court-in-protest-during-clippers-vs-timberwolves-play-in-game/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.producer.com/news/slaughtered-cattle-remains-dumped/
https://bromsgrovestandard.co.uk/news/hartlebury-farm-owners-left-counting-the-cost-after-thieves-steal-caravans-and-damage-property/
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-61107201
https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/crime/farmers-horror-after-101-dead-lambs-dumped-on-their-land
Africa
https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/oped/commentary/militarised-approach-won-t-bring-peace-to-karamoja-3783004
https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/updf-rejects-plea-by-kenyan-officials-to-allow-turkana-pastoralists-back-3781030
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.turnto23.com/news/crime/stolen-kern-county-tractors-recovered-in-madera-county
https://www.wmdt.com/2022/04/missing-father-and-son-located-in-farm-field-shed-after-15-hour-search/
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In today's interview we are lucky enough to take a fascinating journey into the mind of an inventor. Not just any inventor though, a farmer who sees problems, visualizes ways to solve them and then follows through.....all the way through.
Monte Busser has a list of 8,100 ideas that can make life better for farmers and everyday people. Looking at all the patents he already has filed, all of the work he does outside of inventing and the processes he has in place to make his inventions commercially available you might euphemistically say that he has been "struck by lighting". However, when I asked him when he remembers first creating and improving things, he thinks back to a time when he was actually struck by lightning at ten years of age. Fortunately the lighting bolt first hit a transformer, then arced and struck him while he was riding his bicycle on rubber tires. His parents actually saw him be struck by the lighting, but he was not hurt, he just started riding faster. And since that day, he has been inventing and improving.
In today's episode we focus on five of Monte's patents that are featured on Google Patents.
Today's show is a replay of interview I did with a fellow podcaster. It is an interesting discussion on his discussions when it comes to hauling agriculture related freight. Check it out!
Orignial Show Notes:
As part of my journey in agricultural podcasting I have found myself as the editor and producer of the Bulkloads Podcast. The Bulkloads Podcast is part of Bulkloads.com, which is a service for truck drivers hauling bulk freight. Naturally this is related to agriculture with all of the hauling of bulk commodities around the country.
I was recently editing an episode for Bulkloads, and their guest was Mike Wade. Mike grew up on a dairy farm in Northern California and eventually found his way into truck driving. Along the way Mike saw a homemade tool another driver had, and he thought he would like to make one for himself. However, when he designed it he added on other features that he always wanted in a tool that would help him in other ways. Huckleberry's Hammers were born.
Our guest today had a couple things to say during the interview that really resonated with me. To begin, Riley Widboom, was starting over when he entered his freshman year at Worthington High School. He had gone from Kindergarten to 8th Grade in a small, private school, so his friends at Worthington were limited at best. However, he knew that the FFA would fix all of that. Plus, Riley had been interested in and involved in agriculture his whole life from growing up on a farm and participating in the 4H.
Later in the interview Riley told me that if he could tell a non-agricultural person just one thing about ag, it would be that agriculture is is for everyone. There is a place for every person in the world of ag. This really struck me as well because, well, because it is true, and because this is the way that Riley lives his life.
Thoughts Inspired By The Book: "The Crucible Of War"
Immediately following the the French and Indian War in the U.S. a recession or even a depression began to sink in, in the colonies as the British military moved out of the colonies and focused their attention on matters in the Caribbean. This left commercial farmers, the very first to ever emerge in North America, dealing with how to pay back debt with low commodity prices. This caused smaller farmers to shift from growing extra and selling it at markets to return to a basic subsistence type of farming lifestyle. This also led to more bartering with supplemental agricultural products.
I found something interesting about the view of farmers when looking at the story of Thomas Rich. He was a merchant from Philadelphia. He had significant amounts of inventory that he had purchased with debt during the war because the British military was purchasing everything and the war was fueling all sorts of commerce. However, when the war ended and the economy slowed he was left with a lot of inventory that he could not sell and the debt that was going to be paid from the sale of those items.
He came up with a scheme to ship this merchandise to the French in their colony of Guiana, but this was illegal as he was a subject of the British Crown, and the British had just ended a war with the French and the terms of the end of the war prohibited him from trading with the French.
This plan did not work for Rich, and by 1770, when he finally paid all of his debts he was essentially bankrupt. I am listening to this book, so the tone of the author can be felt by the inflection of the reader and what he emphasizes. As the narrator finishes telling Thomas Rich’s story he say says, with some sort of disdain in his voice, that he “died raising sheep on a farm in New Jersey”. The inflection is obvious as though the fact that Thomas Rich ended his life as a farmer was a form of disgrace or shame.
I found myself chuckling as I listened to this. I did not find it disgraceful or shameful that he spent his final years in a beautiful place raising livestock. I thought to myself, “he finally got it right!”. I can’t help but wonder if after all the stress and high level dealings that Thomas Rich went through in the 1700’s if he found himself tending to sheep one day and asked himself, “why haven’t I been doing this all along”.
I do find it ironic that today, so many who live this high stress lifestyle in the cities are rejecting this life and opting for a simpler life in a rural environment raising livestock or growing food. It seems to me that there is a secret to living a good life that exists, and only farmers have really been able to figure it out. This has been going on since the 1700’s, and I wonder why it has taken almost 300 years for people to start realizing this.
There was another part of Thomas Rich’s story that I wanted to share with you. I found myself thinking of the quip, from the book of Ecclesiastes, that states “there is nothing new under the sun” is really true when I heard this part. Thomas Rich was a “go big or go home” type of guy. He took on a lot of debt. So much so, that he never found himself in a debtor’s prison. His debtors had lent him so much money that they dared not have him arrested or foreclosed on. Their only hope in recovering what they had lent to was keep him producing and earning so that he could repay, even if that were incremental and slow.
So much has not changed. His philosophy was “If you owe your banker $1,000 and you have $500 to pay him, you have a problem. If you owe your banker a million and you don’t have a nickel, he’s got a partner”. I have heard many people talk about farmers, particularly dairy farmers, with admiration in their voice, who follow this principle. This philosophy is alive and well in agriculture today, and some of the largest, and perceived to be most successful farmers, that I have heard stories about are those that owe the bank or banks so much money, that the banks would never dare to foreclose - debtors prison is no longer a thing. If they foreclosed they would get pennies on the dollar for what they have lent. They have no choice but to continue to work with the farmer and ride the cycles of agriculture in the hopes of recovering the money they have lent.
It is very interesting how if you are careless with debt it can wreck you financially, but if you absolutely reckless and build an empire on debt everything changes and it can sustain you!
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I am definitely the type of person who is interested in my family history and feels some sense of obligation to honor that legacy. So, I am always fascinated when I get to interview somebody with a deep family legacy who is honoring it in the same way. For our guest today, Kate Rogers, that is a theme that repeats itself throughout the interview.
One of Kate's strongest influences in her love agriculture is her great grandmother, who was raised during the Great Depression, and found many ways to produce good to help generate income during that time. One of the talents that she had, that Kate also has, is in creating artistic items that have value to other people. This is something that Kate has carried forward, with many of the supplies that belonged to her great grandmother, in her business, Kate Rogers Art.
51 weeks out of the year on our rural crime episode I will be focused on "rational choice" type criminal activity that is the most likely to be what we will experience on our farms or rural properties. However, today I am going to focus on interpersonal violence.
Some of you may have heard of Gavin De Becker, or his best-selling book, The Gift Of Fear. Others of you may not be familiar with him or his work. I am a huge fan, and have been lucky enough to have some significant involvement with his company, Gavin De Becker & Associates.
Over the course of this week I have been listening to an interview he recently did with Joe Rogan on the Joe Rogan Experience. I have embedded the link to the episode below. This was a great reminder of what a resource that Gavin De Becker is, and why I am such a fan.
In today's episode I am going to take some time to describe my experiences working with and using the products created by Gavin De Becker & Associates to justify why I am recommending that you consume one of their for profit resources and two of their free resources.
In the United States, for the vast majority of people, interpersonal violence is something that we will likely never experience. This is good, but it is also bad because it can lead to complacency. If you are unlucky enough to encounter a situation like this, there will have been warning signs ahead of time that were likely missed. The free resources that I am recommending can give you the skills and remind you to pay attention to your intuition to help you get out of these situations before they ever escalate to this level.
I think that this information is valuable enough, that I am taking an entire episode to discuss it with you today.
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Would you allow a cell tower on your farm if it meant an extra $800-$2,000 per month of revenue to help sustain the farming lifestyle that you are in search of? Have you read things on the internet or heard rumors about lawsuits, bad leases or health problems caused by cell signals being transmitted close to your home? How long should a cell tower lease last? Who should be responsible for liability insurance? How much farm ground would you have to give up to have this revenue source?
In today's interview with Ryan Conklin, the owner of Wright & Moore Law Co. in Ohio we will talk about all of these questions. This episode was inspired by an article written by Ryan's predecessor, Robert Moore, in 2019 discussing the expansion of need for cell towers with the advent of 5G technology.
Today's episode takes us back to interview I did many shows ago. An oldie, but goodie, Adam Kline takes us through business and farm succession planning strategies. He also talks about how to obtain a farm and some challenges that might come up and how to work through them.
Original Show Notes:
I would like to introduce you to Adam Kline this week. Adam is a business succession attorney with Bose McKinney & Evans LLP in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is from a farming family and is significantly invested in agriculture.
In this episode Adam helps us continue learning about obtaining our farms. There are many obstacles to entry for new farmers. Land, equipment and "know how" are just three of the potential obstacles. Farm succession planning helps both the transitioning farmer and the new farmer overcome all of these obstacles.
FFA students are some of the busiest people I have ever encountered, but today's guest may take the record. Look at this list of activities:
- Marching Band
- Weight Lifting
- Podcasting
- Farm Broadcasting
- Making & Selling Cotton Candy
- Playing Guitar
- Playing Bass
- Playing Wizardry Card Games
- School Theater
And, I am sure if I had longer to interview Jesse Cech the list would just keep growing and growing. This young man is not only involved in a myriad of activities, but he knows a lot about each one. I found out right before our interview that he had his own podcast, and then during the interview I found out that he took 2nd in a farm broadcasting LDE in South Dakota in 2020. It was the FFA that introduced him to broadcasting, and now he has future plans to pursue a career in broadcasting or voice acting. I love profiling stories like this!
A quick farm update for you today. I believe that I have hit my metaphorical "10,000 hours" when it comes to raising cattle. And, if you are not already raising goats, it is time. Today, I offer my most compelling argument yet.
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There are so many good things that come out of the FFA, they are hard to count and definitely too numerous to list in one podcast post. So, in today's post I will focus on the SAE grants that are available to students. I judged applications for these grants for a number of years, and I can tell you that there is a lot of talent out there. I can also tell you that there are a lot of students not attempting to receive this free money. This is precisely why I admire the students that do pursue these grants so much. It demonstrates that they and their FFA advisors are very forward thinking.
Charleigh Dugger is one of these forward thinking students. She is just finishing up her sophomore year of high school, but she has already applied for and received a $1,000 SAE grant provided by AmerisourceBergen. Charleigh is using this money to expand her goat herd, built winter shelter for them and start a cattle herd of Scottish Highlander cows for herself. She is hoping that this will propel her towards her dream of working with animals as a career.
Tip Of The Week
Cancel the vacation. Guard your fuel.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://bossierpress.com/woman-arrested-for-theft-of-livestock-in-red-river-parish/
https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/567012210/allen-parish-man-convicted-regarding-theft-of-livestock
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.murrayvalleystandard.com.au/story/7681563/merino-sheep-stolen-from-naturi-paddock/
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/464380/men-in-stolen-car-try-to-steal-fuel-from-rural-property-owner
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-31/record-oil-price-fuels-farm-diesel-theft-wave/100951582
Africa
https://www.chronicle.co.zw/stock-thief-sentenced-to-47-years-in-jail/
https://www.chronicle.co.zw/three-men-arrested-for-stock-theft/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.kjas.com/news/local_news/article_973bf098-b04b-11ec-8c2c-1bba1cd00544.html
https://www.ketk.com/news/crime-public-safety/lindale-man-accused-of-cattle-theft-putting-livestock-up-for-auction-in-his-name/
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Tip Of The Week
Cancel the vacation. Guard your fuel.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://bossierpress.com/woman-arrested-for-theft-of-livestock-in-red-river-parish/
https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/567012210/allen-parish-man-convicted-regarding-theft-of-livestock
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.murrayvalleystandard.com.au/story/7681563/merino-sheep-stolen-from-naturi-paddock/
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/464380/men-in-stolen-car-try-to-steal-fuel-from-rural-property-owner
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-31/record-oil-price-fuels-farm-diesel-theft-wave/100951582
Africa
https://www.chronicle.co.zw/stock-thief-sentenced-to-47-years-in-jail/
https://www.chronicle.co.zw/three-men-arrested-for-stock-theft/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.kjas.com/news/local_news/article_973bf098-b04b-11ec-8c2c-1bba1cd00544.html
https://www.ketk.com/news/crime-public-safety/lindale-man-accused-of-cattle-theft-putting-livestock-up-for-auction-in-his-name/
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It is really amazing what you can accomplish if you are willing to listen to your inner voice and follow where it takes you. The concept of this "inner voice" can take you down a number of rabbit holes. For me personally, I feel as though that voice is there to direct you to the reason you were put on this Earth. In my case, I believe that it comes from God, either spoken to me in real time or implanted at birth to speak to me when the time is right.
This "inner voice" is not magnificent in the sense that you are not going to become overwhelmed by a feeling or see something miraculous that leaves you with no doubt that the universe has a message for you. It is much more subtle than that, and it can be difficult to hear. It is one of those things that is always there, but you never notice it until you finally do.....and then it seems as obvious as the sunshine. I don't know why it is not easier to detect, but I suspect it is that way so that you are compelled to make some effort to hear it. What I know for sure, is that it is there for everyone.
The types of businesses that people are creating by talking about agriculture are amazing. Today, I get to profile one of those influencers. Michelle Miller goes by the name "The Farm Babe". She has an interesting story of growing up in Wisconsin, finding herself on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, traveling the world, bartending on a beach in Florida and ultimately finding her way to a farm in Northern Iowa. Find out how she did in today's show.
My attention was first drawn to Alex Kellersmith when I read an article about him making maple syrup for his supervised agricultural experience in the FFA. I am always fascinated with this particular SAE because naturally growing trees provide one of the most delicious products on the market. And, I live in Idaho where this is impossible and you pay a premium for Maple Syrup in a bottle!
As it turns out, Alex has several supervised agricultural experiences. He likes to grow things that he can either sell directly from harvest or add value to and then sell. And they all have a common thread....there is the slow pace of the growing season for each of them, and then suddenly, there is a lot of work to be done all at once. Take these projects for example:
- Maple Syrup - sap drips into buckets during the winter and is saved up, and then suddenly there is two straight weeks of boiling down sap and bottling syrup
- Sweet Corn - during the heat of summer the corn grows and grows, and then suddenly there is two straight weeks of picking, hauling, marketing and selling
- Berries - they grow all summer long and then suddenly they are ripe and the time is now!
- Lavender & Flowers - okay, on this one Alex can work out a little bit more even of a pace, but of course once the flowers are blooming he can constantly be harvesting, arranging and selling
Alex has some very good advice for incoming FFA students in this interview as to why they should really invest into multiple SAE's. Tune in and hear what he has to say!
I just found out that irrigation will not begin for surface water users in my area until April 22nd this year. Citing repeated drought, the Boise Project Board Of Control announced that canals would not begin filling until April 18th, and the earliest that anyone would be irrigating would be the 22nd. Also, we are starting out the season with an allotment. Normally, we do not begin the season with a restriction on how much water that we can use other than what we have in our accounts. Usually, as water in the reservoirs starts dropping an allotment is declared. This generally takes place sometime in June or maybe even July. However, we are starting the season this way.
This means that all irrigators are going to be restricted to using no more than 1.20 acre feet of water per acre on their ground for this season. This is a low allotment, and it is designed to get farmers all the way through the growing season. However, these restrictions definitely impact the decisions that farmers will make for the year.
If you have been watching the news out of the Central Valley of California, you will see that a lot of acres, especially on the west side of the Central Valley in places like Fresno and Kings Counties, will go uncultivated this year. Farmers there are dealing with greater hardships than us in Idaho, and they have to forgo planting seasonal crops so that they can save the water that would be needed on those fields for their permanent crops like almonds, grapes and fruit trees.
Here in Idaho, what I expect to see happen is less acres of water thirsty crops like corn being grown and more short season crops like wheat being planted. I suspect that the farmers who can buy water from other people might not alter their rotations. However, those that cannot may have to. With that said, I expect the price of wheat to be up if the conflict in the Ukraine continues, maybe that will act as a hedge for farmers who are forced to plant more acres of wheat than they anticipated.
I consider myself to be in a good position. If you've been listening to me since 2015 you will know that one of the ways that we put in the necessary infrastructure on our farm was to do a cost share with the NRCS through their EQIP program. That has been nine years ago now, and it has only been a positive, we never endured any negative consequences from it.
One of things that came out of that program is that our entire place is irrigated by sprinklers now. And over time we have progressed from rented sprinkler pipe, to wheel lines to irrigation pods. We have become progressively more and more water efficient, which means that we have yet to use all of our allotted water in a season. And, this allows us to "carry over" some water from one season to the next. So, I am very grateful that we made that move. Irrigation is now easier, and it allows us to really save water throughout the year to get us through.
However, if there is no water available it does us no good. And, if irrigation water gets shut off very early this year, than it will not matter what manner of delivery that we use, we will be unable to irrigate either way. So, as a hedge I am going to purchase some extra hay, early in the season, and hope that I don't have to start feeding in September. However, I am fully prepared for that to be the reality that I am facing.
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I am a big fan of proactive people, people who go out and make life happen for them rather than letting life happen to them. Our guest today, Ellas Gaes, is definitely one of those people. Ella is a member of the Pierce High School FFA Chapter in Pierce, Nebraska. She lives out of town with her family, and they keep horses on their property.
Even though the horse was the main form of transportation throughout Europe and Asia well before North America was ever discovered, the American West has captured the horse as its symbol, almost as if horse riding originated here. Ella embraces this culture, roping whenever and wherever she can and helping her family members in Colorado every May with their cattle branding.
Ella also embraced this with her supervised agricultural experience through the FFA. She has been making jewelry as a hobby for quite some time, and the way that things work in her FFA chapter, she was compelled to get serious about her SAE this year. Once she really thought about what she was going to do, it became apparent to her that making and selling jewelry that celebrated the Western way of life and the West's ties to agriculture was the right fit for her.
Tip Of The Week
Can’t Find Your Vehicles? Check Out Your Biggest Mud Hole.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/new-mexico-supreme-court-to-teach-las-cruces-students-about-criminal-justice-system-law-court-hearing-crime-defendant-hearing
https://www.wibw.com/2022/03/22/sheriff-warns-rising-crime-rates-planting-season-begins-gas-prices-rise/
https://www.tristatehomepage.com/news/wcso-stolen-vehicles-found-submerged-in-mud/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.southwestfarmer.co.uk/news/20015049.yanmar-mini-digger-stolen-north-dorset-smallholding/
https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/20015840.dog-owner-warned-keep-pet-control-sheep-worrying-incident/
https://www.farms.com/ag-industry-news/man-farmer-victim-of-grain-theft-805.aspx
Africa
https://chimpreports.com/3-geologists-2-updf-soldiers-killed-by-karamoja-cattle-rustlers/
https://www.kenyanews.go.ke/govt-commences-security-operation-to-flush-out-herders-from-game-parks/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.kimt.com/news/forest-city-man-arrested-for-arson-assault-and-burglary-pleads-guilty/article_b62162b8-aadd-11ec-ac4d-c71e369c39af.html
https://www.bigcountrynewsconnection.com/local/whitman-county-burglary-suspect-in-custody-30-000-tractor-among-stolen-items-recovered-by-deputies/article_ce4db0fc-aade-11ec-a5b8-537d2e55a8ff.html
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I have never delved into the world of hemp farming or of value added products made from hemp plants and seed. Today, I am finally going to break that pattern. I will be speaking with Justin Harris of Wild Ass Soaps.
Justin and his wife have developed quite a family enterprise that operates with them and their children in Southwestern Nebraska. They first began with a lawn and landscaping business which grew and became very time consuming. Looking for other opportunities they began growing and selling sod from their 15 acre farm. Eventually they started to look into making soaps, and then something major happened. The production of hemp was legalized by the U.S. government.
Within two years of this announcement Justin and his family were producing hemp and incorporating it into their soaps, lotions and oils.
Today we are going deep into our archives to replay an episode about starting a goat milk soap business. On tomorrow's ag business episode we are profiling a new type of soap business, and I thought this interview with Shanna McCann would tie in nicely to that show. Goat milk soap is such a great, value added product that I really enjoy profiling and replaying these business interviews. Below are the original show notes from episode #351.
There is a lot of fruit to pick (pun intended) from today's interview with Jada Rubalcava, and I picked the one that stood out the most to me for the title of this episode.
Jada has a unique set of experiences compared to the other students at Gothenburg High School and in her FFA chapter. When she was in elementary school her father joined the military while pursuing a career as an anesthesiologist. This caused Jada and her family to move from her childhood home of Phoenix, Arizona to several other cities and ultimately the small town of Gothenburg. So, Jada has seen big city life, and she has seen small town life.
Jada is of the opinion that she has many more opportunities being in a small town and small school, which is not the way a lot of people look at this comparison. However, whichever extra-curricular activity that she wants to participate in she has been able to. This has to do with the size of her school and the fact that there are not so many students going out for a particular activity that people have to be cut. Jada used golf as an example. She joined the golf team her freshman year, and when she joined she had never held a club before. She correctly states that if she were still in Phoenix, she could never make the team under these circumstances and would have missed this particular opportunity.
Another opportunity that Jada has taken full advantage of is the sense of community in her small town and the way that the town respects and supports the FFA. Based on an idea of some of her friends that she knew when living in Ohio, when it came time for her to being her supervised agricultural experience she decided to make and sell caramel apples. When people caught wind of what she was doing, word spread like wildfire. Soon, she was very busy and was even shipping her caramel apples to people.
So, I haven't had one set of plans work out like I wanted in the recent past, and that is just the way it is going for me on my farm. First, I was supposed to start calving on February 25th, but we didn't have our first calf until 3/5/22. Our cows are all showing that they are ready to calve, but they are coming along very slow and to date I only have four calves.
Next, I filled out the perfect bracket for the NCAA Basketball Tournament and put together a fun group of people to participate in the bracket. After just one weekend, I am in last place with no prospect of turning things around. And, my daughter is in second and absolutely destroying me.
Currently I am on a solo, staycation, during Autumm and Hattie's Spring Break. The three of us have taken a trip together every Spring Break for years now, but this slow calving kept me at home. So, they took off to go look at some colleges and see the ocean over on the Oregon Coast. That was okay though. I have a lot things to get done, and I figured that this would give me the perfect opportunity. I figured I would get started with it today.
Simultaneously our pasture is just starting to green up, so I wanted to get our yearlings off of it and back in with our cows. And, since our cows have started calving it was time to get the bull separated off. So, I put the bull in the pen I had used for him earlier this year and moved the yearlings over. However, with the yearlings cycling he promptly broke a rail in that pen and was in with them for an unknown amount of time. So, I caught him and put him in a different pen, which he promptly broke out of last night, but luckily could not find his way back to the girls.
So, this morning, instead of starting my projects I wound up changing the configuration of that pen that I had built and adding lumber to it, to reinforce it. I had to go purchase lumber, and that broke the budget because it costs around $1 million for a sixteen foot 2X6 these days. And that is the life that I love!
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Our guest today is currently serving as the State FFA Reporter in Illinois. Lauren Mohr grew up in Illinois with a strong legacy of farming and the FFA in her family. In addition to watching her older brothers in their projects, she was working at home with the families sheep flock as well as their business of lambing out ewes for other owners. Over time she developed a love for the animal livestock industry, and it led her to leadership in the FFA.
Lauren just graduated from Normal West High School last spring. She is currently taking a gap year to serve as the state reporter and plans on attending Illinois Central College to study animal science and agricultural business next fall. She has her eye on embryo transfers and reproduction in livestock as a career and has already identified a business that she would like to conduct an internship with.
Lauren is involved in and developing a few different ag businesses currently. In the summer she shows dairy cattle for her grandparents, and the rest of the time she is developing her herd of cattle and maintaining her flock of sheep. Lauren has traveled as far away as Massachusetts to market wool and learn more about the wool and sheep industry. It is no wonder that she has been a state proficiency winner in both sheep production and diversified livestock.
Tip Of The Week
Get cameras and locks on your fuel tanks
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.drovers.com/news/industry/usda-inspector-charged-accepting-bribes-texas-border
https://www.waaytv.com/news/madison-county-sheriff-s-office-seeks-public-s-help-after-baby-goat-her-mom-reported/article_fcdac612-a548-11ec-81d6-333f1bd8280d.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-60754268
https://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/news/19993340.high-prices-drive-fuel-theft/
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/dozens-of-stolen-sheep-found-two-miles-away-on-uni-campus-264074/
https://www.farmersweekly.co.za/agri-news/south-africa/alarming-upswing-in-green-maize-theft-threatens-food-security/
Africa
https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/oped/letters/dairy-farming-is-a-means-to-an-end-to-cattle-rustling-3749932
https://www.kenyanews.go.ke/national-police-reservists-commissioned-in-baringo-north/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.aol.com/news/rare-wolverine-captured-utah-once-113518123.html
https://www.glosnews.com/articles/westbury-farmer-tracks-down-stolen-property-thanks-to-his-ipad
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Pat Hanson is the owner and creator of "Memory Lane Crafting Retreat" in Northwest Illinois. This is a business that was built out of necessity and a love of the farming lifestyle. Pat's father had a lifelong dream of purchasing his own land farming it, which he made come true in his 50's. Pat and her family loved the lifestyle so much that they eventually moved out to her father's farm and built their own home on five acres that he had deeded to them. Then, Pat farmed with her father on a daily basis until he suddenly passed from a stroke at the age of 75.
Her father's sudden passing left Pat and her husband with the farm and the question of what to do, not only with the farm but her with her father's house. A lot of ideas were considered, and ultimately Pat followed her instincts and started a crafting retreat for women. Her farm is on a beautiful setting in a very rural area, and it draws repeat customers from all around. Rarely does Pat have any vacancies available on weekends. From my count she only has 25 nights available in all of 2022!
Today, Pat has turned her father's home into a great getaway for women who love crafts. And, it is also a very viable form of off-farm income. At the same time that she is operating this business, she is exposing people to farming and teaching them about rural and agricultural living. It is truly an inspirational story!
Today is a replay that I think you will enjoy very much. It is the story of a remarkable young man who was injured and worked hard to not only come back fully healed but better than ever. He is giving back to the industry he was injured in as a volunteer fire fighter all while serving as a missionary and running a custom haying operation with his brother.
Today's interview teaches us a lot of different lessons about entrepreneurship, and our guest is just 15 years old. Trever Montgomery has grown up loving to fish. Years ago, he had the thought that he might one day make his own "soft plastic" fishing baits. Like so many ideas, it came into his head, never left but got put on a back shelf somewhere waiting to be pulled off at some point in the future.
In 2020 Trever started high school, and with that he also started the FFA. His advisor let him know that he would need to have a supervised agricultural experience and explained what the options were. It was in that instance that he knew the time had come, and he was going to start making his own baits as an entrepreneurship SAE.
Trever started researching right away, and with in a couple of months he was creating his very own prototypes. He first began by purchasing a bait making kit from one company and learning the process. Soon, he knew how to make them, but he was noticing flaws. So, he purchased a kit from another company. He had the same experience again, seeing room for improvement in the baits that he produced with their recipe. It was at this point that Trever started taking the aspects of one companies baits that he liked and combining it with the aspects of another's that he liked in order to make a bait that was superior to both of the originals. TM Baits was born.
I really respect all of you that keep very tight calving windows and cull cows that fall outside of it. That is some serious business discipline, and it is well beyond what I have in my own farm business. My first potential due date for a calf was February 25th. The first calf born on our place was on March 5th. As of today, we have three calves on the ground, a bunch of cows that look like they will calve any day and morning after morning of no new calves.
There is no question in my mind that they are all settled and close to calving. All the physical signs are showing themselves, but I am always amazed at how for some cows they will start showing but still take weeks to calve. So, day after day, middle of the night check after middle of the night check, I wait for calves.
It seems like this time of year involves a lot of waiting. I've been waiting for it to warm up. Now I am waiting for it to green up. I am also waiting for it to start raining, which it is supposed to do this week. And, I am waiting for the canals to get filled. In April we will start having kids, and I will be waiting again.
In all honesty, it is a fun time of year. I like the surprise of going out to feed in the morning and finding a new calf, and the pressure that is relieved each time another cow calves, takes to her calf and gets it up and going. I am always hoping for a 100% calf crop and 100% weaned crop. Getting all the calves out and nursing is phase #1 of that.
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Our guest today is just finishing up his sophomore year of high school, but the progress he has made in building his cow herd since beginning it during his freshman year is phenomenal. Stetson Shook is from a family with a deep farming background in Oklahoma and Kansas, going back to the Oklahoma Land Rush. His grandparents still farm the family ground in Oklahoma about 45 minutes away from the farm that Stetson and his parents live on.
Stetson has always had a passion for farming and agriculture, and this led him to know that he would one day be an FFA member. Then, at the end of his 8th grade year of school he was asked if he would be interested in becoming a Green Hand Officer, and he volunteered. This really piqued his interest in the FFA, and early in his freshman year of high school his FFA advisors saw something in him and encouraged him to take up a cattle business for his supervised agricultural experience.
Tip Of The Week
Protect your edible livestock, they could be taken for human consumption or entertainment…..
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.pahomepage.com/top-stories/store-owner-claims-men-wanted-to-feed-live-chicken-to-alligators-at-exotic-pet-shop/
https://patch.com/california/murrieta/sheriff-targets-rural-crime-anza-aguanga-approved-grant
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.farmweekly.com.au/story/7650584/missing-sheep-prompts-a-police-warning/
https://www.farminglife.com/country-and-farming/tractor-stolen-from-shed-police-are-appealing-for-information-3601425
https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/crime/new-holland-tm165-tractor-stolen-from-shed-in-overnight-raid-3601433
Africa
https://www.myjoyonline.com/gunmen-on-motorbikes-kill-dozens-in-nigeria/
https://dailytrust.com/osun-man-making-pepper-soup-with-stolen-goat-arrested
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://thatsfarming.com/farming-news/stole-sheep-court/
https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/local-news/2-iowa-men-arrested-for-farm-burglary-in-siouxland/
https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/sligo-farmer-assault-3-men-arrested-on-suspicion-of-burglary/
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Catherine Chmelka is an ag teacher and FFA advisor for the David City High School FFA Chapter in David City, Nebraska. As part of her duties she teaches floriculture and agribusiness. There was a time in her life that these courses were just necessary evils that she had to endure to move through the agricultural education that she was seeking, both in high school and college. However, that eventually changed.
Catherine's exposure to floriculture awakened a passion in her, that she did not know existed. She fell in love with both horticulture and floriculture and really got inspired to start putting together arrangements with her students that exceeded the bare minimums. Eventually, people in her community noticed this and started hiring her to make arrangements for a couple of different funerals. Catherine and her husband, Justin, also hired themselves by taking care of the flowers for their own wedding.
The attention they were getting and the exposure to entrepreneurship had both of them thinking about how they could continue to work this side business out of their home. But then, the local flower/coffee shop in David City came for sale. Catherine and Justin were thinking about purchasing it until they found out there was another buyer looking at it. That changed everything, and they decided that they had to purchase it. They wrapped up the purchase in June of 2020, changed the name to "402 Floral" and hit the ground running.
That was 18 months ago. Today, when Catherine teaches her student both about floriculture and agribusiness, she is teaching the lessons that she learned in her own business, possibly just moments before coming to class. She is also learning more and more about florists actually do, and she is bringing that real world experience into the classroom with her. Enrollment in both her floriculture classes as well as her agribusiness classes has increased, but of course people know that she isn't just teaching these subjects, she is living them.
In today's episode, I replay an interview I did with an extrodinary FFA student who started his own business and then went on to start another. Learn about Hadden Powell and his floral and landscape design business.
Original Show Notes:
INTRODUCING HADDEN POWELL!
As you have heard me say many times, I really like it when things are efficient, they compliment each other and you see win/win situations. In the case of today's guest and national star nominee in agribusiness, he has developed just such a business.
Hadden Powell started Powells And Company doing floral designs. But this isn't the beginning of the story. He first started out with his landscape design business. As that business developed he realized that he had flowers growing that he should repurpose. So, he started Powells and Company.
There is no question that if you make delicious cookies and cupcakes that you have the ingredients for a business. Who can deny treats like that? However, how does anyone ever find out that you have the ability to make these items and sell them? Social media is one really capable platform to make this happen.
This is exactly what took place in the formation of Madi Springer's business, Madi's Cookies & Cupcakes. Madi has been baking for years, and right around the beginning of her freshman year of high school she made some decorative cookies for her mom, and her mom promptly bragged about them on her Facebook page. this led to another mom in their small community of Franklin, Illinois to contact Madi and see if she could bake four dozen pumpkin themed cookies for the high school cross country team.
Madi agreed and made the cookies. Her first ever customer was very pleased and bragged about her on social media, and the orders started rolling in. Today, just 1.5 years later, Madi is fulfilling 3-4 orders per week and turning away customers. She is planning on becoming more efficient, improving her equipment and expanding her business to cakes as well as cookies and cupcakes.
Today is a farm update. I wish it were a sunnier episode, but I found myself going down the rabbit hole of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the impending drought and shortened irrigation season in the West.
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Today is my final interview of a long list of very impressive national proficiency finalists and winners. I couldn't think of a better or more inspirational interview to wrap this up with. To begin, Ty Williams is a national proficiency winner in the category of "small animal care and production". He has grown up on and lives on his families cattle ranch in Dawson, Texas, but he also has a passion for raising rabbits and what he believes they can do for the world. He has a big vision, and it is no wonder why he was named as a national winner.
Ty is now a freshman at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, and he is studying to be an agriculture teacher. I am excited for every student that he is going to mentor in his career because when you get him started talking about his passions in agriculture it is contagious!
Ty believes that rabbits could be one of the solutions to world hunger. They are small, easy to raise, reproduce quickly and are an excellent source of high quality protein. On a very small footprint, just like raising chickens, a person can raise rabbits and feed themselves, their family and quite possibly friends and neighbors. Ty travels all over the State of Texas showing rabbits and spreading this message.
Tip Of The Week
Somebody has to innovate us out of this frenzy of bee thefts
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1613887072084183/search/?q=cloverdale%20king%20road
https://www.miningjournal.net/life/2022/03/going-high-tech-to-save-the-crop-beekeepers-install-tracking-devices-to-protect-their-precious-hives/
https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/crime/indiana-farm-owner-arrested-after-28-dead-alpacas-found-on-property
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.lancashire.police.uk/farm-defender
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/baby-goat-stolen-in-a-backpack-under-cover-of-darkness-in-sinister-raid-in-dublin-41403363.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-60570272
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-60572625
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/19968509.burglars-jailed-pocklington-business-farm-raids/
https://www.timesrepublican.com/news/todays-news/2022/03/pomeroy-man-charged-with-theft-at-tama-livestock-auction/
https://krcrtv.com/news/local/stolen-tractor-leads-to-major-pot-bust
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When I think of Virginia, so many things spring to mind - history, green pastures, beef, mountains, rivers, etc., etc. I also think of thunderstorms, humidity and lazy evenings beating the heat on a front porch. I realize that so many of the images that come to mind for me are concoctions of things I have read in books, seen on television or looked at in paintings, but for today's guest I think it is all true.
Lorrie Barron and her husband, David, have been farming in Southern Virginia since they got married in 1982. They love the agricultural lifestyle, and they will do what is necessary to continue it. This includes offering a wide variety of entrepreneurial services to people in their community ranging from cake baking to sheet rocking to barn building t0 painting. They also are very innovative in looking for ways to improve their farm through grants and new methods. And, they are not afraid to be involved in multiple different aspects of agriculture to find niche markets and keep revenue flowing to the farm.
Today I bring to you a replay of an interview I did with an FFA member who is working hard to keep his 100-year family farm operating. They specialize in vegetable roadside stands. This is a fun interview you don't want to miss!
I can remember taking genetics in my senior year of college with my friends Tyler and Becky. I had changed the emphasis on my animal science major a couple of times, and genetics was the last, really difficult class I was going to have to take in order to graduate. All semester long I paid close attention to the lecture, took tons of notes and studied nightly to try and keep up. Meanwhile, my friend Becky didn't take notes, sat there listening with a smile on her face and aced the class while I squeaked by with a C- and a 29% in the class. Thank goodness for the curve!
My interview today features a National Proficiency Finalist from 2021. Zach Schoelerman has grown up on my families ranch in Northern Iowa, and he has been working with cattle and sheep his entire life. All of his family were in the FFA, and his father is a veterinarian. As such, Zach has become very involved in the management of his own flock of Southdown Sheep, including artificially inseminating them.
I was just looking at our month ending stats and am blown away by what all of you have done for us in helping to grow this show. That got me thinking about how well this has been going, and that, of course, brought up thoughts about imposter syndrome and the upper limit challenge. I want to revisit each of those obstacles to success in today's episode.
Imposter Syndrome Explained: LINK
Upper Limit Challenge explained by Dan Miller: LINK
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nly in the FFA will you find students who will go out and purchase themselves a bulldozer or a track hoe rather than a pickup when they turn sixteen. It is part of what I love about interviewing these students. These young men and women are so forward thinking and responsible that it makes me look back on my time in high school and blush with embarrassment.
This is exactly the story of Kale Campbell, who now runs his own business, Campbell Excavation, and was a National Proficiency Finalist in 2021. He made that decision. Actually, he purchased the track hoe instead of the pickup, and about three months later he purchased the bulldozer. Then he started his own excavation business under the umbrella of his father's business because he was still sixteen years old. As soon as he turned eighteen and could qualify for the insurance needed to bid government excavation jobs, he went out on his own. There is no wonder that the judges who heard his story pushed him right up to the level of national finalist!
Tip Of The Week
When you find a leg on the walking path, take a good look at the foot.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.fox46.com/crime-and-public-safety/31-farm-animals-seized-woman-arrested-after-investigation-in-nc/
https://darik.news/connecticut/the-severed-leg-found-on-the-norwalk-river-valley-trail-was-that-of-a-pig/202202516214.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/crime/two-quad-bikes-have-been-stolen-from-a-farm-in-west-calder-3584962
https://regina.ctvnews.ca/sarm-looking-for-more-rural-crime-watch-volunteers-1.5794281
https://www.manchesterpress.com/news/man-steals-purse-whiskey-from-manchester-farm/article_ff1fc573-4656-56cc-b846-98b06712bc00.html
https://www.shefnews.co.uk/2022/02/24/thieves-mocked-after-stealing-worlds-slowest-farm-van-from-beloved-sheffield-farm/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Virginia-sheriff-s-office-catches-suspect-after-16940344.php
https://www.wdsu.com/article/tangipahoa-parish-police-locate-stolen-pig-reunite-it-with-its-owner/39213882
https://www.abccolumbia.com/2022/02/24/lcsd-leesville-man-arrested-after-stolen-tractor-and-meth-are-found-at-his-home/
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What is your definition of being a teacher, and how do you think it is possible to follow your passion for teaching? This is an interesting profession as it seems to only have one definition and two outlets. Definitionally teachers are in a classroom having one one one interactions with pupils and providing them with knowledge. And the only two outlets seem to be in conventional public schools or in lesser paying roles as private school teachers. Somehow, the education system has been able to really own that term of "teacher" and keep the definition narrow.
Where does that narrow definition leave the rest of us who want to impart wisdom and information but don't want to conform to the two outlets and definition described above? What if we want a different lifestyle or a different income than is provided in those traditional roles? How do we go about that?
The answer is to define what it means to be an educator on your own terms and then come up with a way to make that into your career. This is exactly what our guest, Heather Cassill, has done with Kids Sonder Agriculture Unboxed.
Our guest today, Chris Dible, was a National Proficiency Finalist in 2021, and it is not hard to figure out why. He understands all the inner workings of his families farm and has a passion for what he does there. As he was telling me his story, there was an irony that really made me chuckle. Chris was not allowed to drive tractor on his own until he about 13 years old. His dad and uncles restrained him from that until they were certain that he was ready as they needed to protect the large, capital investments they had in their equipment.
About one year after Chris was finally allowed to start driving some of the smaller tractors on his own, his dad and uncles purchased a brand new tractor for around $200K, and it came with a ton of technology including full auto-steer and GPS. Even after 8 hours with the dealership representative instructing them on how to use the technology they didn't get it. Once he left, Chris climbed into the tractor and the owners manuals and started figuring out how to operate their very most expensive piece of equipment. It wasn't long until the kid that was only recently allowed to operate the smaller tractors became the only one on the farm that could operate the newest tractor! I found that comically ironic!
The main theme in today's show is that in order to succeed as an entrepreneur, you have to put in time and work. You have to be dedicated to providing a good product and sometimes your expertise is your product. This interview is worth a replay.
The news broke last week. Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, is coming to Kuna. This news has serious implications for Autumm and my future as well as the future of our farming endeavors. There are some pretty obvious implications as to what this will mean for the community of Kuna as well, and today's farm update is all about trying to farm on the rural/urban interface and in a rapidly developing area.
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/growing-idaho/meta-pay-50-million-kuna-sewer-addition/277-a1682c1e-b0d2-483d-86a3-113cf922fb24
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Kylie was a National Proficiency Finalist in 2021 in the category of Fiber & Oil Crop Production. There is no question why the judges thought she belonged in that top four after hearing her story. Kylie has been riding around with her parents in the cab of tractors and combines since she was very little. As she grew up she started getting responsibilities of her own like routine maintenance on equipment, sweeping up, etc. This progressed to helping with planting, doing some field work and driving some equipment.
Kylie always had her eye on one goal though - driving the combine. She has known this is where she belonged since she was that little kid riding in the cab with her parents. As it turned out, when she was coming of age her parents purchased a second combine and needed a driver. Her older brother was living and working in Oklahoma, so he was out. That left Kylie's older sister, who had been pulling the grain cart for several years. However, she enjoyed that particular tractor and that job, so she ceded the role of combine driver to Kylie, and she found her self in the cab by herself for the first time ever.
Today, Kylie is studying agricultural education and agronomy at Kansas State University. She is still determining what her future career will be. However, when you talk with her the love of farming comes shining through, and there is no doubt what the judges saw that led her to being a finalist.
Tip Of The Week
Report anything suspicious you see in orchards or anywhere else that bees are going to work
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.ourvalleyvoice.com/2022/02/17/bee-thefts-mount-as-the-pollination-season-intensifies/
Crime Scene Training - https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/fourth-person-charged-in-beating-death-of-man-found-in-culvert
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/how-can-we-stop-these-people-rider-targeted-for-a-second-time-in-latest-show-tack-theft-777601
https://www.northwaleschronicle.co.uk/news/19927735.fatal-dog-attack-injuries-sustained-pregnant-sheep-gwynedd/
BOL - https://www.stamfordmercury.co.uk/news/farm-buildings-a-target-for-crime-9240438/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.bridgwatermercury.co.uk/news/19932490.men-convicted-investigation-rural-theft/
https://www.newscenter1.tv/pursuit-standoff-ends-in-multiple-arrests-in-pennington-county/
https://www.newsweek.com/credit-union-ceo-bought-pig-farm-stolen-millions-fbi-1680416
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There are a lot of different directions I could go with today's interview. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of different directions that I did go with today's interview. Gabrielle (Gabby) Crumley was originally booked on the show to talk about how she started an agricultural marketing company and how she uses that to support her agricultural lifestyle. However, her story is even more compelling than that, and I found myself caught up in the entirety of it.
Gabby and her husband, Chad, actually did not grow up raising cattle. However, they both were part of the horse world in small communities surrounding Portland, Oregon. Gabby got exposed to cattle ranching and livestock by visiting relatives in the eastern part of her state as a kid, and this led her to choose to major in agriculture in college. She chose to attend college in Eastern Oregon, away from the rainy climate that the western part of the state holds. Ultimately, she and Chad met, dated for about three years and were married. They leased some ground in the mountains outside of LaGrande, Oregon and started a cattle herd.
During this same time Gabby had developed her own marketing business. This had never been her intention, but a college professor saw that she had a special talent for social media marketing and encouraged her to pursue that. This led to Gabby developing her first, paid customers, and like it is for so many entrepreneurs, this got her hooked.
This business also allowed her to live wherever she wanted because the business is not geographically restricted. When she and Chad decided that they wanted to pursue ranching as a lifelong pursuit, this meant purchasing their own place. As they studied what was available throughout the country they decided on an area of Wyoming near Cody and started looking. Ultimately, they found their spot, bought their very own ranch and made the big move about a year ago.
What Gabby has done is very inspirational, and it is a clear blueprint for so many of us that would like to follow in she and Chad's footsteps. Her story also proves a lot of the concepts that we talk about on this show, and that was a thrill for me.
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A replay today of a special lady that reached out to me using a social media resource. She is from Europe and has a unique story to tell on how she developed her marketing company while creating her own niche for selling farm goods. She talks about how she did and is doing in today's interview.
National Proficiency Winner, Tad Nelson. Tad's story began in the 6th grade, but it has a twist. He started his lawn and landscape business with his best friend, and they stayed friends and business partners throughout the entire run of the business until they recently sold it. And, they are not related but had the same last name. So, it was easy to name the business, "Nelson Mow & Trim".
Tad and his buddy Brigham got really serious about this business in the 8th Grade, after they had had two years of experience under their belt. They took out a loan, purchased a used but very high quality Walker Mower and started marketing their business more aggressively. Soon, they were hiring employees, doing jobs in nearby cities that were much bigger than their hometown and really learning about business.
Last Tuesday I touched on today's topic just briefly. I told you about a conversation that I had with a gentleman who asked me what I was seeing? Were people clinging to the old ways or abandoning them all together. I told him that the folks I had been talking to were doing a combination of the two, but that made sense because they tend to stand out and draw my attention.
I've been thinking more about that conversation and wanted to touch on some of the practices and mindsets of my elder mentors that I want to hold onto and that I want to give up. I'll share those with you today. Below is a list:
| Hold On To | Do Differently | | Work Ethic | Recharge Your Batteries | | Frugality | Scarcity Mindset | | Self-Reliance | Outsource | | Perseverance | Diversifying as a hedge | | Focus | Multiple streams of income | | Create off-farm Income | Use entrepreneurship |
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Porter Hanson has grown up on a 50 acre hay farm in Rigby, Idaho. He describes the farm as a hobby of his father's, but as we all know, these types of hobbies can take a lot of your time. Porter's dad works at the Idaho National Laboratory. That is a nuclear research facility located about 60 miles from their farm. The lab has always been located way out in the Idaho desert because of the work they do. This way, they are far from population centers, which serves a couple of purposes for the research. However, the employees don't want to live way out there, so they ride a bus to work every day and endure the long commute so their families can live in more populated communities.
During Porter's sophomore year of high school he saw the toll that the long days of work and commuting, followed by moving sprinkler pipe on the farm were taking on his dad. So, he came up with a plan. Porter offered to take over and run the farm so that his dad didn't have to go to work when he got home from work. They came up with a 50/50 crop share agreement, and Porter got busy. He took charge of every aspect from irrigation to swathing to fertilizing to marketing to delivery. And, he grew their sales.
Today, getting all their hay sold is never a problem, and Porter has learned a ton. It is no wonder that he made that final stage at the National Convention in 2021!
A couple weeks ago during our rural crime episode I reported on the theft of saddles and other tack at a horse competition in the U.K. Contained in that article was the story of the saddle owners, Ibi Whatley, who was angered enough by the theft to take action. She had started a Facebook Group called "Stolen Saddles U.K." and it had gained a lot of attention in a short amount of time.
I knew that there must be more to the story, so I reached out to Ibi and asked her to be a guest on the show. Today she answers all of my questions about what happened, who she suspects took the tack and where it is now. Plus, we find out some very useful information about locks and how what we think is secure might not be. I think this will be an important episode for anyone, no matter which continent you find yourself on.
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Our guest today is got a lot of energy, a very curious spirit and is getting absolutely everything out of life that she can. Millie Musgrave married a rancher when she was 42 years old and got introduced to the agricultural way of life. For the past 15 years she has been embracing this life wholeheartedly. After speaking with her, this is no surprise. Millie is the type of person what wants to do everything and who spends all of her time pursuing what she wants to do. I love her philosophy about this. She likes to combine that pursuit of life with her work, so she has purposefully chosen a career and multiple side hustles that are fun and bring her great satisfaction.
Millie currently works full-time, in town, as the recreation coordinator for a senior living home. In addition to that she is involved in two, multi-level marketing companies, Senegence and Juice Plus. She also makes her own soap from rendering the fat of their own livestock as well as from goat milk soap that she purchases. She sells and exhibits her soaps at craft shows on weekends.
Millie is the type of person that really jumps into whatever task she is working. She had no experience working with livestock before marrying her husband, and she said that prior to moving to the farm she was the type of person who didn't like to touch raw meat, even when cooking. However, she quickly adapted, learned to drive farm equipment and work with livestock, and when they butchered a hog on the farm she learned how to process the animal. It was this curiosity that led her into soap making. She wanted to make full use of the entire hog, so she taught herself how to render the fat and make soap out of it.
She prides herself on the question "what would a pioneer woman do", whenever she is stumped. And between this innovative spirit and the help of YouTube she has been able to figure things out, and is positioning herself to always have an activity to do and an income to support she and her family.
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Today's episode features a unique story of a previous show I did featuring an FFA member who not only immigrated to the United States, but had a family that saw his natural desire to want to be involved in the agriculture industry and purchased a farm just for him.
Our guest today is the 2021 National Proficiency Winner in Equine Entrepreneurship, and after listening to this interview it will be clear why she was selected.
Raley Downing has been riding horses since before she can remember and barrel racing since she was four years old. Horses, cattle and agriculture have always been a part of her life. While she was in the 7th Grade, already showing great ability to train horses, her older brother had a horse he didn't like. He gave that horse to Raley to see if she could make something of it, and she did. She recognized that the horse did not have the cow ability that her brother was looking for, but that it could be a good horse for barrel racing. She trained it, sold it, paid her brother back for his costs and made a profit. A business was born.
For the past several weeks I have been giving you updates on a welding class that I have been taking through our local community college. I just completed the class this previous Saturday. The class was just a basic, learn to weld course. There was no grade and no college credits or certifications received. I had been thinking about taking this course for a couple of years and finally resolved myself to do it this year.
I was reflecting on the course yesterday and something occurred to me. I am 48 years old, and finally learned to weld. Why it took me this long, I don't know. I've talked about the fact that I grew up in the very small town of Valley Home, California several times. All of the men in Valley Home were blue collar. Probably 9 out of ten men where I grew up knew how to weld.
When I was about seven years old my father and one of his lifelong friends started a well drilling company, appropriately called "Valley Home Drilling". It was during this time that I remember my father welding in his shop at our house, although I don't know if he was repairing parts for the drill rigs or doing something different. I know that he was a stick welder and he was also a gas welder as I remember watching strike the yellow flame at the end of the nozzle and then dial up the oxygen to bring the flame down to a short, sharp and precise, blue flame. I can remember sneaking into the shop and trying to use his welding helmet as some sort of toy, but it was always too dark to really use.
Our Valley Home neighbor, Fred, welded and farmed, and many of his creations still stand today. He had a shop on his lot in town, and many an evening you could see the familiar flashes of the arc he was creating and hear the sound of "frying bacon" coming from within his shop. My friend, Danny's, dad did auto body work in his shop on the north side of town, and he was always welding there when I would visit. My step father welded, and my step brother, Rick, was a professional welder when he first became my step-brother. There was always a welder in the shop on my step father's small farm, but I never asked to be taught.
Even with the environment I grew up in, and all the influences around me, I never learned. When I went through high school I definitely could have learned to weld in shop classes, but I never took any. My dad had moved into Modesto and the well drilling company had failed years before, but his welding equipment was in the garage at the new house. However, I don't recall ever seeing him do any welding other than when we all lived together in Valley Home. I certainly could have asked him to teach me himself, but I never did so.
I have no explanation for why I never asked anyone to teach me to weld. I learned about working with wood and using power saws from my dad, and I asked him to show me. I asked my step father to show me how to change the oil in my car, how to swap out the alternator and how to do many other things in my vehicle and I learned. But for some reason I never pursued welding.
With all of that background, I always knew that I should learn to weld but just never seemed to make time for this until I was 48 years of age. Autumm and I have owned our own farm for 10.5 years now, and during that time there definitely have been projects that I needed to complete that required welding or repairs that needed to be done that required welding. Every time these came up I either hired this done or asked a friend with the equipment and know how for a favor. That has always been a little bit embarrassing to me. Not knowing how to weld is not a revocation of one's man card, but owning your own farm and equipment and not knowing how to repair it borders on the inefficient.
I tell you all of this to explain the title of today's show. All of us have a metaphorical closet in our minds. We have a set amount of space to contain the things that we know we need to do or that we want to do at some point in the future. Anytime you or somebody else uses the phrase, "it has been in the back of my mind" think of this closet. The "back of the mind" is the term for the closet where we have been storing the things that we need to get done.
The "back of the mind" is a confined space with only so much room. So, the more that you put off or say that you will get done on some day in the future, the more you clutter it up. The more you clutter it up, the less room there is for big goals like starting a farm or beginning a business. And the more clutter there is, the less able you will be to map out the small steps you need to take to reach the really big goals. There will just be too much stuff laying around to distract you.
When I finished that welding class on Saturday, I made a bunch of room in the "back of my mind". It turns out that knowing that I should learn to weld had been taking up a lot of space in there, and for decades now, anytime something needed to be welded, I knew that it was sitting in there.
By being proactive and forcing myself to finally learn this skill, I accessed a new part of the brain. It is the part where I store knowledge, not where I store ideas, things I need to do and abstract thoughts. I was able to take all of those cubic feet that the welding was taking up and move it to the shelf of knowledge, allowing me to put new ideas in the closet to finally be pulled out when I am ready. This is the key to being creative and achieving lifelong goals. You've got to keep things tidy up there so you have the time and focus to accomplish large and complex goals.
What is cluttering up your closet, and when are you going to clean it out?
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There is no doubt that the most successful people are the most proactive people. One way or another proactive people find a way to learn a new skill, start a new business or get connected to new people. No matter how they exhibit their "proactivity" they all have one thing in common....they go get it and don't wait for it to come to them. Every proactive person knows that if you wait for whatever it is to come to you, it is coming to everyone else at the same time, and that is not a way to get ahead.
Our guest today exhibits these proactive tendencies. Casyn Larman is just a sophomore in high school, but he has already accomplished a lot. I first noticed this when he emailed me, requesting to come on the show. I soon found out that he is already serving as his chapter's reporter, and his coverage of chapter events and accomplishments of fellow members have resulted in him being published in multiple places, including the High Plains Journal.
Tip Of The Week
Review of “Pig”
Be careful with social media: https://www.northernfarmer.co.uk/news/19889872.ex-burglars-reveal-common-social-media-posts-used-break-ins/
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/crimeandjustice/oregon-lawmakers-take-aim-at-explosion-of-illegal-pot-farms/article_d7dfb6db-609a-5d68-b397-9760421a88d9.html
https://www.pahomepage.com/news/child-charged-with-stealing-chickens-bunnies-from-central-pa-farm/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.rugbyobserver.co.uk/news/dangerous-gang-of-caravan-thieves-targeting-rural-areas/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/farmer-robert-hooper-court-tractor-b2006765.html
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/man-accused-of-rustling-200-cattle-but-those-steaks-will-be-costly-texas-officials-say-the-charlotte-observer-2
https://www.raccoonvalleyradio.com/2022/01/31/churdan-man-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-grain/
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Jay and Amber Desimone own and operate 840Farm in Waxahacie, Texas. They specialize in raising pastured, Mangalitsa pork for customers in the Dallas area. They do quite a bit of value adding, such as producing salami, and they have a rapidly growing business. As a matter of fact, during Covid, Jay's job was eliminated, but he hasn't looked back. He has been full-time on their farm since late in 2020, and it has been an awakening. He states that if he ever does go back to working for an employer it will be in the trades and not back into the corporate world that he came from.
For the bulk of Jay and Amber's lives together they have lived in the city and lived that corporate life. However, as they were raising their two boys, River and Canyon, in the city and experiencing police activity and the hustle and bustle of the city they decided to look for something different. Amber had grown up on a farm in the Panhandle of Texas, and that was definitely the direction she wanted to move. Find out how their timing was just right in as Covid lockdowns came shortly after their move.
Baxter Black has amazing legacy of entertaining people while telling the story of agriculture and ranching life in his cowboy poetry. Today, I bring you a replay of an interview I did with Baxter a few years ago talking about his is business journey and his key to success.
My guest today loves farming. As a matter of fact, even though he has only recently graduated from high school, he has loved farming for a long time already. Connor Keithley grew up farming with his family in Missouri on a farm operation that began in the mid-1940's as a hog operation. Sometimes in the 1990's they switched from hogs to row crops, and they have been expanding ever since with both purchased and leased ground. Today, they are farming 10,000 acres, and Connor is an integral part of that.
Even with that size of an operation, something was tugging at Connor to start his own operation. All the way back in middle school, he decided to pursue this and he invested the money he had saved by working for other farmers and leased 30 acres to start farming. He still had money left over for inputs, and he began his own operation farming corn, wheat and soybeans. He has continued to grow this ever since, and he even started raising some pigs as a fair project and liked it enough that he is continuing that to this day.
Welcome to February everyone. A large percentage of our country will be getting started on the 2022 growing season this month. Of course this varies from region to region and zone to zone. Last Friday Hattie and I went out to Melba, Idaho for one of the best burgers you can find in Idaho at Cook's 2-Hole Bar. We were driving Autumm's 1997 Jeep Wrangler, so we decided to off road a little bit. There is a route you can take that takes you through the BLM land for a few miles.
On our route we were driving past the range cattle that eke out their living in the winter out on this barren, wind swept plateau that offers some dormant grass and forage from last summer. Right as we were getting back to pavement we saw a cow near the water tanks with a calf that was just a day or two old. It reminded me that the most legit of legit ranchers that we have here in Idaho run cattle on these rangelands all year round, and they start calving now in an effort to get those weaning weights up when they ship in the fall.
For us, here in Idaho, the next season begins with the earliest calves that come in January and February. Soon to follow will be ground preparation, input purchases and before you know it, planting. There are some parts of the U.S. that are way ahead of us, and there are other parts that will be a month behind us.
I think that true down time anymore is a myth, but if there is any downtime it certainly ends with the end of January. Your plans for the next growing season should be made, and you should be getting things into place right now for the rush that is coming. For me, I am marketing, contracting out cattle and pigs and procuring next winter's feed at this time of year. Here in Southwest Idaho we are almost there. Our high and low temperatures are about to get a little bit higher, our days are about to get noticeably longer and it won't be long until we have water in the canal out back. We are just about to put this winter behind us.
Before I sign off for today's Tuesday episode I want to give you all an update on a very early guest on this show. Baxter Black, the cowboy poet and veterinarian, was a very early guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast. He appeared on episode #16. I thought it was really early in my podcasting career to request an interview with somebody like Baxter, but I did it anyway. To my thrill and surprise he came on the show. I am going to replay that episode on our Thursday episode this week.
I just read yesterday that Baxter is dealing with some health problems, and he has stopped writing his columns and doing the work that he loves to do so much. I also read an article, quoting his son-in-law, stating that he was on a modified hospice treatment with a home health professional coming to check on on him a couple times per week at his home.
Baxter is a great cowboy, agricultural advocate, a true gentleman and a very generous celebrity. I hope you will all keep him in your prayers and go watch some of his videos on Youtube or read some of his writings. I've made it easy for you as I've put my favorite video of him up in the show notes on today's episode. This was an appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson when he recited this poem. It is true genius and hilarious, and I hope you will check it out.
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Our guest today was a National Proficiency Finalist in the category of Fruit Production in 2021. Jacob Hinton has a deep farming and FFA legacy in his family. However, his parents did not start the farm that he has been growing up on until 2006. They had a vision, and Jacob has been able to grow up working on that farm and helping that vision to come to fruition (pun intended).
Hinton's Orchard is where Jacob calls home. And on this farm he tends to flower gardens, fruit trees, a corn maze and a pumpkin patch. He also gives hay rides, and manages much of the agritoursim and apple sales that take place in the fall. Jacob is learning a ton at his own home. Everything from crop production, pest control and customer service are available for him to learn. And, this cornucopia of experience led him to Indianapolis last October as a National Proficiency Finalist.
Tip Of The Week
Watch Pig on Amazon Prime or Hulu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_(2021_film)
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.wilx.com/2022/01/26/napoleon-township-business-has-22-cattle-stolen-by-suspected-fraud-ohio/
https://wgno.com/news/crime/louisiana-men-arrested-for-theft-of-livestock-in-st-landry-parish/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
BOL - https://thatsfarming.com/farming-news/theft-of-13-cattle/
https://www.farms.com/ag-industry-news/attempted-helicopter-theft-with-a-failed-tractor-getaway-691.aspx
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/unwelcome-blight-countryside-warning-rural-050000525.html
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.12newsnow.com/article/news/crime/man-sentenced-to-9-years-in-prison-after-pleading-guilty-to-2020-robbery-of-elderly-man/502-105a0532-7de8-4a40-8fe9-76d07e4ac2e4
https://www.ktlo.com/2022/01/26/over-400000-in-stolen-items-recovered-in-northern-ark/
https://www.wjle.com/news/another-arrest-made-in-december-burglary-and-theft-investigation/
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I really enjoy profiling photographers on this show. Whether they are photographing landscapes, making stock images, shooting livestock photos or capturing people it is a fascinating business that can be done from anywhere.
Our guest today, Pam Shrewsbury, happens to be a photographer that specializes in capturing people. Pam grew up in the city, coming out to the rural community that she now calls home as a teenager to visit cousin. It was through these relatives that she met her now husband, Scott, who is a lifelong farmer growing corn and beans and doing some custom feeding of hogs and cattle.
One of the parts of Pam's story that really stood out to me was as she recalled her childhood taking trips to Canada with her family and going fishing with her father. She said that she always had a camera in her hand. I like that image. That is the image of a person with a passion, a natural talent that is just sitting there, waiting to be turned into a business. Not all of us, me included, have that kind of passion or natural talent, but when I get to speak with somebody who does it is always a thrill.
If you need some tips on taking your photography skills and turning them into a business, then this show if for you. Learn about how to find your place in the industry and other tips to make you successful in starting and running a photography business in today's show replay with Todd Klassy
Connor Pence won the National Proficiency Award in Goat Production in 2021, and I could have easily titled this episode "how to win a national proficiency in goat production". However, when I really reflected on this interview, Connor is teaching everyone how to win a national proficiency in any category.
Yes, Connor's area of focus is goats, but it is what he has done with this focus area that is instructive to the rest of us. He doesn't just raise and sell a few goats. He has taken a very deep dive into this species, the markets for this animal and the management of this animal. I raise goats, and I found myself learning a ton from Connor during the interview, including information that I had never heard of before. Listen to this episode to get the full story.
Today, I look back at Benjamin Franklin's Thirteen Virtues and talk about why not being able to perfect any one of them is alright. Plus, how do they relate to farming and life choices?
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Addy Stuever Battel is the 2021 National Proficiency Winner in the category of "Service Learning". After hearing her story there is no question why she won this award. With that said, there is a lot more to her story that makes this such a valuable interview. Addy was a homeschooled student who was able to participate in the FFA. I know from receiving emails from people around the country that not every school district allows students who are home schooled to participate in things like the FFA. In this episode with Addy, she will explain what the rules in her school district were and how she was able to do this.
Tip Of The Week
Does your saddle have a serial number? If it does, write it down.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
BOL Story - https://www.wkow.com/news/crime/tractor-reported-stolen-from-juneau-county/article_abdd8282-7973-11ec-9890-3f536479676e.html
https://www.wsfa.com/2022/01/19/horses-death-leads-animal-cruelty-arrests-dallas-county/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/we-must-stick-together-to-beat-these-scumbags-horse-world-urged-to-unite-against-tack-thieves-774957
BOL Story - https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/19861976.fears-missing-horse-blaenau-gwent-stolen/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.vvng.com/3-suspects-arrested-for-catalytic-converter-theft-in-barstow/
https://www.ktre.com/2022/01/19/4-burglary-ring-suspects-allegedly-stole-vehicles-4-wheelers-tractors-guns-deep-east-texas-area/
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How about sub-contracting as a corporate pilot as your form of off-farm income? Seem impossible? I would have thought it was unrealistic until I interviewed today's guest, Andrew Ambrose.
Andrew owns his own business, Fly Twins LLC, and he farms 750 acres in Southeast Missouri in addition to that. If that is not enough, he also owns his own excavating company. As Andrew put it, it would not be uncommon to see him flying a corporate customer across the country in the morning and driving a combine that evening. This is an interesting way to producing off-farm income. Tune to hear more about Andrew's story.
Today we bring you a show that we aired previously on this remarkable young man and his journey through FFA - Raising, Showing And Selling Pigs as his SAE - into achieving his dream of being a an agricultural pilot.
Benjamin Olander won a National Proficiency Award at the National FFA Convention in October of 2021, and I was lucky enough to be back stage and to interview him as what had just happened sank in for him. I knew as we conducted that interview that I'd like to have him on the show for a full interview, so we set it up and get to feature him today.
Ben has grown up around agriculture. His parents moved to their 500 acre farm in Minnesota right around the time he was born, and he has been driving tractors since he was 5 years old. Joining the FFA was a natural transition for Ben, and he started participating as soon as he was eligible. In addition to the FFA, his responsibilities on the farm had been growing over the years, and his natural talents started to emerge. For example, early on, while still in middle school, Ben developed an affinity for finance. His parents helped him pursue this by getting him started in some beef projects, and a seed of talent had been planted.
As Ben entered high school he was able to obtain a job working in a business that fabricated custom parts and equipment for agriculture. This led to Ben learning how to weld and run a CNC machine. Soon, Ben was fabricating parts all on his own and welding pieces of equipment together from those parts. He continued with this all through high school and kept documenting this as his supervised agricultural experience, leading to his national proficiency award. Ben is also an excellent communicator, and this led him to become the Minnesota State FFA President during his freshman year of college.
I believe that self-sufficiency or independence is one of the main reasons that we love the agricultural lifestyle. I was reminded of that this morning with something as simple and mundane as making my own candles. In today's episode I want to discuss this with you and why in the world I am making my own candles!
Alex Wild's Youtube Channel About Bushcraft:
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Mackenzie Henning is a natural born seed breeder. You might not think such a person exists, but I am here to tell you that they do. Mackenzie grew up around agriculture and farming in typical, Upper Mid-West crop rotation of corn, wheat and soybeans. However, about five years ago her parents made a change and started growing seed corn. This led Mackenzie into a summer job de-tasseling corn stalks and it introduced her to the genetics of developing varieties of corn. In her sophomore year of high school Mackenzie took a biology class and started learning about genetics and the science of plant breeding and her purpose appeared before her.
Since that time Mackenzie has been on a one-way road that is leading to a career in seed breeding. She has advanced higher and higher in the company that she began with all those year ago as just a summer job, and her responsibilities increased each summer as well. Now she is studying biotechnology and agricultural science at South Dakota State University, and she knows that she will be heading into graduate school after her bachelor's degree. She has her eyes fixed on being a seed breeder.
Tip Of The Week
Reinforce the values of honesty. There is too much dishonesty in the world today, i.e. politicians, phone solicitors, emails, social media, etc.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2022/jan/14/other-days/ (1st Story is from 100 years ago and interesting)
https://thecrimereport.org/2022/01/13/southern-oregon-overwhelmed-by-illegal-pot-farms/ (Roseburg, Medford & Grants Pass)
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.northweststar.com.au/story/7581322/have-you-seen-this-108000-bull-hes-missing/
https://www.royalgazette.com/crime/news/article/20220112/police-investigation-series-of-thefts-from-farmers-fields/ (Bermuda (In The Pond!) - 955 miles due east of Savannah, Georgia)
https://www.farminguk.com/news/18-year-old-man-arrested-after-series-of-farm-fires_59637.html
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.alabamanews.net/2022/01/13/two-arrests-made-in-horse-theft-case-in-dallas-co/
https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/two-arrested-for-stealing-over-7000-worth-of-produce-from-a-lamont-farm
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Our guest today is a 4th generation farmer, and he is trying to reclaim a farming operation that was lost in his family so that the operation can go into the 5th and 6th generations and beyond.
Corey Strothman has an interesting story of growing up on his families farm and then his father having to stop farming independently and lease out their ground when Corey was ten years of age. For about 22 years Corey's father actually farmed the family ground for another farmer who was leasing it from them. Then, around the time that Corey was in his early 30's the opportunity arose for he and father to partner and start farming independently again.
This was not as simple as it sounds. The land was there, but the equipment was not. So, a lot of outside income was going to be required to get things up and running and return the operation to the productivity that it once had. This required Corey to produce off-farm income. Today, Corey's wife works in town, he is a John Deere mechanic full-time, and he is an independent distributor of agricultural and automotive products for a company called Conklin Co.
Conklin sells products that people in agriculture can use, and that Corey uses himself. This gives him the confidence to market these products and to stand behind them. Conklin also operates as a multi-level marketing firm in their business model. It has been this model that has allowed Corey to produce enough income to increase his percentage stake in the partnership with his father on the farm. And it is this model that Corey states has saved other people in the U.S. from losing their farms.
In today's episode Corey will talk about the business model, how he got involved and we will even address some of the stigma associated with multi-level marketing.
Contact Information For Corey:
Telephone: (319) 931-6338
Facebook: LINK
Instagram: LINK
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Tomorrow we are profiling an agricultural entrepreneur using multi-level marketing to leverage his knowledge of farming to create his off-farm income. I thought that my interview with Megan Dwyer from 2018 when we talked about all the different entrepreneurial endeavors she and her husband were involved in to support their farm would be a great tie in. The original show notes are below.
SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS: Our guest today is from a serious, farm family. Megan Dwyer and her husband, Todd, are determined to make it in farming. They both farm with their parents. Her with hers, his with his and vice-versa. They have their own farm as well and are striving to build a life in which farming is their primary occupation and it can be passed along to their children.
To support their farming endeavors, Megan and Todd have started a number of farming related businesses. This brings in supplemental income from off the farm. It also gives them multiple streams of revenue so they do not become overly reliant on the farm in the case that commodity prices sink or input prices skyrocket.
The services they provide through Ag Authority include:
- Providing 360YieldCenter
- SureFire Ag Systems
- Precision Planting product lines
- Wyffels Seed
- VR recs
- Tile repair and fabrication
They serve Northwest Illinois and are building great reputations in the agricultural community. Megan is also a certified crop advisor, giving her the knowledge and credibility she needs to serve their clients well. ADVICE FROM MEGAN:
TRUST YOUR TEAM: You need somebody to partner with that you can trust.
STRENGTHS: Focus on your strengths. Too often we give our attention to our weaknesses and only bring them up to mediocre. Why not give attention to your strengths and make them even stronger.
SMALL: Start small and grow slowly. It you go too fast or try to do it all at once, you increase risk the possibility of business failure.
PERSONAL HABIT THAT MAKES MEGAN SUCCESSFUL:
MENTAL REHEARSAL: Megan does something that is very useful for all of us, in or out of agriculture. Before talking to a customer she mentally rehearses how she will handle different situations if they come up. This is something that I used to do as a police officer, and I was impressed that this is something that Megan does in her business as well.
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE EVER GIVEN TO MEGAN:
BE THE EXPERT: "If you're not their #1, be their #2". This was a profound statement. You cannot win every time. When you don't, make sure you keep your position as #2 in the case that something ever changes with their #1.
CONTACT INFORMATION AND LINKS:
Ag Authority's Facebook Page: LINK
Megan's Email: agauthorityinc@gmail.com
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Today's guest has experienced all aspect of the business cycle, and he did it all in high school! Ayden Gartenlaub was encouraged by his father to get involved in the agriculture program and FFA at Highland High School when he was a freshman. His father had grown up in agriculture and knew the benefits it would provide to Ayden. So, Ayden reluctantly joined, and the rest as they say is.....history.
Like so many other students Ayden found out that he needed a supervised agricultural experience, looked around his home and found a project. For Ayden it was chickens. His dad and sister had purchased 15 layers for their back yard, and he thought that is where he could satisfy this requirement. Soon, Ayden found himself selling eggs and his interest in the project began to blossom. Tune in for the rest of the story.
Hi everyone. Today is a true farm update on what we are doing on our place in Kuna, Idaho;
- Hauling Livestock
- Outgrowing Our Trailer
- Getting Deposits From Customers
- Our Ongoing Fox Problem
- Learning To Weld
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andon Bazemore was a National Proficiency Finalist in 2021. He worked his way through multiple steps of a process of applications, interviews, section wins, state wins and more interviews to finally reach the stage in Indianapolis. This is definitely a demonstration of hard work, dedication and participation in the FFA but, as Landon would tell you, it wasn't always this way.
Landon has been part of the FFA since middle school. He was encouraged to join by the Ag teacher at his middle school as well as his father, and his step-brother was very involved in his FFA chapter and encouraged him as well. So, Landon joined and wore the jacket and kept his membership up. However, he did not attend many meetings and did not get involved much past what was minimally required of him.
During this entire time Landon had been working with his father in his father's business. They install landscaping in new construction, and the nearest area to them with much residential development was Savannah, Georgia, two hours away. So, there were a lot of trips to the city to grade yards away from homes, trench in sprinklers, lay sod and plant bushes. During this time Landon did some work with his dad and some unsupervised. The combination of the two caused him to learn a lot about this business.
Tip Of The Week
Reinforce your roadside fences with hotwire
Rural Crime In The U.S.
(BOL) https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/delaware-county/sheriff-searching-for-a-horse-thief-in-delaware-county/
https://www.gbtribune.com/news/local-news/cattle-theft-report-draws-attention-state-crime-unit/
https://www.redbluffdailynews.com/2022/01/06/theft-of-fence-posts-poses-safety-threat-in-tehama-county/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.chesterstandard.co.uk/news/19829021.patrols-step-thousands-saplings-stolen-lobslack-nursery/
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-59882358
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://news.yahoo.com/felon-caught-string-auto-thefts-231900461.html
https://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/local/crime/article256955192.html
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Some time during high school I was exposed to the concept of vertical integration. Even though I did not have any aspirations of running my own business at that time, I was able fascinated with the concept and admired the people who do this. That is still true today.
My guest today, Cinde Moore, is just one of those people. She and her husband Mark started raising livestock and purchased their very first farm after they turned 50 years of age. However, they have a very farmer like philosophy which is that they will indulge their love of livestock and fascination with animals as long as every animal on the farm actually makes money for them. And, if you have been following me for any length of time, you know I like this because they are doing something that benefits them at least twice.
In their search for the right livestock animal to do this with, they eventually came across Angora Goats and the unbelievable fiber that they produce. They started their herd of these goats with the intention of producing and selling yarn. Everything was going just as planned until they figured out that they did not enjoy the marketing and selling of what essentially was a commodity. They wanted more control in their pricing and freedom in the marketing. Convinced that the Angora Goats were the correct animal, it was back the drawing board of how they would market their fiber.
Today's show is a replay of a person who deserves our admiration. After the passing of her husband, she is not only running her farm alone, but is finding new and creative ways to diversify and offer quality, hand spun wool to her customers.
Molly McClure is a fierce competitor in the FFA, but she is also a fierce competitor in sports. At Hugoton High School she ran cross country, played point guard and ran track. For several year the National FFA Convention fell on the same weekend as the state cross country meets, so she never went. However, that was all supposed to change in 2020, right up until Covid canceled the National FFA Convention.
Molly's disappointment did not need to last for long however. The convention was back in 2021, and so was she! Molly had submitted proficiency applications for her diversified livestock projects and aced her interviews. She ran her projects completely independently of her parents, and she credits that with helping her to do very well on her interviews. Since she had been making all of the decisions, the answers to the interview questions came very easy to her.
Ultimately the judges at the National FFA selected Molly as one of four National Proficiency Finalists in the category of Diversified Livestock Production. Since she was now in college at Kansas State University and no longer running cross country, this meant that Molly was finally going to be able to go to the National Convention. However, it also meant that if the size and scope of this great convention was not a enough to overwhelm her, she was also going to be going up on the big stage in the big stadium in front of thousands of people as a national proficiency finalist almost immediately upon her arrival. Molly said that it was fast and mostly a blur, and she was happy that she made it across the stage without tripping.
Let's talk 2022 goals, how to change your perspective on your job and all about the positive impacts of the wind!
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I met Cassie Carter at the 2021 National FFA Convention. I was in a room interviewing National Proficiency Winners, and she had just won a national proficiency award in the category of Agricultural Services. Cassie had been working in her families taxidermy business, Trophy Taker Taxidermy, since she was about six years old, and this seemed like a perfect fit for her SAE. Well, that turned out to be correct as she had just come off stage with a very prestigious award.
My wife, Autumm, was helping me that day and she was speaking with Cassie while they waited for me to be ready. I then did a brief interview with Cassie and asked her if she would like to schedule a time to do a full interview on the show. She said yes, we shook hands and she walked away. Then Autumm told me that Cassie had been telling her all about going to college at Emory in Georgia and that she was a pre-med student and how challenging it already was.
Today was the day for Cassie and I to complete the full interview, and I dug a little deeper into her story and why she wants to be a doctor. She told me that she has actually decided to pursue being a trauma surgeon in Downtown Atlanta, and she is hoping to really make a difference this way.
Happy New Year everyone! And here is a to a great 2022! Below are some of the most notable moments of 2021 as well as our most downloaded episodes of 2021!
Most Downloaded of 2021
| Rural Crime | 970 | | FFA | 973 | | Friday Show | 969 | | Tuesday Episode | 966 | | Re-Cap Episode | 1004 |
Notable 2021 Moments
- All of us having Covid
- Hattie’s conduct team winning state
- Hattie’s conduct team taking 5th in the nation
- Meeting so many students who have been on the show in Indianapolis
- Stopping in Kankakee, Illinois
- Purchasing neighbor’s farm
- Seeing Hattie in her FFA jacket for the first time
- Adding Guardline
- Keynote in Montana
- MSU going to national championship
- Hattie getting her permit
- New record FFA auction
- One millionth download
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Tiffany and her husband, Matt, both grew up in a city environment, St. Louis, Missouri, and did not have exposure to rural living or agriculture. They were entrepreneurs, running an electrical contracting business for which Matt was the electrician, and they were busy! So busy in fact that work and hustle were all that they knew.
A simpler life was calling to them however. They started out just like so many people in the U.S. They had a 3,000 square foot home, even though it was just the two of them. While they were still there in the city they downsized to a home that was under 1,000 square feet. This seemed like a radical move to friends and family, but really, for two adults it was very appropriate.
This simple living had sparked something in both of them, and there was a mutual thought that someday they would move out somewhere rural, live much more simply and even forget what day of the week it was. Then, Tiffany was diagnosed with breast cancer. This opened up a whole new perspective. The thought that the opportunity to carry out your dreams may not be there tomorrow can be a strong motivator, and it was for Tiffany and Matt. So, they made this vision a reality in short order and Wilderland LLC Glamping Cabins was born!
Today's show is a replay of a special interview I did on how we view life and what you choose to do in situations that don't make you happy. Learn how to find purpose in your work and having faith in yourself.
For the past several years the issue of mental health in the agricultural community has become more and more mainstream with some of the stigma slipping away. About the time this really started to take hold Madisen Jolliff was noticing that this existed all on her own. At the same time she was just coming into the FFA and looking for a project for her SAE. Ultimately she chose to speak with farmers about these issues and try to help people open up. The results she received were very unexpected, even for Madisen.
Madisen has friends who feel an immense sense of pressure and stress because they have or will inherit land that has been in the family for generations, and they don't want to be the link in the chain where it all ends. She also has friends that experience stress because they will not inherit land and they cannot find their pathway into farming and raising their own livestock. She finds herself experiencing both of these as she will one day inherit part of her families farm, but that will not be for a long time. So in the meantime she is trying to figure out how to get her own land to continue growing her herd of cattle.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you. I've got a very chilly farm update for you in today's show. Also, a true story about a strange Christmas Eve that sounds like (and should be) a commercial for our sponsor, Guardline Security!
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Fresh off of the high of the National FFA Convention I returned home to my studio and can you believe it, my very first interview with was with Tristan Wirkus, who had just one a National Proficiency Award!
There is literally so much good going on at the National Convention that I just cannot keep up. My interview with Tristan has been on the calendar for weeks. What great luck for me that he won the national proficiency in Environmental Science & Natural Resources Management. Tristan has an absolute passion for the environment and the green spaces in his hometown of Stratford, Wisconsin. This, in combination with the fact that his mother is an FFA advisor led him into this incubator that we call the FFA.
Since that initial participation in the 6th Grade Tristan's experience has grown and grown. This ultimately led him to coordinating with dozens of stakeholders in Stratford to get trees planted throughout the city and along their Heritage Trail, and this ultimately led to the city receiving the designation of "Tree City USA". If this were not enough, Tristan went to work testing water quality in a local pond so that changes could be made to make the pond conducive to a healthy fish population. Once this was done the local police department started a "Cops And Bobbers" program to teach kids how to fish there.
Merry Christmas everyone! I always love creating and recording our Christmas episode for your each year. However, this year is a little bit different. This year I have a guest on the show for Christmas who is a person who has done something very compassionate for people who are unbelievably less fortunate than anyone born here in the United States Of America.
You may remember from our rural crime episode #1240 that the final story I covered was about a woman named Caroline Clarin in Fergus Falls, Minnesota who had been helping families to escape Afghanistan and come to the United States. She has initially been introduced to these families through her work as an agricultural advisor, through the USDA, in Afghanistan. And of course after being there, meeting these families and seeing the poverty, corruption and violence for herself she was compelled to help them leave.
After covering that first story, I decided to reach out to Caroline and see if she would do an interview to discuss the amazing humanitarian work she had done and was still doing as part of our Christmas episode. It turned out that the original story I had read mis-represented what had actually happened a little bit. Today, she is on our show to discuss some of what she learned in Afghanistan, how she helped to get families out, what it was like when she learned the U.S. was pulling out of Afghanistan in August of 2021 and what she is still striving to do.
I cannot imagine anything more Christmasy, regardless of your belief system, than what Caroline did between 2013 and 2021 in helping five families relocate to the U.S. from Afghanistan or what she is still striving to do. So, Merry Christmas everyone, and her is a heart warming story to help you appreciate just how good we have it in the U.S.
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The Mackay High School FFA Chapter holds a "Christmas Bazaar" every year, right after the Thanksgiving break to bring the small and isolated community as well as people from the surrounding communities together. The bazaar features some food, some singing and Christmas spirit, but the real emphasis is on community support. This year 49 different small businesses were able to attend for $10 per table and sell their wares to the community. On average each vendor made over $1,000 at the bazaar.
At the same time that the businesses were gaining exposure, selling products and meeting community members, people from the remote area had a place to get together with friends and neighbors and do their Christmas shopping all in one location. It is no wonder that this event has been going up and growing in success for up to 25 years now. Tune in for this fun interview on how this all comes together.
Since Christmas is almost here, I think this interview is appropriate! Learn how one FFA member is making a difference to children by purchasing them Christmas presents from money raised by the Wilcox County High School FFA Chapter of Rachelle, Georgia. Listening to this interview will surely get you into the holiday spirit.
Today's interview is special. I rarely get to interview a student, or any guest for that matter, face to face. However, I had accidentally scheduled an interview with Luke Jennings for when he would be at the National FFA Convention and I would be traveling to the convention. So, we decided to do the interview in person in Indianapolis. My studio for this interview happened to be the press box way above the field at Lucas Oil Stadium, so it was quite a different experience for me.
Luke came up for the interview after walking across the big stage at the convention for the third time! He and his team had just been recognized for the performance in the parliamentary procedure competition. However, how I had first learned of Luke was due to his nomination for a national proficiency award. Learn more in today's episode.
Hi everyone, Merry Christmas and welcome to our Tuesday episode for the week of Christmas, 2021. In today's episode I'll be talking about some career validation from law enforcement, making a slight revision to our previous rural crime episode and getting pumped for Montana State University being in the national championship game for the first time since 1984!
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The unbelievable stories that I am privileged to cover on this show just never stop! Today I am talking with National Proficiency Finalist, Miles Lee. Miles has an incredible story on many, many levels.
To begin, Miles grew up in the city but he and his family would vacation at his Great Uncle's farm in Alabama where they raised pigs and chickens. At an early age this inspired Miles, and a love for farming and agriculture was set in motion. However, there was more to it than just the livestock. Miles found himself fascinated with the soil and the life within the soil. He used to play soccer, and at slow moments in the game he would get scolded for digging in the dirt rather than focusing on the game! That is not what the soccer coach wanted, but this agricultural podcaster couldn't be more thrilled!
As his love for the soil grew Miles noticed how often he smelled the bad odors coming from the landfill across the road from his house. He told me that he thought to himself, "there's got to be a better way". This led him to discover vermiculture and vermicomposting with help of a middle school science teacher. Miles explored composting food waste in this type of system, but soon it was time for high school.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.ktvq.com/news/montana-ag-network/montana-livestock-brand-re-record-deadline-dec-31
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4U_0V1nLC8
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.eastbourneherald.co.uk/news/people/eastbourne-police-say-dog-attacks-on-sheep-leave-scene-like-a-horror-story-3496680
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/2-arrested-after-attempted-theft-at-farm-on-flood-damaged-sumas-prairie-1.5710575
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/ford-tractor-stolen-in-kildare-668526
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://fremonttribune.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/fremont-man-found-guilty-in-connection-with-farm-burglary/article_dc500ea5-1195-5687-b3b7-225fcb04394c.html
https://thatsfarming.com/farming-news/teens-arrested-tractor/
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Today, Tom Boyer of the American Goat Federation, joins me to talk about the demand for goats, long term trends and the challenges of having supply meet demand for goat in the U.S. It is a great time to be a knowledgeable goat producer with the correct infrastructure in the U.S., but the allure of high prices can also be the catalyst to getting some people into goats before they are really ready. Tom and I will talk all about this and more in this episode.
In today's show, I feature a replay of an awesome interview with one FFA member who is making a goat business work. He is expanding and finding new ways to not only grow his goat herd, but also to grow his goat herd. Check out today's replay of episode 703.
One of the great things about hosting this podcast is that I get to speak with people in every stage of development in their agricultural journeys. Today, I am proud to speak with Shayla Russell. Shayla is just beginning her sophomore year of high school in a beautiful part of Montana, and she is just beginning the development of her own cattle herd. Tune in for more about Shayla in this episode.
I just wrapped up my annual "creative retreat" where I get to focus on nothing but growing, improving and sustaining the Off-Farm Income Podcast. This retreat traditionally happens in Ketchum, Idaho and this year there was no snow. So, I spent a lot of time walking into and out of town. These walks took me to parts of town that I do not normally travel in, including passing by the Post Office. At the Post Office I noticed a big banner that said "Join Us" in an attempt to recruit new employees at the postal service, and it dawned on me how much times have changed. For people starting their working careers in 2021-2022, jobs that used to be perceived as impossible to obtain are now ripe for the picking. What a crazy turn around in our country.
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Back in 2018 I interviewed a high school sophomore named Kaelyn Sumner who was just starting her first agricultural business with honey bees called "K's Bees". At the time she told me about her interest in insects, bees and doing research beyond her entrepreneurship SAE. Fast forward to today, and Kaelyn is a freshman in college at Kansas State University and has followed through on all of those statements that she made.
Kaelyn is majoring in Agricultural Education with minors in entomology and food science. She has already lined up work in the food production industry for her summers, and she intends on bring knowledge about food science back to the high school ag classroom as an ag teacher in a few short years. In addition, she has competed in several research projects and seen a lot of success since we talked in 2018, including placing in two, national science contests.
Kaelyn is a great example of good goal setting and following through on what your vision is. She has great advice for students in this episode!
As you know, I don't normally conduct interviews for our rural crime episode. However, every now and then an article about rural crime will pop into my inbox and compel me to do just that. This week I am featuring an interview with Dr. Diane Charlton, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics at Montana State University in Bozeman.
Dr. Charlton and two of her colleagues collaborated on a study looking at the impact of migrant labor during peak work seasons to see whether or not crime rates increased. Their results indicated that not only did crime rates not increase, they decreased when there was a large influx of migrant laborers and copious amounts of work to be done in agriculture.
In today's episode we will discuss her research and findings.
Carol Herden is an incredible agricultural sculptor, and this has led her to a full-time career doing what she loves - sculpting farm animals. It is fascinating to me anytime I see an artist develop their craft into a career, and even more so when they do it creating art that resembles agriculture. However, in Carol's case, her journey might be even more fascinating than that. Tune in for her story.
Re purposing vintage and scrap items is a growing hobby for many people today. Not only is today's guest using old farm materials that might otherwise be burned or go to a landfill, she is creating unique artwork. This interview is a replay showcasing Monica's ag background and how that led her to creating artwork using farm scrap materials
Our guest today knows the meaning of a legacy, the meaning of hard work and the reward of seeing your hard work turn into revenue. Jill Uken is a 3rd generation FFA student whose grandfather's membership inspired her and her brothers to join. Jill also witnessed the sweet potato business that her older brother started when he was in the FFA, and she decided to carry it forward.
Today, Jill is getting a lot of attention for her project, but it has not come without hard work from everybody in her family. Whether it was the planting of the 500 sweet potato plants, the weed control or the harvesting everyone found out what farming was like prior to the use of mechanized equipment. That is precisely because they don't have any! Illinois is not a place where you would expect to find sweet potato farmers, so there is no harvesting or planting equipment available to rent or borrow. Everything Jill and her family are doing, is done by hand! Learn more about Jill in today's show.
Well, out here in the West we are in a familiar pattern, a pattern of less than optimal forecasts that offer a bit of precipitation and then fall part as they get closer to us. Right now we are experiencing a "weird" La Niña and it is keeping everything dry and warm.
For those of us out here in the West we are the complete opposite of all of you who farm with rainfall. We have to get all of our precipitation in the Winter, store it as snowpack, then store it in reservoirs as it runs off to be able to irrigate with it during the growing season. If we don't get that Winter snowpack, some really hard decisions will have to be made for all of us.
I'm trying to stay optimistic, and certainly it is not time to ring the emergency bell yet, but I have seen this pattern before. This really started for us last winter. We started out really strong and had a good snowpack, but then the precipitation just shut off and we had one of our driest springs on record. I didn't like the lack of weather activity in the spring, but I thought we were going to be okay because of the snowpack. However, it turned out that the dry spring reduced our ability to store all of that spring runoff. With the soil being so dry from a lack of spring precipitation a lot of that runoff went into the soil and not into the reservoirs. So, we were forced to stop irrigating early this year.
I spent this weekend up in the Ketchum and Sun Valley area of Idaho with my family. We traditionally go up to the Wood River Valley on this weekend to play in the snow and to elk hunt. I am used to seeing a foot of snow on the valley floor up there in early December. However, this year there is only snow on the tops of the very highest mountain peaks. All of the hills and mountains around Ketchum are completely bare, and the world famous Sun Valley Ski Resort is operating on a very limited capacity with man made snow. We can still catch up, but looking at this area that is normally buried in snow and seeing it bare starts to wear away at the optimism.
Last Spring when I bought my hay for this year, I offered to commit to the farmer to buy just as much from him this year. However, he wouldn't do it. He just said, "we'll have to wait and see if we get any snow this winter". In my area we are already dealing with a shortage of hay because so many hay fields have been taken out of production due to development. If there is not enough water to get the maximum number of cuttings, that shortage is going to be even worse. That is going to drive prices up, and in the long run there will be some people who just can't get hay.
I find myself trying to figure out how to mitigate what could be a crisis right now. I have an idea that I am pursuing that might allow me to keep quite a bit of the hay that I purchased this spring. With the warm temperatures we have been having and lack of snow, there are still some fields near by me with quite a bit of forage in them. It makes sense for me to see if I can lease them and graze them off while I still have the chance rather than feed the hay I have out in my stack yard. If that does not work, I am going to have to figure out how I am going to find hay for 2022. And, I will be forced to raise prices on my customers as well.
So, this is farming. Admittedly, because we irrigate from snow melt and generally have nothing but fair weather during our growing season we don't seem to deal with crisis caused by weather as much as the rest of you in other parts of the country do. But, it does occasionally happen, and it looks like we will either have an incredible burst of precipitation in the beginning of 2022 to get us back to normal, or this will be one of those years for us. Let's hope for the precipitation for everyone in the West!
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Our guest today, Avery Winters, is her FFA Chapter's President, raises pigs for her supervised agricultural experience and has been a Texas State Proficiency Finalist as well as a District Proficiency Winner in swine production - and she lives in a subdivision. Across the nation we are seeing the enrollment in more and more high school FFA chapters coming from students who live in subdivisions. This is due to two things - first, the outstanding success of the FFA as a program and the subsequent success of FFA students, and the fact that over time communities change and develop leading to the loss of farms and construction of homes.
Tip Of The Week
Pay extra attention to newly planted fruit trees?
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.alabamanews.net/2021/12/01/thieves-steal-farm-equipment-in-dallas-co/
https://wsbt.com/news/local/tractors-stolen-crashed-in-fulton-county
https://www.enewscourier.com/news/local_news/sheriffs-office-searching-for-stolen-farm-equipment/article_9af7e374-5202-11ec-b5e6-0f26cb659512.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-17/205-citrus-trees-stolen-from-south-australian-orchard/100624628
https://www.independent.ie/business/farming/news/rural-crime/appeal-for-witnesses-in-suspected-arson-attack-on-farm-41102258.html
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://roanoke.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/jury-cellphone-evidence-convict-man-in-montgomery-county-hemp-theft/article_8ef1fae8-52fb-11ec-b9ee-0b37f6205770.html
https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-local-byo-212217.html
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One of my favorite things about hosting this show is catching entrepreneurs and families at the beginning stages of their journeys and being able to see their vision with them. That is certainly true of my interview with Marrianne and Greg Russell, the owners of Rock Bridge Farmstead in Kentucky. Listen in for their whole story.
In today's interview I get to connect with a listener of the show and talk about how he and his wife are making their farm dream come true. I will be speaking with Justin Farrish from West Virginia. Justin has a really interesting farm story. This farm was started by his great-grandfather in the first half of the 20th Century. West Virginia is rocky, mountainous and filled with trees, so there was lots of work to do. Justin talks about his great-grandfather digging out stumps by hand to clear land for grazing. It is really amazing.
Today Justin and his wife have been able to move their family to the farm and start putting it back into production. They had to start with remodeling the existing home and making it livable. After that it there is fencing and more clearing to do. They have done a lot of work already and have a lot ahead, but they want to carry this legacy forward and are prepared for this.
In the interview we talk about all the challenges that come with a multi-generational farm, including the pressures of keeping it in the family line. We also discuss what Justin does for his off-farm income, and the culture of the area that he and his wife have moved their family into.
Here are the show notes from Justin's first appearance on the show:
Sometimes when I conduct an interview I can find myself talking for hours if I am not careful. Usually this is because there are so many different aspects of the guest's story that I could investigate the time just seems to flow by. That was definitely possible in today's interview with National Proficiency Finalist and Minnesota State Officer, Nicole Koziolek.
I did a decent job of adhering to my normal time constraints, but there is so much to Nicole's story that it was difficult to not spend 30 minutes on each aspect. To begin, Nicole comes from a farming family and farming legacy. And, she grew up with her two parents who were farming corn and soybeans in Minnesota. Nicole is an only child, so she would go to the farm with them, which is about 30 miles from their home, because she did not want to be left home alone. However, for many of those years Nicole would just ride along and visit. She did not necessarily show any desire to learn about the farming itself.
Nicole really was not excited about being part of the FFA, but her parents both had been very involved and wanted that to happen. Eventually, Nicole's mom talked her into attending one, exploratory, meeting just to see what it was all about. Something special happened in that meeting. Nicole was hooked. So hooked, in fact, that she went out of her way to participate. Nicole went to high school at Northfield High School in Northfield, Minnesota. However, they did not have an FFA chapter. The nearest chapter as at Randolph High School about 15 miles away. So, Nicole drove every morning to Randolph and attended two ag classes so that she could participate in the Randolph FFA Chapter. She would then drive back to Northfield High School for the rest of her classes.
When it was time for Nicole to start a supervised agricultural experience she was considering a placement SAE, working on her families farm. However, her dad convinced her to take a little risk and try farming for herself with an entrepreneurship SAE. She accepted the challenge but realized that all of those years in the cab of the tractor riding along could have been used to learn everything she now needed to know. So, she started "learning to farm" at a rapid pace.
Five years after that initial meeting at the Randolph FFA Chapter, Nicole is now nominated for a national proficiency award. She had progressed from renting 20 acres from her parents to owning 13% of the operation. She is majoring in agricultural communications and marketing at the University Of Minnesota. And, she is a state officer for Minnesota FFA. It is a remarkable journey and the FFA was an incredible catalyst for this transformation and success story!
How many of you find yourselves sitting in your home in the evening after being on your farm all day, tired from physical labor and thinking "this is exactly the life I want"? I had that experience on Sunday night, and it came on the tail end of a lot of physical work. This was just further proof to me that work is not the enemy, the wrong job is the enemy.
Sunday night was quite the opposite of the Sunday night's I used to experience. I used to get what I referred to as the "Sunday Night Blues". This was the depression and irritability that set in when I knew that once I went to bed, I would be waking up to go to a job that was the wrong fit. That does not happen to me any longer, but sitting in my living room, looking at my family, feeling physically tired, watching the dog lay in front of the fire and having a feeling of elation come over me is a whole other level. It is more than just the opposite of the "Sunday Night Blues", it is the next rung up the ladder.
When I first started this journey, I was just trying to get rid of the "Sunday Night Blues". I never imagined it could reach this level. Here is what my weekend looked like, and what led me to feeling so good on Sunday evening.
Friday - our kitchen sink had a catastrophic failure. Outside of chores, plumbing was on the schedule for me this day.
Saturday - all day was spent cutting up downed trees in our creek area, splitting them and stacking the wood for heat. Outside of our daily chores this took up our entire day. However, when the day was done and every day since I have been able to look at those stacks of split wood and see the progress that we made.
Sunday - after chores Autumm, Hattie and I got busy removing nose guards from our calves and separating them from their mothers. Then we started cleaning out a shed, purging things that we no longer need or use and storing some items in a storage shed on our new property. We have been "slow to grow" on our farm since we bought it in 2011. Instead of incurring debt for new outbuildings and storage to house our personal effects and the equipment we needed for our farm, we have dealt with the clutter of stuffing too many things into too little space. This has included doing things like tarping our lawn equipment over the winter to protect it from the weather.
Our patience and frugality has paid off, and now we have expanded. With the expansion came additional out buildings and a pre-existing pad that allowed us to put a shop up at minimal expense. This has acted as a pressure release for the clutter and yesterday I was able to treat the gas in our lawn equipment, pull the batteries and put them to bed for the winter under a roof rather than a tarp. It might seem like a small thing to say out loud, but for me it was a big step in the correct direction.
Just like nine years ago when started my very first business, I still have energy for days. I realized then and still realize today that your body does not magically need to rest and reboot at the end of an 8 hour work day. If you are doing something that you love, you can spend all your waking hours working and recharge on just your normal 7-8 hours of sleep.
Yesterday, even after the sun had gone down I was still working. I had smaller, indoor projects that needed to get done and I was happy to do them. By the time I put on my sweat pants, sat down in front of the fire and watched a little football we had cleaned out fallen timber in our creek, split cords of wood, stacked split wood, finished weaning calves, purged clutter, put away equipment for the winter and repaired and replaced small equipment at our home.
As I sat there and looked at my family and my home I realized that this was all I needed for happiness. I had not spent the weekend walking at a mall, entertaining Hattie at a theme park or taking in movie. All of that is fine every now and then, but it was the accomplishment of worthwhile activities at home that I was getting my fulfillment from. And it is this knowledge that gives me the peace and contentment that so many people cannot find. If you can love your work, you will always have this state of mind available to you.
I hope that in some small way, we can help you get there by listening to this show!
Kendra Goplin is a freshman at South Dakota State University, studying ag education. She is also a national proficiency finalist, which is the realization of a lifelong goal. If you are just looking at the student who now will stand on the national stage and be recognized for her accomplishments, you will miss the story of the journey that brought her here. With no disrespect to her accomplishments, that journey is a fascinating part of this story. Listen in to get the details.
Tip Of The Week
Consider cameras at your honor system produce stand
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/county/2021/11/25/roundup-fatality-near-punch-bowl-more-ventura-county-news/8760217002/
http://www.northescambia.com/2021/11/ecso-locates-suspects-caught-on-camera-stealing-from-local-farmer-corn-and-peanuts-recovered
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.southwestfarmer.co.uk/news/19741669.tree-surgery-kit-generators-taken-south-molton-farm/
https://www.liphookherald.com/article.cfm?id=141327&headline=Liss%20man%20caught%20red-handed%20by%20police%20drone%20after%20probe%20into%20horsebox%20thefts§ionIs=news&searchyear=2021
https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/19742096.appeal-25-sheep-stolen-powys-common-land/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.policeprofessional.com/news/rural-crime-partnership-recognised-with-best-team-national-award/
https://www.wxow.com/news/minnesota-news/us-couple-helps-afghans-escape-build-life-in-rural-america/article_7ba3981f-f78c-5f36-90d9-a5bacb70f9b7.html
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If there is an opposite of being artistic, then I am that person. Therefore, hosting the Off-Farm Income Podcast has allowed me to meet and interview many artistic people that I would otherwise never encounter. It is fascinating to me the way that an artistic person sees the world and is able to craft that vision into something beautiful and pleasing to their fans.
On today's episode I am featuring once such artist who has taken his love of agriculture, his artistic ability and his skills in jewelry making and combined them all into a unique and exceptional line of agricultural jewelry. Talk about a value added product!
Chris Chaney is the creator of "Agrijewelry", a line of jewelry that began with the creation of a piece that looks astonishingly like a cotton boll. This is was requested by a customer, and Chris went on a pilgrimage to make it happen. One thing led to another and today Chris offers jewelry that looks exactly like a multitude of crops from corn, to soybeans, to peanuts to almonds. And, he has expanded into livestock, wildlife and exotics as well.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I have a lot to be thankful for, and it starts with you! I hope you enjoy the episode.
Kaylea Taylor first appeared on the show during her sophomore year of high school in episode #681. She was just beginning her journey of putting on camps to teach 4H and FFA students better skills in exhibiting their goats. Over time this became known as "Stepping Up Show Goat Camp" and her reputation has spread.
Today I am proud to have Kaylea back on the show as a national proficiency finalist.
As you all know I was invited to give a keynote speech at the Montana FFA Foundation's Ag Expo at Montana State University which took place two weeks ago. After the keynote, Trent Petersen, the president of the Red Lodge FFA Chapter from Red Lodge, Montana joined me on stage for his and my first ever, live podcast recording. It was a blast, and I am featuring it for you here today.
Trent is a very impressive young man with a dream of running his own cow/calf herd. He is already building that herd, finding land anywhere he can in his area to put a few head of cattle, get his calves, retain his heifers and sell his steers. He has a vision of returning to the classroom in the future as an FFA Advisor, and this is his chosen method of creating his off-farm income to support this cattle operation that he has envisioned.
Every now and then in an interview there is so much information to cover that I find myself exceeding the normal length of an episode. That was definitely the case in my interview with Jeremiah Geise.
I first learned about Jeremiah because he was a national proficiency finalist in the category of diversified livestock. As they say, that was only the "tip of the iceberg". Jeremiah is doing a lot more than raising multiple species of livestock, i.e. pigs, sheep and goat. He is also using artificial insemination to breed as much as he can, and he has discovered multiple niche markets. He also had set up contracts and direct marketing on all three species. So, when he has an animal born on his farm, he already knows who the buyer is and that the buyer exists! This is next level agricultural marketing!
Tip Of The Week
There are multiple crime prevention tips in this article that I think are worth taking a look at:
https://www.djournal.com/monroe/news/property-owners-can-do-their-part-to-help-deter-theft/article_4307a11b-e9d4-52de-b952-2dbe75b84d87.html
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://salinapost.com/posts/dfe029e0-98d1-485b-9471-5283c0a5890f
https://www.wdam.com/2021/11/18/multiple-cows-shot-2-killed-simpson-county-cattle-farm/
https://www.blythewoodonline.com/2021/11/sheriff-seeks-leads-in-theft-of-tractor/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/crime/eagle-eyed-rural-volunteers-help-thwart-suspected-poachers-in-northumberland-3463955
https://www.producer.com/livestock/police-warn-producers-about-livestock-theft/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.katc.com/news/lafayette-parish/lafayette-men-arrested-for-alleged-horse-thefts
https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/local-news/first-forever-horse-theft-defendant-pleads-guilty/
Writing, whether it be as a fiction author, a novelist or a freelancer is one of my favorite methods of off-farm income creation that I cover. Maybe it is because when I first started this show I interviewed an author and it gave so much credibility to the concept that I was pursuing, or maybe it is because I admire people who can write for a living, but I am a fan.
On today's show Rachel Gabel joins us to talk writing, raising cattle and raising goats. Rachel lives and ranches in Northeast Colorado, and she has been in that general vicinity all of her life. Growing up there and ranching there has given her special credibility with the people who read her words, and it has allowed her to write about some topics that only a few people would be accepted discussing. She primarily writes for The Fence Post Magazine, and she has been doing so since she was a young teenager.
Jerry Apps is one of my favorite, all time, agricultural authors. Tomorrow we are featuring an agricultural author whom I have just met that creates her families off-farm income through writing. I thought this would be a great time to replay my second interview with Jerry. I especially enjoy reading and listening to him around the Thanksgiving Holiday as his stories evoke those warm, family memories.
Below are the original show notes from episode #668.
Brandon Jakobi is a National Proficiency Finalist this year for his custom round bale business in Wisconsin. He had several things come together at once that were the catalyst for him to achieve at this very high level.
Brandon joined the FFA in the 7th Grade. It was something that he always knew that he wanted to do, and he made it happen at his first opportunity. Brandon's father had been in the FFA and was part of the FFA Alumni Chapter in their area, so he knew the ropes. Knowing that Brandon would need a good SAE, he suggested that Brandon purchase his round baler and start his own business baling hay and cornstalks, etc. for people in their community. Brandon's dad also knew that Brandon had been inspired by another student from their area who had won a National Proficiency Award. Brandon told me that the community really celebrated this accomplishment and that made him want to do the same thing.
Knowing that a national proficiency award was the goal, Brandon and his father thought this business could be the perfect fit to help him achieve this. Brandon Jakobi's Round Baling was born. Since that time Brandon has continued to build his client base by using such marketing methods as hanging fliers in stores and pulling his round baler through parades. Today his business supports him financially, and when he is not baling hay he is working on his families farm or a neighboring dairy. Brandon is still living in the surreal knowing that he is this close to accomplishing his goal and realizing just how far he has come.
I just returned from an incredible three days in Montana, the genesis of which was the greatest professional honor bestowed upon me in my life - presenting my very first keynote address at the college that I received my agriculture degree from to an audience of FFA students. On Thursday I presented a keynote and did my first ever podcast interview in front of a live audience at Montana State University. You all know how much I love my former university and the small city that adopted me for three years. In today's episode I get to tell you all about it!
Our guest today has a really amazing story of growth and development. To preface this, Case Edwards is one of four national proficiency finalists in the category of Ag Mechanics Repair And Maintenance. But to hear him tell his story, when he was a sophomore in high school if you had shown him a spark plug, he would not have known what it was.
Case's story really starts with joining the FFA, but it takes a big turn during his sophomore year when his friend Terrence started small engine team in their chapter. He talked Case into being part of it, and soon Case discovered an aptitude that he did not know that he had. This led to the idea of fixing up old lawn mowers and flipping them, and things just kept snowballing
Tip Of The Week
Listen to what I have been saying about catalytic convertors…
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://naturalresourcereport.com/2021/11/farmers-hit-hard-by-catalytic-converter-thefts/
https://www.wcbi.com/noxubee-county-deputies-need-help-finding-a-wanted-person/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://krugersdorpnews.co.za/471236/man-arrested-for-transporting-25-stolen-goats-worth-r80k/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://coosavalleynews.com/2021/11/rome-man-found-with-crime-tools-while-hiding-under-car/
https://www.wfxrtv.com/news/local-news/lynchburg-central-virginia-news/police-charge-28-year-old-man-in-connection-with-catalytic-converters-theft/
https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/news_article?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGZWJpenByZC5wb2xpY2UubnN3Lmdvdi5hdSUyRm1lZGlhJTJGOTg0NDUuaHRtbCZhbGw9MQ%3D%3D
The purpose of this show has always been to help you find ways to create the revenue that you need so that you can sustain you farming or ranching lifestyle. I have always picked entrepreneurship as the way to do that because of the many benefits that come with it such as making good money where few jobs exist and being able to be on your farm when your livestock or crops need you to be there.
In today's episode we are profiling another such opportunity that accomplishes both of these goals. I will be speaking with John Hansen, the landowner profitability manager for Land Trust, a business based in Bozeman, Montana. Land Trust thinks of itself as the "airbnb of hunting, fishing and agri-tourism". This service works like Airbnb in that it allows a land owner to sign up and then market their land to potential customers for the purposes the landowner is willing to allow. This could be hunting, fishing, agri-tourism, bird watching or whatever!
Today is a replay of an interview I did on how one entrepreneur took his time in educating himself before he started his business. He had a passion for hunting and the outdoors and he combined it with his desire to want to improve farm ground all while building his business. Listen in the learn more about Al Wisnefske and his wildlife consulting company, Land and Legacy Group, LLC.
Our guest today is very involved in her families dairy and dairy business, but it hasn't always been that way. Along the way to Maggie Mathew's nomination as a National Proficiency Finalist there were some bumps in the road. In some ways her childhood has been very similar to mine, starting with the divorce of her parents. At that point she was exposed to agriculture and livestock, but at a smaller level. However, after her mother remarried she was brought into a farming family and she took flight from there
I am brining on a new advertiser on November 22nd of this month and am very excited about the new contacts in the industry, the affirmation of my show that they are giving me and the fact that the business is growing. However, what has got me the most excited is the fact that I have stayed true to the advertising model that I committed to for this show, and it is working.
Today, I want to touch on my philosophy once more and get you all ready for what is coming.
The story of today's guest could be a recruiting poster for the FFA, if the FFA actually needed recruiting posters. I found out about Francisco Rocha because he is a national proficiency finalist this year. However, that is the current version of his story. What is so compelling here is the "rest of the story", to quote Paul Harvey.
Francisco grew up in Heber, California, which is right next to the larger city of El Centro. When he started high school he was placed in an introduction to science class, and this was taught through the agriculture department. The next thing that Francisco knew, he was an FFA member, and he embraced the group. He continued to get more involved, even though he had not grown up on a farm.
In Francisco's junior year of high school, he took a job with his father a produce packing business in El Centro. There, he tagged boxes of produce grown in his area of California as well as produce that had been shipped over from Mexico. After these boxes were tagged they were shipped all over the U.S. to grocery stores and restaurants for human consumption. During this time he was learning about food safety, the supply chain and customer service. At the same time, his FFA advisor encouraged him to make this job his supervised agricultural experience, and he took the advice.
Tip Of The Week
Be careful with lock combinations
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/horse-hair-thieves-continually-target-west-jordan-family
https://www.hawaiipolice.com/11-04-21-police-seek-information-regarding-theft-of-bee-hives
https://www.katc.com/community/crime-stoppers/vermilion-crime-stoppers-help-needed-locating-stolen-equipment
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://thatsfarming.com/farming-news/in-lamb-ewes-stolen/
https://www.farminguk.com/news/police-appeal-after-rustlers-steal-26-ewes-in-devon_59270.html
https://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/crime/appeal-after-classic-tractor-stolen-3445281
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://jacksonholeradio.com/2021/11/man-pleads-in-cattle-case/
https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/news?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGZWJpenByZC5wb2xpY2UubnN3Lmdvdi5hdSUyRm1lZGlhJTJGOTgzMTQuaHRtbCZhbGw9MQ%3D%3D
All of the concepts that I teach and much of what I went through as I was transforming into an entrepreneur is covered in today's episode. It is amazing to me how often I interview an entrepreneur who has made the same transition that I have, and when they tell their story there are so many common themes.
Julia (Julie) Jacobsen went to work in her local county office when she was 19 years old. During that time she married a rancher, started having a family, and devoted nearly two decades to that position. However, her presence was being demanded on their ranch more and more over time in addition to the demands that were being placed on her by having a toddler running around the house. She knew it was time for a change, and she left her county job to be on the ranch with the kids full time.
Julie and her husband had budgeted for this, but with the loss of her off-farm income, the margins were extremely slim. So, they knew that at some point Julie would have to start bringing in an income again. Julie knew one thing for sure. She wasn't going back to work for an employer again. She had creativity and "outside the box" thinking boiling over in her soul, and her experience in the workplace was not one that embraced that part of her spirit. It was one that attempted to smother it out!
Today is a special replay of a show featuring an interview I did with Andy Dyar, who followed his entrepreneurial dream and started a T-Shirt company. He did extensive research and learned that professionalism was key in building his business, Farm Heritage, Inc.
Our guest today is just a junior in high school, but his achievements suggest someone who is well beyond high school. Ethan Lulich is a National Proficiency Finalist already, for this his supervised agricultural experience restoring and selling antique tractors. In addition to that he has two placement SAE's and another entrepreneurship SAE. He is also serving as his chapter's president already.
Needless to say, Ethan is busy, and that means that he has to be well organized. As I conducted this interview with Ethan one theme that kept coming up was goal setting. He is achieving so much in such a short amount of time, there has to be a way that he is getting this done. It turns out that Ethan is very good at setting significant goals and then sketching out a map to follow to help him get there. Between his ability to set these goals and his discipline to follow the plan to achieve them he is seeing great results. Learn more by tuning into this podcast today.
Last Saturday night at about 11pm my wife and I touched down at the airport, exhausted from an incredible but very active week in Indianapolis. We had been at the National FFA Convention all week, walked dozens of miles and met hundreds of incredible people. We had seen the future leaders of our country, with all of their hope and promise, talent and work ethic, on display for the whole world to see. And then, just like that, it was over.
After the plane came to a stop at the gate we walked through the empty airport, retrieved our bags and found our car. Driving through the night we found our way back to our farm, back to our normal life and the last little bit of travel adrenaline wore off.
Our daughter had flown to and from the convention with her FFA chapter, so she had beat us home. She was already in bed, and there was no waking her. My wife made her way to bed and to sleep as quickly as possible, but I wasn’t quite ready.
I had been gone for five days, and I missed the farm. It was a beautiful night so I decided to take a walk and check a few things before heading to bed. The chickens were all locked up, the pigs had feed and water and the cows and goats were bedded down where they should be. Nothing was amiss, and from the perspective of our livestock it was like we had never left.
The night was quiet and clear, and I stood looking at the stars. As I stood there thinking about the great week that we had just concluded I heard a train blow its horn as it approached town. I couldn’t help but smile. Just six hours earlier I had pulled off the side of Interstate 57 to take a picture in front of the Kankakee sign as we drove towards Chicago.
We had flown in and out of Chicago and rented a car so we could get a look at the “houses, farms and fields” of Illinois and Indiana on our way to and from the convention. I had purposefully chosen this route on our way back so I could see this town with the funny sounding name that Steve Goodman wrote about and Willie Nelson sang about in the great song, “The City Of New Orleans”.
Coordinated Inspiration
As I stood there a thought entered my mind and my smile began to grow and grow. At the same time that we had made our way back to our farm, tens of thousands of American youth were making their way back to theirs. All across the country FFA students were making late night arrivals at their family farms, ranches and rural towns as they returned from this great convention.
I imagined these students looking up at the stars in their own hometowns, inspired by the time they had just spent in Indiana and dreaming of what their futures would be. There is a big world out there and it is filled with opportunities. However, if you are never exposed to those ideas or nobody ever tells you about them, you don’t even know they exist.
For the 55,000+ FFA students who were able to attend this great convention they couldn’t help but be excited. This whole world of opportunity was brought to them and placed at their feet, all under one roof. Whether their path is in the military, the trades, college, niche farming or production agriculture, everywhere they turned there was somebody who was eager to have them join them in their vocation and call to service.
I could not fathom how many thousands of students at that moment were telling themselves, “I didn’t know you could do that for a career” or who had received the spark necessary to light the fire in their souls that had just been waiting to burn.
If all the adults in the expo hall reaching out to these youth by metaphorically saying “follow me and serve your fellow man” weren’t enough, there were the general sessions. The folks at the FFA are experts at creating an environment that first gets you very excited, followed by inspiration after inspiration in each of these general sessions.
No Excuses
The best thing this convention does, whether or not this is intentional, is that it removes all excuses. In every session there are FFA students on the stage that are achieving at a very high level. From the National Officers who run the show, to future professional musicians, to American Stars and Proficiency Finalists, you are shown the best of the best. The stories of these students and how they made it to that stage are told to you, and every student sees what is possible.
For example, if a student had just found out about a dream career in the expo and told yourself, “that’s for other people, I could never do that”, in the general session they would get a metaphorical wake up call from the stories of the students on the stage that would leave them with only one answer - “If they did it, I can do it too, the only thing holding me back is me”. That is a sobering thought, but it is also freeing and it is just what these students need to hear to be able to unleash their greatness.
Student after student walks across that stage. Some receive the highest awards, others do not, but every nominee has achieved things that even adults only dream about.
Whether it is the agriscience research finalist whose research began during his freshman year of high school and has now taken him around the world. Or the agribusiness finalist who saw a need at livestock shows that was not being filled and at 19 years of age flies all over the country fulfilling this need for his clients. Or the agricultural placement finalist who had to find a way to fill a major void on his families farm and continue high school when Covid decimated their employee staff. Or a star farmer candidate who started leasing land at an early age and building their own herd to now find themselves in a position to farm for their living. Student after student and story after story erases excuse after excuse and replaces them with inspiration.
Neither a student nor an adult can leave a general session without a sense of inspiration and a renewed vigor that makes them believe they can go conquer the world! Every student and every adult takes a lot more home with them from the convention than they brought. I bring home so much energy and inspiration that I almost feel selfish.
Organizational Success
To go the FFA’s National Convention is to see unbelievable stories of individual success. However, it is also to see an incredible example of organizational success. The 2021 National FFA convention is the 94th iteration of this great event. Since 1928 the National FFA has been chasing a vision of unity, fraternity, education and inclusion in agriculture. The result has been unbelievable growth in the number of chapters and students who choose to be part of this organization.
In the midst of the activities, music, lights and competitions of the National FFA Convention one tends to see the individual achievement only. However, if you sit down and watch students walk by, reading the names of the states that they are from on the back of their jackets you see how this kernel of an idea that sprouted almost 100 years ago has transformed agriculture and the lives of millions of American youth since that day.
There is no hall of fame for youth organizations or non-profit associations. When one is finally created, the FFA will be a first ballot, charter member. There is room in the FFA for everyone, whether you live in a neighborhood or on a farm. The FFA will teach you the skills you need to succeed and expose you to a career or aptitude that will allow you to thrive.
Find your inspiration, find your purpose and find it in the FFA!
So, what's in the water in Slaton, Texas? Is it some sort of magical elixir that produces national proficiency and American Star finalists? This is a question that I am pondering more and more.
Today's show features a repeat guest, Rachyl Kitten. Rachyl first appeared on the show just over a year ago on episode #895. The way that I initially found out about Rachyl was that she was a national proficiency finalist in 2020. Well....she is a national proficiency finalist again, this time for 2021! She has great entrepreneurial instincts, a great business, and a great supporting cast at Slaton.
What is incredible about Slaton? Tune into this podcast to find out!
Tip Of The Week
If you employ people, learn about threat assessment
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.agweek.com/news/crime-and-courts/7251594-Fired-employee-at-Nebraska-grain-elevator-kills-two
https://nypost.com/2021/10/23/catalytic-converter-theft-quadruples-in-one-year/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/crime/farm-equipment-stolen-from-mulbarton-farm-8433596
https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/crime/warning-over-rogue-traders-in-suffolk-8436716
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://southyorks.police.uk/find-out/news-and-appeals/2021/october-2021/make-an-appointment-at-halfords-to-protect-against-catalytic-converter-theft/
https://krcrtv.com/news/local/shasta-county-man-leads-deputies-on-pursuit-in-stolen-atv-on-tuesday
How great would it be to discover a niche in the marketplace that nobody had filled and everyone was waiting to be filled? Well, our guest today, Korri Atkinson, the owner of The Ranch Signs & Company, can tell you because that is exactly what she has done.
Korri and her husband own a small farm just north of Boise, Idaho, right in my backyard actually. Korri homeschools the kids and takes care of the animals during the day which keeps her plenty busy. However, about seven years ago she got an itch to try out an idea. The idea was to create and selling beautiful signs for the horse industry. These were "stall signs" meant to be hung up in horse stalls at shows, events, etc. to identify horses, warn people to stay away, or even list out the allergies of the equine.
Today's podcast is a replay of an earlier show I did on why social media is important, especially if you own or manage a business. Whether you don't have social media accounts, are new to the world of social media, or need some further insight, be sure to tune into today's podcast.
Original Show Notes:
For years I have been jealous of those of you who never opened a social media account. By the time I developed that opinion I was well invested in social media for my business, and there was no changing that. Then, I put out an ad for a full-time, podcast producer and started interviewing candidates.
This hiring process has clearly shown me one thing, and that is that all of you who are seeking a certain lifestyle should be posting content on social media. Hang with me on this. I know it can be a toxic environment, but there is a really good reason. I delve deep into this in this episode, and I hope you will join me!
Lashawna Vogel has so many positive attributes and has accomplished so much already that it is impracticable to try and list them all here. With that said, the thing that stands out to me, so big, is that she grew up outside of agriculture. One of her aunts encouraged her to take ag classes and join the FFA because she knew how positive it could be for Lashawna. Lashawna gave it a shot, and the rest, as they say, is history!
Actually, it is not quite history yet. Lashawna is still competing and accomplishing a lot in the FFA. Right now she is serving as a state officer for the State Of Wisconsin. And, she is one of just four national proficiency finalists in the category of Agricultural Communications! She has been working as a "media intern" in the FFA since her 8th-grade year when she was awarded that position in her middle school chapter. She continued that throughout high school and has grown her skill set more and more each year.
Now, that exposure, the training, and the challenges are all culminating in national recognition. She is also pursuing a degree in agricultural marketing and communications and plans on advocating for agriculture through the medium in the future.
On the day this episode comes out I am heading to my 3rd National FFA Convention, but I won't be going alone. Actually, Hattie is already there with her Conduct Of Chapter Meetings Team as well as 32 other members of her FFA chapter. And, because Hattie is competing there Autumm took the time off of work and is traveling with me to Indianapolis as my assistant. But of course we will both be covering the conduct of meetings competitions very closely and are looking forward to seeing Hattie and all of her teammates perform.
Even though this will be my 3rd National Convention, there will be a lot of firsts for me. This is the first time that any of my family members are going. This is the first time that I will be going as a member of the advisory council for Kuna FFA. This will be the first time that Autumm and I have ever visited Chicago. It is going to be a great trip, and I have all of you in the his audience to thank for this!
If it were not for you supporting this show, there is a good chance that Hattie would not be in the FFA, I would not be on the advisory council and I would have long since abandoned the podcast and never gone to that very first National Convention! Thank you!
Behind every successful person, there was somebody who was pushing them or encouraging them, and today's interview is absolute proof of that.
Kami Holt is a National Proficiency Finalist this year in Ag Sales Entrepreneurship, but her journey didn't just start yesterday. Growing up on her family's century farm in Southern Utah, Kami has been exposed to agriculture her entire life. However, it was her older brother's membership in the FFA that sparked this interest and ultimately led her to join. However, joining was enough for Kami, and when she was asked if she was going to compete for a leadership role she said "no".
Kami's grandmother and brother would not take "no" for an answer and really pushed or, as Kami put it, "coerced" her into filling out the application to join the officer team. Ultimately she was selected, spend three years as an officer, and found that to be a very rewarding experience. During this time Kami took over her brother's SAE project, selling corn stalks and straw bales, and continued to grow the business.
Tip Of The Week
The truth is always a good way to go….
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.facebook.com/76886619686/posts/10159418781439687/?d=n
https://www.newser.com/story/312440/farm-owner-hit-with-animal-cruelty-charges-over-md-zebras.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.dorsetview.co.uk/dorset-police-launches-rural-podcast-to-tackle-crime/#.YXMnnS-B2-o
https://theprestonhub.co.uk/2021/10/20/100-pieces-of-farm-equipment-marked-during-roadshow/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.ksn.com/news/crime/man-pleads-guilty-to-shutting-down-rural-kansas-water-system/
https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/crime/2021/10/21/woman-admits-damaging-soybean-field-no-charges-sought/853235000
Our guest today is Britin Wardlaw. Britin grew up on a citrus farm and raising cattle and married another farmer. One of the permanent crops that they grow are persimmons, which is a bit of a niche crop and they tend to be aesthetically pleasing and associated with the fall and winter. Britin noticed that before all of the persimmons could be harvested, many, perfectly good fruit fell off of the trees, rendering them no longer suitable for human consumption. This waste bothered her, and it also gave her an idea.
Britin has an eye for decorating and styling the front porches of people's homes. What is better, is that she has a deep desire to do this in such a way that reflects the agricultural industry and heritage of the surrounding area. So, she came up with an idea for a business, The Western Loom, in which she would get paid to decorate people's homes in her area of the San Joaquin Valley of California.
is interview is so good, it is worth another play.
Hannah was originally on our show on episode #410 talking all about how she combines an eye for art with her knowledge of agriculture. I am proud to say that her talents took her all the way to becoming an American Star Finalist in 2020, and it was my pleasure to profile her again. Below are the show notes from the first time she was on the show.
Original Show Notes:
Have you ever heard of a starving artist? Of course, you have. How about that old cliche about the artist that created a solid business plan, developed a targeted market that would pay for their art, and designed a solid business? Right.....that cliche is not as common.
Our guest today is that second kind of artist. Hannah York has an eye for art. Specifically, she crafts her vision into artistic holiday creations for businesses around Princeton, Kentucky. She has one, VERY busy season where she must completely prioritize her business. As her reputation grows, so does the demand for this service that she provides.
Kayla Rossi is a National Proficiency Finalist in the category of diversified livestock production this year. And to look at what she is currently doing and what she has already accomplished might make you think that it has been easy. If that is the case, it is only because she makes it look that way.
Kayla raises her livestock on her family's ranch in the high country of Northwest Colorado. This brings challenges that many of the rest of us never have to deal with including harsh winters, drought, and predators. In 2019, as Kayla was really getting ready to hit her stride in her herd of cattle, a herd of goats, and a flock of sheep she had a major predator loss. That year her profit, or lack thereof, on her lambs was negative $29.
She did not allow this to stop or discourage her, however. She made adjustments and persisted.
I ran across a very interesting story about pigs being used to solve a safety problem near an airport in Amsterdam. After seeing the creative way that the pigs were used, it got me thinking about the way we view livestock in the United States. There is a mantra in the West among those who support grazing cattle in national forest lands that goes "log it, graze it or watch it burn".
As I thought about this it occurred to me that there is a group of very vocal Americans who are against grazing cattle in national forest lands. However, they will support the use of goat and sheep for certain prescribed grazing in the name of fire suppression. As I considered this I wondered if the way cattle were viewed by certain individuals could be shifted from a symbol of wealth and power to a defender of the beautiful forest lands if that would create on consensus on grazing national forest lands once again.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-58928677
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sully_Sullenberger
As you all know this show is all about entrepreneurship in agriculture. So, I almost never interview FFA students with placement SAE's except for American Star Finalists. Guests like Duncan Patton definitely make me rethink this strategy.
It seems like I run into this same puzzle each time it is American Star Interview Season. I come across a student who has risen to the top in agricultural placement, and I can see the extreme wisdom in what they have done. Duncan Patton definitely has this wisdom.
Duncan has been working on his family's farm since he was five years old, and that is right where he wants to be. However, he has also worked for a number of neighboring ranches and farms, learning a myriad of other skills. After high school, Duncan moved all the way to Ohio to study diesel technology, and while he was there he worked for a very large farming operation and learned about chickens and the different ways that farming gets done there.
During the interview, Duncan talked about these experiences.
Tip Of The Week
New methods of generating farm revenue can generate new types of problems
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.newsweek.com/woman-complains-after-pumpkin-farm-kicks-her-out-bringing-giant-snake-1639462
https://roanoke.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/bond-denied-again-for-man-accused-of-stealing-plants-worth-330-000-from-hemp-farm/article_06ff2f3a-1a4c-11ec-9d48-7330114f4686.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.southwestfarmer.co.uk/news/19635998.organised-crime-gangs-stealing-gps-equipment/
https://www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk/news/politics/council/police-call-on-rural-residents-to-be-on-their-guard-as-dark-nights-draw-in-3412659
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.krqe.com/news/crime/thieves-targeting-farm-equipment-in-hagerman/
https://www.mypanhandle.com/news/crime/washington-county-woman-arrested-on-drug-theft-stolen-property-charges/
Marie Canon and her husband, Mark, have been married and operating their dairy in Western Pennsylvania for 31 years. However, the legacy of this farm goes back much further than that, all the way to the Revolutionary War. Over time there have been different business models on the farm, and it has been some time since any direct marketing was done, such as the milk route that Mark's grandfather once had with the milk produced on the dairy.
About two years ago, Marie and Mark's daughter, Josie, told them that she wanted to come home and work on the farm, but she did not want to be involved in the day to day of milking and raising crops. The dairy was already supporting Mark's parents, Mark and Marie, and their son, Trent's, family. There simply was not enough pie left to cut out another slice. So, what do we do?
It was decided that they would begin direct marketing and selling products directly from their farm. They would also start creating value-added products to have something to sell. Some capital was put aside to make all of this happen, and "Canon Creamery" was born. There were a lot of unknowns going into this, such as how to market, would customers come to their farm, and when to be open. However, those fears were overcome and the business was started. This was not without difficulties, however. Covid definitely slowed down the development and delayed the ability to start recapturing some of the capital that had been outlaid. However, a spontaneous grand opening that was caused by the perishability of milk proved the concept, and now they are off and running!
Not much has changed when it comes to using the term "value-added" since the first time I aired this interview with Logan Schlauch who is benefitting from the trend in adding something a little extra or giving the consumer a little more while, in this case, a dairy producer can add to his bottom line. Here is the story of one small dairy operation that got creative and created a value-added product in order not only to help with profit margins but to also appease customer demand for greek style yogurts. Additionally, this project has served as an FFA learning experience for Logan Schlauch.
Interviewing FFA students I find myself constantly asking "what was I doing during high school?". I think I was a pretty typical high school student way back in the 1900s. I played sports, got decent grades, had a job, and focused on menial things outside of that. I also wasn't in the FFA, and interviewing these students from all over the country makes me realize that there is a whole other level of achievement possible in high school.
To say that there is a whole other level of achievement seems like an understatement when describing today's guest. Josh Heupel is an American Star Farmer Finalist, and his resume is unbelievable. As a junior in college, majoring in agricultural business and political science, Josh has already accomplished a lifetime of achievements. He is leasing and farming 97 acres of walnuts and 84 acres of almonds. He has designed and patented a piece of equipment to improve nut farmers' harvests and encourage the use of cover crops in orchards. He owns and operates his own custom spreading business. And, he is soon to graduate from college and take up a role advocating for agriculture in the Central Valley of California that I think is going to be unprecedented in its effectiveness.
Today is a big day on our farm in Kuna, Idaho. Our daughter, Hattie, has completed driver's training and been awarded her driving permit. She is going to start driving with us and fulfilling the requisite hours to make her eligible for her full driver's license. We are going to go through the motions and do everything we need to do to comply with the requirements of the state for this to happen. However, she has been driving for years now. She drove the pickup while I fed hay off the back, then she started driving up the driveway when we got home, then I let her drive out in the desert and finally we cheated and let her drive on the farm roads by our house.
This got me thinking about my own experience as a teenager. I drove a lot before I ever even got my permit. Sometimes this was with my parent's permission and sometimes this was not. But growing up in a very rural area, I got behind the wheel a bunch to the extent that driver's training was really just a formality. My question today, is should we return to a time in which farm kids are treated differently when it comes to licensing?
Our guest today is an American Star Finalist in the category of Agricultural Placement, and there is an incredible story that comes along with this nomination.
Caleb Peckham has grown up on his family's small dairy farm in eastern Connecticut. In the latter half of the 2010s, low milk prices were harming dairies all over the United States, but smaller dairies in Connecticut seemed to be getting hit extra hard because they were so much more sensitive to the margins they were operating on. As a response to these prices, Caleb's parents knew that something had to be done so that their family farm could survive. The decision to start direct marketing products through a farm store they called Farm To Table Market in 2018.
Tip Of The Week
Don’t mix business with personal relationships
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/crime/it-becomes-way-too-tempting-620k-taken-from-fresno-county-farm-sheriffs-office-says/
https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/crime/louisiana-man-threatens-workers-opens-fire-after-denying-them-water/289-01fc0da0-b31a-4de2-ba8b-c4a2478c8d73
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/police-believe-dog-owner-moved-21789133
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/19628343.hunt-meat-fly-tipper-remains-found-dumped-sussex/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://tscra.org/arizona-man-behind-bars-in-west-texas-cattle-theft-case/?fbclid=IwAR11xWIzLPEacKrI0iogbKdf4-OULlKtCD7jvh_X-8HvMwgDvQxJZIGXqMM
https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/19632345.merthyr-tydfil-burglar-jailed-abergavenny-cardiff-raids/
https://www.lmtonline.com/news/article/Zapata-County-man-accused-of-stealing-multiple-16517215.php
https://cortlandvoice.com/2021/10/06/cortland-county-man-sentenced-to-five-years-in-prison-for-burglary-charge/
90% of farmers in the U.S., large and small, rely on off-farm income to run their households because the farm revenue just won't. In a larger percentage of these instances that revenue comes from a working spouse. In today's episode, I get to interview Rosie Bosse, who is and was that working spouse and she has an amazing story of entrepreneurship, creativity, and hard work that spans 42 years.
Rosie and her husband farm and raise cattle in Northeast Kansas. Over their 42 year marriage, they have raised four children, who are all out of the house. They continue to farm and raise cattle to this day. In our interview, Rosie stated that the farm paid for itself, but it didn't produce enough income to support the household. Therefore, her role, in addition to the parent, was to come up with a way to create that income to run the home. Tune into this podcast to find out she did that.
On tomorrow's Friday episode I am profiling a woman who supported her families farming lifestyle for 30 years selling Tupperware, driving all over Kansas and Nebraska and working six nights per week. I like my re-cap episodes to flow into my Friday episodes, and I thought this previous interview with Elisabeth Watkins would be perfect. Elisabeth turned something that we all have to do, cooking, into an art form and then into a regular television appearance in Sacramento, California. And, she did this all while she was in the FFA at Central Catholic High School in Modesto, California.
Both of these women took tasks that had to be done everyday in their homes and saw the possibility to take it further. This shows that entrepreneurship does not have to be inventing a new software program. All it takes is a will to make it and a creative outlook.
One of the things that I love about interviewing FFA students is coming across individuals that don't care what age they are and who will not take "no" for an answer. Never has that been more true than in my interview with Mackenzie Camacho today.
Mackenzie is now a sophomore at Purdue University, where she is studying civil engineering. She has been nominated an American Star Finalist in the category of agriscience research, and it has not been easy. Mackenzie grew up in the San Joaquin Valley of California around many different tree crops, and something about them and research took hold when she joined the FFA.
Mackenzie started studying different parasitic pathogens in tree crops and how they could be controlled either through specific management practices or by altering traditional management practices. However, she was doing really advanced work while still in high school. As a result, some of the researchers she took her findings to dismissed her without really hearing her out. However, she didn't give up and continued talking to researchers about what she had found and what her conclusions were until she found somebody who would listen. As a result, she has now presented to farmers all across the West, and she found partners to help her further her research.
Mackenzie now wants to focus on building infrastructure, like dams, that can help California agriculture. I am very excited to see where she takes all of this!
My agricultural life is kind of split into two phases by my law enforcement career. The first phase is growing up rural and then getting introduced to working with cattle by my step-father and step-grandfather. The next phase is meeting and becoming family with my father-in-law, Terry White, who showed me an even bigger vision with cattle than I had myself. Terry and his wife, Wanda, also got Autumm and I started with our first four heifers and one bull when we first bought our farm.
As a serial entrepreneur, Terry was always a cheerleader for me with my different business ideas. He was a person I would turn to that I always knew would shine a light on the positive things that I was achieving with my entrepreneurial endeavors.
Terry passed away last week, and in today's Tuesday episode I want to pay tribute to him.
I don't even know where to begin in describing today's guest or her accomplishments. Emily Acevedo is a bundle of energy, confidence, and personality. And with her combining a love for research with such incredible people skills, she is really going to climb to heights that maybe even she is not imagining right now.
At the age of 20, Emily is a hardened veteran in the world of agriscience research. After all, she reluctantly joined the FFA in the 6th Grade and found herself on stage later that year as a state proficiency finalist! And after an unexpected kidding incident at the fairgrounds, with no parents around when she was young, she has been obsessed with reproduction in goats ever since. That has driven her research, and that is what will take her to Indianapolis later this month to go on the big stage as an American Star Finalist in Agriscience Research.
Tip Of The Week
If you are new to the area, get to know your neighbors.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.agweek.com/news/crime-and-courts/7214378-Northwest-Minnesota-farmer-charged-with-crop-insurance-fraud
https://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/local-news/33726-madera-county-sheriff-s-office-requests-public-s-assistance-in-locating-a-horse-pony-and-horse-trailer-stolen-on-friday-september-24-2021
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/appeal-launched-after-sheep-dies-21698698
https://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/news/communities-work-together-to-reduce-property-crime
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2021/09/28/two-rising-sun-men-charged-in-tractor-thefts/
https://www.azfamily.com/news/camp-verde-man-damage-hauser-farms/article_68f6bd50-208e-11ec-9421-13fd09eaa101.html
https://www.hawaiipolice.com/9-24-21-kona-crime-prevention-committee-honors-officer-dustin-medeiros-for-lifesaving-actions
Have you ever heard of a business and thought, "why didn't I think of that?" Well, that is the case in today's episode. I think the most brilliant people are those who can see what is right in front of all of us, when none of the rest of us cannot see it.
Today, Lisa Lupton and Martyn Jones, the founders of Seeds With Love Cards join me to talk about their greeting card business. The two of them have a brilliant business that combines selling products with advocating for agriculture. They are based in the U.K., so they have some unique perspectives on business challenges that we don't see in the U.S.
Seeds With Love Cards are greeting cards that come with a packet of seeds. The idea is brilliant. One card might come with a recipe for a cocktail, and that recipe includes the herbs that can be grown with the included seeds. Another card, for Christmas as an example, will come with a packet of seeds that can be planted at Christmas time. There are myriads of possibilities here, and Marty and Lisa are 18 months into tapping into this niche
On Today's show, I replay a fun and entertaining interview on how two FFA members teamed up to craft a unique FFA SAE. It is not just about the finished art products, it is also about unique marketing and forming a partnership using specific skillsets with a common interest in woodwork and art. More about how this idea for a "board art" SAE came about coming up in today's show. (Replay of Episode #316)
On multiple occasions, after interviewing FFA students who have started lawn care businesses, I have referred to this particular type of business as a "future millionaire maker". It seems as though every single year there is an FFA student who is a finalist for the American Star in Agribusiness that is the owner of a lawn care company, and that is because this is such a strong and great business to have.
In today's episode, I get to interview Matt Rowlette, the owner, and creator of Rowlettes Lawn Care. This company actually officially began when Matt was eight years old, and he was hired to trim weeds along his uncle's fence, bordering 150 acres. His parents purchased his first mower and trimmer for him, and he has those still today. However, he has been steadily reinvesting into his business and growing it since that time.
Last night was our annual scholarship auction at the Kuna FFA Chapter. It is always a very well attended and very successful event. This year was a new record, as it seems to be every year.
This year was the 10th year in a row at this auction for us. A lot has changed in that time. The first time we went Hattie was five years old. Now she is 15, in her second year of FFA and on her way to the National Convention to compete in Conduct Of Chapter Meetings in just a few weeks. Instead of being the new person in town, hoping to meet people, now I host an agricultural podcast and interview FFA students every week. And, I am one of the advisory board members for our chapter. They are huge changes and differences, but every moment is thrilling.
Today's guest, Chase Krug, first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in episode #203 when he was a freshman in high school in 2016. Back then he was already doing research and had been awarded an SAE Grant to study the Colorado Potato Beetle as well as blight in potatoes. Over the past five years he has continued his passion for both research and plant breeding, and has added 13 more research projects for a total of 15 (he had one before the potatoes).
If you are wondering, this is not the norm, this is exceptional. So exceptional in fact that right after Chase graduated from high school he was sent to India, by himself, to work on plant breeding and research new varieties of mung beans through an internship he had been granted. Chase has continued to be recognized and be awarded internships and jobs such as working for the the USDA - ERS and publishing recommendations for countries like Egypt. And now, he has been nominated as an American Star Finalist in the category of Agriscience Research.
Tip Of The Week
Call police immediately, don’t delay wondering whether or not to make the call.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/man-shot-death-boy-bow-and-arrow-jefferson-county/63-a96c6e25-cc8b-4aa9-8b34-d31a661dead7
https://www.masslive.com/boston/2021/09/apple-theft-is-a-crime-group-accused-of-trying-to-steal-hundreds-of-dollars-of-apples-from-new-england-orchard.html
https://www.facebook.com/76886619686/posts/10159348849789687/?d=n
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.southwestfarmer.co.uk/news/19597946.tractor-gps-systems-stolen-farm-near-bradford-peverell/
https://mypolice.qld.gov.au/news/2021/09/22/update-unlawful-killing-of-livestock-horses-longreach-2/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/crime/brothers-admit-to-stealing-chainsaws-from-farming-shed-they-broke-into-deputies-say/
https://www.dailyliberal.com.au/story/7442226/police-recover-over-60-kilos-of-wool-allegedly-shorn-from-stolen-sheep/
Today's ag business interview has it all for you. As a matter of fact, I have never seen the concepts that we talk about on the Off-Farm Income Podcast come together quite so well as they have for today's guests.
Dexter and Kayla Dedora are cattle ranchers in Alberta, Canada. They both grew up around cattle and agriculture and were determined to have this same life for themselves and their kids. Of course, being determined and getting it done are two different things, and that is why this show exists. At this point, the Dedora's are well on their way to the life that they have been seeking. However, they have been "lucky". When I say lucky, what I mean is that they have worked hard, hustled and they were ready when an opportunity presented itself.
Dexter and Kayla are purchasing the ranch and operation of a retiring ranch couple. They are doing this through a gradual transition process, just the same way that we have talked about on the show so many times. This began with them leasing land from the ranch owners and purchasing their Longhorn Cattle herd. The relationship has built over time, and now they have an agreement and are slowly moving it into their possession.
If you are a loyal listener, then you will recall my guest Nick McCormack as he appeared on the show in Episode #327. During our discussion, he outlined how he started his ranch from the ground up, literally. It wasn't easy and he had to develop his leathercraft skills in order to generate some cash to make it work. Tune in and find out how Nick and his wife got their ranch started along with their off-farm income business.
Ethan Buck is a finalist for the American Star in Agricultural Placement this year. And, this did not just happen overnight. Actually, it all started during the Great Depression. During that difficult time in American History, Ethan's great-grandfather moved from Illinois to Indiana and started the farming operation that Ethan has been so heavily involved in. Fifty years later, during another difficult time for farmers in the U.S., Ethan's grandfather added a 4,500 head, wean to finish hog operation as a hedge against low commodity prices. Today, Ethan works on this farm with his grandparents and parents.
Ethan is an American Star Finalist, a college student studying agribusiness and the future of this farming legacy that was started during the Great Depression. After graduation, Ethan will go into the world and be off of the farm for some time, but when his grandparents (who are in their 80's) decide to take a step back, he will be coming home to take his place on this multi-generational farm.
I interview a lot of high school students on this show with great businesses. Even with these fantastic businesses already started, many of them tell me that they do not plan on continuing as a business owner or they are going to go to college after high school and possibly continue the business on the side in the future. For some reason, even though they have seen success as business owners during their time in the FFA they don't see it as a possibility as a future career.
Our guest today, Tyler Ertzberger, is not one of those students. And, what has it led to? He is an American Star Finalist in Agribusiness.
A few weeks ago my tip of the week was to use a forensic marking technology, such as Smart Water, to identify your property and to prevent the thefts in the first place. However, this wasn't actually my tip. This was a recommendation that a constable in the U.K. had made when he was interviewed about preventing sheep thefts in that country.
As I looked into what this technology was, I became very intrigued. Going down this rabbit hole ultimately led me to Randy Butschillinger, who is our expert guest on today's show. As you will find out in today's interview, this technology is actually very old and trusted, and it is being used in more places than you might think already. The applications for this seem endless, and the crime prevention possibilities make me very optimistic!
Through the past seven years of hosting the Off-Farm Income Podcast I have made the claim on numerous occasions that you can find a niche in agriculture, become the expert in that niche and turn that into a business that will produce your off-farm income. Today, I offer proof of this concept one more time, and oh my goodness, is this proof!
Lisa Steele, the creator of "Fresh Eggs Daily", the author of six books, television host and frequent television guest is joining us on the show to talk about the development of her brand and business that is all about raising chickens, geese and ducks!
Today is an oldie but goodie in terms of podcast episodes. I reach back into the archives to bring you this interview featuring Freelance Writer and Agricultural Communications Specialist, Heather Smith Thomas.
Here are the notes from the original Episode:
KEY IDEAS
ADVICE FROM HEATHER:
PERSISTENCE: Heather urges you not to give up, even after several editors have rejected your idea. She states that just because an editor has rejected your idea does not mean that it is without value.
KNOW YOUR SUBJECT: Heather states that if you are going to write professionally about a topic you become more successful and credible if it is something you are familiar with. So, pick something that you are interested in and know about.
There is something very special about being able to interview all of the American Star Award Finalists every year. It is definitely a time of year that is inspirational to me and that gives me the motivation to continue my quest into entrepreneurship. And the only thing that can make that even more special is when one of those finalists has been a guest on the show before.
After 7 years of interviewing FFA students, and increasing the number of FFA students that I interview from 52 to 104 per year, that has been happening more frequently, and that is happening today!
Raegan Klaassen is an American Star Farmer Finalist, and she first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in February of 2017 on episode #251 when she was just a freshman. I don't think I had enough experience to predict that she would have this level of success way back then, but looking back on what I wrote in the show notes for her episode I should have seen it coming.
As it turned out, our good snow pack from last winter was largely diminished by the dry spring that we had. The ground in the mountains was so dry from lack of rainfall in the spring that when the snow started to run off they absorbed a large percentage of the water that would normally end up in our reservoirs. Therefore, my irrigation water shuts off tomorrow, about 30 days earlier than normal. I am done with irrigation early this year, but it is not a happy surprise. I will have less pasture than normal, which means I will be feeding livestock sooner than normal. With hay at a premium, that causes its own problems.
My problems pale in comparison to those of the production agriculture farmers in our area whose yields are going to be reduced because their crops are going to stop or significantly slow down on growth when the last of their soil moisture disappears. Out here in the West we are going to need a very wet winter followed by a wet spring to get us back to or towards normal and to help us avoid a crisis. We hope you will keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
I try to interview every American Star Finalist, every year at this time. To me, getting to spend 20-30 minutes asking these FFA members about their journeys is what it would be like for other people to get to interview a star athlete for that amount of time. These students have risen to the top of an organization with a lot of talent. When these students are finally named as an American Star Finalist they have overcome the odds and been selected as one of four students in their category out of a total population of students of over 700,000. That puts them in the top .0005% of all FFA students. Those are more difficult odds than making it to the major leagues, NBA, or the NFL!
Today's episode is another example of the talent level that the FFA holds. Our guest, Wyatt Harlan, knew at an early age that other extracurricular activities like sports or drama were not going to be for him. So, he chose the FFA based on his agricultural roots and lifestyle, and he poured himself into it. Six years after joining he had found himself as a Texas State FFA Vice-President, a business owner, and now an American Star Finalist in Agribusiness
It's been 20 years since Autumm and I received a telephone call first thing in the morning telling us that the Twin Towers in New York City were on fire. Different then our normal morning routine, we headed out to the living room and turned the television on to witness the towers falling just a short time later. We were forever changed just as everyone else was on that day.
In today's episode I'd like to spend some time remember that day and discussing it from an agricultural perspective.
Here are links to three stories that I covered in the episode today:
Ohio Man Creates 9/11 Tribute Mural On Farmland
Farmers See 9/11 Impacts Each Day
John Ogonowski
Today is my second time featuring Ally Spears on the Off-Farm Income Podcast. She first appeared on the show in December of 2020 on episode #945. She and her mother co-own a business called Junk & Disorderly, and it supports the farm and farming lifestyle in the Bay Area of California. Ally does not live in California however. She lives in Texas and works for Texas A&M as a program director. She definitely has the entrepreneurial spirit, which is easily recognized by all of the different ventures she finds herself in.
On today's show Ally and I will be talking about her journey in agriculture and entrepreneurship. We will also be discussing some of the issues faced and progress made by women in farming and ranching. These are the kinds of topics that Ally discusses on her podcast, Ag Chicks, and we are lucky to have her first hand with us on the show today!
On tomorrow's episode I am having Ally Spears back on the show to talk about some of her other entrepreneurial endeavors in agriculture. It was a fun interview, talking about ag and life in general. I thought recapping the episode she did with her mother, Robyn, from the National Finals Rodeo in 2020 would be a great choice for this week's re-cap episode to get us ready for Friday's agribusiness show with Ally.
On today's show, we are featuring an American Star Finalist in agricultural placement. These are always great interviews because the students that make it to this level are so dedicated to whomever they are working for, family or otherwise, their talents and work ethic shine through. That is definitely true with Jakob Weinheimer.
Jakob has grown up in Claude, Texas working on his family's farm. In their portion of Texas, they are growing cotton, corn, wheat, and milo. Some of this is done on the irrigated ground and some on dry ground. Each poses its own challenges.
Jakob is a pivotal part of this operation, and he has progressively been given more and more responsibility every growing season as he has got older. Being recognized as an American Star Finalist is not the first recognition that Jakob has received. In 2019 he was a national proficiency winner in grain production, so he has been to the big stage once already. Interestingly he did this with a different chapter at Claude High School. However, since graduation from high, he switched chapters to continue pursuing achievements in the FFA. Jakob's sister is in the FFA through the Pan Handle Chapter, so he switched over to that chapter to make keeping up his record book seamless.
Autumm, Hattie and I spent Labor Day Weekend in San Francisco. In today's episode I'll tell you why you should plan a visit if you've always wanted to go there but the news about the homeless problem has scared you away. Also, my cousin and his family are carrying on a great farming tradition in California, and I'm excited about it!
Every year I am so fortunate to interview the sixteen students who are finalists for American Star Awards. This year we are kicking it off with Grady Johnson. Grady previously appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in episode #482 back in 2018. It is always a significant thrill for me when a student who I have previously profiled comes back onto the show because they are accomplishing so much, like Grady is.
Tip Of The Week
Consider tech like Smart Water CSI to protect your valuable equipment:
https://smartwatercsi.com
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.nbc11news.com/2021/08/28/agriculture-theft-vandalism-grand-junction/
https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/the-old-west-crime-of-livestock-rustling-appears-to-be-increasing-in-utah
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.westerninvestor.com/british-columbia/hay-rustlers-reveal-depth-of-drought-desperation-4271864
https://www.punchline-gloucester.com/articles/aanews/advice-for-rural-communities-following-gps-system-thefts-across-england
https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/crime/vandals-smash-up-farmers-tractors-and-leave-death-threats
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/crime/norfolk-police-team-up-to-target-hare-coursers-8262754
Today's episode is the epitome of the type of business that this show was designed to profile. Our guest, Roc Rutledge, farms with his father and brother in northeast Colorado. Long ago, Roc's father told them that they would need to create some sort of business to help support them if they were going to come home and farm. Roc has done that a couple of times over, and on today's show we are talking all about his newest business, Ace Composting.
Roc has been unbelievably innovative and courageous in the creation of this business. And, just like always happens, now that he has put himself out there, other business opportunities are emerging as a result of what he has done. Roc is being paid to dispose of dead pigs by a large scale pork producer in his area, and this was the first problem he solved. He came up with a way to dispose of these pigs in close proximity to where they were being produced while insuring biosecurity for his customer. On the other end of his innovation he has compost that he is using to improve his pastures and farm ground. And, he is now getting interest from others to consult for them as they develop the same type of system that he has created.
oday's show is a reply of an interview featuring Aaron Juergons who had the idea to inject manure into the soil in an effort to mitigate Clean Air Act air emissions reporting requirements. In addition to his manure spreading business, he owns a hog feeder and finisher business with his brother and they are both employed by Juergens Produce and Feed Co., which was started by their grandfather, Vernis Juergens, in 1945.
Additionally, Juergens Produce and Feed Co. has partnered with researcher and inventor, Gary Rapp, to market a liquid manure emissions neutralizer system through a company called Juergens Environmental Control, based in Carroll County Iowa.
Finding ways to be innovative with ag bi-products and being mindful of the environment while also helping farmers build soil for crop production is also a goal for Roc Rutledge. He will be my guest tomorrow, talking about his swine mortality composting business in Northeast Colorado.
After 1,100+ interviews and 800+ interviews with FFA students you would think that I have seen it all, or at least most of it. So, when I am surprised I am thrilled. That is exactly what happened to me in today's interview with Annie Boomsma.
Annie is just entering her senior year of high school as her chapter's president. She, her brother and her father run their families 3rd generation cattle ranch in Wessington, South Dakota where they raise commercial cattle.
Annie has her own project though, and it is impressive. Annie currently owns 18 dairy cows that she purchased as either culls or springers. She purchased all of them for their milk production and so that they could be "nurse cows". Annie also owns 75 calves that she purchased to be raised by these nurse cows. Every morning before school and every evening after, she heads out to the barn, brings the cows in, puts between 4 and 7 calves on them to nurse, and then turns them all back out.
Annie has found a niche in the market with calves that are sold early and dairy cattle that are culled because they don't produce enough for the dairy but still produce plenty to raise several calves. This is a brilliant method of making money with cattle, and I have never profiled it even once in seven years of conducting interviews with farmers and FFA students.
I woke up this morning and was immediately inspired by a YouTube clip profiling many of the motivational things that Joe Rogan has said on his podcast. You can watch the clip here.
This took me down a path of thinking and really got me thinking about the deeper meaning of what we are trying to do by searching for this elusive, rural and agricultural lifestyle. So, today I went down the philosophical path (as much as I am capable of doing that).
Here are my notes from this morning:
- Thoreau - Walden
- Hunting camp - save up vacation time to go live like native Americans did for a one week period
- Clip from Joe Rogan (put link in post)
- Easier to take chances when you are young
- Harder when you are older with more responsibility.
- Story about not being able to leave his job because of lifestyle
- My story about taking one risk and having one shot because of my age and responsibility.
- Do the math on investing early (use the investment calculator)
- Joe Rogan quote about planting the seed of an idea and nurturing it until it turns into something.
- The rut of traffic, followed by a soul sucking job followed by traffic followed by escaping into the television. Followed by overbuying to self medicate and being pushed harder into the rut.
- One of my favorite streams of revenue is selling eggs and I literally make no money.
https://youtu.be/u4taz6dfPQc
I have been having a thought about a pathway to purchasing a farm for quite a while that involves four years of hard work, investing, starting young and being very motivated. I finally decided to put these thoughts out and hopefully help somebody with them. This is not a regular episode, so I decided to just release it as a bonus episode. I hope it can help some young dreamer come up with a strategy that will get them to the life they are dreaming about sooner rather than later.
Today's interview is packed with interesting facts about our guest and tips from her. There is almost too much to fit in to a just a couple of paragraphs of show notes, but as a professional podcaster I will get it done!
Way back in the 5th Grade, Kaylee Bosma discovered an interest in chickens and approached her parents with a request to obtain some to show through the 4H. Although hesitant, 30 chickens were purchased, and a new project was begun. Kaylee's parents had no way to know where it was going to be taking their aspirational daughter.
A few weeks ago while reading articles for our rural crime episode I saw a quote from a police officer in the U.K. who was being interviewed about the thefts of sheep. He was clearly frustrated with the fact that so many sheep are stolen in the U.K. and the cases go largely unsolved. In the quote he recommended that sheep owners use some sort of marking technology on their lambs such as "TecTRACER". I had never heard of such a thing so I looked up what it was and was intrigued as to how it works.
A few weeks ago I published an interview with an FFA student who told me that she was going to be seeking a career as a livestock chiropractor. Until that very interview, that was a career that I had never heard of. So, the team started trying to find somebody who did this for a living to come on the show and talk about the career field. We were very fortunate to find Dr. Renold Bleem and Melanie Bleem from Havana, Illinois.
More and more livestock owners are learning the value of massage therapy for their animals. Not only is the use of livestock massage therapy growing, but so is the number of people getting certified to practice. Today, I feature Gail Rose, a Livestock Message Therapist who talks more about her business and the growth of this industry in one of the first episodes of this podcast.
Today I have the pleasure of interviewing a fantastic achiever in the FFA, Baylee Brown, the president of the Mulhall-Orlando FFA Chapter at Mulhall-Orlando High School in Orlando, Oklahoma. Baylee has her hands in a lot of projects. So many in fact that it was difficult to talk about all of them in the interview. She is just starting her second term as her chapter's president, she won a state proficiency for her pig business last year, just was awarded gold status for her national proficiency application and is also doing an agriscience research project.
I owe all of you a huge "thank you" as I have recently surpassed one million downloads on Off-Farm Income! When you start talking about seven figures, the scope of that number really hits you. I hoped for but never allowed myself to imaging hitting a number of downloads like this when I first began.
In today's episode I wanted to make sure and talk about the milestone. Since this is a business podcast all about teaching others how to create off-farm income through entrepreneurship, I thought I would take advantage of the occasion to tell you how I did it. If you want to replicate this, you absolutely can. And today, more than ever, this type of business is a realistic model for you to support your farming dreams.
The title of today's episode is probably the most serious title of an episode that I have ever written, but it is true. Our guest, Austin Archer, started off the interview by declaring that he doesn't like school. When I asked him why he joined the FFA, that was his answer. Even as an incoming freshman he knew that if he did not have classes that allowed him to learn by doing, rather than reading, that he would fail. So, he joined the FFA and never looked back.
Tip Of The Week
Consider using an alarm system with video incorporated to get a faster response from law enforcement.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.ky3.com/2021/08/13/thief-steals-tractor-john-deere-gator-skyline-school-district/
https://www.wtvq.com/2021/08/10/in-two-cases-boyle-authorities-need-info-on-theft-suspect-stolen-atv/
https://www.wdbj7.com/2021/08/09/search-pittsylvania-county-tractor-thief/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/people/earls-barton-family-business-welcomes-robocop-style-crime-fighting-automated-guard-3342497
https://uknip.co.uk/breaking/news-269821/rural-crime-investigators-are-appealing-for-information-after-two-sheep-were-killed-in-a-field-near-sittingbourne/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.wrdw.com/2021/08/09/ga-deputies-shoot-man-chase-after-rural-mail-carrier-killed/
https://www.farminguk.com/news/man-who-stole-87k-worth-of-sheep-handed-prison-sentence_58730.html
If you are seeking an agricultural/farming lifestyle, and you know it from a young age what is the best way to go about achieving it? One school of thought would suggest that you take a job, save your money and buy your farm when it is economically feasible for you to do so. This is what I did. I knew that I wanted to have my own farm when I was about 18 years old, and twenty years later my wife and I finally bought one.
There is the other school of thought however, and that way of thinking about it says to get started right now and build slowly over time. My guest today, Mara Fielder, and her husband Brandon are subscribing to that school of thought, and they are thinking outside of the box to get this done.
Mara and Brandon are currently leasing sixteen acres from Mara's grandparents where they had been raising bees, boarding horses and providing riding lessons. However, a series of unexpected events derailed that process. Mara's step-father is allergic to bees, and this led to some conflict in the family and the loss of the bee hives. Then Covid struck, and Mara lost her clients who were concerned about their horses being infected because she was still working in the community as a teacher. This kind of left Mara and Brandon back at square one, wondering how they would move to the next step.
They didn't allow this to get them down however. They are young, have energy and ideas and they are pushing forward. Currently they are living in town, looking for land that they can buy. In the meantime they have come up with an idea of a series of books for children that highlights the careers that a traditionally dominated by men but that women have found success in. The series is called "Girls Can Too" and they are in the process of being published right now. This original idea inspired a follow up idea of a book series profiling career choices normally dominated by women that men can succeed in.
In this interview Mara and I speak about their goals, the setbacks they have already encountered and she and Brandon's vision for the future. It is great to see the journey from this perspective and understand how they are planning to make this come true!
Today I am proud to replay episode #071 which featured Audrey Levantino, who authored a book called Woman-Powered Farm: Manual for a Self-Sufficient Lifestyle from Homestead to Field. This is a book that I was intrigued by when I first heard of it, and I knew that I would want to have Audrey on the show, and definitely worth a replay of the show. If you missed it the first time, you don't want to miss it this time!
I am very excited about today's guest. Matt Klingele has already had an incredible entrepreneurial journey. He has learned about working with steel and how to make knifes, started going custom work for customers and making products that he keeps in inventory for later sales. This, by itself, led him to win an Illinois State Proficiency Award in 2021 and become a silver award winner at the national level. But, he is not stopping there. Tune into learn more!
In today's episode I tell the whole story about the path we took, the luck we encountered and the decisions we made that led us to the rural, farming lifestyle that we have today.
What is it in people that makes them look at something and say "I'd like to try that?" I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know that I don't have it! Our guest today, Toby Barringer, does. At a farm sale Toby and his father saw an old coal fired, blacksmithing furnace and decided to try it out. Today, Toby has a blacksmithing business called Brother Bear Blacksmithing Shop, and he is selling products all over the United States as well as doing custom work for customers. This all started with a natural curiosity, which Toby encourages you all to follow.
Tip Of The Week
Consider used storage containers as a means of rural crime prevention:
https://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/news/19509453.storage-containers-act-deterrent-rural-thieves/
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.klkntv.com/catalytic-converter-theft-leads-to-a-flipped-car-and-two-arrests/
https://abc-7.com/news/crime/2021/08/11/charlotte-deputies-look-to-stop-agriculture-thieves-with-operation-loose-wire/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/19510921.loving-mule-stabbed-face-evil-attack/
https://www.realagriculture.com/2021/08/hay-theft-and-scams-increase-as-drought-continues/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://eminetra.com/man-arrested-after-deputies-find-stolen-horse-inside-bedroom-in-oconee-co-valley-stream-new-york/688348/
https://www.ktlo.com/2021/08/11/man-accused-of-cattle-theft-faces-new-charges/
Whenever I am just about to begin an interview I ask the guest if they have any questions about what we are doing or how I do it. Normally there aren't too many questions, but people frequently want to know what questions I am going to ask them. I provide folks with a template, but I always tell them that I want the conversation to go in a natural direction, so I may stray from that template. Well, in today's interview I definitely strayed!
Sharon Kauffman and her husband, Dan, have been farming in Morgan County, Colorado since the late 1970's. They both grew up there, and Dan is a 3rd generation farmer on their land. About ten years ago Dan got the idea to try making his own wine, and he sequestered a bathroom in the house to do so. One thing led to another, and he and Sharon ended up planing vines in an unirrigated corner of one of their pivot fields in 2018. In 2019 they got licensed to sell wine, and just one week prior to recording this interview they had their grand opening on their winery and tasting facility called Country Road Wines.
Sharon stated that this is a hobby, but is also a form of diversification to protect their farm and family tradition from the ups and downs of farming. She and Dan were just getting their start in farming during the 1980's and managed to survive it, and that lesson has stayed in the forefront of their minds. However, Sharon stated that their biggest motivation to put in the winery and create a tasting room was to provide people in their community a place to go and something to do. They've lived there all their lives, and they are invested in the success of their community. This was a way to keep it vibrant and attractive for 30 and 40 year olds that had previously left but who might consider moving back as they start families. Sharon says that is happening.
As Sharon and I continued speaking our conversation really turned towards the issue of rural communities and how you attract people to live there without ruining what the community is all about in the first place. Fort Morgan appears to have different dynamics than my community of Kuna, Idaho. In Kuna we are seeing massive price increases on farm ground and farmers selling out to developers who are putting subdivisions on top of that ground. There is housing pressure in Fort Morgan as well, but farmers are resisting development, causing companies like Cargill to bus in employees.
If you have an interest in seeing rural communities thrive while not losing their identities, this interview is for you
Today I am proud to replay episode #018 which featured Pake McNally, who was just going into blacksmithing at that point. I found this to be a very inspirational interview, and watching what Pake has done with his life since this has also been interesting. Enjoy!
Today's guest is Hannah Auer from Weld Central High School in Colorado. There was a lot to talk about with Hannah in her interview, but one theme kept repeating itself, and that was how Hannah is looking forward, setting goals for herself and planning her future. They say that you cannot get anywhere if you don't know where you are going, and that is not a problem for Hannah. Even having just finished her freshman year of high school, she has a firm grasp on creating a road map to her future.
Cattle producers are one of the targets of environmental groups that are concerned about global warming. The contention is that cattle production is one of the most harmful practices in agriculture or in any industry for global warming because cattle expect methane which is 28 times more efficient at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
Those of us who enjoy raising cattle or other ruminants need to be concerned about this contention for a couple of reasons. First, if it is true then we need to innovate solutions to this problem very soon lest we have other people, from outside of our industry, legislate what they think will be appropriate solutions. Second, if it is not true but groups continue to spread this information as true and create anti-cattle production sentiment it will harm our industry without merit. If that is the case we need to educate ourselves to fight back against this.
Therefore, I have been concerned about this issue because it has looked like a no-win situation for cattle producers. Today, as I record this episode there are articles out talking about the United Nation's "Code Red" warning for the world regarding global warming. Seeing all these headlines got me researching this issue. I came across an interesting article from November of 2020 dealing with methane emissions from cattle, and I wanted to share it with you on this episode to help arm you with the correct information.
Abby Mitchell first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in March of this year. At that point in time she was just in the brainstorming phase of the business she was developing for her supervised agricultural experience - "Goat To Be Kidding". Today she is back on the show with an update! She put herself out there again, and has been recognized again. And, her business is progressing forward quickly. I'm excited to have her back on the show.
Tip Of The Week
Guard your equipment that contains copper. There is a copper shortage coming which will drive the price up, and this will lead to more theft:
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.butlercountytimesgazette.com/story/news/2021/08/05/el-dorado-police-searching-suspect-who-entered-orscheln-farm-and-home/5504702001/
https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2021/08/04/award-winning-horse-stolen-butler-county/
https://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/news/reward-offered-in-case-of-stolen-horses/article_37c639ce-f468-11eb-bdee-af82c1ba4c2d.html
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.knutsfordguardian.co.uk/news/19494441.gangs-target-farms-amid-rise-rural-crime-across-cheshire/
https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/crime/farmers-warned-over-summer-spike-in-sheep-thefts
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/over-500-cattle-reported-missing-or-stolen-so-far-in-2021-637123
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
http://www.magnoliareporter.com/news_and_business/regional_news/article_aebf0d54-f502-11eb-9e55-4f0e12c72caf.html
https://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/cop-shop-blog/article252790378.html
In today's episode I learned a new term - "compassion fatigue". This is a term that I had never heard before, but the moment that I did I knew exactly what it meant.
Our guest, Doctor Erin Masur DVM, introduced me to this term when describing her short, but eventful journey in veterinary medicine so far. After completing veterinary school and starting her own practice in New Jersey she felt herself experience "compassion fatigue", and that began a string of events that led to her selling her practice, moving to Connecticut, limiting her work hours and developing some side projects. As a police officer I definitely experienced compassion fatigue, and I watched many other officers, social workers, nurses, etc. do the same. So, I was right on the same page with Erin when it came to this.
One of Erin's side projects is a product that she is developing and selling called Early Bird, which is an herbal remedy for the parasite commonly known as the Barber Pole Worm. Ever since Erin completed veterinary school and started working with livestock, she has been battling this parasite and the resistance it has to conventional parasite treatments. Ultimately a colleague introduced her to an herbal remedy for this parasite, and she decided to try it. The results she saw were enough for her to put her name behind it, seeing mortality in flocks and herds go from 10-20% from Barber Pole to 0%.
This led Erin to do research and trials with this remedy, and to start recommending it to other veterinarians with a lot of resistance so far. She is about to have a peer reviewed paper about her findings released, and she is using this remedy in conjunction with pharmaceutical remedies for Barber Pole and other parasites.
In today's episode Erin will discuss her journey, her farm (Fork You Farms) and of course Early Bird Parasite Solutions.
Some interviews leave you with a smile on your face for for the rest of the day. This interview left me with a smile for the rest of the week. The interview I did in episode #015 with A.W. Erwin was a lot of fun. But, it was also the epitome of what I was trying to demonstrate with the podcast - there is a way to do what you love in agriculture and make a living with it! A.W. demonstrates this better than anyone, and I am thrilled to feature his episode on the show again today in this re-cap episode.
Our guest today just graduated high school, and she has accomplished a lot. She lives and works on her families cattle ranch in Montana which gives her a lot of responsibilities. She is already certified to artificially inseminate cattle, and she helps her parents get their females bred every year. She also runs a "heifer improvement program" for the family which takes up a lot of her time. In addition to all of this, she has been involved in the FFA for four years, serving as historian, secretary and finally, chapter president.
What is amazing about Reace Lannen's story is that right in the middle of her journey through the FFA she developed an unknown problem that kept her from walking, let alone working on the ranch and participating in the FFA. After a trip to the Seattle Children's Hospital she found out what the problem was - juvenile arthritis.
After a diagnosis was reached, a treatment was prescribed - a shot of chemo therapy to be given to her once she got back to Montana. However, the shot caused her to have a severe, anaphylactic allergic reaction, so that was no longer an option. Then, through the FFA, she met an advisor at an FFA event, whose wife had rheumatoid arthritis. Information was shared, and Reace found a medication that continues to work very well for her to this day.
Once Reace did not have to focus so much on treating her arthritis so much, and she returned to what life was like prior to her first inflammation, she started reflecting on what she had gone through. One of the worst parts of the ordeal was the six months in which she could not live her normal life. She was unable to help out on the ranch or be around the livestock that she loves so much.
This reflection inspired an idea. So today, Reace has purchased to miniature horses and a small, Corriente calf that she is training to be therapy animals. Reace is actually in the process of becoming certified to do this right now. She now has a mission of helping people who feel disconnected from the farm life and livestock that they love because of a medical connection, to be able to be around livestock again. She knows just what it is like to smell a horse or a cow after you haven't been able to for a long time. For somebody who loves livestock she believes there is healing in that, and she wants to help other people heal.
On today's show I wanted to address a social media post that I saw that was castigating the 4H and FFA for selling livestock for slaughter at county and state fairs. When something like this comes up it is all of our responsibility to address this, not only because it is our way of life but because it is untrue. I like to be on the side of truth, and I won't allow someone to make a bunch of emotional statements that paint an untrue statement and just let that go.
Kirsten Wood grew up on her families cattle ranch in Weldona, Colorado. As she described the ranch to me, she talked about a lot of different niches that her family has explored to diversify their operation and keep it sustainable for a future in ranching. These new ways of doing business include selling boxed beef to folks living in the urban areas along the Rocky Mountain front from Denver up through Boulder and beyond in Central Colorado. It also includes partnering with some other companies to sell spices, sea salt and other products that compliment the beef that they sell.
The operation involves raising cattle on pasture, finishing cattle in a feed lot and growing the crops needed to feed those cattle. And, in the scope of the operation some calves become orphans for one reason or another. Either their dam dies or possibly rejects the calf, and the calf then needs special care to survive.
This is where Kirsten found her niche, within her families niche ranch. Kirsten started purchasing these orphan calves from her families ranch and bottle feeding them. She would raise them on a bottle and introduce them to feed as they grew. Then, when they were ready to be weaned she would transition them to the feedlot, and pay her family for the space and feed that was required to keep them. Ultimately they were finished and sold, and this was Kirsten's business.
In addition to this Kirsten has a love of horses that was developed by growing up around them on the working ranch. Throughout her FFA career she has been raising and showing horses, and this led her to a proficiency award in equine science.
All of this has inspired her to pursue a future in agricultural business. When we conducted this interview she had just graduated with an associates degree in Ag Business, and she was just preparing to start her final two years of college at West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas. Kirsten hopes to come home to the ranch one day, but she has been told to go out and make it on her own first. Right now she is looking into an agriculture finance career with the hopes of coming back to the lifestyle that she loves in the future.
Tip Of The Week
Get your brands registered…at least in Texas
https://theeagle.com/landandlivestockpost/mark-your-calendars-it-s-brand-registration-time/article_b76a85d6-db45-11eb-936a-4b75ed0d9fee.html
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://kfor.com/news/former-county-commissioner-charged-after-allegedly-taking-tractor-from-tinker-air-force-base/
https://kymkemp.com/2021/07/20/missing-possibly-stolen-horse-in-ferndale/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1464340/Dogs-seized-police-Virginia-Crosbie
https://asumetech.com/jeremy-clarksons-fury-after-unannounced-visitors-discovered-wandering-on-his-farm/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://whcuradio.com/news/025520-cortland-county-man-pleads-guilty-to-2020-burglary/
https://www.wkyt.com/2021/07/20/seven-arrested-connection-with-string-catalytic-converter-thefts/
I am fascinated with the idea of having a shop, heading out there in the morning, working at your own pace and having a new creation to hold at the end of the day. I don't necessarily think that I have the aptitude for this type of business, but I wish that I did. So, whenever I get the chance to interview somebody who creates their living in this manner, I soak it all in.
Tom Roark, the owner and creator of 5R Knives, is this person. Each day at his home in the farming town of Brush, Colorado he heads out to his shop and designs and creates some of the most beautiful knives and sheathes you have ever seen. Each sheath is specific to each knfe, and there is a story to go with each one, like where the wood for the handle came from.
5R Knives is just Tom's latest foray into self-employment. He has been self-employed all of his life, starting by purchasing his parent's sign business from them in Longmont, Colorado when he was in his early 20's. He eventually sold that business and purchased another called "Western Sales", manufacturing four products for folks in the beef industry. After about ten years he sold that business and started 5R Knives.
In this interview, Tom takes us through his history of entrepreneurship, and his philosophy on purchasing and selling a business. This is an important interview for anyone who is considering entrepreneurship as their option for off-farm income. And, we have the benefit of getting advice from a person with a lifetime of experience.
As I was searching for a re-cap episode for this week I came across this interview with Martje Plaggemeyer. What a great business concept she had come up with! I definitely wanted to air this episode again.
The other day an article about a young man with a trapping business popped up on my computer. I took a look at it and thought, "this would be a good interview for the show". Sam Terneus had just been awarded the Illinois State Proficiency Award for Agricultural Processing based on what he had been doing with trapping fur bearers and selling their hides as a business. I thought that was going to be the whole story, but it was just the tip of the iceberg!
Sam has been trapping for years now, since he got exposed to the hobby/sport/business at an early age. He has actually been living kind of a dream life really. He and his parents live in town, and his grandfather has a farm out of town. To get to the farm to help out grandpa and to go trap, Sam has been traveling through the backwoods of Illinois on his four wheeler for several years. As Sam stated, "the farm is five minutes by car and twenty minutes by four wheeler". Sam prefers the road less traveled.
Sam is constantly selling furs, and he is constantly reinvesting his money into more traps and expanding. This is what led to him starting his own business called "Wilderness Design Company". Among other things, Sam has created and sold Christmas wreathes made out of the furs that he has trapped.
Sam is very involved in working for himself. He has been taking a course on entrepreneurship, and through that he has done some amazing things. He came up with a business idea to become a nuisance wildlife trapper, which I wholeheartedly support, and began exploring that possibility. It turns out that you need a special license to do that in Illinois, and you must be at least 18 years of age to obtain one. Well, Sam is still 17, so he started trying to figure out what he could do to get around this law. Ultimately, there was nothing that could be done. However, thanks to Sam's efforts, there is now a bill before the Illinois State Legislature to lower the age of a person who wants to get this license!
If all of this were not a enough, Sam just received his state FFA degree, and he is getting ready to start college. He plans to study forestry with an emphasis on fish and wildlife to increase his knowledge in the business that he has already started and loves. In addition to that, he is planning to compete at the national level with his supervised agriculture experience and hopes to be a national proficiency winner very soon!
A friend of mine, and one of our previous guests, Jeff Titus, from episode #024 contacted me today and told me that the farm where I learned to love cattle and agriculture had been put up for sale. The current owners purchased it from my step-father a few years back, and it has pretty much just been sitting. However, now they have made some significant changes to it and put it up for sale.
If you are interested in purchasing it, please contact Jeff, and he would be happy to represent you. Here is his contact information:
- Jeff Titus
- (209) 988-3335
- jtitus@c21mm.com
Here is the link to the listing: 1342 Hickman Road, Hickman, California
It's got a small, three bedroom, one bathroom house on it that is a legitimate farm house and several outbuildings. However, the current owners have torn out all of the livestock handling facilities and planted almonds. So, you would be buying into a turn key, 10 acre almond operation. Or, you could rip them out, put fences and corrals back in, replant pasture and start over, but.....that would be crazy.
According to the listing, the house was built in 1935. According to my family my step-grandfather, Boyd Womack, and my step-grandmother, Vada Womack, immigrated to California from Oklahoma around 1941 and lived in Pixley for about a year before buying this place for $5,000 in 1942. Now it's listed for $795,000. That's a 15,800% increase in just under 80 years!
Their trek to California was after the Dust Bowl and Depression had ended or were ending, but their journey was very much the same with everything loaded onto one truck and my step-father, Chuck, and his brother, Ray, riding the entire way on a mattress that sat on top of all of the family possessions. Boyd and Vada rode in the cab of the truck with the little girl, Tommie.
When they first purchased the property and home there was 20 acres. At some point Boyd sold off the ten acres on the eastern side of the farm. When they first arrived, Chuck and Ray, slept in the well house because it was a one bedroom home. Later, Boyd converted added on a bedroom and kitchen on the north side of the home and converted the previous kitchen to a bedroom. The home became the three bedroom, one bath home that it is now and the boys were able to move in.
Boyd and Vada lived the rest of their lives in this house, and then Chuck and Tommie inherited it, Ray had already passed. Chuck bought Tommie's half of the farm, and he lived almost the rest of his life there as well. However, when he wasn't able to keep up with the demands any longer, he sold to the current owners and moved into nearby Waterford.
So, today's episode is about my memories from that place.
I really enjoy interviewing FFA students because I get to witness the transition they go through as they move to bigger projects. In today's interview that statement is both literal and figurative.
Emily Spayd has just begun her FFA journey. She is getting ready to begin her sophomore year of high school and her second year in the FFA. She has been showing goats at her county's fair for several years, but just like she went big in the FFA, she decided to go big in the show ring. So, Emily has now transitioned from goats to beef cattle for her fair projects. This wasn't only a size increase in animal, but it was also a size increase in responsibility. Emily began halter breaking her steer and heifer in the middle of January....in Colorado. Needless to say, this is cold and frustrating work, but it is necessary to show this large of an animal.
This seems to be Emily's style however. In the interview she talks about being dragged to FFA events with her sister who is three years older than her, and being bored. However, after deciding to give the FFA a try, Emily dove in 110%. She participated in every competition that she could, and she has already been selected to be an officer. She will begin serving as parliamentarian when school starts again this fall.
As this episode is published, Emily will be engrossed in one of the two county fairs in which she will be showing her beef projects this summer. In her county you are only allowed to sell your project at the auction if you reach certain level of success while showing. So, we've got our fingers crossed for Emily that she will be able to auction off both her steer and heifer this summer!
Tip Of The Week
We are a very large country, geographically and numerically. Don’t forget your fellow citizens who are dealing with issues that do not happen in your back yard.
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.bigcountrynewsconnection.com/local/farm-groups-ask-biden-to-secure-border-enforce-u-s-immigration-laws/article_5982e380-6d23-58a3-8029-edc0f12e08a4.html
https://www.facebook.com/208481162694659/posts/1657057351170359/?d=n
https://www.toledoblade.com/local/animals/2021/07/19/owner-authorities-search-for-three-horses-taken-from-locked-pasture-fulton-county/stories/20210719125
https://www.facebook.com/ahorsesheart/posts/5774095495998135/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.mysteinbach.ca/news/9308/john-deere-tractor-stolen-from-hanover-farm-police-investigating/
https://cumbriacrack.com/2021/07/20/136-sheep-stolen-from-north-cumbria/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.elba-clipper.com/news/elba-man-arrested-after-stealing-atv-from-elba-fire-department/article_40eef830-eb01-11eb-94c2-9b49a5ed15c7.html
https://soundcloud.com/dbsupply/db-show-episode-110-volunteer-fire-fighting
https://www.wdrb.com/news/greenville-ky-woman-accused-of-stealing-kayak-tractor-in-effort-to-evade-police/article_a324662a-eafc-11eb-9828-536d928e2244.html
There are a lot of farm types and agricultural businesses that I like to romanticize. Perhaps there is none greater than the small farm in which you must milk a few animals on a small scale every day. I realize that this is called "being romanticized" for a reason. In reality, the need to milk controls your schedule, no matter what the weather is, whether or not you are sick, or if it is Christmas morning - it has to be done.
These demands on your time can also be a benefit when it comes to starting a farm business that has a chance of succeeding. The demands of this type of farm weed a lot of people out. And, on a small scale, it leaves you with time to get creative with your business model. That is exactly what today's guest, Deb Gray, has done. Deb milks about ten goats per day, and she spends the rest of her time adding value to that milk in the form of soaps, lotions, etc. on Harvest Hills Farm in Wooster, Ohio.
This translates into Deb's business, Harvest Hills Skin Care, which she has been growing steadily for decades now. Deb has gone through the transitions that we talk about on the show, eventually growing the business to such a size that she had to leave her day job. It was clear in the interview with Deb that she loves this business and what she is doing because she is looking to the future. She has a short-term and long-term vision for how the business will grow and develop and offer other products and services.
In today's interview, Deb will talk about some of the challenges to getting started, the estimated start-up costs, and some of the essential pieces of equipment that were game-changers for developing her business, such as:
- Professional Labels
- A Soap Cutter
- Soap Molds
- A Bottle Filler
I hope you enjoy this very informative interview about a successful, value-added, farm business.
It was my pleasure to feature Vance Curtis on the Off-Farm Income Podcast again. When I first interviewed him I remarked at how positive and upbeat he was, and these are definitely the types of episodes that I like to revisit.
Our guest today is just getting ready to begin her senior year of high school, and she has discovered a profession that I did not know existed as her future career.
Jaycey Lambert serves on the executive committee of the Weld Central High School FFA Chapter. She has been showing sheep for years, and now she has added showing steers into the mix. Earlier this year Jaycey had a lamb that was not acting correctly, and in trying to diagnose what was wrong with it she turned to a person with the profession of "livestock chiropractor".
The livestock chiropractor came to her farm, looked over the lamb with special equipment and determined that its back was out. Once he was diagnosed, she was able to move its back into proper position, and voila! he was good as new. This inspired Jaycey, and she has her sights set on this career in the future. Jaycey is planning on attending South Dakota State University to study agriculture. She has visited the campus already and found the class sizes and campus size to be just right for her.
I'll be excited to have Jaycey back on the show in a few years to profile her ag business of livestock
Today I'm talking about being an ambassador for agriculture and why that is so important. Also, we will discuss six ways that you can become that ambassador and how to get it done effectively.
We should all be ambassadors for our industries, but in agriculture this is probably more important than any other area.
Almost two years ago exactly I featured today's guest on episode #665 of the Off-Farm Income Podcast. When I first interviewed Annamarie Stone she was just getting ready to start her sophomore year of high school, and she was raising meat chickens. She had just approached to grocery stores and obtained contracts to sell her birds in both stores.
Since that time Annamarie has flourished in her FFA career. Today she is on the executive officer team in her chapter, and she is the Area IV President in the State Of Missouri. Her business has also flourished and grown. Now she is also selling turkeys, bacon, mums and poinsettias. So, she had to change the business name to "Stoney Creek Meats & More". While this caused a lot of work it was necessary and definitely worth it!
On today's episode we will catch up with Annamarie and update you on the incredible progress of this student. Here are the show notes from her previous visit to the show:
INTRODUCING ANNAMARIE STONE!
Have you ever met somebody with no fear and a can-do attitude? If not, you get to, today.
Annamarie Stone is just that type of person, and she is just getting ready to start her sophomore year of high school. Why do I say this about this young lady? In addition to starting her own herd of Charolais cattle, showing pigs and showing sheep she has another enterprise.
Annamarie started her own business called "Stoney Creek Country Fresh Chickens". She raises pastured poultry and sells birds to customers who want their chicken raised that way. Annamarie decided that she wanted to sell her chicken in grocery stores as well. So, as a freshman in high school she got dressed nicely, walked into two separate grocery stores and requested to speak with the freezer case manager.
By the time Annamarie was done, she was selling her pastured poultry in two separate grocery stores! When I asked Annamarie how she did this she had a very simple explanation. The worst that they could tell you is "no", and if they don't like your idea the grocery store down the street probably will.
This is an enterprising entrepreneur in the making!
Tip Of The Week
Hire people slowly, and trust your gut when anything suspicious happens
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/manager-accused-of-stealing-50k-from-organic-farm-on-whidbey/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/recent-string-of-arson-fires-appear-to-target-farm-equipment-in-ventura-oxnard/ar-AAMa1uP
https://www.areawidenews.com/story/2894984.html
BOL - https://www.valleycentral.com/news/over-40k-worth-of-equipment-stolen-at-school-pharr-police-ask-for-help/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.cranbrooktownsman.com/community/cranbrook-rcmp-looking-for-volunteers/
https://www.miragenews.com/farmers-urged-to-be-vigilant-as-pair-sentenced-595253/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/272614-the-story-behind-police-tractors.html
Today I am very fortunate to have Ryan Stevens on the show. Ryan and his wife, Stephanie, are the owners of Full Armor Farm in Maine and the parents of three children with one on the way. Ryan and Stephanie are also both medically retired from the Marine Corps and met in Afghanistan while on one of their many deployments.
When this couple medically retired out of the Marine Corps they needed a place to come home to in the U.S. that would offer them the atmosphere and environment to process what they had gone through and adjust back to life in the U.S. Stephanie proposed buying a farm and living the lifestyle that she had grown up with in Northern Pennsylvania, and they found one in Maine, five minutes from where Ryan had grown up. So, in 2018 they made the transition and Full Armor Farm was born.
Today Ryan and Stephanie are raising Scottish Highlander Cattle, they are tapping both maple and birch trees for sap, they are raising chickens and growing apples. They are feeding themselves from their farm. As an example, they do not sell chickens, but they had slaughtered 35 birds prior to our interview to feed themselves and local family. They are also creating and selling value added products such as maple syrup and apple cider. In addition to this they are direct marketing beef from their farm.
A lot of initiative and hard work went into and is still going into this farm. There were also grants received based on their veteran status that helped to get them started with their value added products even faster. In addition to this, their religious faith plays a pivotal role in defining what their farm is about and how they live their lives.
Ryan has written a book about his portion of this journey from military and wartime service to this life of faith and farming. He hopes that it is released at the end of 2021. It is my honor to help tell a little of their story today!
I have been lucky enough to interview PJ Jonas twice on the show. She and her husband, Jim, have an amazing story of deciding to farm and raise their family agriculturally, and then finding a way to do it full time. They are truly an inspiration, and I am thrilled to feature my second interview with PJ once again to inspire those of you who never heard it, and to re-inspire those of you who did!
I've been talking about entrepreneurship and the transition from being an employee to a full-time entrepreneur on this show for almost seven years now. From personal experience, I knew that the process I was explaining was correct. However, nothing really brings it home like somebody else talking about experiencing the exact thing I have been explaining. That is exactly what happens in today's interview with Dawson Boys.
Dawson just won a proficiency award in the State Of Illinois for agricultural mechanics & repair entrepreneurship because of the car detailing business that he began while in the FFA. He is now a full-time entrepreneur with no job other than his business. However, it did not start out that way.
Dawson's business got started because his first customer noticed how clean and polished he kept his own car, told him that he should detail cars for a living and then hired him to details theirs! After that seed of an idea was planted, Dawson took off with it. Today, the word of mouth has spread and he has lots of business. Dawson understands the competition in his area, and he understands what his competitive advantages are. Therefore, he is knocking it out of the park with his business.
As Dawson tells the story of growing his business, he talks about the fact that he was working two jobs when he started this. And, as his business grew he entered what I refer to as the "crazy time" in which he was not ready to leave either of his jobs but the demands of his new business became larger and larger. Eventually, Dawson left his first job, then his second and he found himself as a full-time entrepreneur. He had to go through the "crazy time" first, and then things gradually mellowed out.
Dawson also had to convince his parents that his business would really work and that leaving his steady jobs would not be a mistake. He did it just as I prescribe. He worked a ton of hours to demonstrate his commitment, and he made good money to demonstrate the viability of the business. Once he did that, there was no need for words to convince his parents. He had proved the concept, and they gave him their blessing.
This is officially my birthday episode! I recorded this on the morning of my 48th birthday, and what an appropriate time to do a solo episode where I am just conversing with all of you.
- Today is a farm update, and we will be covering:
- Purchasing four new heifers
- Having good relationships with other farmers
- Heat and smoke in our valley
- The presence of so many predators on our farm
I hope you are having a wonderful summer!
Today, I am happy to welcome the 2021 Illinois State Star Farmer, Shana Lueking, onto the show. Shana comes from a rich history of FFA advisors in her family, with both her father and grandfather serving as FFA advisors, and a rich dairy farming tradition that goes four generations deep in her family. In addition to legacy, Shana has passion and is an excellent speaker. This combination plus some hard work led Shana to this prestigious award from her home state of Illinois.
Shana has many reasons to be proud, but she is also a natural helper and educator. So, in today's episode she tells us how she, her father and her grandfather put together the winning record book that led to her becoming her state's star farmer. She lays out methods and ideas that will help anyone reach the next level, if that is where they are trying to get to.
I am really excited to air this interview with Shana because of the positive impacts it can have for other FFA students. I have not judged record books of FFA students, but I have judged applications for SAE grants. When you are a judge you start to notice some applications that really jump out at you because of the effort that has been put into them. It turns out that it is no different when putting together a record book for a prestigious award like star farmer.
In this interview, Shana tells us about how she put together her record book, with the help of her father and grandfather. She gives descriptions of the words she used, how she incorporated photographs and what she was trying to accomplish when writing narratives for her record book. She was essentially trying to make her record book "pop", but she had to be careful to not overdo it with too much content. Therefore, writing a vivid story in a concise manner became very important. And, Shana will explain it all in the episode!
Rural crime is a pervasive problem in the U.K., U.S., Canada and Australia. Once per week we cover stories from all four of these countries regarding people in rural areas dealing with criminal behavior.
It wasn't long ago that people were saying that brick and mortar stores are dead and will never come back. Those folks better watch out because David is swinging his sling shot and has figured out a new way to slay Goliath!
On today's episode I am speaking with an unbelievably innovative, rural entrepreneur, who is not afraid of brick and mortar. Kayla Gabel is the owner of The Desert Rose Boutique in Wiggins, Colorado. Located only 66 miles from Denver, she has customers that will drive 90 minutes to come spend the day in her shop rather than drive 20-30 minutes to shop in Denver. Kayla has redefined brick and mortar, and she is only getting better.
Kayla likes to shop, and that passion ultimately led her to starting her own, online boutique which she named Desert Rose. However, it was becoming too much for her family to handle in their home, so she found herself opening up an actual store front. Kayla chose to open that store in the small, farming based town that she lives in rather than commuting into a city where she might get more drive by traffic. Actually, she ignored convention knowledge about opening up a physical location altogether. Rather, with the help of the internet and social media, Kayla created her own community of fans, and now they drive to her small town to shop with her!
Today the Desert Rose Boutique makes about 60% of its sales online with 40% of sales happening on location in Wiggins, Colorado. However, Wiggins is very small and those 40% of sales are not exclusively from locals. So, how does Kayla get people to drive to her small town to shop.....she created a community.
Kayla is very active on social media, Facebook specifically, and she even has a special, VIP group on Facebook where she shares her life and exclusive offers with her fans. She has also created a mobile app to keep in touch with her fans outside the confines of Facebook at the touch of a button.
What Kayla really does is provides a unique experience, unique products and unbelievable customers service. If a customer walks into her boutique, she knows who they are, what their story is and what they purchased last time. She and her staff will visit all day with them, help them pick out outfits and provide the type of customer service that seemed to have died somewhere back about 1989. Even though today many people will just buy from whomever and don't hold companies to any kind of standard when it comes to service, there are those who still demand to be treated well. And, they are driving from the Denver Metro Area to a postage stamp, small town to get it.
Kayla thinks way outside the box when it comes to business. She has brought a massage therapist into her store so now people who want a massage can come be part of her boutique's experience as well. She just purchased her first tanning bed, and soon will have three that she will rent to people looking to get some intense UV rays. And of course, when they are done there is conversation, friendly people and unique clothing and products waiting for them right outside the door.
Kayla is driving by a sense of community, and she is trying to bring customers to her community for a shopping experience that will extend beyond her boutique and into surrounding businesses.
If you have ever wondered if you could start a brick and mortar store in your small town and succeed, you need to hear this interview with Kayla Gabel!
Today we are revisiting episode #420. When I wrote these show notes and made this episode I was reflecting on how my life had changed since I decided to become an entrepreneur. I was living a lifestyle that I dared not dream of at one point in time. This is the source of my inspiration.
Today it is my pleasure to be able to interview the newest state star farmer from Kansas, Wesley Denton. Wes has just completed his freshman year of college at Kansas State University where he is studying animal science and also the meat industry.
The story of Wes's herd of cattle and his star farmer award began when he was three and, as his family tradition calls for, his grandfather gave him his very first heifer. However, the roots of this were actually much earlier in a dark time in our nation's history, particularly for people in the part of the Midwest where Wes lives. Looking back on the dates, and doing some math it appears that Wes's great-grandfather purchased their family farm in about 1931, after emigrating from Germany. This of course was in the heart of the Dust Bowl and two years into the Great Depression. This was certainly a stressful and uncertain time for Americans, and especially those making their livings on a farm in the Mid-West.
The farm has persevered, and today Wesley is a shining example of what that commitment and hard work can lead to. As the State Star Farmer for Kansas, Wesley will go on to compete to become the American Star Farmer at the FFA's National Convention. And, if the farming tradition in Kansas were not enough, there is quite an FFA tradition in Wes's family as well. At his former high school his grandfather's name still hangs on the wall, commemorating all of the committee members to start the Valley Height's FFA chapter way back then.
Wesley plans on completing high school and finding work at a company such as Cargill to work in the food production industry. He has been told to go out and make his own way before he comes home to take his place on the family farm. I have no doubt that he will do just that!
Isn't it the nature of farming that just when you think you are getting ahead, you aren't really getting anywhere at all? Or, maybe you are losing ground? This spring has been really dry for us in Southwestern Idaho, but you wouldn't think that would matter much because we had a good snow year and have water for irrigation. However, lot's of people are having more trouble with weeds than normal, and it is impacting farming. It is specifically impacting me right now as the entire hay crop I was counting on for this season is looking really bad, and I got told that the hay that was pledged to me was no longer going to be available.
In this farm update I'll discuss my hay problems and:
- Losing a beef customer due to me feeding GMO hay
- Increasing hay prices putting a crunch on my bottom line
- Thistle after thistle that I have to spot treat in my pasture
- Making some progress beating back fox tails
- Buying four heifer to get ahead, but having to cull three mother cows
On today's episode of the Off-Farm Income Podcast I am fortunate enough to speak with a very high achieving student who is involved in agriculture, sports, business education, her faith and so much more. Olivia Odle is a standout, becoming her chapter's president, while being very active in many areas outside of the FFA. She lives in Northeast Colorado, which is completely focused on agriculture and so much different than the vast majority of her state.
Olivia keeps up a rapid pace of activity, but it is apparent that she would not be able to do this if her community and school did not value agriculture and the FFA so much. As an example, sports can sometimes interfere with other extracurricular activities, such as the FFA, but her community and school clearly support agriculture so it works out. The mascot for Oliva's school is the "beet diggers", which is clearly indicative of the growth of sugar beets as a crop in her area and her area's history.
It is this type of support that has allowed Olivia to succeed in so many different areas of life and take on responsible positions, such as president of her chapter. And it is this type of support that will push her to succeed at the next level when she begins college, just two months after this episode is published!
Our weekly look into the world of rural crime and how to prevent rural crime. Folks in rural communities are dealing with crime and delinquency too, but it gets almost no media coverage. We aim to change that here.
A very valid form of off-farm income that I really do not talk much about is creating products and selling them. The businesses I tend to focus more on are those that serve other farmers in some way. This is probably because I, in no way, am a creator of products and started out my entrepreneurial journey through farm service. Therefore, in order to cover the world of innovation and invention we have an expert on the show today. Allan Fetters, the owner of AGceleration Advisory Services is joining us on the show to discuss the world of bringing new products and technology to agriculture.
In today's episode we will be discussing:
- Patents
- Pricing
- Timelines
- Why farmers have a head start over innovation companies when it comes to creating agricultural products
- Why non-agricultural people are creating agricultural products
- And much, much more!
If you have had an idea of a product or invention that you would like to create because it would solve a problem for farmers, you will find a lot of great information in this episode!
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! Today is a great day for Americans, farmers, and non-farmers alike. As we celebrate the anniversary of American Independence we should think about the men and women who lived through this time. With this in mind, let's look at how it impacted farmers in the colonies during the 18th Century.
Here are a few of the things that farmers went through during the Revolutionary War:
- Trade routes to the market were cut off by war, either waterways or roads.
- Farmers could not plant surpluses because they might not be able to sell the excess and it would just rot on their fields.
- Herds of cattle and horses were depleted either by the plundering of the British or as provisions for the Continental Army.
- Farmers were away from their farms for long periods of time and had to start over when they finally returned.
- At this time, 90% of the population were engaged in farming so this really was a war fought by farmers.
I wanted to mention something that I read in Stephen Ambrose's book "Citizen Soldiers" about farm kids in World War II. He said that the commanders loved the soldiers that grew up on farms because they had been hunting for their whole lives, knew how to handle a rifle, and could shoot straight.
I wanted to pay tribute to four of my ancestors that fought in the Revolutionary War in this episode as well:
- Samuel Hubbard
- James Wilcox
- Jesse Richardson
- Jesse Rowley
When people rise to the top all of the sudden they find themselves answering a lot of questions. Other people want to know the secret to their success so that they can replicate what has been accomplished. So, naturally, I asked today's guest what her secret to standing out was.
Madison Woods just completed her first year of college, and she is getting ready to head off to Oklahoma State University to pursue her agricultural aspirations. Along the way, she has picked up a couple of very prestigious awards - National Proficiency Winner in Sheep Production and California State Star Farmer. Awards like that don't just happen by accident, so I needed to know what made Madison stand out so much!
To begin, Madison grew up on a farm in the Central Valley of California with no livestock present! Her family farms almonds and grows plants in a greenhouse for sale. So, when she was nine years old and decided to go her own way by getting a lamb, there were some raised eyebrows in the house as to whether or not she was serious.
That first year wasn't easy either. Madison got run over and dragged by that lamb, and there were plenty of times that she needed to find her resolve just to keep going, even at the age of 9. However, by the age of 10 Madison had purchased a ewe and started breeding her own sheep. Today, her flock is just over 50 ewes, and she has sold sheep all over the country. She has been pushed, and she has pushed herself, and it has paid dividends.
So, what was Madison's answer to how did you do it? She encouraged everyone to "face their fear" and try everything that interests them. That way, you can find what you are truly passionate about. Once you do that, devoting yourself and putting in the necessary work is no problem.
Any of you who have shown animals at your county fair or jackpot shows, or who have kids who do have seen the families that seem to have repeated success, over and over, in the show ring. Quite honestly, sometimes animosity can build when families have repeated success at a high level and the rest of the field seems to be perpetually in 2nd place.
In today's episode, I get to speak with a student with a family tradition of success in the show arena, exhibiting pigs. Jaycie Jordan will be joining us to discuss this aspect of the pig business.
Jaycie's family farm began with her parents when she was about three years old. Both of them enjoyed raising and showing pigs, so pigs have been the one, consistent livestock animal on their farm. Jaycie has three older siblings, and all of them have preceded her in the FFA and in the show ring. This family is all about raising, breeding, and showing pigs, and with five mentors ahead of her (2 parents and 3 siblings) Jaycie found herself winning her first grand champion ribbon his past year. As she notes in the episode, this comes after a streak of 12 straight grand champion or reserve grand champion ribbons by somebody in her family.
Jaycie goes into detail about how they breed their pigs, how they feed, practices they are adopting, and practices that they are abandoning. I have been that parent in the stand, watching a well know family to win over and over and over again. And, I have heard the grumblings of other people wondering what is going on. The truth is, some families have figured it out. Jaycie's family certainly has. With everyone putting their best foot forward with their pigs, great things are bound to happen!
On the Off-Farm Income Podcast, I interview at least 104 FFA students every year. And about 10% of them have supervised agricultural experiences involving bees. Bees are a wonderful way to get involved with agriculture. They can be raised in a small space, eliminating the need for large amounts of land, and they do something wonderful for the surrounding environment.
What if your interest in bees goes beyond casual, you would like a career doing what you love and that thing is bees? Where do you start? Do you go to college? Are there ways you can serve the bee industry with a side business? Is this an industry in decline, or are there emerging opportunities? These are the questions I think of every time I profile a student that has an interest in bees.
In today's episode, I finally get to answer so many of those questions. I am speaking with Alan Mikolich. Alan became fascinated with bees and beekeeping at age 9 and got his first hive when he was 10. All he has wanted to do ever since is work with bees, and he made a career out of this passion. After five decades working with bees, Alan has experience working for others, managing thousands of acres of farmland that need bees for pollination, collecting and selling his own honey, creating side businesses to serve the bee industry, and consulting.
There is no way to replicate the knowledge and wisdom of somebody like Alan who has been in the industry for this long, and today we are lucky enough to be able to share his expertise with the world. If you have an interest in bees and are wondering how to make that your full-time job, today's interview is tailor-made for you!
Today I get to interview another student who is in the business that I refer to as the "millionaire-maker". Conner Watts is not only the founder and owner of "Conner's Lawn Care & Landscaping" but he is a finalist for the National Star in Agribusiness at this year's National FFA Convention.
Conner started his business as a way to make some extra money and then it started raining in West Texas. It rained and rained, and it caused the lawns to grow...a lot. Pretty soon he had a growing business with lots of referrals and an ever-increasing client list.
This lit a fire with Conner, and he realized what he wanted to do with his life.....operate his own landscaping business. Conner continued to grow the business and hired employees. He then branched out to other communities and started servicing clients in other cities. He is now the main landscape company in two of those communities. He has also partnered with a nursery that contracted with another company to provide lawn care services. When that individual decided to retire, Conner gladly picked up where he left off.
Conner is studying agribusiness as well as plant and soil sciences at Texas Tech. University. Everything he is doing in school is designed around building this business from learning more about business to becoming more of an expert in soils and plant health.
Good luck this October Conner!
In today's episode, I get to do a lot of reminiscing about where I grew up. Our guest, Hartley Silva, just graduated from Modesto High School in Modesto, California. She has already been taking classes in agriculture at Modesto Junior College, and she went to elementary school at a very small school that my elementary school used to play in sports. Hartley and I grew up in the same county and I went to Modesto Junior College too, but Hartley is taking her love of agriculture to a level that I never even dreamed of.
The list of accomplishments for this young lady just does not stop. Hartley is currently serving as the "Jersey Queen" for the State Of California. She also just received a state proficiency award for dairy production. And, she is raising, selling, and showing her own line of Jersey cattle under the business name "Flying Hart Registered Jerseys". If this were not enough she has served as both a chapter and section officer in the FFA, will be seeking a national proficiency award and an American Degree.
I could stop right there, and that would make an incredible resume for 99% of people in our country, but Hartley did not stop there. She has gone all around the U.S. showing dairy cattle and judging livestock. And, this has even taken her "across the pond" to Scotland, where she placed in a worldwide competition for judging livestock. As an individual in this international competition, Hartley was awarded 6th place. On a team of two with her sister, they placed 3rd. What an incredible accomplishment!
Hartley is studying a lot of different aspects of agriculture and livestock production in college. She is planning on transferring to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo to finish her bachelor's degree and get her teaching certificate so that she can bundle all of this knowledge into a package and deliver it to her own agriculture students. She has a plan, and there is no question in my mind that she will execute it!
As Darth Vader would say, "the desire to farm is strong with this one"....
I couldn't help it, but it is true. Caitlyn Mack has a phenomenal story of being brought up in a farming family, developing the passion, and then taking the responsibility of starting her own operation. Caitlyn just graduated from Drummond High School, but she is already farming 227 acres of cropland on her own. She has been working for her father and uncle on the family farm for years, earning an hourly wage. She has been using that money to lease her own ground, purchase her own inputs, and start her own enterprise the entire time.
There is a myriad of grain crops that Caitlyn is farming for herself as well as her family, and she has started her own cow/calf herd of beef cattle. She is actively involved in embryo transfers, and she is growing better genetics in her herd. All of this led her to be named the Star Farmer for the State Of Oklahoma in 2021. This follows a national proficiency win in grain production, and three years serving as her chapter's president!
Caitlyn is off to Oklahoma State University this fall to pursue dual degrees in animal science and agricultural education. She is planning on bringing all of this experience back to the classroom, but she is not done with her own accomplishments just yet. Caitlyn will be seeking her American Degree during college, and she is planning to compete to become an American Star Farmer!
I have a lot of people to thank for today's episode. First of all, Warren Clark, the CEO of AgNewsCenter, recommended today's guest and got me an interview with him on short notice. And, our guest, Brock Taylor, the president and CEO of Brock Taylor Consulting, took time out of his unbelievably busy schedule in one of the busiest parts of the year for him to speak with us.
Brock is an independent crop and agriculture consultant working in the San Joaquin Valley of California. More specifically, he is based in and does a large percentage of his work in Fresno County, which has an abundance of very valuable crops that are grown every year in addition to an abundance of permanent crops that grown continually.
Anywhere that crops this valuable are grown, it is going to attract a lot of support-type businesses such as fertilizer companies, irrigation suppliers, and of course, crop consultants. An agronomist like Brock has a lot of challenges in his business because there are also crop advisors working for fertilizer companies offering their services as an added value to farmers when they purchase fertilizer from them. Over the years Brock has seen the crop advisors with the fertilizer companies expand their services to offer some of the things he does as an independent consultant in an attempt to pull business from him. At the same time as this has been happening, the competition from other independent crop advisors has been growing, resulting in price competition and a much more strenuous environment.
Specific to California are a number of challenges. Perhaps the largest is water and what appears to be a rapidly increasing frequency of drought years. This takes acres out of production and farmers make less money. Of course, as farmers make less, they have less to spend on important services like crop consultation. And, as they leave more and more acres uncultivated, there are fewer and fewer acres for somebody like Brock to consult on, resulting in less work for the growing number of consultants.
In this interview, Brock will give you a very realistic look at this particular agricultural business, the challenges that are associated with it, and how he recommends getting the experience you need to be independent.
There are few businesses in which your reputation is as important as breeding, training and selling dogs that people are going to work with and have expectations of. Our guest today, Laura Stimatze, has learned this over several years of doing this.
With those years of experience comes wisdom, and Laura is offering it to you today. One of the key pieces of advice that she shares today is to be careful who you sell your animals to. She guards her reputation very carefully and only sells to people who have the right idea about what they are going to be doing with these dogs. She does not sell pets, and she makes sure that her customers are going to put the work in so that the dog she sells them performs correctly. She does not want somebody blaming her breeding or training when they did not put in the required work.
Along the way, Laura also noticed something about her industry. She saw a need for training clinics that were specifically for women. So, she started one. She does not do as many as she once did, but she does train just for women. That was how I found out about her, from one of my listeners, Garoleen Wilson, who went to one of her clinics.
The other day an article popped up in my newsfeed about a young man who had won an FFA academic award upon graduation from high school. As I read through the article, I saw that the same student had received an award from the Sons Of The American Revolution. This piqued my interest because I am a member of the Sons Of The American Revolution. I am thrilled to today bring this young man onto the show.
Victor Snook is definitely worth a SAR award as well as many other accolades. In our interview, we uncovered many ways in which this young man is currently contributing to his community and will continue to do so in the future. Victor is not afraid to be busy! He plays football, played baseball, participates in the marching band, is in the school's jazz band, works outside of school, and obviously is involved in the FFA.
What really stood out to me in this interview with Victor is service. For Victor's job, he works for a farm service business. When I hear the term "farm service" I think about mechanics and technicians that repair equipment in the field or service equipment on people's property. However, for Victor's job he helps people out on their farms in any way they need. He fixes fences, does concrete work, and even repairs sheds if need be.
Of course, a service job is consistent with everything else I heard from this young man. He has a deep love for music. He has four brothers, and three of them play the saxophone right along with him. That's right, there are four brothers playing saxophone together, two on alto and two on tenor. During the interview, Victor mentioned playing for their church as well as entertaining people in senior living facilities and bringing them the joy of music.
Victor has his eyes set on service as a career. He mentioned in our questionnaire that he was going to be studying law enforcement in college. In the interview, he talked about serving his community as a conservation officer. Either way, it is service that he knows and service that he is going to provide in his career. You are going to enjoy getting to know this young man!
We talk a lot on this show about how to get started farming right now, even if you don't have the farm that you ultimately see in your dreams. Usually when we speak of this we are talking about marketing some fruits, vegetables, herbs, etc. from a back yard operation or possibly something like aquaculture or hydroponics. But, what if you want to raise livestock? Is there anything that you can do on a small piece of ground that would be profitable?
Our guest today, Annie Johnson, is going to talk to us about doing exactly that with pigs. Annie's has a very interesting story that has come full circle. Her grandfather used to raise pigs on their families farm about ten miles away from where she currently lives in Cambridge, Illinois. However, nobody in the family raised a pig for about 20 years until she got started at the age of 14.
The family farm is still there, and that is where Annie raises her pigs. However, the crop ground on the farm is in the CRP program, so it is not being farmed. That means that Annie only had a small piece of ground to be able to begin her livestock enterprise. Pigs were the answer for her, and direct marketing was the business model. Annie has been able to pre-arrange the sale of her pigs to multiple customers, and because of her unique story and the way she is raising them she can charge a premium for her pork.
Through direct marketing, Annie has been able to increase what she receives for her pigs. However, she is being just as innovative on the other end to keep expenses low. Instead of feeding a boar all year long, she is using artificial insemination to breed her sows. There is an old grain cart on the property that can safely hold a lot of pig feed. So, Annie buys feed in bulk and has that cart filled to save money on feed costs, and it works! Annie has also experimented with different breeds and is now raising Duroc's. Her customers prefer the meat, and the Duroc's work be in her operation. So, she is producing a very desirable product through the most efficient means she has at her disposal.
Annie has just graduated high school and has just been awarded a state proficiency for her efforts in pork production. She is going to take all of this experience and knowledge with her to college where she will be studying to be an Ag teacher. When she finishes college, she will bring it all with her to the classroom, and she will be inspiring Ag students for years to come!
On today's episode, we are profiling a product. And like I do every time that we profile a product or company I want to give a disclaimer. Today's guest is not a paid advertiser or sponsor of the Off-Farm Income Podcast, and there are no discussions taking place for that to happen. This company was brought to my attention by a person I have met through agricultural podcasting, and after reading about their product I thought this might be something that could help you be more successful on your cattle or pig operation. That is why we are profiling it here today.
Our guest today, Joe Spicola, has been involved in the beef industry, raising stockers, for many years now. Sometime around 2005, as they were weighing cattle, again, he decided that there must be a better way to get this done than rounding up all the cattle, stressing them out, and inputting all that labor. Then, an idea was born. What if the cattle could be scanned and their weight calculated each time they came to water?
This started the journey that Joe is still on today. However, today he has an extremely accurate product that weighs cattle and pigs through 3-D imaging technology that he is selling. This product is called CLICR Weight, and its implications are fantastic!
Instead of rounding up cattle, penning them up, and running them through a scale to calculate their weights and average daily gains, Joe's product relies on the cattle coming to water and technology. Joe has been able to develop an algorithm that uses a 3-D image capture by a camera when a cow or pig comes to drink that provides the animal's weight with 96% accuracy. The implications here are astounding. A lot of labor and stress is saved by doing this when the cow or pig is doing something that is totally natural to them. And, the computer can automatically mark the animal if they have reached their goal weight. The computer can also automatically apply drenches so that cattle do not have to be run through corrals to get parasite protection, and I think Joe is just starting to figure out all the ways that this technology can help producers.
With a $3,500 price tag and a daily subscription fee of $.05-$.15 per animal, if this sounds like a technology that would help you to succeed in your operation it is definitely affordable. I hope that the information provided today can help you to be more successful, and I hope that innovations in agriculture like this keep coming our way!
There are a few key ways that businesses get started. One of the most common is when somebody gets frustrated with the lack of something they need or the quality of what is available to them. Our guest today has exactly this story.
Heather Kelly grew up in and still lives in Alaska. She takes full advantage of the outdoor recreation opportunities afforded to her there. In her time in the backcountry, she became frustrated with the freeze-dried food that was available to her. So, she started making her own.
This ultimately led her to develop her company, Heather's Choice. She is passionate about making freeze-dried food with quality and locally sourced food when available to her. She is also passionate about living where she wants to live - Alaska. And, she is passionate about creating jobs in her home state that are outside of what is traditionally available there. So, she was a perfect fit for this show!
ADVICE FROM HEATHER:
HONEST: You should always be honest in dealing with your customers....and you should be honest with yourself when it comes to what you can really handle.
JUMP: Heather believes that if you are passionate about an idea you should jump in with both feet and make it happen. This will help you determine whether or not it is going to work.
MISTAKES: You are going to make them, so just accept that now and it won't be devastating when it happens.
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE HEATHER HAS RECEIVED:
At some point, somebody told Heather to read The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It. This is a great book that I recommend as well. It talks about no letting working in your business destroy the joy of having your own business.
PERSONAL HABIT THAT HELPS HEATHER SUCCEED:
JOURNAL: Heather is very good at journaling. She does it daily, and it helps her to maintain her calm when things get crazy.
Ah, the energy, optimism, and strength of youth. So many of us let that part of our lives pass by without taking full advantage of what we were capable of at that time. Our guest today, Cody Keefer, is not one of those people.
Cody is farming with his brother, father, and grandfather on a farm in Ohio that has been in their family for almost 50 years. Cody just graduated high school, and there is no question that his passion is outdoors, on a tractor, and in a field. His family's farm is a traditional, production agriculture row crop farm with some cows on the side to keep them busy during the winter. Now that Cody has graduated high school it almost like he has been unleashed to go out and get farming!
In addition to farming with his family, Cody got started growing and selling hay a few years back. Since that initial launch, he has started obtaining more and more hay ground and selling more and more hay. He is currently up to about 50 acres, which he says is plenty for him considering all of the other work that he has to do.
I asked Cody about his future plans now that he is done with high school, and he had an interesting answer. He has already identified a couple of employers in his area that offers shift work, including overnights. He has got his eyes set on working at one of those places so that he can put in his off-farm hours during the night and farm during the day!
Most people work overnight shifts because they are just starting with a company, and they do not have enough seniority to work during the day. However, Cody is looking for that overnight work so that he has the daylight hours to work. Sleep? What about sleep? Well, Cody figures he will find some time for sleep when the farming and the off-farm work is done for the day. However, right now, sleep is a distant third on the priority list for Cody.
I am excited for this young man and where he is headed. He knows exactly what he wants to do, and his energy and thinking are all geared towards getting there. It is this drive and passion that is going to get him through on those days that he is short on sleep, and it is this same drive that is going to cause him to take full advantage of this time in his life when he is capable of hours like this.
Cody is literally and figuratively going to be making hay while the sun shines, and this is going to set him up well for the future that he is looking for!
Our guest today has a passion for bees. It is funny what a true passion will do. It will push you to produce more, get better at what you do and most importantly, figure out how to sustain your business so you can keep doing it.
Alexis Crone started raising bees when she was ten years old. Those first hives have now grown to a staggering number of 23, and that interested has blossomed into a business called ABC Pure Honey. Even though Alexis now harvests and sells gallons and gallons of honey, she realizes that is not enough. She has looked around at her competition, and she sees that there are a lot of people raising bees and selling honey. What she has discovered is the need for a USP or "unique selling proposition".
Alexis started thinking about what she could do to make ABC Pure Honey stand out. What she came up with was selling bi-products of honey production and creating value-added products. So, as she transitions into her junior year of high school she is doing the research to start selling pollen to people who will consume it for help with allergies. She is also experimenting with the creation of cosmetics from her beeswax and honey so that she can diversify her product line and stand out from the competition.
Alexis already has a great business going, but she obviously has more than that. She has instincts for how to grow her business and make it exceptional. She has already won a state proficiency award during just her sophomore year in high school. Now, as she continues to grow and develop her business more recognition is sure to follow!
Back in March of 2017, I had today's guest on the show for the very first time. In episode #267, Ric Brewer, appeared and told us all about his snail farming, processing, and marketing business that he had started in the Seattle area of Washington State. Over the past four years, Ric has evolved in his business. He has also seen his business devastated by Covid 19 as all of his restaurant customers were forced to close their doors.
Those challenges did not stop Ric from pursuing his passion and continuing to raise snails, however. And, during the past four years, he has started consulting with other people who would like to start a snail farming enterprise. There is a lot to enjoy in this interview. I think the highlight for me is learning about the unintended opportunity that Ric found himself with as a consultant. As he will explain in the interview the snail business is very complicated due to governmental regulations, the infrastructure needed to raise them, and regulations on distribution methods. However, after figuring that all out, he has become one of the foremost experts in the U.S. on how to navigate the waters of this business. And thus, another opportunity appeared!
Our guest today, Tatia Veltkamp, and her husband had an interest - butterflies. This interest turned into a hobby. The hobby grew and eventually turned into a side-hustle. Once the side-hustle started Tatia could see other opportunities. Today, this has grown into a full-blown business called Wings Of Enchantment.
Tatia and her husband started breeding butterflies after they gained some exposure to the need and the process. Over time they discovered the demand for these butterflies and saw several opportunities to turn this into a business.
Today they own "Wings Of Enchantment" in New Mexico. They are spreading awareness about butterflies, habitats, and the plants that are needed to support the species. They have also recognized several ways to generate revenue from this and put them into practice:
- Classroom Presentations
- Butterly Releases
- Life Cycle Kits
- Displays
The concept of butterfly releases was very interesting to me as I never even knew this existed. For special events, memorial services, dedications, you name it, people like to release butterflies. Wings Of Enchantment can provide the butterflies for you and even help you figure out how to make it work best.
From a business standpoint, there is a lot to be gained from this episode. Tatia and her husband are surviving the transition of loving something enough that they did it for fun, to turn it into a business. They have been able to do this and not lose the love or passion they had for butterflies in the first place. That is always the real question when turning a hobby into a business - will you continue to love it or will the business rob you of that.
How many of us have racked our brains trying to figure out a business we could start that would set us on our path to independence? I know that I am in that group, and I spent years trying to come up with the idea that would work. This is why I love interviewing FFA students. Sometimes they make it look so simple that it is an excellent lesson for the rest of us.
Elliot Scheaffer has a great business. He cuts up firewood, splits it, sorts onto 1/2 chord pallets, sells and delivers it. He has enough business that he has actually pulled down his Facebook ads because he doesn't want any more orders at this time. And, all of the firewood that he sells is obtained for free.
Elliot's business is brilliant and simple all at the same time. As he drives around the countryside in his area of Iowa he sees people who have trees down on their property. He will contact them, offer to clean up the downed tree in exchange for the wood, and voila! he has a product to sell. Then Elliot cuts and splits the wood stacks it onto pallets and delivers it to his customers where he will stack it for them.
While so many of us are driving around wondering what kind of business we could start, Elliot is driving around finding things to sell and starting. There is so much that we could learn from his example.
Today's guest, Tristan Miller, is the second FFA student who is a fifth-generation farmer to appear on the show in a row. Tristan currently works and lives on his family's farm north of Sacramento, California that has been part of his legacy since just after the Civil War. During that time, the farm has seen a lot of changes. For example, they used to raise cattle in addition to crops until drought made that unprofitable. Also, their farm and farms in their area used to be dominated by rice, but now almonds are taking over.
Tristan takes all of this in stride and loves the farm work and responsibility he has on the home place. When I asked him what his day-to-day work looks like, his answer was simple and to the point - "whatever grandpa tells me to do!".
Tristan has plans to return to the farm at some point, but he has some other interests that are enticing to him right now. He is heading off to college to study agricultural business next year. He also wants to get certified to drive large equipment so that he can operate large earthmovers for Cal Fire during wildfire season. If that weren't enough, he would like to start his own business cutting and bailing hay for farmers.
Tristan is definitely motivated, and it is going to be exciting to see where he takes this journey.
We talk about it all the time on this show - how can you get to the life in which all you have to do is farm or ranch? What if you already had an enterprise that would allow you to quit that job in town and farm or ranch full-time, but you just didn't know it?
On today's show, we will speak with Dallas Mount. Dallas has a history of advising and teaching folks in agriculture, and now he is the owner of Ranch Management Consultants and their key course, Ranching For Profit, in Wheatland, Wyoming. Dallas will be talking with us about how he and his people help to identify areas within people's ranching and farming enterprises that are going underutilized or are acting as a drag on their profits. He will talk about strategies for improving an operation, increasing productivity, and enhancing profits. He will also talk about the challenges to implementing those strategies when there are other stakeholders involved in the operation.
Dallas accurately points out that formal, agricultural education really emphasizes production when it comes to teaching ag students. Therefore, there are a lot of ranchers out there with a large amount of knowledge and skill when it comes to production, but who still need to learn how to look at their enterprise from the perspective of a business person.
You may wonder why I have a video of the Oprah Winfrey Show with Jim Carrey at the top of a post about farming and entrepreneurship. The reason that I did this is that today's guest, Tyler Hendrickson, said something that really made me think about this story from Jim Carrey.
If you watch the video clip you will see that Jim Carrey visualized himself as an actor long before he was successful. He then wrote a check to himself for $10 million for "acting services rendered". Ultimately what he visualized he was ultimately able to make happen.
Tyler does not yet have a farm. However, he named his diesel tuning business "Hendrickson Farms LLC". Tyler knows what he wants to do, and he has visualized it. He wants to farm, and he has chosen entrepreneurship as the pathway to achieving that. So, even though he does not have the farm yet, he has the business.....Hendrickson Farms LLC. He knows that someday in the future he will be selling crops and livestock under that name, and he has chosen entrepreneurship to make that happen.
ADVICE FROM TYLER:
LISTEN: Listen to everyone intently for information that will make it easier for you to succeed as you move forward.
RELATIONSHIPS: Find a way to continually be developing relationships with people as you grow. These people will help you succeed in your chosen business either by being mentors or customers.
PERSONAL HABIT THAT MAKES TYLER SUCCESSFUL:
DON'T QUIT: Tyler doesn't do this. He sees every job through to its completion, no matter what it takes to get it finished.
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE EVER GIVEN TO TYLER:
"If you shoot for the moon and fall short you will still be among the stars"...or something very close to that. Tyler's grandfather, through his words and example, showed Tyler that you need to set your goals high. That way even if you fall short you have still accomplished something significant.
Our guest today is a 5th generation farmer from Tennessee. Campbell Baker and his father are jointly raising cattle on land outside of Carthage, Tennessee, which has been in the family since the late 1800s. Where they are located is just about 50 miles to the east of Nashville. With all of the growth in and immigration to Tennessee and Nashville right now, Campbell sees many changes that he never expected.
As more and more beautiful farms are turned into subdivisions, Campbell has realized that when he takes over this farming enterprise, he will face challenges unlike any faced by his ancestors in the past. The growth, loss of farms, and diminishing open spaces can certainly be considered negative. However, Campbell chooses to put a positive spin on things.
Campbell and his father have recognized that the influx of people also means potential new markets and new customers for directly marketed beef. Therefore, they have been learning about new grazing techniques, new breeds of cattle, and how to market to folks in the city. They are prepping for the future and looking at how their farming operation can be sustainable through the future and possibly even more productive and profitable.
Campbell definitely has a passion for what he is doing. He understands all the different forages available on their farm, grazing techniques, and why a smaller breed of cattle might serve them better. He also is preparing to go to college to learn about agricultural business and marketing to put himself into a position to grow this operation in the future.
Our guest today is a sophomore in high school, and she is already figuring out how to farm. Lily Noel is the owner of Hilltop Pumpkins, and she is well on her way to developing a successful pumpkin farming business.
Growing up on her family's farm, Lily found an extra acre of ground where she could start growing pumpkins. Then she started figuring out how to market her crop. Then she started figuring out how to extend her sales and marketing season by adding in different varieties of pumpkins. Soon, she found herself selling pumpkins at three different locations in her county.
What stood out to me about this interview with Lily was how she recognized that her pumpkins were not going to be the main priority on the family farm. This meant that she had to work around the other farming operations. They were not going to work around her. So, when Lily is doing things such as planning out locations to grown more pumpkins in the future, she has to cognizant of their proximity to other crops, and if those crops might need to be sprayed with chemicals during the growing season that could harm her pumpkins.
It seems simple enough, "Just grow some pumpkins and sell them in the fall". But nothing is ever as simple as you think it will be. Lily is finding that out and doing an excellent job adapting to those complexities.
I have a lot of authors reach out to me, requesting that they be guests on the show. I almost never say yes, but today that is very different. Today, I am very excited to have Shannon Hayes on the show. Shannon has a great story of shifting mindsets, pursuing a rural and agricultural lifestyle, and making it work. And, she has written a fantastic book called Redefining Rich chronicling all of it and the lessons that she has learned along the way.
The title of this book really stood out to me when I first saw the proposal. I talk about redefining retirement on the show all the time. It seemed to be such a natural corollary to redefine what it means to be rich as well. So much of Shannon has experienced and talks about in this book is exactly what I have gone through since the time that I chose lifestyle and fulfillment over dollars and cents.
The journey that you want to take, to the lifestyle that you want to have is going to force you to change your mindset in multiple different ways. If you try to stay in the mindset of the full-time employee, ultra-consumption lifestyle while pursuing your dream, you will never make the sacrifices or adjust your priorities in a way that will lead to success.
Shannon's book is an excellent template for how to change that mindset and find true happiness. I talk about how lucky those of us with rural values who want to live in rural areas are, all the time. However, this makes no difference if you can't look around you and see yourself as rich because of the way in which you get to live. Shannon's book will absolutely help you see it and make that change. We will start you off with this great interview.
Our guest today has a story that is very similar to mine in that he has a heart for service and this manifested itself first in the military, later in local law enforcement and finally in his very own service business, Leedy Farm and Property Services.
Chuck Leedy moved away from his home in Dryden, Virginia a couple of times during his life. But ultimately, after having children, he decided he wanted to return home and farm. The challenge for him in doing that was what would he do to produce the income he would need for household expenses not covered by farm revenue.
Chuck decided upon entrepreneurship, but his did not happen suddenly. He was working as a maintenance technician for McDonald's at four different restaurants and building his business on the side. As he continued to build his business he discovered that the reputation he had built for himself in the community from serving as a law enforcement officer was helping him to get business. This was only natural as people inherently trusted him to be on their property.
Chuck went through the "crazy time" like so many entrepreneurs do when they are trying to transition from their full-time job to full-time self-employment. Finally, after working many hours per week between the business and the job he was able to break away and become a full-time entrepreneur. Once this happened he was able to focus more on his business and his farm. Now he is on a great trajectory to live the life for himself and his family that he has envisioned.
ADVICE FROM CHUCK:
COMMUNICATE: Chuck and I both learned through our careers in law enforcement that communication with customers is key. When he gets busy, something goes wrong or the farm demands his attention he can maintain positive relationships with customers through good communication.
REPUTATION: Chuck has a great reputation in his community, and he does not take that lightly. That is something that needs to be protected.
RELIABLE: Customers want somebody that they can depend on. You need to be reliable for them to truly trust that they can rely on you.
PERSONAL HABIT THAT MAKES CHUCK SUCCESSFUL:
ORGANIZED DRIVE: Chuck has a drive that helps him finish what needs to get done. And he compliments his time in the military for making him organized to get all the different things finished that he has on his schedule.
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE EVER GIVEN TO CHUCK:
This advice was given to Chuck by his grandfather: "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing it right the first time".
CONTACT INFORMATION AND LINKS:
Chuck's Email Address: LeedyPSLLC@yahoo.com
Have you ever heard the saying that "you will know it when you see it?" If you were to ask me how I can tell who will make it as an entrepreneur, that is probably the answer that I would receive. Sometimes you know what you know.
In the case of our guest today, Anna Collins, this is a young lady who will make it as an entrepreneur if she chooses to be one. How do I know this? It is all about looking at the actions that she has already taken and realizing that people who are not serious about an enterprise do not do what she has.
Anna loves horses, and she is determined to have her own business teaching others to ride and training. That sentence is not unique to Anna. You could make the same statement about many people who love horses and want to turn it into a full-time living. However, you could find countless people who have given up on that dream because they didn't have a farm or facilities or because there was too much liability. None of this has stopped Anna.
In high school, Anna is already teaching people to ride and training horses, and she is doing it on another family's farm and in their facilities. I could not interview them about why they allow Anna to do this, but I think it is highly likely that they saw the same drive and dedication in Anna that I did, and they wanted to help her achieve her dream. So, even though Anna did not have a proper facility, she did not allow that to stop her, and she is underway.
Putting other people's children on horseback and teaching them to ride is filled with potential liability. This is the type of issue in which you would expect a parent to step in and slow a high school student down to keep them from getting themselves or the property owners into hot water in a business like this. However, as I interviewed Anna, she had the correct answer to everything regarding civil liability. She is knowledgeable about business structures, waivers, insurance, etc. It is the fact that she has done the research, learned all about the business, and made the arrangements to shield everyone from liability that shows show clearly how devoted she is.
People who are just talking don't go to the headache of learning what an LLC is. They don't scour the internet, finding the correct liability waiver for their particular business, but Anna did.
Today we get to profile a very interesting family business from the Central Valley of California. Moreila Vieyra Santana lives on her families 20 acre horse property in Madera. They have a large barn for boarding horses, and they put on equestrian events that draw people in from all over the Valley. They are definitely helping to keep the horse culture of California alive.
Moreila and her brother and sister work in the family business. On a daily basis, Moreila is cleaning out stalls, combing horses, and providing lessons. When it is time to host an event she is busy doing whatever needs to be done to make sure that the customer and all of the spectators and contestants are having a great time and are satisfied. In this manner, Moreila does not get to enjoy the event like everyone else, but she learns a lot about business.
Moreila speaks fondly of her family's business as well as the leadership skills she is gaining in the FFA. It is obvious that she is not afraid to step up and lead. One of the things that she cites about her family's business is that she sees areas for improvement. From the perspective of a sophomore in high school, she sees other things and events that they could be providing that would be good for the community as well as the business. And, she is not afraid to approach this with her parents.
This is one of the parts of interviewing FFA students that I enjoy so much. They are encouraged to try their ideas and voice their opinions about how things can be improved. In addition to preserving a rich culture in her part of California, Moreila is not shy about suggesting improvements, and this is going to serve her well going forward.
On today's rural crime episode, Matt talks to Captian Greg Whitehead with the Tennessee Ag Crime Investigation Unit about protecting farmers from being victims of rural crime. They discuss what kinds of crimes the unit investigates, how prolific is the theft of timber, and what can people do to protect themselves from this happening.
Is there a black market for stolen timber or is there just no way for legitimate sellers to know any difference?
Farmers typically have a reputation for being strong, stoic, silent types who can handle anything that comes their way. While I believe this is 100% true, I have to ask if this stigma prevents farmers and ranchers from asking for help regarding mental health? In today's episode, Matt pulls himself out of bed while battling the coronavirus to talk to Dr. Tina Christine L. Chasek about the importance of mental health in agriculture.
Dr. Christine L. Chasek is a Mental Health Counselor in Kearney, NE, with special training and skill in working with individuals, groups, and communities to improve mental health dysfunctions by discussing emotions and experiences, then prescribing custom holistic solutions. As a Mental Health Counselor, Christine L. Chasek, LMHP, LPC performs assessments and diagnostics, psychotherapy, treatment planning, and crisis management. Mental Health Counseling is flexible, consumer-driven therapy that combines psychotherapy with practical, problem resolution strategies.
To make money in the cattle industry, you need to be creative. Today's guest, Cody Voss, has found his creative niche. Along with his father, they have figured out how to buy bred cows that have missed calving season for one reason or another. They take the cattle home and sell them back about a month after they calve. The trick here is picking a cow that will act reasonably after having her calf.
Cody and his dad have a circuit of about five auctions they go to looking for these cows. The auctioneers know them and know what they are looking for and can steer them in the right direction. They have figured out who the breeders are that are selling the cows at auction, and they know whose cows are good but just missed a heat cycle and are being sold because they are outside of the calving season. I really like this business model.
In addition to all of this Cody raises sheep and goats. Plus he and his family custom raise hogs in Iowa. This has led Cody to many proficiency applications and Stars Over Iowa.
It is always amazing to me what a student in high school is capable of when they get fired up about agriculture. Our guest in today's episode is just beginning high school, and she already has so much going for her in addition to having her future well mapped out.
Cameron Shelton is a freshman at Monache High School in Porterville, California. She has been involved in the 4H for six years and is just completing her first year of FFA. She has been showing goats for several years, and currently keeps a herd of 15 wethers at her home about 20 minutes away from Porterville.
Cameron's sister preceded her in the FFA, and she is now living and working in Texas, still involved with goats. This has exposed both Cameron and her sister to opportunities in the goat business, and they have taken full advantage. Cameron and her sister are now co-owners in goats from sea to shining sea, including California, Texas, and Delaware! It is really amazing how deep into the industry Cameron has got herself before she has even finished her freshman year of high school.
If that weren't enough, Cameron knows that she wants to be a veterinarian. As such, she has already identified the top three schools that she would like to attend to propel her into this career: Texas A&M, Tarleton State University, and Colorado State University. It is really exciting to see a student get this fired up about their future!
If you have been listening to the Off-Farm Income Podcast for long, you know the question I always asking young men and women who are paying rent to a relative to be able to farm some of their ground. I always want to know why the relative has them pay rent if they want them to succeed. And the answer is always some form of how that relative is passing down wisdom and teaching the student work ethic and how things work in the real world.
Today's interview is a great example of this exact thing. Kidridge Griffin has been farming since he was twelve years old, and his father and his grandfather have always made him cover his own end. This has turned out very well for Kidridge as he has just graduated from high school but he is already leasing over 100 acres of farm ground and has built up a herd of 70+ mother cows.
Kidridge has been given a lot of wisdom over the years, and it is obvious that he has listened. One of the ways that I could tell was by the fact that he is able to defer pleasure. He works full-time on his family's farm, but he doesn't receive any pay. Instead, he receives feed in the winter for his calves, and he receives the use of the family's farming equipment. This has allowed Kidridge to farm on his own and ever start doing paid farming jobs for other people in the community.
Most 18-year-olds, me included, would want to be paid right now for our work so I could go spend the money on something. However, Kidridge is different. He is completely willing to forgo the cash to reinvest back in his farming enterprise because he has his eyes on something bigger in the future!
On today's show, we have a special Friday edition for you. Our guest is Elliot Prestwich, the producer of the Off-Farm Income Podcast. The stars definitely aligned to bring Elliot to his role on the show. Today we will introduce you to him, his role at Off-Farm Income, and talk about what is next to come! Elliot has an extensive background in audio production coming from the live entertainment and recording industry. He is an expert in brand management and marketing. Elliot is currently producing Off-Farm Income and the D&B Supply Show Podcasts.
He even wrote his own bumper music for his special episode, lets us know what you think!
This was a very interesting interview. I did not get to any of my normal business questions because I was so fascinated by learning about how Joseph Carter catches, trains, and hunts with mink to get to them.
One of our great listeners, Dave Lehman, recommended Joseph as a guest to me. What is ironic about this and also demonstrates the power of social media is that Joseph and I live relatively close to each other. However, Dave lives on the other side of the country. But he was very familiar with Joseph while I was not.
What Joseph does with mink is awesome from a business standpoint. He can find and flush rats and muskrats. Based on my previous business of gopher extermination I am very curious to see if mink can hunt rock chucks (marmots). In the area of Idaho that I live in, if an effective solution for rock chucks could be found, that could be a very good business.
ADVICE FROM JOSEPH:
TIME: You had better devote the time needed to train your mink. If you don't you will assume, like so many before you, that they are untrainable.
REST OF THE BUSINESS QUESTIONS:
I will have to get to these on a follow-up interview with Joseph as I took way too much time discussing how mink hunt and hearing his story to get to them in this episode.
CONTACT INFORMATION AND LINKS:
YouTube Channel: LINK
Facebook Page: LINK
BOOKS:
Each and every one of us has an obstacle that we will have to overcome if we are going to find success and happiness. And, it is a natural tendency to believe that we are the only ones facing hardship when we are in the midst of going through something. But the truth is, if you had access to every person's personal information, that you would realize that life is hard for everyone, and everybody is overcoming something.
Today's episode is a reminder of this and a beautiful example of what is possible when we are determined to now allow anything to stand in our way. Our guest, Halle Miller, has both a before and after picture to this story. Looking at this story today you are seeing the results of a lot of work and determination, and as most talented people do, Halle makes it look easy. Halle is a talented public speaker and entrepreneur, and she is excelling in both categories through her work with Ohio Ag Net and her own business breeding and selling Bordoole puppies.
Her before pictures looks much different. As a young girl, she was extremely shy. She also had a traumatic incident involving a dog that took years of determination and therapy to overcome. However, Halle refuses to let anything stand in her way. So, over the years she has gone from shy and terrified of dogs to becoming a premier breeder of Bordooles and a reporter.
It is these transitions that make interviewing FFA students so special, and I am pleased to share this story with you today.
If you have something you want to do or a job you want to take, and you want to make sure that you wind up in a place that suits you very well, how do you find the right fit? Let's take college as an example. Let's say that you want to find a college atmosphere that will offer you what you are looking for academically and also be a place that will help you to thrive. There are 5,300 colleges in the United States. How in the world do you figure out which one of these places will do that?
Our guest today, Sydney Alsip, offers some good advice on this process. Sydney is just getting ready to graduate high school, and her dream is to travel and judge sheep shows. She knows that she wants to go to a college with an excellent livestock judging program, but she also wants the college to be a good fit for her personality type.
Most colleges with the best livestock judging programs are two-year schools. However, the colleges you hear the most about are the higher profile, four-year universities. So, if they are getting all the press, how do you find that school that fits you and isn't getting any press?
Sydney did this by putting herself around people who were having success in college judging livestock. This is an important lesson. She wanted to do this and to find the right place, so she gravitated to people who were doing what she wanted to do. By listening to their conversations, asking good questions, and following their example she identified the right college for her.
What is so impressive about what Sydney did is that she found the right fit at the College of Northern Oklahoma, even though she is from Kentucky. Talk about a diamond in the rough! But, she did it, and this is possible for anyone else. If you know what you want to do but don't know how to start, put yourself in the company of those people who are doing what you want to do. The rest will take care of itself.
This show is all about helping you find a way to achieve the farming or ranching dream that you have. In today's episode, we are going to illustrate the single most important way to make this happen.
Cody Bumgarner is an enterprising young man who is building up a significant bison herd and bison meat business right in my backyard called "Idaho Bison". Cody is raising his buffalo just about 40 miles away from my farm, near New Plymouth, Idaho. Getting into the bison business is not easy. Bison are expensive, and they take a long time for you to start generating revenue from them. In addition to that, they require special handling facilities because of their size and their wild nature. Plus, if you are looking for an operating loan you might not be able to get one because bankers don't like bison herds as collateral because they are too difficult to sell. Cody was exposed to the bison business by one of his friends, and when he saw how valuable the cuts of meat were he decided that he wanted in. His friend agreed to allow him to build his herd within his already existing herd and on the property that had the vital infrastructure in place already. All that was left for Cody to do was to start buying buffalo. Buffalo are expensive, and this expense could have killed the motivation of a lot of people. However, Cody's motivation is strong and his priority is developing a profitable farm business. So, he went to Alaska. That may sound funny, but for two years Cody went and worked underground on a drill rig in a gold mine in Alaska. This was as a high-paying job that he could get, and he took advantage of the opportunity to send money home and have it invested in his herd of buffalo. Today, Cody has developed a significant herd, partnered with two other producers, and started marketing bison meat. They are selling more and more all the time, and he is well on his way to achieving this goal. Cody is a great example of how to get started farming today. Networking, partnering with the right people, bringing value to those partnerships, prioritizing farming and hard work is what will get you there. Cody is what we call "proof of concept".
SHOW NOTES Are you looking for your niche in agriculture? Do you wish you could farm but not have to work outside during the cold and windy winters? Would you like to provide food directly to people but also for livestock? If so, today's episode is for you.
On today's show, we discuss the emerging market of mealworms for human and animal consumption with Cheryl Powers of Jord Producers. Cheryl knew she wanted to return to agriculture, but she defined a set of parameters before deciding what she would do. Between defining how she wanted to farm and what she wanted her business to accomplish she discovered mealworm production.
Now Cheryl is identifying new markets, producing brood worms, and has team members helping her to grow this business. If you are looking for your niche, this episode is for you!
ADVICE FROM CHERYL:
SKILLS: Look for team members that have skills that you lack. They need to compliment you in this way.
HELP: Find help in your community in developing businesses. Then take full advantage.
INTERVIEW: Interview potential customers as you are developing your idea. This will help you know whether or not it is viable, and how to pivot your business.
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE CHERYL HAS RECEIVED:
DELIVER: You better be able to deliver what you promise. Don't be just another company that makes big claims but cannot follow through.
RESOURCES:
The Lean LaunchPad by Steve Blank
CONTACT INFORMATION AND LINKS:
Facebook: LINK
Email: LINK
Telephone: 402-469-0038
SHOW NOTES: I had an interesting transition from community college to a four-year university in 1993. My first three semesters of college were spent in Modesto at Modesto Junior College studying animal science. During that time I was living at home, working full-time, and then working as much as I could at my step-father's farm in my free time. I was busy, but it was working. I had a 3.5 GPA, and I was on the Dean's List. I was performing at a high level.
Then I transferred to Montana State University, didn't have a job, joined the club baseball team, and lived in the dorm. I had my first ever semester in which I did not achieve at least a 3.0, and my first ever semester achieving below a 2.0. I was almost immediately placed on academic probation. I continued to get poor grades for about a year. Then I hit pause on college, got residency in Montana, and started paying for college myself.
Once I was back to more of a stressful lifestyle with harder classes, a heavier class load, full-time work, rent and tuition to pay, etc. I saw my grades creep back up. It became clear to me that I was left to create my own structure because of free time I was not nearly as familiar as if I were forced to create structure due to being busy. If I only had 90 minutes in a week to work on an assignment, I would concentrate intently on that assignment and do a better job. If I had copious amounts of free time, I would wonder where all the time went, and I would do poorly.
For years I thought I was all alone, but today I interviewed Anna Webel. Anna is just finishing up her sophomore year in high school, but she has already discovered this about herself. She keeps herself incredibly busy playing sports in all three seasons, serving as an officer in the FFA chapter, raising cattle at home, and showing cattle at different shows around Illinois and beyond. She is achieving at a high level in all of these areas, and she credits the need to have structure to be able to participate in everything that interests her. Without it, she knows that she would have to give something up, and that drives her to maximize her performance in everything she does when she gets the opportunity to work on it.
A word that is probably overused in entrepreneurial circles these days is "pivot". However, like all overused words, it has a good meaning. If you are not familiar, when somebody talks about pivoting in business it means being flexible enough to change direction as circumstances dictate so that you can find business success. Our guest today did just that, and it has led her into a real opportunity for business success as she rounds out the latter half of her high school FFA experience.
Kailea Tilton is currently a sophomore at Seneca High School in Louisville, Kentucky. During her freshman year of high school, when trying to come up with a supervised agricultural experience, she decided that she would get a rabbit and teach it how to do tricks as part of a livestock SAE. She tried everything she could think of, month after month, and she could never get the rabbit to do what she wanted. So, she had a decision to make - start completely over or rework what she had already begun.
Kailea decided to pivot. She knew that she liked to bake, and she knew that she liked her rabbit and her other pets. She decided to explore baking treats for her pets and the pets of other people. She was sticking with a form of her original project, searching for success.
At this point "Hershel's Bakery" was born, and she started creating treats and testing how well they were received on pets around her neighborhood. It wasn't long until she knew that she was onto something. At that point, Kailea leveraged her mom's Facebook profile and posted a flyer announcing her business and treats. In no time at all, she had over 100 orders and was well on her way.
Kailea got started with the help of a $500 grant from the Kentucky FFA Foundation. This was pivotal in helping her to purchase ingredients. She is now looking ahead to applying for more SAE grants and growing her business even larger. She has determined that she likes working for herself and sees entrepreneurship as a part of her future.
Any of you who have been listening to this show for some time know how we find our guests for Friday episodes. Generally, we comb through Craigslist ads looking for somebody with an agricultural business, and then we reach out to them to see if they will be on the show.
About two weeks ago my producer, Elliot, was doing this very thing when he came across an ad in Wyoming for grass hay, horse grazing, and horse boarding. He sent an email to the author of that ad asking him if he would like to be a guest on the show. The answer was yes, and it turned out that Elliot had opened up an oyster that contained a pearl.
Elliot had reached Reid Lance Rosenthal. Not only was Reid the author of that Craigslist ad, but he is the author of many, many books, a rancher, a radio host, a real estate investor, and a broker as well as a public speaker. Reid is the author of the "Threads West" series of books including notable titles such as Maps Of Fate and Moccasin Track. So, what was going to be an interview about side businesses in agriculture turned into an interview about books, ranches, writing methods, and favorite writers. I had a great conversation with Reid, and I think you are going to really enjoy hearing this discussion. I know I enjoyed having it! Connect with Reid Lance Rosenthal www.threadswestseries.com www.landforloveandmoney.com www.facebook.com/threadswest www.facebook.com/romancingthewest
SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING ANNA LINK! As an entrepreneur, I really appreciate people who go out and seize opportunities. Actually, people who create their own opportunities are the ones that impress me most of all.
Our guest today, Anna Link, did just that, and that is how she wound up being on this show. Anna reached out to me and another agricultural podcast host, Rob Sharkey, on Twitter and requested to be a podcast guest. I had her send me an email and let me know what she has been doing in the FFA, and it was a no-brainer. I booked her on the show right away.
Creating her own opportunities seems to be a character trait of Anna's, as requesting to be a guest on this show is certainly not the only time that she has done this. Anna raises Hereford hogs, and she does so because they are so underrepresented in the show pig world. But she did not stop there. She started a Facebook group for people with Hereford hogs in Missouri. That group has grown and now has spread across state lines.
Anna also took the initiative to be part of the 4H as well as the FFA, as her parents were not pushing her to go that direction, she lives in town and does not have a farm. Those efforts have led her in a good direction though, and she found herself serving as her chapter's president as well as her area's reporter.
Enjoy this episode with this exciting young student.
INTRODUCING JAYLA WASHINGTON:
It is always difficult to quantify what I love about interviewing FFA students the most. Each time I try I do come back to a common theme, and that is that the projects these students take on are all vision and almost no mitigation due to real-world realities.
As adults when we start a project or business we have to do it within certain confines. We still need to make the mortgage payment, we don't want to lose our life savings that are in the 401K, we have to keep enough time in our schedule to be a good spouse or parent, etc., etc. These realities of adulthood can really scale back a project or even make it seem unworkable.
With FFA students they just aren't subject to these things, and they can let their imaginations run wild. Normally, by the time I have found out about them and invited them to be on the show, these ideas have turned into something wonderful.
That is definitely the case with today's guest, Jayla Washington. Jayla is in her third year of the FFA at Lowcountry Leadership Charter School in Hollywood, South Carolina. Prior to entering the FFA Jayla had been observing her grandfather's efforts to serve their community by growing vegetables and donating them to people in need in the surrounding community. Of course, one of the major aspects of the FFA is service, so when Jayla became a member this seemed like a natural fit for her.
Thus began "Produce For All", which is Jayla's non-profit operation to provide organic, fresh, and healthy food into a local food desert in her area. This started out with her networking with food banks to get food into these areas, but it has grown. As of our interview, Jayla has been awarded a $1,000 SAE grant two years in a row. The first year from the CCOF in Santa Cruz, California, and Bob Evans Farms this year. Both of these grants have enabled her to expand her operation with equipment so she can produce even more organic produce to donate into her local food desert.
Jayla definitely has a vision. She is a junior in high school right now, and one of the things she wants to do with this project before she graduates is turned it into a placement SAE for another FFA student. She is planning on going to college in Alabama to study horticulture, and she wants somebody to continue to run this non-profit while she is away. So at the same time that she is keeping organic produce flowing into an area where it is really needed she will be creating an SAE opportunity for another student. Brilliant!
Jayla has discovered a career path that will help her to aid other people in need through being a horticultural therapist. This was the first time that I had ever heard of this profession, but she explained to me how it works. She is completely dedicated to service, and it is wonderful to see where is going to take this.
Connect with Jayla's Local Farm on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaylas_local_farm/
INTRODUCING BETHANY KELLER:
The tagline for the Off-Farm Income Podcast calls agriculture "the ultimate lifestyle business". I have made the argument for why this is true many, many times. One thing that we have never really done is delved deeply into why people are so attracted to this lifestyle. What is it that will make people work twice the hours for half the money just to be part of this group?
One answer to that is community. It is the community that we are so fortunate to be part of in agriculture that pulls people in. People in agriculture have old-fashioned values, and one of those old values is helping each other out. I think what keeps that ever-present in agriculture and farming is the fact that any of us can find ourselves in a situation that we cannot get out of ourselves at any moment. The need to call on neighbors or even strangers is always there.
Today's interview profiles exactly why we love this community so much. It all starts with Bethany Keller. Bethany is a senior at Newberry High School in Newberry, Florida. She has been in their FFA chapter since middle school.
About a year ago Bethany lost her grandfather to cancer. About a month after that she began her 2021 fair project, which was a steer that she was going to show and then sell at her county fair in March of 2021. Like any fair project, there is a lot of work involved, but with a steer, I think there is more. You have to start sooner, your feed cost will be higher, your purchase cost will be higher, you have to halter break, you need bigger equipment to transport a steer - everything is magnified.
To get motivated for a project of this scope a student needs to see a reward on the other end. Normally, that reward comes at the auction when you make money off of your steer. This was Bethany's motivation, and this was totally appropriate. But about halfway to the fair Bethany found out that one of her friends had been diagnosed with cancer, and he and his family were facing significant medical bills.
Her friend's diagnosis changed everything for Bethany. She decided then and there to forgo what she was going to make from the steer and to donate all the proceeds to help him with the medical bills. He resisted, but she insisted and it was done.
The fair arrived in March, and the night prior to the auction she was taken around the show ring, and a fair representative told her story and what she was doing. The following day at the auction, the auctioneer told the story again. Then the bidding for her steer began. By the time it was all said and done, Bethany's community had bid her steer up to over $16,000. She was able to provide a great donation to her friend and his family through her selflessness and the generosity of her community.
That is a community and lifestyle worth making sacrifices to be part of!
SHOW NOTES
Today's Friday episode is a little bit different than normal. There are two major points of value in this episode. First, is the lesson that when you take the step to reach out to others for help or advice you just never know where it will take you. Second, are some practical tips about how to start your own podcast for your own form of off-farm income.
The way this all started is that a young lady named Ashley Elsbernd, who is currently a junior at South Winneshiek High School, reached out to Warren Clark of AgPR Media for advice about starting her own podcast to profile the projects and accomplishments of her fellow FFA members. Warren then referred her to me to see if I could help her.
Instead of just trading some emails and answering some of her questions, I decided to have Ashley on the show and have her interview me. This forced her to think up questions that she wanted answers to, and it took her way out of her comfort zone. However, by the time it was all said and done, Ashley had completed her first-ever podcast interview, and she had the experience to take her deeper into her project. Oh, and she and any of you who are interested had information that could help you to develop your own podcast as your form of off-farm income.
I hope this was both helpful and entertaining for all of you.
SHOW NOTES One of the mantras of this show is that if you want to farm and to farm successfully you need to be willing to relocate. This has everything to do with land prices and land quality. If you live in an area that has inflated land prices due to land buyers that are not ag-related, your chances of making it and farming full-time decrease because of this increased land payment.
I have never had a great answer, only a good one, for how to go about finding the right place outside of your area. There are millions of farmable acres across the United States. How can a person truly go find just the right spot?
Fortunately for me, I was connected to Steven Brockshus, the founder of Farm Finder, through the American Farm Bureau Federation. In today's episode, I get to speak with Steven all about this great business and website that he started that is designed to allow anyone to find the perfect piece of farm ground for their interests. This can be done by entering the exact parameters you are looking for, checking the soil types, viewing the sale prices of comparable farms, etc.
And, in addition to all of this, I get to profile a wonderful success story of a previous FFA national officer who has taken his time in the FFA to the next level.
ADVICE FROM STEVEN:
PURPOSE: Know your purpose when you start a venture. It is important to know where you are trying to go in order for you to get there.
LIVE: When looking at farm ground it is really important to know whether or not you want to live there. This really influences the decision process and how good of a farm you purchase.
FINANCE: Have your financing in order and understand the numbers. Without this, the best farm in the world might still fail.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Website: https://www.farmlandfinder.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarmlandFinder
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FarmlandFinder
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/farmlandfinder/
Email: steven@farmlandfinder.com
INTRODUCING JENNA SPANGLER:
Obviously, the reason that I started interviewing FFA students was their involvement in entrepreneurship. The way that the FFA facilitates exposure and learning in entrepreneurship is second to none. And, as the title of this episode suggests it really is an entrepreneurship incubator.
That is very apparent in our interview with today's guest, Jenna Spangler. Jenna is a very competitive person, and upon joining the FFA she found that this organization served her competitive spirit very well. Through a myriad of different contests and competitions, she found exactly what she was looking for. Then the day came that she wanted to go on a mission trip and needed to raise $150 to make this happen. Jenna decided that she would make ice cream and sell it to people for the fundraiser and actually pre-sold what she needed to raise.
This motivation is what led Jenna to be exposed to business and entrepreneurship. She found herself really enjoying making and selling products to other people and wanting to explore this further. Well, she just happened to be in the FFA already. Of course, this organization not only promotes but rewards entrepreneurship, and she found just the backing and encouragement that she needed. This led her to seek out opportunities outside of the FFA to learn even more about entrepreneurship, and Jenna Lou's Homemade Ice Cream was born.
Today Jenna is preparing to finish high school and go to college to study in pursuit of growing this business even more. She has reinvested her profits and upgraded her equipment, allowing her to produce even more ice cream in less time. Jenna has a vision, and she has figured out what she needs to do to make that vision a reality. It will be very exciting to see where this all goes.
Visit Jenna Lou's Homemade Ice Cream online here: https://www.facebook.com/jennalous.icecream
INTRODUCING ANNA RIDENOUR:
I'll start this post by saying happy birthday to today's guest, Anna Ridenour, as her episode release date is on her 18th birthday! And, that does not happen that often.
Anna is the epitome of what can happen to a student when they get involved in the FFA. I have seen more than once that a student who joins the FFA has a passion develop, they develop skills to serve that passion, and they find themselves at a very advanced stage of life development by the time they graduate from high school.
In Anna's case, I have a hard time believing that there was ever a time that she did not have all the passion and enthusiasm that she currently has for agriculture, but those things grow over time. Today, Anna is serving in multiple officer positions both at her chapter and regional levels, and she is pursuing a spot on the Minnesota State Officer Team. She and her sister have been developing a sheep and goat business since they were seven years old, and they see great success with this, selling livestock into over half of the states.
Anna has her eye fixed on college next and veterinary school after that. She has recognized that as a goat producer herself, her Minnesota region does not have many veterinarians with significant knowledge about goats. Since this is her passion and wants to serve her community, she sees herself filling this void as a large animal vet.
There are a lot of lessons to be learned in this great interview. One of the most important is how to find your passion. It would be effortless to listen to Anna and believe that she has always known exactly what she wants to do, but that is not the case. She is just so fired up about the FFA, farming, and life that she has tried many things since joining the FFA in sixth grade. This has not only resulted in success, but it has failed in some cases. Most importantly, Anna has been able to identify what she is not passionate about by trying things that were not the right fit.
This is an important lesson. Sometimes we identify our passion not by figuring it out but by figuring out what is not our passion and looking at what options are left.
SHOW NOTES
I know that the title of this episode might be a little bit misleading. I mean, does anyone really get a full night's sleep during calving season? However, we here at Off-Farm Income have uncovered an innovation that we would like to share with you. And, if the innovation works as advertised, and you grow to trust it, I believe you will get a lot of sleep during calving season.
I want to give my disclaimer, the same way I always do when we profile a companies product or service. These folks are not sponsors of our show, they have not paid us any money and we are not seeking them as a sponsor. At the end of this interview, they did offer to send us some products to test, which we are going to do, but we reached out to them to profile this innovation because it sounds like it could be a game-changer for cattle farmers.
Today I am interviewing Stephen Fagan. He is the head of operations and design for Moocall. Moocall is a company based in Dublin, Ireland that was founded by cattle farmers. They have developed a system for calving detection on cattle and another one for heat detection in cattle.
In the interview, Stephen explains how both devices work as much as he can without giving away trade secrets. He also talks about the benefits and what you can do with these devices. This is a very exciting innovation in agricultural technology for knowing when a cow or heifer is about to calve when your cow has been serviced and whether or not she was settled. I am excited to bring this to you today!
Connect with MooCall:
Website: https://moocall.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moocall
Instagram: www.instagram.com/moocallofficial
Twitter: www.twitter.com/moocallofficial
Email: hello@moocall.com
Advice For The Beginning Cattle Farmer I have had two situations/conversations recently that have really made me want to ask everyone to hit the pause button for just a second before putting cattle on their places. And this has really made me think about this a little bit deeper.
Let me first start by saying that as a person who loves agriculture, wants to see agricultural land preserved, likes the diversity of people farming, and really enjoys cattle - I am all for people discovering this great animal and engaging in this industry.
However, cattle are not a species of livestock that you can just decide you want to raise and then begin. You really need to know what you are doing here, both for reasons of being humane and because of the impact on your financials.
Small livestock like goats, sheep, and even pigs can be easy to start out with. But cattle are just too big for you to start off with if you have no experience and you don't have the correct equipment. The larger the animal, the less margin for error and less ability you will have to correct your mistakes.
Once you get a cow to shut off the thinking part of her brain and start running away from you with that thousand-yard stare, you are in big trouble. My goal is for you to never hit that point. But if you ever do, I want you to be able to handle it.
What I Have Been Seeing This is what I have been seeing recently that has caused me to make this episode. I have been seeing too many instances of folks with zero experience raising cattle but who have purchased a property putting some cows on it with no other planning. I've also seen these folks get themselves in a bit of a bind when it comes time to doctor the cows, catch the cattle or separate the cows from the bull.
I think the mistake that so many people make is not seeing what is really going on around them. As folks drive through the countryside you see cattle grazing peacefully on pastures or out on the range, and it is a pastoral scene that you would like to replicate on your own place. But what you are not seeing is the time, experience, and planning that goes into achieving that scene.
There are a lot of very experienced cowboys and cowgirls out there who have loved cattle their entire lives and have been working with cattle their entire lives. And if you get the chance to watch them work with cattle, they can make it look very easy. But it is not. This is one of those situations in which the person is so good at what they do, that they are making it look easy.
If you have never worked with cattle before, this like watching Stephen Curry hit a 3 point shot or Tiger Woods sink a 40 foot put and saying "I can do that". They make it look easy because they are professionals. You are not. There is a lifetime of practice, desire, and intuition between the head of that putter and the hole that the ball eventually drops in. You, as the new cow farmer, have a long way to go.
What Should You Do * Make Friends With Neighbors * Reinforce Your Fences * Be Picky About The Cattle You Buy * Get The Correct Equipment * Get Some Education * Learn About Flight Zones And Pressure * Teach Yourself To Walk Away * Get Some Experience * Start Slow * Spend Time With Your Cattle * Learn About Electric Fence * Know The Reasons That Cattle Will Push Fence * Rotate Your Pastures
You, Will, Get There I am excited for you, and you are going to get there. But let's not get in too big of a hurry. You can get started pretty quickly with smaller livestock like goats, sheep, and even pigs. But, if cattle are where you are headed, you need to really think about these things before you jump in. If you don't, you might end up losing a lot of money. Worse yet, you might wind up with a cow that needs help you cannot give it because you can't get it caught or can't control it.
INTRODUCING ISAIAH HOPKINS:
I have a lot of favorite businesses that I profile on the Off-Farm Income Podcast, and the business we will profile today is quickly becoming my favorite for FFA students.
I have talked many times over the years about how I think the development of a lawn care business in the FFA can lead a student to unbelievable entrepreneurial success. I have gone as far as to say that in the same way that the dry cleaning business was called the "future millionaire-maker" back in the 1980s and 1990s, I think the lawn care business takes its place as the "future millionaire-maker" of today. Well, over time I have come to learn that there is an even more basic first step to this business, but it is a very important one. That is the repair and maintenance of small engines.
In today's episode, I am interviewing Isaiah Hopkins. Isaiah has a vision for a future of business endeavors. He is a junior in high school, and he is just getting started recognizing the possibilities by fixing up broken-down motorcycles and lawn equipment and then reselling them at a profit. This is a natural lead-in to the lawn care business because small engine repair and a mechanical aptitude are so important there. Also, the ability to find old equipment, sometimes for free, fix it up, and use it to make money with the best definition of "bootstrapping" I have ever heard!
As Isaiah gets more experience with his business, record keeping, and insuring a profit he is expanding into lawn care. He sees this as the conduit that can help him make the money that will allow him to go into other entrepreneurial ventures like rental houses and storage units. I believe he has an excellent plan, and the only thing that can stop him will be if he changes his mind!
INTRODUCING MATTHEW GRAB:
You may wonder how we can produce so much food in the United States on an ever-shrinking footprint of ground with fewer and fewer people being involved in production agriculture. The answer is the natural curiosity of the American Farmer coupled with a passion for agriculture and an innovative mind.
These characteristics that have made the American Farmer great are evident throughout the spectrum, from the 80-year-old farmer who is trying hard not to retire to the 16-year-old who is dreaming of how they can become a farmer.
In today's interview, I am lucky enough to interview one of these farmers. At age 18, Matthew Grab is already accomplishing amazing things in the FFA and in agriculture. He lives on his family's grain farm in Freeburg, Illinois and one of the crops they grow is soybeans. As part of Matthew's supervised agricultural experience, he and a friend decided to see how hail damage would impact the yield on soybeans.
The two of them set up a test plot of soybeans to experiment on, but the question was, how were they going to replicate hail? A very fun and innovative solution was thought up. They would shoot the soybean plants with a shotgun from a distance to simulate hail stones comes down and ripping the soybean leaves.
Their initial hypothesis was that hail damage would decrease yield. This is a very natural hypothesis. However, they ended up demonstrating that at the stage of development that they simulated the damage the yield wound up increasing. This was very interesting, so the next year they replicated the experiment on a larger scale using a herbicide at a very low rate. This also increased the yield. They entered this experiment into the FFA's National Agriscience Fair, and they won!
It is this type of natural curiosity and love for what they do that has always led the American Farmer to produce more with less. And it is this type of innovation and spirit in Matthew's generation that gives me the confidence to know that we will find a way to continue to feed the world as our world's population continues to grow.
SHOW NOTES
Everybody knows that obtaining land is the single biggest obstacle to overcome for a new or beginning farmer. And the current state of real estate all over the U.S. is pushing us towards the point that it seems almost impossible. So, if a person wants to farm on a commercial scale, what are they to do.
In our society, innovation always seems to answer these difficult questions, and it may very well be true this time as well. On today's show, I get to speak with Alex Albu of FarmBox Foods. Alex and his colleagues have developed a system of vertical farming in storage containers that can be placed anywhere, in any climatic conditions, and get somebody farming.
It is really a very interesting concept. A person on a small, residential lot could start farming in one of these containers and be producing the same farm revenue that could only be replicated on 30+ acres of ground. And of course, the investment in this equipment, while significant, pales in comparison to the ground and is not subject to growing seasons or environmental difficulties like storms, freezes, or drought.
In our interview, Alex states that farmer is recovering their initial investment in their systems in about two years. That is pretty good if all you need to do is purchase a 1/2 acre lot and one of these pieces of equipment to up and running. And, in this system, Alex suggests growing the best of lettuces and mushrooms to tell at premium prices to restaurants, grocery stores, and individuals through farmers' markets.
This is really a very innovative idea, and I am very excited to see where it goes and how many people it can help to get started farming.
Connect with Alex Albu & FarmBox Foods:
Website: https://farmboxfoods.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/farmboxfoodscolorado
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmboxfoods/
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/farmbox-foods/
Email: info@farmboxfoods.com
SHOW NOTES Our guest today has a very interesting story. Shelby Smith grew up on her family's farm just outside Ames, Iowa but her passion never seemed to lie with farming. Shelby is an exceptional athlete, and this is where she concentrated her time during high school, college, and later in graduate school.
As a standout point guard on her high school basketball team, Shelby was able to pay for her undergraduate degree on an athletic scholarship doing the same thing. Then she was offered an opportunity to do it again for her master's degree at a college in Ireland. One thing led to another, and Shelby found herself with a master's degree, no college debt, and a prestigious position as a commodity trader.
A whirlwind of sports, collegiate, and career success had taken place and now Shelby was settling into her career as a trader. Only one problem, as the dust settled and she was working full-time she found out that somehow she had unwittingly found herself in somebody else's dream position. Shelby states that for every trader that has her previous position, there are 10,000 people trying to get that job. This created a lot of pressure for Shelby as she realized that this career was not the right fit for her. That realization contrasted with how lucky she knew she should feel to have obtained this position at such a young age.
As Shelby searched for the solution to this dilemma, something came back to her. It was memories of the 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans she grew up around on her family's farm. This farm had been cobbled together by her father and mother over the past 30+ years, and her dad was farming it faithfully. Her brother was a natural fit to take it over, but he was achieving his own career success as an F-16 pilot in the military. So, the farm and the opportunity were sitting there, waiting for Shelby.
Everything happens for a reason. When Shelby told her parents of her desire to return to Iowa and take up farming her dad imparted some hard-earned farming wisdom. He told her that if this was the life that she wanted she needed to find some sort of niche that would create income for her, apart from rising and falling commodity prices. Shelby gave this some thought and came up with the idea of cricket production for human consumption. Within 9 days of research and planning "Gym-N-Eat Crickets" was born.
Shelby is off to a great start with this niche, selling out of her entire supply of crickets in 2018. She is selling multiple products created from just a small fraction of the 2,000-acre farm to which she has returned. She also has plans to increase production and build a commercial facility on the farm.
Cricket production was a bit more extreme than what her parents had in mind when they said to develop a niche. However, Shelby has discovered an emerging market with lots of exciting possibilities. The time it takes her to manage the crickets and the overhead required to start is minimal. This leaves her a lot of time to farm successfully!
ADVICE FROM SHELBY:
GO FOR IT: Shelby has had many interesting athletic, educational and career opportunities. She has pursued all of them with enthusiasm and suggests that you do the same. She is not one to hold herself back.
UNCOMFORTABLE: Shelby suggests making yourself uncomfortable. If what you are doing doesn't bother or worry you a little it, you are not experiencing any growth and you are not getting any better.
BITE SIZE: Shelby says do not bit off more than you can chew. Find an aspect of your business that you can really concentrate on and develop your skills within. When you have mastered that part you can look at expanding into other areas.
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE SHELBY HAS EVER RECEIVED:
"Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable" - this was advice that Shelby received from a professor and it has led her to a lifetime of growth and improvement thus far.
PERSONAL HABIT:
UNWAVERING CONFIDENCE: Shelby believes that she can succeed. She states that she has fear, just like everyone else but she has found a way to not let that show. Her successes in sports have probably contributed to this, but she believes she will win, and this has led her to a lot of success.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Facebook: LINK
Website: LINK
INTRODUCING MISSY HAMILTON:
For years now the percentage of Americans working in agriculture has been shrinking. As farms become more efficient and jobs in rural communities go away, more and more youth, move into urban areas for work. But, could we be seeing a change in this trend?
In today's interview, we feature a guest who tells her story of coming into agriculture through the FFA. This is a story that I am hearing more and more often.
Missy Hamilton grew up in a subdivision of Bardstown, Kentucky with no exposure to agriculture. Her older brother found his way into the FFA when he was in high school and encouraged her to try out the group as well. Missy gave it a try, and it has turned out to be an unbelievable success, with her now serving as her chapter's president.
In four short years, Missy has gone from no knowledge about agriculture to leading her chapter and pursuing a career teaching ag as an FFA advisor. The FFA has given her the exposure and motivation, and agriculture is benefitting from this as we pull a student from an urban area into ag. In this way, the FFA is acting as an incubator for future agricultural professionals, and this is a very good thing.
Missy is currently running her own candle and wax melt business called Missy's Makings. In addition to learning about agriculture, she has learned about entrepreneurship. She was also granted a $500 SAE grant from the Kentucky FFA in pursuit of her business. Now she is well on her way to a career that will enable FFA students in multiple different ways that will allow them to live and work in agriculture and rural areas if that is their wish!
To purchase Missy's Candles and Wax Melts Visit:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Missys-Makings
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missys.makings/
INTRODUCING SHAWN JAMISON:
What is a "traditional FFA student"? I ask that question because I think the definition of a "traditional" FFA student is changing. In decades past of course it was a student who grew up on a farm and was furthering the farm education and future career in farming through this program. More recently it has been a student with exposure to farming who is very involved in aspects of what it takes to farm - soils, welding, mechanics, livestock production, etc.
In the not too distant future, I expect this definition to shift again. Through my work conducting interviews with FFA students, and in my own exposure to our local FFA chapter through my daughter being a member and sitting on the advisory committee I see more and more students who are growing up without farming exposure that is joining the FFA.
There are a number of reasons for this. The more students that I interview, the more I believe it is due to the developing knowledge that the FFA is an excellent pathway into a well-paying and very interesting career. Our guest today, Shawn Jamison, epitomizes this.
Shawn is just beginning his FFA journey. He is close to wrapping up his freshman year of high school and his first year in the FFA. Shawn did not grow up on a farm, and his parents are not involved in agriculture. However, Shawn had the insight to see something about himself very early on - he enjoys being outside. And it was this enjoyment of being outside that led him into the FFA.
Even as a freshman Shawn realizes that there are career fields that he can work in that won't have him inside of a climate-controlled environment all day. Shawn wants to feel the wind on his face, breathe fresh air and touch the soil. The FFA is his pathway because he realizes that agriculture is a great industry to allow him to live this life.
What Shawn may not realize yet but soon will, is that when he finishes high school and four years of FFA he will have the skills that enable him to work outdoors but so much more. Between public speaking, record keeping, marketing, entrepreneurship, and everything else that the FFA offers he has already taken a significant step to set himself up for a fantastic life.
SHOW NOTES
On our rural crime episodes of the Off-Farm Income Podcast, we talk about livestock theft frequently. It is significantly more pervasive than anyone would ever suspect. And since the prices of puppies have skyrocketed during the pandemic we have covered a lot of stories about the theft of dogs and puppies.
There is a real difference between the theft of livestock and dogs. One is basically, purely monetary, and one is very emotional because a dog is a member of the family. Well, there is one species of livestock that reaches both parts of this divide, and that is horses. Horses have commercial value, they are used for working and they also become part of the family just like a pet. So, when a horse is stolen it can be devastating and have long-term impacts both financially and emotionally.
Two weeks ago I covered a story about the recovery of a mule in Texas. In the story, I found out that a non-profit organization called Net Posse was responsible for the recovery. I reached out to them, and in today's episode, we are lucky enough to have the founder, Debbi Metcalf, on the show.
Debbi is going to tell us all about how Net Posse works, what you can do to prevent horse theft, and about the seedy underworld dealing in stolen horses and other livestock. She will also tell us her personal story about having her husband's horse stole in 1997, and how that led to a multi-year investigation, ramrodded by Debbi herself, the recovery of the horse, the recover of stolen property, and the recovery of lost financials. And....how that led to the beginning of this great organization - Net Posse.
Connect with Debbi Metcalf & Net Posse:
Website: netposse.com
Facebook: facebook.com/StolenHorseInternationalNetPosse
Twitter: twitter.com/netposse
Email: debi@netposse.com
Phone:704-484-2165
SHOW NOTES
The essence of what we are trying to do at the Off-Farm Income Podcast is to give you a way to be successful in creating and then sustaining your farming and agricultural lifestyle. That really is a two-pronged attack. We tend to focus on just one of those prongs, and that is how to produce your off-farm income.
Over 90% of farmers in the United States require some form of off-farm income, and we believe that in order to solve the paradox of becoming a new farmer in the United States that entrepreneurship is the best way to produce that off-farm income.
The other prong of the attack is forming a farming enterprise that makes you enough money that eventually if it is your desire, you can become a full-time farmer. We love niches on Off-Farm Income, so anytime we see somebody who has found a niche and is really making a go of it, we like to profile them. That is the case with today's guest, Jacob Ebbers.
Jacob and his wife, Sara, grew up showing livestock. Sheep for Jacob and cattle for Sara. In 2016 they started their first agricultural enterprise as a married couple, and it was with a form of livestock that they had never focused on before - goats. They saw the opportunity that was available to them raising show goats, and they decided to pursue this. So, they bought their first does from a breeder in Texas and trailered them back to South Dakota.
At that point, they started traveling to shows to sell their goats and market their brand. And, they began using embryo transfer to develop their genetics ever faster. Soon, they had customers all over the country and a week wrote an article about them. That is how I found them and why I reached out to them. And we are lucky to have Jacob on the show to talk about how they are building this operation that may one day be their only form of income.
Connect with Jacob Ebbers, Ebbers Twisted E Show Goats:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twistedeSD
Email: jacob.ebbers@gmail.com
Phone: (605) 228-2682
SHOW NOTES
I have had a lot of great business ideas (in my opinion). So much so that one of the biggest challenges to being an entrepreneur for me is to not chase every "great" idea that comes into my head. And thank goodness that I didn't because a great business idea is not necessarily a true business opportunity.
For the bulk of us listening to this show and considering entrepreneurship we have a lot at risk. We cannot afford to chase every single business idea that comes to mind because they are unproven. When I started my first business I figured that I had one shot. One-shot to make something that would prove I was capable of doing this. In my own mind, I could not justify putting my family through the expense and time away from me a second time. So, I was careful.
Finding a true business opportunity is kind of like being careful. Before we jump in with both feet we want to pay attention to some parameters. We want to identify those ideas that give us the greatest chance for success. Things that we already know something about. We want to find something that we know something about that excites us as well.
Once we have done that we must go about figuring if it can make money, what the competition is, and whether or not we can improve upon what is available. We also need to give serious thought to what the purpose of us starting our own business really is. There will be turbulence along the way, and if your purpose is only to make money then you might jump off of the train the first time it slows down when what you should be doing is riding it until it picks momentum back up.
Consider this episode a lesson in developing a real business opportunity. I hope that when you decide to start your own business you will follow this template and give yourself the best possible chance to succeed.
NTRODUCING MADISON NOLLEY:
We all have something inside of us that drives us towards reaching our goals. For some of us, it is a desire to complete worthy goals. For others it the need to do everything correctly that gets us to the endpoint. And for some of us, it is competitiveness. Actually, there is probably a little bit of all of those in all of us, with one outshining the others.
Our guest today is definitely competitive. Madison Nolley describes herself that way. She has an older brother that she loves very much but definitely does not want to be outdone by. This drives her. It got her started in the FFA as soon as her school district would allow - 6th Grade, and it has pushed her into every possible competitive FFA event that she was allowed to do prior to beginning high school.
As a freshman, Madison is already transitioning from a placement SAE to an entrepreneurship SAE, and she has already been able to obtain a $1,000 SAE grant from Farm Credit to help her begin her Dahlia production business. Madison is still competing with her big brother, who is currently serving as the state president for the New York State FFA Officer Team. However, this competition coupled with her natural drive is pushing her towards great achievements of her own.
Madison lovingly talks about being competitive with her brother, but there is a serious side there too. She has some great goals for her flower business, and for the offices, she wants to achieve in the FFA. It is going to be a lot of fun to watch where she goes over the next three + years of high school and FFA.
NTRODUCING DALTON DENNIS:
There are many pathways to finding success in small businesses and entrepreneurship. If you are fortunate enough to live in the United States there are myriads of people who will help you to succeed. When it comes to being an entrepreneur there are really two extremes. There are those who it just comes naturally to, and there are those who have to develop the skills for success. I count myself among that second group.
If you are interested in working for yourself, or if you need to work for yourself because of the situation that you find yourself in, it is incumbent upon you to find the tools and resources available to you to make it happen. Our interview today features a young man who has done exactly that. Dalton Dennis is joining us to talk about how he has been developing his own nursery business.
Dalton's journey started out with the mentorship of his older brother who encouraged him to take agriculture classes when he got into high school. Soon, Dalton added to his list of mentors with his FFA advisors. After that Dalton was able to get a job working at a nursery and added his supervisors to this list. Not long after that, his advisors were recommending Dalton to people in the community who needed to hire somebody for yard projects, and he started getting exposed to entrepreneurship.
Today, Dalton has been able to obtain an SAE grant, sponsored by Caterpillar, and this has allowed him to purchase inventory for resale and to begin his nursery business. Dalton has ordered a number of trees from a grower all the way in Salem, Oregon, and had them shipped to Alabama. Now, he has located a buyer who will sell them at retail and believes that buyer is going to buy 100% of his inventory.
It is really amazing what can happen one surrounds themself with people who want to assist them and see them succeed.
SHOW NOTES
All of us in agriculture, whether you are a full-time farmer, you have a job in town or you run an agricultural business have at least one additional job, and that is advocating for agriculture. Perhaps when your industry becomes so efficient that it is only comprised of 1% of the population it is just easier to pick on, but agriculture definitely has a target on its back. I have seen agriculture blamed for air pollution, global warming, animal cruelty, water pollution, high gas prices, you name it. So, agriculture needs advocates.
Ag is not perfect, but it is also not the cause of all the woes in society. By and large people in agriculture a hard-working, have strong values, and are content with the little things in life that are free. We need to be telling our story constantly so somebody else does not tell it for us. We also need to spread our values and our contentedness to other people. I believe that it is contagious, and that is why we see so many people seeking this way of life.
Even if you do not have the time to be proactively advocating, you should know some fundamental facts about the good that agriculture does. There are a couple of reasons for this, and they both are so you have good, educated responses when somebody questions your industry. The more educated you are on the issues, the less threatened you will feel when faced with these questions. The less threatened you feel, the more you will be able to answer with a smile and demonstrate why we are a group worth getting to know. You should also be able to counter-statement with good, factual information that will shift the beliefs and perceptions of reasonable people.
From time to time we like to have agricultural advocates on the Off-Farm Income Podcast to demonstrate to us how it is possible to be proactive and do this in a very positive way. Today, we are proud to feature Julia Nunes. Julia is this year's "Alice In Dairyland" represented the State Of Wisconsin and all the agriculture that takes place in the state.
Julia is a ray of sunshine, and she is charged with touring the state, albeit digitally right now, and advocating for Wisconsin agriculture. Of course, you cannot advocate for your state's agriculture without advocating for agriculture in general, and Julia does a wonderful job of this.
In today's episode, Julia will talk about her background, what "Scientific Holsteins" are, how she became "Alice In Dairyland" and where she is going from here.
Connect with Julia Nunes, Alice in Dairyland:
Website: aliceindairyland.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DATCPAliceInDairyland
Twitter: @Alice_Dairyland
Instagram: @alicedairyland
Youtube: LINK
SHOW NOTES
KEY IDEAS:
Today's episode is a profile of a 6th generation farmer. Mark Kannmacher's farming roots go all the way back to a farm located on the French and German border. After immigration to the United States, the tradition transferred to Illinois. Today, Mark is keeping the legacy alive, and he has found a way to farm full-time and hopes to have his wife join him soon!
Mark, like so many farmers, has stories of long hours and little sleep. His are quite incredible though. When he was trying to transition to farming full-time but still working off the farm as a teacher he found himself getting 1-2 hours of sleep per day during certain times of the year. And, he was getting this sleep on his lunch break or during his prep period at school!
In this episode Mark will discuss how he made the transition, and how he used a specialty form of livestock for his area, turkeys, to help him generate additional revenue on his farm. Also, he discusses how he uses niches and diversification to be sustainable as a business.
Mark, his father, and his grandfather have all used various entrepreneurial ventures along the way to create income that would support the farm. This has all led to Mark being the first of all of them to farm exclusively with no off-farm job.
ADVICE FROM MARK:
PASSION: Mark believes you must really have a passion for farming to make it work. This passion should naturally lead you to learn all the aspects of the farming business backward and forwards.
BACKUP: Mark suggests having a backup plan, perhaps several. He cites his turkey barns. If his contract for raising turkeys falls through, he has already considered other ways to make revenue with that infrastructure.
THE WORST: Mark also suggests that you decide that on the very worst day you ever have farming that you will still be convinced that this is the only job that you truly want.
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE MARK HAS EVER RECEIVED:
"Always have a backup plan" which was given to him by Jim Bolin in the oil service industry.
PERSONAL HABIT:
Following God's word and guidance on a daily basis.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Facebook Page: LINK
Telephone Number: (217) 232-1052
Email: kannmacherfarm@gmail.com
INTRODUCING BROOKLIN DRAKE:
Our guest today has so much passion, enthusiasm, and fire for the FFA that you would never guess that her first two years in the organization were spent being basically inactive. Brooklin Drake came into the FFA simply by taking agriculture classes in high school in her small, agricultural community in central New York State. She was kind of a member by default, and she never really pursued anything. But, her first trip to the New York State FFA Convention changed all of that.
Brooklin cannot really put a finger on what it was about the convention that motivated her so much. What is clear, is that she caught fire once the convention took place. From that point, at the end of her sophomore year, she has been on a very rapid, upward trajectory.
As a senior in high school, Brooklin is now her district's president, and she is strongly considering a run for a state officer position. She has started a supervised agricultural experience called "Drake's Pumpkin Patch" and she is selling pumpkins, gourds, and mums on the side of the road in a stand that she built. She is also a recipient of two grants for a total of $1500 to develop her business even further.
Things don't necessarily come naturally to Brooklin however. Her first year of growing her pumpkin patch was an utter failure, and she didn't sell any. However, she didn't focus on the negative. The next year she was determined to do better, and that led to the development of her roadside stand and a lot of sales of pumpkins. And, the result of all of this? A $1,000 donation to her very own FFA chapter.
INTRODUCING LUKE MILLAY:
In spite of growing up on a farm, Luke Millay did not join his high school's FFA chapter until his sophomore year. During Luke's freshman year he was sure that he was going to be an engineer in the future, and he didn't see a reason to join. However, towards the end of the year, he was more exposed to the things going on in his chapter, and he decided to give it a try.
That was all it took for Luke. Today he is serving as his chapter's president as well as his region's. He has his eyes on the next level as well. And, during this time he took the cowherd that he had been growing on his family's farm and turned it into a great, direct marketed, livestock business.
At the time that we recorded this interview, Luke had already established "Millay Meats". He had done this by being gifted a cow/calf pair and a heifer when he was younger and always retaining heifers to grow his herd even more. As he got involved in the FFA, needed supervised agriculture experience, and became more sophisticated he developed this business. He credits reinvesting his profits right back into the business for his success.
Today Luke has 20 cows giving him calves every year. He is keeping those calves over the winter after weaning them, and then he is finishing him on his farm. He is direct marketing beef to people in Louisville, Kentucky, and in Clarksville, Indiana. He also started doing the exact same business model with pigs. Currently, he has over 50 pigs on the ground that will be finished and direct marketed.
Luke is looking forward to college next year, but he wants to keep this business going. So, true to form he is reinvesting his profits into the business. He is purchasing larger feeders for the pigs and automatic waterers so that if he is gone for a period of a couple of days due to being at college the animals are still taken care of.
The FFA is absolutely an incubator for future entrepreneurs and great ideas. Luke is the proof!
SHOW NOTES
When Autumn and I first bought our farm, and well before I ever imagined having my own podcast, I was listening to whatever agricultural content I could get my hands on. There were long days out on the tractor, disking and trying to get our land into some sort of shape that we could irrigate and grow pasture.
Technology has advanced pretty rapidly since then. So, back in those days, I had to download podcasts onto my phone prior to listening to them, and I needed wifi to do it. There was no using cellular data, and there were no streaming podcasts like on Spotify. So, you had to be really serious about wanting to listen to something because you had to go get it in advance.
One of the shows that I listened to back then was the "Zimmcast", an agricultural show hosted and produced by Chuck and Cindy Zimmerman. These folks were podcasting about agriculture way before it was cool, and they continue to do so today.
After we announced that we had published our 1,000th episode of the Off-Farm Income Podcast, I received a note of congratulations from Chuck. It seems that there are only 2 or three agricultural podcasts to reach this number, and the Zimmcast is definitely one of them.
In corresponding with Chuck we decided that it would be a good idea to have a conversation about agricultural podcasting, record it and release it to our respective listeners. Today's episode is the result of that conversation, and I hope you enjoy it.
Connect with Chuck Zimmerman:
Website: The Zimm Cast
Website: AgWired
Twitter: @Agriblogger
SHOW NOTES
KEY IDEAS:
There is a multitude of obstacles to entering farming, growing your farm, and becoming profitable. And, there is an old model of making it work, that carries some pretty risks - debt. Using debt to purchase your farm, purchase equipment, cover operating costs, or procure livestock is the norm in farming. The problem with debt is that you have to service it, and it can control you as well as the decisions you make on your farm.
So, what are the alternatives? That is what we strive to offer on this show, week after week. We choose to interview guests who have small businesses that we believe might work for you and become a key component of your overall strategy to make it as a farmer.
Occasionally I run across an opportunity that is outside the parameters that we have defined on the Off-Farm Income Podcast. When one of these opportunities looks like it could really help you to succeed in farming, we want to bring it to you, regardless of our focus on entrepreneurship. Even greater than teaching you about the opportunities that entrepreneurship offers to you is our goal to see you be able to farm for a living.
Today's episode is one of those moments. Our guest today, Austin Maness of Harvest Returns, talks with us about alternatives to debt and another funding source through investment. Austin has a farming background and a really interesting path that has led him to become the chief operating officer of Harvest Returns.
In his current role, Austin looks for opportunities to match investors with farmers who need funding. It is a very interesting concept both for the farmer as well as the investor. While this interview was more focused on benefits and risks to farmers, we touch on the investor side of things as well.
There was a recurring theme in this interview, and that is that every project of this type is different. In some cases, Austin deals with several investors with a few thousand dollars to invest, and they want to be involved in agriculture. In others, he is dealing with investors with hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they have their eye on one segment of farming.
It was clear through the interview that the opportunities for farmers as well as investors are kind of limited only by their imagination with this model. Harvest Returns is a one of its kind, first in the field company that has identified this strategy of funding farms.
Towards the end of our interview, Austin said something that really stuck with me. To paraphrase he said, "perhaps there is a person that comes from farming but is stuck in a cubicle and wants to go back. We can help that person get started".
If you are going to shift to this lifestyle, you need all the tools you can have in your financial tool belt. It will be very worthwhile for you to learn about this one today.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Website: https://www.harvestreturns.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harvestreturns
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harvestreturns/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarvestReturns
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/harvest-returns/
INTRODUCING KATHERINE WOODWARD:
They say that fortune favors the bold. I believe that this is true, and this is one of the reasons that I love to profile the projects of FFA students. As a group, I have not encountered one that is bolder. These students are not just given permission to be creative through entrepreneurship, but they are encouraged to do so. The ideas that come out of a group of students like this are really amazing.
Our guest today, Katherine Woodward, is a perfect example of this. Katherine is in her junior year of high school. When it came time to choose a supervised agricultural experience she looked around her community to see what other people were not doing. She identified bee and honey production as something that much less common than other agricultural practices in her area. The fact that nobody else was doing this convinced her that this was the right choice.
There was a problem. Katherine was extremely afraid of bees. However, she was also bold. So, which would win, fear or boldness? Well, her SAE is titled "Black Lick Creek Apiary" so you tell me!
Katherine overcame this fear and dove into the bee business with four nukes to start her business. Then she went about determining how she was going to build this business and identifying what her financial needs were going to be. Once that was finished she figured out that she could possibly fund this business through grants, ultimately obtaining two for the paltry sum of $5,000 - which is the largest grant amount I have ever profiled on this show.
Now Katherine has the money to build a "honey house" and to develop and market her business. She could have harvested honey after her first season but chose not to, to give her bees a better chance of winter survival. It turned out to be a very wise decision considering the polar vortex that descended on much of the country this winter. And, because she received the grants she was not pressured into harvesting honey too soon in the development of her hives.
Now Katherine is well on her way to a great honey harvest. Her hives all survived the winter, and she is looking forward to the summer season. She is also looking forward to getting creative with her direct marketing of honey. Katherine has a number of ideas for marketing her products that she has not seen anybody else try. Of course, doing things other people have not tried is pretty consistent with the way that Katherine does business.
Chief among these ideas is putting together a festival this summer at the same location where her honey house will eventually be located. She wants to have her fellow FFA members participate and sell their products, bring their animals and educate the public about agriculture. At the same time, she will be providing a public good she will also be marketing her honey. Katherine also wants to locate her hives strategically around Kentucky. She has family in four different zip codes, and she is considering marketing "honey by the zip code" because honey produced close to where you live offers you health benefits that honey produced elsewhere does not.
Katherine is off to a great start and has great ideas, and it is all because she looks at the world differently. She has no desire to be just like everyone else. She wants to be different, in a very, very good way.
Visit Black Lick Creek Apiary on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlackLickCreekApiary
INTRODUCING MADI MCFARLAND:
When I am interviewing a guest I am writing about them in my mind. I am picking up on non-verbal cues about them, and eventually, the perfect adjective to describe them pops into my mind. With today's guest, Madi Mcfarland, that adjective is "fearless".
Madi is currently a junior at her high school, and she has already served as her chapter's president. You might be wondering how that is possible. Well, the area that she lives in is growing rapidly due to a Toyota factory being located there. So, as the population booms so do the needs for public services such as high schools. Two years ago a new high school called Great Crossing, closer to her farm, was opened.
Madi was already enrolled in a different high school, was in their FFA chapter, and had just completed her freshman year. But, she jumped at the chance to change schools and FFA chapters. I asked her why, as a sophomore, she would want to do this. She told me that she loved the idea of being the first president in a brand new FFA chapter, so she went for it. Oh, and she accomplished it.
Madi lives in Thoroughbred Race Horse Country, but she is a rodeo girl. At some point, she was exposed to barrel racing. The speed, the control, the lack of control, and the charge forward with everything you've got attitude appealed to her. So, she found a way to start barrel racing and competing in high school rodeo in a state known for a different type of horse racing, such as the Kentucky Derby.
Madi is fearless though. She is going to ride her barrel horses right into her future. When I asked her if she wanted to barrel race in college, and if she had identified where she would like to compete her answer came back without hesitancy. She immediately listed off her top two schools for college rodeo. #1 is Texas A&M (988 miles from home), and #2 is Oklahoma State University (785 miles from home). There was no "if I'm good enough" in her answer. She knows that she wants to be the best, and that is the direction she is taking, no matter how far from home it takes her.
Madi also told me about another project that she is involved with called Thoroughbred Makeover. Madi purchased a retired racehorse named "Fireball John". Even though people don't generally barrel race on Thoroughbreds, she is re-training Fireball John to do just this. There is up to $100,000 available to the winners of this contest to re-purpose retired racehorses, and Madi will be competing against people twice and three times her age with that much more experience.
You guessed it....she isn't scared.
SHOW NOTES On the Off-Farm Income Podcast, I like to talk about how people in agriculture can use their problem-solving abilities, mechanical aptitude, and farm equipment to create a small business. Ultimately, I think that too many farmers turn to the rigid, inflexible work schedule of an employer when they could be using everything they already have at their disposal to create a much more flexible and lucrative small business.
But, this is just one side of the coin. This philosophy only looks at people who are already farming, who have already purchased equipment, and who have already developed certain skills and aptitudes that go with farming that can be used to serve others. What about the person who wants to transform their life to farming, who has got a degree and several years of work experience in a field that doesn't obviously translate to an agriculturally related business?
Today's guest, Wil Crombie, answers that question. Wil grew up around his family's farm in Minnesota, doing some farm work with his grandfather, like cutting hay. But after high school, Wil decided to take his life in a different direction and pursued a career in film production. He got a degree in this and went into this career focusing on the music industry.
Some years later, Wil had, shall we will say, a moment. He realized that he wanted to return to his family's farm in Minnesota and create an awesome organic and regenerative farming operation. However, all of his experience, education, and network contacts were in the film production and music industry. Wil had this realization while he was in Hawaii. Moving from a life in the music industry and working in Hawaii, to a life farming in Minnesota couldn't be a bigger change.
What was Wil to do with this hard-earned tool kit of skills and knowledge that he had put together through his film career? Should he just abandon it, and start over from scratch? You have probably already guessed, but that is not what he did.
Wil returned to the farm. He and his wife started the operation that he had envisioned, and they, like 90% of all farmers, needed off-farm income. Will used his skills to obtain, what he calls "W-2 Work" or a job, at a local non-profit. At the same time, he was scanning for film-making opportunities in the world of agriculture. Finally one came up....in Africa.
Wil took this project and filmed an agricultural project on what was once referred to as "the Dark Continent". The project was met with success, and his reputation in this space grew. This propelled him and Man Alone Media to be a much more significant part of his off-farm income portfolio.
Since then Wil has been able to leverage his "tool kit" and his growing reputation into more and more work. But, money is not the only form of payment that he is receiving. Wil is frequently able to choose work that will not only pay him but will educate him on a concept of agriculture that will help him on his farm in Minnesota.
Many of you have a skill set that you don't quite know how to transition to farming right now. But as you look deeper into that skill set, and you identify what it is you really do, not just what it says on paper, you can do the same as Wil!
Connect with Wil Crombie & Man Alone Media:
Website: https://www.manalone.media/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manalone.media
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manalone.media/
Email: info@manalone.media
SHOW NOTES:
Today we get to profile a very innovative and hard-working farmer. At the same time, we get to tell a story that we have told before, and we get to show you a great model for creating a sustainable farm as well as creating off-farm income.
Allen Deutz is the owner of a farm purchased by his great-grandfather in 1920 in southwestern Minnesota. In just one more year this will be a century farm. Like so many generational farmers Allen was faced with creating a business model that would allow him to continue to farm the property and have it available for the next generation.
Allen first tried the dairy business, as his father had operated this farm as dairy. However, even as he was excelling in his performance as a dairy farmer, the economics of the dairy industry pushed him right out at his small scale. So, Allen transitioned to raising some commodities - corn and soybeans, raising grass-fed beef, raising all-natural pork, and raising free-range meat chickens. It is in this diversity that Allen has been able to create a system that is regenerative and hedges against low prices in any one area.
Allen recently purchased a no-till drill for planting on his own property. He realized two things. First, when he was not planting that piece of equipment was just sitting there, not making any money. Second, because of the wet spring, his region had been having many farmers who had not been able to plant and could use his help planting in cover crops for the rest of the season. Thus, a form of off-farm income was born.
ADVICE FROM ALLEN:
PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP: Allen suggests that you do not borrow money to buy equipment just so you can own it. Research whether or not it makes you money to own the equipment vs. hiring the work done or renting the equipment.
EASY: Renting is easy, and if you do this for a season it can help you figure out whether or not purchasing the same equipment makes sense.
PERSONAL HABIT:
Allen is very good about penciling out expenses and whether or not he is making money on any given aspect of his farm. This has led him to another form of off-farm income in the off-season where he does this for other farmers.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Website: LINK
Facebook: LINK
Email: deutzheritagefarm@gmail.com
INTRODUCING ABIGAIL MITCHELL:
Have you ever heard the saying that you should have an "attitude of gratitude"? Over the years I have come to value that small piece of advice more and more. Our guest today is just a sophomore in high school and is already exuding this. It is my belief that this attitude is going to lead Abby Mitchell to a life that is happy and well-lived.
Abby is in the beginning stage of starting her very first business. It is a really fun stage of entrepreneurship to profile, but I rarely get to do this because it is usually only after the establishment of a business that a person receives the recognition that allows me to find them.
In Abby's case, she and her FFA advisor, are very forward-thinking, and they applied for an SAE grant to help get Abby started in the business. She was awarded this grant, and a newspaper article was written about the winners. That drew my attention to Abby and the business that she is started - goat milk soap.
Any value-added business always draws my attention, but this one is one of my favorites. There is something about the development of a non-perishable consumer product that can be shipped, styled, scented, and customized in so many ways that I really appreciate. Also, the communing with the dairy goats by milking them twice per day and relying on them to provide you the milk that you need to make your products is special as well. So, it goes without saying that I was eager to speak with Abby about the business.
However, during our interview, something else caught my attention - gratitude. Every time that I tried to ask Abby about it, well...Abby, she took the opportunity to talk about how somebody else helped her, contributed to her life, or inspired her to allow her to accomplish the thing I was asking about. This became so pervasive that it developed into the theme of this interview.
Abby is the type of person that does not take people for granted. Therefore, when they make a contribution to her life she recognizes them first, well before taking any credit herself. This quality is going to benefit Abby her entire life. The most content people in the world are those who are grateful. Instead of wondering when it will be their time or what is next, they see the contributions people are making to them right now. Abby has this special gift.
INTRODUCING TREVOR CAMPBELL:
Our guest today, Trevor Campbell, has a talent for working with small engines. He is a genuinely nice person and very easy to talk to, and he has a great work ethic. So, when he tells the story of developing his small engine repair business it is easy to let his personal attributes hide what is really important in this story - the simple manner in which he started what could be a lifelong business.
Prior to high school, Trevor enjoyed working on small engines with his father in their garage. This free time activity was enjoyable enough that when Trevor was in his 8th-grade year of school he decided to take on his very own project. Driving down the road one day Trevor saw an old, push lawnmower sitting on the side of the road adorned by a sign that simply said "Free". Trevor saw a challenge and wanted to test himself. He got permission, and help, and picked up the lawnmower, returning it to his house.
Over the next month or so Trevor worked on this mower and ended up rebuilding most of the engine. He got it running and into good condition, and he had proven to himself that he could do it. At that point, not knowing what to do with the mower now, he put it on Facebook Marketplace for sale. A few days later the mower was gone and he had $50 in his pocket.
A light went on in Trevor's head. If he could find an old mower that somebody just wanted to give away and turn that into $50 once, could he do it again and again and again? Over the past four years, Trevor has done exactly that. He purchases or just obtains old mowers, pressure washers, generators, etc. from people who don't know how to fix them and just want them out of their garages. Then he fixes them, restores their value, and sells them at a profit.
The restoration and sale of equipment with small engines are the core of Trevor's business, but today it has morphed. Now, Trevor, has people bring him their small equipment in the spring to get it ready for the season. He has a garage full of other people's equipment that he services, fixes, and preps for the spring and summer months. In the fall, he does some winterization of other people's equipment. And, he has started his own lawn mowing company with very inexpensive and sometimes free equipment that he has the expertise to fix.
Small engine repair and landscaping businesses are two of the most viable ideas that FFA students create in high school with the potential for becoming lifelong businesses. And both of these businesses have the potential to grow and expand exponentially. A landscaping business can grow a significant client list, employ dozens to hundreds of employees, and eventually expand into many different areas related to the original idea of lawn mowing and beautification. The sky really is the limit. Small engine repair has this same potential, expanding all the way to having an equipment dealership.
The gold nugget hidden in this interview is just how simple and easy it was for Trevor to start this business. It did not take venture capital. It did not take a loan from the bank. It simply took natural curiosity, a skill that had been developed at home, and the willingness to start.
Whether or not Trevor follows the path I have laid out is not the point of sharing this story with you. You, the listeners of the Off-Farm Income Podcast are here because you are looking for a different and better lifestyle. I am suggesting to you that entrepreneurship is likely the missing piece to the puzzle that can unlock that lifestyle for you. The biggest obstacle to any person starting their own business is within their own mind. It is fear, imposter syndrome, and overcomplicating the process among other things.
Let Trevor be your inspiration. Start small, doing something that interests you. Test the market to see if there is any value in it. If there is value, replicate what you have done already to start growing revenue. Then figure out how to replicate the service or product at a scale large enough to enable you to become self-employed!
SHOW NOTES If you have been listening to the Off-Farm Income Podcast for a while then you have heard a lot of stories about agricultural entrepreneurship, you have heard a lot of stories about FFA students and you have heard a lot of stories about where those two paths intersect. Today, we are very lucky to be able to give you the "after picture". We are able to bring things full circle and show you how it all comes back around.
Our guest today is Caleb Green, and he has a great story. Caleb grew up in northern Wyoming around farmers and farming with his dad. Caleb was also an FFA member, and when it came time to select a supervised agricultural experience he decided to start a custom hay business. He named it "Evergreen Custom Haying".
When Caleb chose to start this business he looked around at what was offered in his community, and he found a niche haying on smaller properties and putting up small, square bales for horse owners and people who needed them. Soon, he was growing his business, expanding his customer base, and purchasing more equipment. Caleb's services even included irrigating for his customers when that was necessary.
After graduation, Caleb went on to college and started studying ag. All through this time, he kept his haying business going. But, like so many FFA students, Caleb had been inspired by his ag teachers and he was focused on getting his degree and returning to the ag classroom, this time as an FFA advisor.
Caleb is now 25 years old, and that "return to the classroom" moment came in July of 2020 when he was hired as the ag teacher at Burns High School, near Cheyenne. He started on July 1, going out and meeting his students at their homes while checking in on their projects. Soon, it was time for the county fair, followed immediately by the state fair and then right into the first day of school.
The writing is definitely on the wall for Evergreen Custom Haying, looking back on this summer schedule. Caleb's FFA chapter needs him at the exact same time that most of the haying in his part of Wyoming gets done. Caleb has tinges of emotion when he thinks about not running his custom haying business any longer. He misses being out there in the open, cutting hay, and doing things on his own terms. However, his excitement about being in the classroom is contagious.
Because of the requirement for supervised agricultural experience, Caleb started a business and learned about entrepreneurship. Today, Caleb is the person at the head of the agricultural classroom, and he has the opportunity to take what he learned by running his own business and teach it to dozens of students. And, as the years go by that number will turn into hundreds and eventually thousands.
Entrepreneurship is desperately needed in our rural communities for a number of reasons, and that is why I am so eager to profile entrepreneurship in the FFA. Ten years ago Caleb got introduced to the concept by his then FFA advisor. Today, he is introducing multitudes to the concept with the benefit of his experience.
Coming full circle, Caleb is giving students the inspiration, permission, and knowledge to be able to work in agriculture, create jobs in rural communities and avoid being forced to move to the city for work. This is an FFA success story at its finest!
Connect with Caleb Green & Evergreen Custom Hayingat:
Facebook: facebook.com/EvergreenCustomHay
KEY IDEAS:
"The #1 reason that farms fail is that they fail to profit". This statement by Ted Lebow seems simple and obvious, but when you dig deeper it is actually complex and difficult to understand.
Ted's company, Kitchen Table Consultants, looks at farming operations, especially those actively involved in marketing their produce, meat, and fruit, and see how business models can be a detriment to the success of the farm.
Ted grew up in agriculture in Nampa, Idaho. He participated in the FFA and later studied agriculture at Cornell University. He has also started several companies, including Kitchen Table Consultants. He has seen how failing to properly assess profit can lead to not just the loss of a farm, but the loss of a lifestyle.
In this episode, Ted gives several tips to farmers on how to maximize profitability and sustainability. One interesting point that he made was that farming operations that are involved in marketing should act as two different farming entities. One entity is involved in farming and the other is involved in marketing. This will help the farm to determine if they are profitable, and if not it will tell them in which aspect of their business they are failing to profit.
This episode is a bit different from normal as I was not interviewing Ted about forming his businesses. I was asking him about what he teaches and consults on to help farmers succeed. I know there will be something in here that can help you with your future success.
CONTACT Ted Lebow & Kitchen Table Consultants:
Website: kitchentableconsultants.com
Facebook: facebook.com/kitchentableconsultants
Instagram: instagram.com/kitchentableconsultants
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/kitchentableconsultants
INTRODUCING WILLIAM PAXTON:
About 90% of the time when I interview an FFA student on this show they are junior or senior in high school or are already in high school. Occasionally I get to speak with a student who is just starting their high school career and their journey in the FFA. That is the case in today's interview with William Paxton.
William is a freshman at Stuart Public School in Stuart, Nebraska. Even though he is just beginning high school he has already been learning about beekeeping and developing his own bee business, Paxton 5 Beehive, for just over four years. Starting during his years in 4H, William started raising bees. He has had multiple hives die over the winter, and he has replaced them multiple times. He has persisted through all of this, learning more and more about raising bees. This past summer he had his first successful honey harvest.
As an incoming freshman William had already gone through the difficult part of learning his trade. He had failed many times, corrected his mistakes, and pushed forward. Then, when it was time to begin his supervised agricultural experience he was at the stage of development that he was able to sell a product. This is a head start.
What is amazing about this head start that William had is that when he finally did have a successful honey harvest he already had customers on a waiting list that wanted to purchase his honey. And, this was the first time he had ever had honey to sell! So, how did he do this? William attributes this to the agricultural education that he received going through the 4H. Specifically, the requirements for public speaking that came with being a 4H member.
Through the 4H William participated in multiple public speaking events, and he always chose to speak about bees and his goals in raising them. Inadvertently, this became a marketing campaign for his honey and people lined up to purchase from him. All he had left to do was actually produce the product.
The head start that William received through the 4H is just the start. Obviously, this was a great head start for him upon entering the FFA. An incoming freshman starting their first SAE in the FFA is not expected to have an up and running business already. So, the 4H provided William a head start on the FFA.
Now, William has four years to develop his business through his SAE while he continues with public speaking through the FFA. This is another head start for him, a head-start on life. How many high school students do you know that will have been running a completely vertically integrated business with a waiting list of customers for 8 years at the time of high school graduation? I would venture a guess that you probably don't know any unless they are involved in agricultural education.
INTRODUCING LANEY JONES:
Today's guest, Laney Jones, and I have a few things in common. First, we are both fans of the Montana State Bobcats! Second, we enjoy raising cattle. And third, we direct market our beef to customers who are willing to pay a premium to purchase beef directly from the producer.
And, like me and every other beef producer who direct markets, Laney encountered an issue with the quantity, or lack of quantity, that some customers wanted to purchase. To explain where I am coming from, butchers break beeves down into 1/2's, and they butcher half of the beef at a time. That means that if a customer purchases either a whole or half beef they can tell the butcher exactly how they want it cut up because the butcher is able to apply their instructions to each half they are buying and make it how they like it.
When a customer asks to purchase just a 1/4 of beef, that means that they are purchasing a 1/2 of a 1/2. When this happens, a producer like myself has to pair up the customer purchase 1/4 beef with another 1/4 beef, and those two customers have to agree on how the meat will be cut up. Because they are splitting a half, all the cuts from that half will be done exactly the same way, so they have to come agreement on things like the thickness of steaks ahead of time. This can be a real hassle for the producer and the butcher when it is time to cut the meat up and divvy it out.
Laney lives in Montana, which is a really traditional beef-producing state. So, this is a problem that direct marketers have basically just accepted as something that will always be there, because what else can be done? But Laney was different. She saw this problem, even having customers that wanted to purchase quantities as small as 1/8 of beef, and she set out to solve it. That is when Laney stumbled upon Miniature Angus Cattle.
Laney purchased some "mini's" to put her idea to the test, and she direct marketed them through her uncle in Bozeman. When it came time to butcher the steers she found that their finished live weights were just above the hanging weight of a traditional steer. This meant that her customers who used to want a 1/4 beef could now purchase a full 1/2 of one of her steers. This took all the complications out of the butchering process.
The prospect of raising and direct marketing beef has really helped Laney discover a passion for entrepreneurship. She has steadily grown her operation, and this year she is direct marketing 19 head (3 in May and 16 in the fall). She told me that she plans on going to college when she finishes high school, but she is going to be looking for a way to come home and continue with her direct marketed beef operation. If she can find a way to do this for her full-time living, that is exactly what she wants to do.
I originally had Jonathan Russo on Episode #334 of the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2017. At that time he had just finished high school and was preparing to study agriculture at the University Of Connecticut. So, where is Jonathan now? And, what has he been up to?
In today's episode, we get to catch up with Jonathan and find out all the amazing things he has been doing for the past four years. I'll give you a hint - he is about to move into graduate school, he is releasing a documentary soon and he is just about to publish a research paper. Oh, and he is still consulting about aquaponics.
In short, Jonathan is on fire! We will get all the details from him in this bonus episode of the Off-Farm Income Podcast.
Below are the show notes from our first interview with Jonathan.
INTRODUCING JONATHAN RUSSO! Have you ever wondered how you become a consultant? How about how long does it take to become one?
Our guest today just graduated high school and is getting ready to start college. Over the last four years, he explored an interest he had in hydroponics. He started out doing a research SAE, finding out how it works. Then he started growing food for himself with his own system. Soon he was selling equipment to other people who wanted to do the same.
Over the four years, Jonathan grew his reputation and started installing systems and repairing systems for people in his area. As he became a more recognized expert people started to call him for consultation on how to build their own system and make it work. That is how you become a consultant in just four years! That is how he started Fairfield County Hydroponics.
Jonathan hopes to expand his business beyond his county, to his whole state. Then all the way across the country. Those plans are on temporary hold as he starts college. But he is going to start developing that national reputation from his dorm room by writing all about hydroponics.
This is a great story!
SHOW NOTES I love it when ideas spring from actual life experience and people have the courage and tenacity to follow through on making those ideas a reality. That is absolutely the case on today's episode, featuring the founder and creator of Ag Butler, Kevin Johansen.
Kevin and his wife, Jamie, raise cattle in Lebanon, Missouri. They both grew up ranching cattle in the "Show Me State", and they continue this way of life as a couple. You may recognize Jamie's name, as she was the featured guest on episode #772 of the show when we profiled her business, Honey Creek Media, almost exactly one year ago today.
Kevin has always been involved in entrepreneurial ventures. One of those was working as a freelancer, clipping cattle for people in preparation for shows and sales. During his time doing this work, he noticed how antiquated and awkward the process was for finding help. Kevin's particular skill is just one of the many different skill areas that farmers and ranchers need help with at certain times of the year. And Kevin noticed that when people discovered that their workload rose to the level of needing additional help for a certain project or time of the year, that finding the correct people was ominous.
Kevin described how farmers and ranchers might have a name stored in a phone or on a piece of paper somewhere. If they could find that name and give them a call the number might not be good any longer, the person may no longer be freelancing or they might have already agreed to work for somebody else because everyone tends to have the same needs at the same time when it comes to clipping and fitting for livestock shows.
For the farmer or rancher who needs help, this creates a real problem. Their entire network of freelancers that could help them was limited to who they had used before. If these people were unavailable they would have to start over from scratch on finding someone. This would be done by calling around and asking for referrals. And, these referrals might have first-hand knowledge of the person's skills and reliability, but possibly not. So, it was a gamble as to whether or not this person was going to work out well for the farmer's needs.
Kevin decided to try and figure out a way to solve this problem. After giving it deep thought, he came up with the idea of Ag Butler. Ag Butler is both an app and a website that a farmer and a freelance laborer can sign up for. With the information that they input, the right two people can get matched up. Also, the farmers and ranchers that hire these individuals can rate them, so that farmers and ranchers in the future have less of a gamble when hiring. There are real-world testimonials on the app to help farmers and ranchers determine who is correct for them.
Kevin launched Ag Butler in August of 2020, and it has been working well. They have steadily had more and more people signing up for the service and it is already helping farmers and ranchers who need extra help as well as freelancers looking to work in agriculture.
I believe that there is a significant difference in the quality of a service or product that is determined by the experiences of the founder or those people brought in to help develop it as compared to somebody with an idea who has never worked in the field. Kevin has seen this problem from both sides, and that has made him uniquely qualified to create this product and solve this problem. And, I think he has done it!
Connect with Ag Butler, and Kevin Johansen at:
Website: agbutlerapp.org
Facebook: facebook.com/AgButlerApp
Instagram: @agbutlerapp
Twitter: @AgButlerApp
Email: support@agbutlerapp.org
Our guest today is more proof of an emerging trend in production agriculture. Young farmers are recognizing both the need for off-farm income and that entrepreneurship is the best way for them to produce this.
Mark Hewitt and his wife have their own small farm and are leasing more ground to build their lives in agriculture. However, they are not to the point that they are self-sufficient yet. So, Mark needs to bring in money from off of the farm. He has chosen entrepreneurship to do this because it allows him flexibility in his schedule to manage his own farm as effectively as possible. Also, it offers an opportunity for greater earning potential than a job, which could speed up his pathway to full-time farming. Last, but certainly not least, it allows Mark to arrange his schedule to maximize time with his family.
If you want to be a full-time farmer in production agriculture, this is a great episode for you to listen to. It also is more proof of this emerging trend among young, production agriculture farmers.
ADVICE FROM MARK:START SMALL: Mark suggests that you don't go too big, too fast He learned this from his own experience, and if he had to do it over again he would have taken smaller steps.
RESERVES: Mark definitely suggests prioritizing having some capital reserves. You never know when an issue will come up in which you need money to run your business or an opportunity will arise that you can only take advantage of if you have the money.
PERSONAL HABIT THAT MAKES MARK SUCCESSFUL:
CONVERSATION: Mark describes himself as a conversationalist. He loves to talk about farming, and he went with his strength when it came to choosing a business. Now he gets to talk farming and turn that into supplemental income.
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE EVER GIVEN TO MARK:
"Don't Get Discouraged By The Word 'No'". If you are going to work in any type of sales you will have to get used to hearing this. And, you will have to keep trying until you hear "yes".
CONTACT INFORMATION AND LINKS:
Mark's Email Address: mark@hewittprecisioninsights.com
Hewitt Precision Insights Website: LINK
Facebook: Hewitt Precision Insights | Facebook
Twitter: Hewitt Precision (@hewittprecision) / Twitter
Instagram: Hewitt Precision Insights (@hewittprecision) • Instagram photos and videos
INTRODUCING Whitney Ten Napel:
When I was first starting my agricultural journey in college I was taking animal science classes at the Modesto Junior College in Modesto, California. My last semester there I took a dairy science class, and I can remember the instructor named Hal Carlton talking to us about career options. He kept talking to the class about the dairy industry, which meant working in the factory side of the dairy business in creameries and the like. There were a lot of jobs available, and good employees were really needed.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since I took that class, and since I have seen Hal. Today's interview brought that all back to me. I am interviewing Whitney Ten Napel on this episode. She is currently a junior at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. She is majoring in dairy manufacturing, which she explains to me is the same thing as what Hal described as the dairy industry.
Whitney is able to articulate her choice of major and future career very well. She knows why she loves agriculture, and why she wants to work on the industrial side of things. Also, Whitney has really been exploring her options when it comes to her chosen career. She has already completed two internships, working in plants and processing both milk and cheese. And, she is going to complete another internship this summer, doing it all again.
Whitney sees the industry as a key component of agriculture. Without this link in the supply chain, how would consumers receive any finished products after all? She sees her future position in the industry as vital to agriculture and to the world's food supply. She also sees this as a great way to advocate for agriculture.
You are going to love this interview with Whitney Ten Napel!
NTRODUCING KENZIE BROWN:
Over the past six years, I have interviewed a lot of incredible guests on this show, and I have talked about a lot of different business concepts. One of the things that I learned when I became an entrepreneur and one of the things I try to convince people of is how you see things differently once you start your first business.
There is a real keyword in the final sentence of that first paragraph, and that is "start". So many people get caught in the loop of dreaming, researching, and then back to dreaming when it comes to their first business. They have a vision, but they don't know how to make it come true. They want to work for themselves, but they don't know what type of business to start.
Our guest today is a freshman in high school, but she has a lesson for all aspiring entrepreneurs, and that is to start. Kenzie just started high school in September, but she was lucky enough to have a mom who had been an FFA advisor and could tell her some of the things she was going to be doing in high school. So, instead of waiting for when her ag teacher assigned her to develop an SAE, she just started one.
Kenzie saw something on Pinterest that she thought would work as a side business, making dog treats. So, she started researching and then starting making the treats and experimenting with her own dog back in September. By Christmas, she already had a business name, Pepper's Pup Treats. And, she had orders for 100 dozen dog treats! Now, Kenzie is looking into the future and the next 3.5 years of being an FFA member, and she sees a growing business with an expanding array of products.
This is all happening so fast for Kenzie because she started. She did not sit around and wait for the perfect moment or to be told by her advisor that it was time. She just jumped right in. This has done two things. First, she is up and rolling and her business development is way ahead of most students, even FFA students, at this stage of high school. Second, she has been exposed to a very legitimate way of making a living. She will never again wonder if she can operate her own business. Now, she will see the world through the lens of an entrepreneur. The world looks differently this way because you see business opportunities and ways to serve other people around every corner.
If you have a dream of a different lifestyle or of self-employment, I want you to follow Kenzie's example. I don't care if you start the same exact business. It doesn't have to be anything huge or take a lot of money. Just start creating a product or offering a service and try to make money from the idea. Just like what Kenzie and I both experience, you will start to see opportunities that you did not know were there, and you will find energy reserves that you did not think were possible!
Follow Peppers Pup Treats Here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pepperspuptreats
Instagram: Pepper’s Pup Treats (@pepperspuptreats)
I don't know if you have noticed, but his show is about non-conformists and people who look at the world a different way. All of us fit that definition a little bit by the mere fact that we want to farm and only 2% of our population is in that career field. But what about that person that says "why do I have to do it that way"?
Today's guest, Ben Rykerd, is that person. Ben is now 29 years old. He describes himself as having a "travel bug" and he has known this since he was a kid. So, as high school was coming to a close Ben didn't just take the next prescribed step in the journey, he stopped and asked himself what type of life he wanted to have.
Ben also didn't look at things through the lens of an "either/or" mentality. He looked at "and" solutions. He knew that he wanted to travel, and he knew that he both had to and wanted to work. But, he never made the statement "I want to travel, but I can't because I have to work". Ben found a way to say "I want to travel, and I can because of my work".
Ben first looked into being a truck driver, because that would get him out on the road and allow him to see the U.S. However, he was not going to be eligible for a license that would allow him to drive outside of his home state until he was 21. So, he started looking at alternatives. What he ended up finding was working on a custom harvesting crew. He found an operation in Kansas that was hiring, and he knew that working there would take him all throughout the Grain Belt and allow him to see a lot of the United States. After one email, he was hired!
That crew, which Ben worked with for four years, was the opening of an exciting adventure. On this crew, he had coworkers from Australia and New Zealand, and they told him all about the farm work available to him down there. Before he knew it, he was working on a dairy in New Zealand, learning something totally new about agriculture. Soon, he found himself in the vast interior of Australia on a custom harvest crew. He has also worked in Canada and continues to work in the U.S., now on a custom farming crew. Ben has his eyes set on Ireland, Finland, and Germany as well.
In this episode, Ben talks about how he got started, the Visa he obtained to do this, how to extend your time in Australia, how much money you need to get yourself started, and much more!
Connect with Ben Rykard at:
Instagram: @Dirtbag_Ag
Email: BenRykard@gmail.com
INTRODUCING BAILEY MORRELL! I love it when students in the FFA with their own businesses discover niches and turn them into businesses. Our guest today, Bailey Morrell, did just that with farming. She has been raising Hereford cattle for several years now and growing her herd.
Recently Bailey had an opportunity to do some dryland farming on some neighboring property. Because it was going to be dry land, she had to figure out something that could work. She realized that she could grow oats under those conditions but wanted to figure a way to make that as profitable as possible. She decided to turn the operation into a certified organic operation to be able to market her oats to a niche market
Bailey shares equipment with her parents and really has an eye for agribusiness. This led her to become the new California State Star Farmer.
INTRODUCING COLE TAYLOR:
You can't get more remote in the lower 48 states than the far, northeast corner of Montana or the northwest corner of North Dakota. The towns are small, the winters are extreme and the people are fantastic!
Our guest today, Cole Taylor, comes from one of those such towns - Opheim, Montana. He is the president of this FFA Chapter, and he is taking full advantage of state and national SAE grants to start and grow his bee and honey business, Cole's Honeybees and Blue Sky Honey. Opheim High School and Junior High School are combined and together they have a total of 15 students. That is small!
Cole was not born in raised in Opheim. His father is originally from that area but spent a career in the military. It was only after his father retired, and when Cole was in the 6th grade, that Cole and his family moved to Opheim. Even though Cole was not coming from a large city or particularly a large high school, he still downsized in both town and school in a big way.
In today's episode, Cole and I will discuss what it was like to make that move and to learn the new social norms of such a small town. We will also discuss how he got the idea to start a bee business, and how he has been able to fund the startup through SAE grants.
Cole has awesome goals for after high school that involve service and duty. He will explain where he is headed. You are going to be an even bigger fan of small-town America and the great citizens they produce after this interview!
INTRODUCING CONNIE ROGERS
I am an agricultural advocate, and most of the students that I interview on this show are as well. And, what are we doing as advocates but providing information to people about our industry so that they can make a well-informed buying decision? Considering the amounts of misinformation about agriculture that exist, I think it is all of our responsibility to participate as advocates in one way or another.
Our guest today, Connie Rogers, takes this to a whole new level. Connie and her father raise and farrow about 200 sows in Southern Georgia. Connie is intimately familiar with this business and has been showing pigs since she was in the 2nd grade. When it came time to choose a supervised agricultural experience for the FFA, raising and showing pigs was a natural fit.
However, Connie recognized that there was more going on than just feeding, showing, and marketing pigs. She realized that there were people who were afraid to consume pork because they had been told that pigs were fed high levels of antibiotics, and if they were to consume pork from these pigs they would be consuming bacteria that were resistant to antibiotics. Therefore, if that same bacteria took root in their own body, it would not respond to the medicines that were available.
Connie saw it as a natural fit to add an agriscience research SAE to her workload to study this claim. She decided to feed two separate batches of pigs - one with antibiotics and one without - and then measure the results. She wanted to use her finding to provide accurate information to would-be pork consumers.
Connie's efforts in this project have earned her both state and national recognition. It has also propelled her into college where she is studying agricultural education. A lot of us are willing to talk about agriculture and the facts of our industry. Connie went to the length of researching to get the first-hand information that she would share. That is advocacy!
SHOW NOTES About two months ago I looked down at my phone and saw that there was a voice mail from my father in law on there. I listened to the message, and to his attempt to live in my world of technology, even though that was so foreign to him. He told me that he had just read an article about a guy from Florida that was "making a website" like me and that I should listen. He said that the show was about cattle ranching in Florida and that he had never realized that the first cattle in America were brought to Florida in 1521. He said that the show was named "Between The Beaches".
I've got a small, Bluetooth speaker made by JBL called the JBL Clip that I use twice per day. In the mornings and evenings when I am doing chores I listen to podcasts on it. I clip it onto the gear shift of my Polaris Ranger, and while I am driving around the farm feeding cows and goats I can learn something. So, the night that I received this voice mail I decided to give "Between The Beaches" a try.
I have been hooked on this show ever since. I like to learn, but there is so much information out there that I will never be able to take it all in or even decide what to take in, in a lifetime. Without "Between The Beaches" I would never have known or even tried to learn the cattle ranching history of Florida. There is a lot of fascinating information in this show that has kept me coming back for another episode.
The host, Brad Phares, is our guest on today's show. Brad has constructed a very unique podcast in that he does two things very well. First, he educates people on the history of cattle ranching in Florida. There is 500 years' worth of it after all. Second, he talks about why cattle ranching is so important to the State Of Florida in modern times. With 1,000 people moving to Florida every day, he makes a strong case for why cattle ranching is essential.
I am thrilled to bring Brad on as a guest today, and I hope you will all put him on your playlist. You will really enjoy getting to know all about cattle ranching in Florida!
Follow Brad & Cow Hunters Unlimited Here:
Website: http://www.cowhuntersunlimited.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CowhuntersUnlimited
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WBPhares
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cowhunters.unlimited/
Between The Beaches Podcast: http://www.cowhuntersunlimited.com/between-the-beaches-podcast
SHOW NOTES The Current Stage Of My Life And Business
Well, here we are, just a week away from Thanksgiving with 2019 bearing down on us soon. What are your goals for the upcoming year? What stage of business development or production will you be in during 2019?
Perhaps you are just starting your plan to become an entrepreneur. Or maybe you have started your business and are growing it while you continue to work at your full-time, "day job". Maybe you have even made the transition to full-time entrepreneurship and are looking for other revenue streams or are developing your farming operation.
I have been through all of these stages. I want to share the stage I find myself in now. This is probably the most difficult stage to share with you. It is not because something bad has happened or because I am ashamed of where I am at. I think it has to do with my raising.
Talking about this stage feels a bit like bragging. And certainly, nobody in my family has ever done anything like what I now do for a living. So, for me to talk about this stage I have to remind myself what this podcast is all about. My purpose here is to be a cheerleader for you, to be the person who keeps moving forward on this path so you can follow behind, and to be the person who takes the risks and leaps of faith to show you that it is possible. And of course, in the worst-case scenario to be the person who fails and warns you ahead of time so you don't make the same mistake that I already have.
My purpose is also to be an inspiration. I know how much the people I listened to, read, and watched inspired me when I was first beginning my journey. I remember hearing about how they lived their lives, and wondering if it could ever be possible for me to live that life someday. Now I find myself doing that, and I have to force myself to think back to when I wondered if it would ever be possible so I can see the transition that has taken place.
So, the stage I am entering into now is the one that I dreamed about way back in 2009 when I first really started thinking about what I wanted my life to look like. For those of you who have been listening for some time, you know that having a podcast was not part of that vision back then. The podcast is one of the pivots I made along the way.
In 2009 I just had a seed of an idea. I had a vision of a better way for me to live my life. That little seed opened a pandora's box for me. I had no idea how to get to that place, but I knew I wanted to be there.
This is what my life looks like today:
- We have a farm with loyal customers who like to brag about the beef, pork, and chevon they purchase from us. I would like to grow my farming operation, but I already have more farm than I ever imagined.
- Crazy time is over: I have gone through two crazy transitional periods - police work to full-time entrepreneurship & moving from the gopher business to full-time broadcasting and intellectual property sales.
- I have multiple revenue streams in place:
- The D&B Radio Show
- FFA Today
- Advertisers on Off-Farm Income
- Our online course - The Ag Entrepreneur
- Public Speaking
- Voice Over Work
- Podcast consulting and production
- Coaching
- Farming
- Rental Houses
- Teaching
I have systems in place for all of these revenue sources which makes them very easy to manage and maintain. What this means for my lifestyle is that it is extremely flexible, stress-free, and less demanding than anything else I have ever done.
Except for the farm, I do not have a significant hourly commitment each week to keep up with those streams of revenue. I call agriculture "the ultimate lifestyle business" and I prove it every year. By far, the farm provides me the lowest hourly wage of any of these streams of revenue. However, I am able to be on my farm 100% of the time now, and being able to do that is the reason all the other streams of revenue exist.
When I look into the future, and I see the potential for growth in these revenue streams I am filled with optimism. In the area that we live, real estate values and rent prices are appreciating rapidly, which has a direct impact on the value we receive from our two rental houses. We continue to grow this show, and as a result, offer more value to our advertisers making that more and more valuable. We had a great reception for the online course at the National FFA Convention this year, and the possibilities there are endless. Production of the Bulkloads Podcast is going very well, and there is room to add more production clients. D&B Supply is doing great, and the radio show I am hosting for them is working just like I had imagined it when I first proposed the idea.
My life today is all about cattle, pigs, goats, and hay. And it is almost completely on my terms. Without having a farm to inherit, we have been able to find a path to being on our farm full-time, not using debt, and being financially secure. And I have a ton of time to focus on farming!
This is the life that I was dreaming about. And when this dream first popped into my head it seemed impossible. But I am standing here today ready and able to show all of you that it was not impossible. It is very possible, and it is not lost on me that I get to live it.
I am going to do another solo episode next week to help you down this path even further. We all need a lot of help along the way from mentors and coaches. Most of us cannot afford to hire those people into our lives during those initial stages of growth. What I did was listen to a lot of podcasts, read a lot of books and listen to a lot of audiobooks.
Next week I am going to give you my list of all the books that I try to either read or listen to (mostly listen to) every year for continuing motivation and
SHOW NOTES
INTRODUCING Sierra Boggio!
I speak with enough FFA students that it allows me to see trends emerge. In today's interview with Sierra Boggio, she said something that I have heard before, and it is apparent that there is another trend emerging.
The FFA offers students the ability to access and learn a lot of things that students who are not in this program miss out on. One of those things is the ability to see needed services that are not being fulfilled in their local, agricultural communities. Sierra has grown up on a cattle and sheep ranch, and now she is breeding and raising goats of her own. Growing up around all of that livestock has given her a good lesson in the things that ranchers go through.
Being in the FFA has exposed Sierra to different career fields in agriculture, and the one that is standing out to her is that of a large animal veterinarian. Sierra's answer to why she was interested in becoming a large animal vet was interesting. She cited her time in the FFA, and how that has helped her to recognize that there are needs for veterinarians in her agricultural community that is lacking. She talked about the experience that their current veterinarian has with goats, and stated that all of that experience has come from her herd.
Between the career development events, leadership events, and emphasis on service the FFA is steering Sierra towards a career where she can serve her community by filling a much-needed role!
SHOW NOTES
INTRODUCING Wyatt Todd!
I have interviewed hundreds of extremely successful FFA students on the Off-Farm Income Podcast. Almost all of these are students who are 17, 18, or 19 years of age who have achieved incredible things in business, livestock production, or farming. And, almost all of these kids got started and developed their passion at a very young age. Whenever I conduct these interviews I always wonder how the student has changed over time and how sophisticated and knowledgeable they were when they first began.
In today's episode, I get to flip the script and speak with one of these students at the beginning of their journey. I will be speaking with Wyatt Todd. Wyatt is in the 8th Grade at St. Regis High School in St. Regis, Montana. Wyatt's school is very small. There are only 180 students total from Kindergarten to 12th Grade. So, the FFA starts early there. He began last year when he was in the 7th Grade.
Being in 4H and now the FFA lit a fire in Wyatt. Just three months ago he bought his first two cow/calf pairs. The cows are already bred back, and he is planning on having calves out of them this spring. Wyatt's voice comes across as very young, but his level of knowledge and sophistication does not. He obviously has a passion for what he is doing, and you can tell by speaking with him that his supervised agricultural experience is going to grow into something really significant.
Four years from now, when I interview Wyatt again, it will be obvious how much he has grown. And, we will be able to look back on this interview and see the before and after pictures of a high achieving FFA student.
SHOW NOTES I have repeatedly said that you will see business opportunities all around you once you become an entrepreneur. It is really true. Once you start a business, you don't have trouble thinking of new business ideas; you have trouble staying focused on just one. Something in our perspectives changes once we enter into the arena of entrepreneurship.
There is a good chance that if you listen to the Off-Farm Income Podcast, you could be surrounded by business opportunities in your everyday life and not even realize this. Many of my listeners are parents who are taking their kids to stock shows several times per year to exhibit their animals. So, if you are spending all of your time at livestock shows thinking that you can't start a side business or even a full-time business because of this commitment, are you correct?
Back in 2016, I featured an interview with Dolly Denson, "The Fit Stock Show Mom." She was a person who found herself in this position and came up with a business idea that would serve the other parents at the stock shows. In today's episode, I am proud to feature another group of people who have recognized the opportunities at stock shows and are making it happen for themselves.
In today's episode, I speak with the owner/operators of "The Stock Market Boutique." I will be having the co-owners, Olivia Warren and Kyle Blaydes, on the show. Olivia's daughter, Tori Warren, will also be joining us to talk about being their primary model for the clothing they sell and her role in social media marketing.
Along with a group of people, Olivia and Kyle recognized that there was a niche to be filled at stock shows, selling clothing to exhibitors that they would like to wear around the shows and in the arena. That is when this business was born. However, over time the other people involved in the business dropped off, and ultimately it became just Olivia and Kyle, with Tori playing a big supporting role.
Today "The Stock Market Boutique" is traveling to different livestock shows and larger events like the National Finals Rodeo, selling their fashions and meeting people in agriculture. Tori brings the perspective of a lifelong exhibitor, Olivia has the perspective of a former 4H member and the parent of an exhibitor, and Kyle brings the perspective of a full-time farmer. This combination is working very well for them.
Even though Covid, with the cancellation of so many shows, they have maintained their business. They are looking and different revenue models in addition to clothing and are poised to really grown once Covid is over. You are going to enjoy getting to know this great group of entrepreneurs.
Connect with The Stock Market Boutique:
Website: thestockmarketboutique.com
Facebook: facebook.com/thestockmarketboutique
Instagram: instagram.com/thestockmarketboutique
Email: tsmoffices@gmail.com
SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS: However, you decided to get into business for yourself there is one constant; you must make the leap from your full-time job to your new business when the time is correct. For most of this audience is especially true because so many of us have a lot at risk. If you are in your mid to late '20s without a 401K, a family, a house, etc. then making a big leap is a lot less risky. But for the rest of us, we really need to mitigate this risk.
Our guest today, Ray Miller, does not take this lightly. Even as his microbe business grows and spreads across the nation, he continues with his previous career on a less frequent note. He does not want to let his license expire, thus burning that bridge to an income if he were ever to need it. So, he is content taking it slow and making the leap when the timing is right.
I normally follow Dan Miller's lead and suggest making the leap when your new enterprise is producing 50% of your full-time income as a side hustle. However, if you have the ability to do what Ray is doing, it is a great idea. That is, just shifting percentages of income generation gradually until the new enterprise takes over for the previous one.
Ray followed an interesting path to his own business, much as our guest in episode #468 did by becoming a distributor of Rogue Equipment. Ray found a great product and realized that there was a need for it, but people around the country did not know about it. He made it his mission to rectify this and became a distributor. He has seen great results and cautions us that you had better believe in your product before you decide to deliver it to the rest of the nation.
ADVICE FROM RAY:
SLOWLY: Make your transition from your full-time job slow and gradual. Just because you have a great idea does not mean that you should slaughter the goose that is laying the golden eggs.
PERSON: As much as you can, meet people in person and shake their hand. The internet and social media are great tools and need to be used, but they are not a substitute for eye contact.
NEEDS: When you are trying to find a business to start, identify what it is you want that business to do for you. Then make sure whatever you pick is in line with that.
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE RAY HAS RECEIVED:
"If You Don't Believe In What You Are Doing, Nobody Else Is Going To"
PERSONAL HABIT THAT HELPS RAY SUCCEED:
PEOPLE: Ray loves to meet and get to know new people. This helps him to succeed.
SHOW NOTES
INTRODUCING SAVANNAH PITTMAN!
Interviewing FFA students for this show is an absolute privilege. It constantly keeps me optimistic about the next generation, and I get exposed to multitudes of wonderful stories from around our nation. Today's interview is a perfect example of this.
Savannah Pittman is a junior at Calloway County High School in Murray, Kentucky. Her family has been farming in Kentucky for at least four generations. And for many years all of her family has worked together in a very large, family garden. Today, Savannah and all of her cousins work together in this large, 1-acre garden and their very large greenhouse. Together they produce all the fruits and vegetables that they sell under the name, "Papa's Produce Barn".
They took their business name from the legacy left by their great-grandfather, whose barn they sell out of when they are not at the local produce market in Murray on Saturday's. All the cousins have a different area of specialty in the garden. For Savannah it is tomatoes. Savannah is learning a lot about business through this experience. So much so, that she is even signing up for business classes and activities outside of the FFA.
You are going to really enjoy hearing about Savannah's special family tradition, and getting to know this impressive young lady.
INTRODUCING PAIGE HAITH!
At what age can you start setting big goals? I think that I have learned from almost 1,000 interviews on this show that there is no minimum or maximum age. I have spoken with business owners who set their goals when they were young children, and I have spoken to business owners who never realized they had it in them until they retired.
Today's guest is one of those inspirational entrepreneurs starting at a young age. Paige Haith is a sophomore in high school. She is also the founder and owner of "Pastries By Paige". She has a line of 10 desserts that she makes, markets, and sells. Paige does all of her marketing on social media with Snap Chat and Instagram being her most widely viewed locations. She is also in the process of starting a second business.
What stands out about this interview with Paige is her goals and her attitude. Starting with her attitude, she has not been in a classroom since March of 2019 when lockdowns first began. During that time she became the chaplain of her FFA chapter, but she has not really been able to do anything with the role. This is frustrating. However, Paige has not looked at this situation as a source of frustration. She has looked at it as a source of opportunity. It has been during this time that she started Pastries By Paige.
Paige also has big goals, and she is already using the SMART system of goal setting. She knows how big she wants to grow her business, that she wants to have two storefronts in two different states, and by when she wants to accomplish this. These are the keys to actually accomplishing these goals. Paige is the kind of person who charges forward with an idea to see if it works. She is already having great success, and it is exciting to see where she will take it.
Follow Paige on Instagram: @pastriesbypaige_
SHOW NOTES There is a debate that has been arising over the past decade or so about whether or not paying for a college education is a wise investment. This debate has continued to grow as valuable skills are being taught more and moreover the internet. As the advancement of technology moves forward at a more rapid pace, the people with the most up to date skill sets are not coming out of colleges but are coming offline.
When you throw out professions that require a college degree; such as a doctor, lawyer, engineer, etc. you really start to see a devaluation of a college degree. If you focus specifically on entrepreneurship type skills, the value drops even lower. Part of the reason for this is the rapid pace of increased tuition costs that have outpaced inflation for years now.
Today's guest, Kyle Stockdale, is a married, 25-year-old dairy farmer from Ontario, Canada. At the beginning of our interview, Kyle told me that he had not attended college, and then he made the statement "might as well go to work and make money rather than go to school and spend money". There is financial wisdom in this statement. Of course, Kyle did not incur the expenses of college, and during the four years that he would have been making minimal income as a student, he was able to make significantly more money, giving him the opportunity to start investing and growing his net worth if he wished.
That was how we started the interview. But by the end of the interview, I was recognizing something completely different about Kyle that was very compelling in light of him choosing to skip college. Kyle knows marketing, and when he starts talking about marketing and growing his business he is clearly very educated. So, without college, how did Kyle obtain all of this knowledge?
Kyle is one of the millions of people who have followed a relatively simple formula. He found a niche that he was passionate about and that he could start a business within. Then he found mentors and teachers online that would help him develop the skill sets he would need to create a successful business.
Kyle started a business called KYVision Sharpening & Repair in 2018. He did this because he wanted to make extra money and because nobody else in Canada was doing this. He had always sharpened his own blades and repaired his own clippers for fitting and showing dairy cattle, and he thought that he could turn this into a profitable business. So, Kyle already had one important skill set to put towards his idea.
However, no matter how good you are at your core skill, your business will not flourish if nobody knows about you. So, you must market. This is where Kyle went to work finding online mentors who would help him grow, and this is how he became a marketing expert. It is clear from listening to Kyle that as passionate he is about his core business, he is equally or more passionate about marketing. I can say first hand that it is surprising what passions you expose in yourself when you start your own business. Kyle discovered something about himself by building this business, and he can now talk about marketing like the most polished of college graduates.
Connect with Kyle Stockdale and KY Vision Sharpening & Clipper Repair:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KyVisionblades
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyvisionblades/
Email: kyle_ky-vision@hotmail.com
SHOW NOTES
INTRODUCING CAITLIN HENNE!
Caitlin first appeared on our show way back in episode #142. She has come a long way since then. Now she is studying animal science and agricultural business at Michigan State University, she is the Michigan State FFA President and she went to the White House and met the United States' President.
Caitlin is still raising and selling her show quality lambs all over the country. She wants to build this business even bigger, thus her choice to study Ag Business. She has now won a proficiency award in sheep production, and she has been a regional star in agribusiness. You are going to love getting this update on Caitlin Henne!
SHOW NOTES
INTRODUCING DRESEN FERSCHWEILER! In six years of producing this show and conducting interviews, I have learned a lot about entrepreneurship. For example, I know that I am not a natural-born entrepreneur and the only way I ever became one was to decide that was what I wanted to do and then teach myself how to do it. Of course, there are natural-born entrepreneurs who will never be able to work for somebody else and have no concerns about failure or risk.
Outside of those two categories, there are those people who find themselves entrepreneurs because some characteristic about themselves pushes them in that direction. I am calling that characteristic, whatever it is, "The Entrepreneur's Attribute".
I believe that our guest today is one of those people with "the entrepreneur's attribute". Dresen Ferschweiler is somebody who learns all the details about whatever she is doing. For example, her father and grandfather farm hazelnuts in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Dresen has grown up around this industry, and she can answer every question from why can't you graze goats and sheep in the orchards, to whether or not irrigation is needed to how tariffs against China are impacting the price of hazelnuts. Dresen is still just midway through her junior year of high school, and her supervised agricultural experience is actually about livestock but she has that much knowledge about hazelnut farming.
Dresen is making and selling sheep halters from her home in Gervais, Oregon. He has now sold halters to people in eleven states, and her business continues to grow. She has done little to no marketing. She haphazardly entered an entrepreneurship contest through the National FFA and ended up having her halters being featured at the National Convention, and she still has never gone to the national convention. As her reputation grew from being noticed at the national convention she eventually started an Instagram page with photos of her halters under the very practical but not flashy name, "sheep_halters". Today she is selling more than ever, has different pricing programs, and is doing custom orders.
All of this started when Dresen was in the seventh grade. She was showing sheep for 4H, and she saw that somebody had a custom halter with a piece of fleece over the lamb's nose. She was interested in the halter and started looking at it more closely. She recognized that the material that had been used for the piece over the nose had some flaws. First, it would stretch out pretty quickly and stop looking and feeling good for the lamb. Second, it was of a material that would collect debris from the show arena and pen and would be next to impossible to remove.
In a situation where most seventh graders would look at a product and declare, "I want that", Dresen looked at the product and said, "this won't work, and here is why. I can make it better". This characteristic of examining something and really studying it before the emotion of wanting it overtakes you is Dresen's "entrepreneurial attribute". This ability to look at something, and instead of becoming excited to determine its shortcomings and then build a better product is the way that so many entrepreneurs get started. To be honest, I wish that I had this attribute.
Looking into her future, Dresen is applying this attribute to career planning already. She is interested in becoming a veterinarian, but she is already looking at the way things have traditionally been done in the goat industry and thinking that it can be done better. She is interested in getting involved in artificial insemination and embryo transfer in goat, which is a developing field.
This attribute that Dresen has, in combination with her great attitude and strong work ethic has her set up for success in whatever field or business she chooses.
SHOW NOTES
INTRODUCING TOBY WINANS! In 1988 the Future Farmers Of America changed its name to the National FFA Organization because of Toby Winans. Toby Winans was only born 18 years ago, and 1988 is 32 years ago, so how is this possible? Well, Toby Winans is the perfect avatar for the person that the National FFA Organization was thinking of when they changed their name to reflect the growing diversity in agriculture.
What the FFA recognized in 1988 was that there were a lot of students in the United States that were devoted to agriculture but who did not have the aptitude or desire to do the ground level work of farming. However, these students loved agriculture just the same and had something to contribute with their particular skill sets. The name Future Farmers Of America could have the connotation of excluding these students because they already knew that they were not future farmers.
Capturing the talents and devotion of students like Toby is important. If we can, we want to keep students with talent as he has in agriculture. We need people like him to stay around. This is probably why Toby's FFA advisor refers to him as an "FFA member who 'saved the year'". Here is a note that she sent me:
"Hi Matt,
This afternoon I set you up with an interview with an FFA member that "saved the year". Here are a few facts that might be good for your interview with Toby.Toby Winans was a quiet freshman that has turned into a true leader for Taylorville FFA. Last year when Covid19 canceled the final 9 weeks of our school year, Toby knew that canceling our Annual FFA Banquet could not be an option. We have a large banquet every year with over 250 in attendance. (The banquet is Big Community Event).
When our school shut all extra activities down due to Covid19, Toby figured out a way to have our FFA banquet by using his technology expertise and was able to follow our county guidelines. Toby Winans was a master mind of the 2020 Taylorville FFA Drive In Movie Style Banquet. Toby used his grandfather's semi van trailer for the movie screen and his other grandfather's flat bed trailer for our stage. He asked his dad and some community friends to borrow some audio video equipment and the rest is history!
The 2020 Annual Taylorville FFA Banquet was the best in the history of the program because of Toby Winans! His work on the banquet was incredible and it was an amazing night that was very uplifting for our community. The 2020 banquet will be one I never forget! If you have any questions I would be glad to fill you in on this amazing kid.
Thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
Sue Schafer
Taylorville FFA Advisor"
Toby loves agriculture, and it is this life that he has grown up around. However, he has natural talent and a passion for technology. So, his talents will direct him towards supporting farmers rather than being one himself. His talent was recognized early on, and he has been fixing computers, printers, and everything else technology-wise at his school since his freshman year. They even created a position for his particular talents, and he is the chapter's vice president in charge of chapter technology.
Toby now has his own drone business. He is using his love of both hardware and software to help farmers be more successful. He scouts fields for his customers with his drone and the use of the "Drone Deploy" software. He sees a future for himself in agriculture with this being his role.
Toby is the epitome of the student that the National FFA was thinking of when they changed their name. Amazing students like this are what drives everyone in every aspect of the FFA, and what drives me to conduct so many of these interviews every year.
SHOW NOTES There are two fundamental issues that have always plagued me when it comes to farming. First, what do we do about urban sprawl and disappearing farm ground? Second, how can a person expect to start a successful farm and be a full-time farmer with land, input, and equipment costs being so high? So, when I was contacted by The Conservation Fund asking to be on the show and talk about their answers to these questions, I jumped at the chance.
The folks at The Conservation Fund are pro-agriculture, and they are particularly fond of locally produced farm goods that follow their model of sustainability. They also abhor disappearing farm ground. So, they are working to increase locally produced goods while slowing urban sprawl. Right now they are doing this in the 30 counties, metro area of Atlanta, Georgia as a pilot project. But the prospects are very good for expansion.
In this episode, I speak with Stacy Funderburke, who is heading up the "Working Farms Fund" on behalf of The Conservation Fund in the Atlanta metro area. This program aims to pay farmers the actual market cost for their farms. Once purchased, they place the farms into an agricultural easement so that they will be farmed in perpetuity. And this is when the fun really starts.
Once these two things have taken place they match up the particular farm with an experienced farmer, who has been leasing ground or working as an employee and is looking to start their own enterprise. Because the land has been placed in an agricultural easement the price is not driven up by demand from developers. This gives the new farmer a reasonable shot at purchasing the land. To begin the new farmer enters into a lease on the farm ground with an option to buy.
The Conservation Fund helps the new farmer with obtaining resources, sharing equipment, and developing markets. In exchange, the City Of Atlanta and its surrounding metro area have another local producer who can bring locally grown food to market in that area. It is a win/win/win situation. You don't need to be from Georgia to participate in this and be selected as one of the new farmers. We will tell you all about this in today's episode.
Connect with Stacy Funderburke and The Conservation Fund:
Website: conservationfund.org
Facebook: facebook.com/theconservationfund
Instagram: instagram.com/theconservationfund
Email: sfunderburke@conservationfund.org
SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS: Entrepreneurship is the only option
If you want to farm, the further away from a major city you can get the more the land prices will reflect on their production capability. But, there will be fewer jobs available to you, likely with lower salaries.
How will you produce your off-farm income? 92% of farmers in the U.S. rely on it for household income, either created by themselves or their spouse.
If you are going to take a full-time job, what do you do when you need time for farm management activities?
- calving
- Irrigation
- raking hay
- swathing
- harvest
- etc.
If you are making a big transition from a city career to a rural & farming lifestyle you might have skills and/or education that is not applicable in your new hometown. If that is the case, can you use these skills to create your own business?
- Turn your previous employer into a client?
- Work remotely?
- Teach online?
If you are going to keep a full-time career job in the city, what is a reasonable commute?
- 20 miles
- 40 miles
- 60 miles
Don’t look at entrepreneurship as your lifestyle choice. Look at farming as your lifestyle choice and figure out a game plan that will allow you to make that happen. In this model, the production of your off-farm income no longer defines your working life. It is now the means to allow your working life.
This is why I call agriculture the “ultimate lifestyle business”. Other than being an actor, artist, or musician this is the only profession where people will work a second job, just so they have a shot at doing the first.
We are choosing this business of agriculture because there is such a strong, intrinsic reward for us that we are willing to make these sacrifices just for the chance to do it for a living. We are choosing this career for the lifestyle because as a brand new farmer who has to develop their operation we cannot do it for the earnings.
If our career decision was solely earnings-based this would not make any sense. We could clearly make more money, in less time, with less risk and more benefits at a city job, in a subdivision house with city neighbors.
CHOOSING YOUR BUSINESS
When you are choosing your business try to look at things with demand in the area and nobody filling it. Or, look at a business in which you could do a better job? Or, find a business that somebody wants out of with good potential.
I would refer you to episode #480 about finding a true business opportunity.
Don’t get hung up on the earning capability of your business idea in its first phases. One thing I can say for sure is that as you start working for yourself you will start to see opportunities and ways to generate more revenue than you were unable to see prior to beginning.
In other words, after you get started you are going to find more money.
YOUR ONLY OPTION
How are you going to farm well enough, that you can eventually become that full-time farmer (or most time farmer) that you want to be?
As you are starting out, whether it be with livestock or crops, you need every advantage you can get.
That might mean a 100% calf crop.
Or that might mean a couple of bushel yield bump.
One thing I learned in my two years of riding around with crop advisors was that the best farmers seemed to be the ones that were out there with their herds or crops. They were able to detect subtle changes or illness early and do something about it before it hurt their bottom line.
How can you do this if you are at work all day?
How do you get the time to react if you discover a problem when you’ve driven home from a long day of work?
NOT AN OBLIGATION
All you have to do is go onto social media to find lots of people who will tell you not to try farming. They will say many things such as:
- “How do you make $1,000,000 farming? Start with $3,000,000”
- Or, “you can’t make any money farming”
- Or, “the only way to make enough to survive is to become really big because of the small margins”
- Or, “only the big guys get enough funding from the government to make a difference”
- Or, “the deck is stacked against you”
- Or just…..” don’t do it”
These words, unfortunately, come from people who were just like you at one point. They had a dream of farming, and for one reason or another it did not work out.
There are no guarantees here, and we could all suffer the same fate and have to give up our farm someday, I included.
Farming is a business, and it may not go our way.
But, we don’t want to end up discouraging others. I think that discouragement comes from years of struggling to work full-time and farm on the side. When you do that you can burn out, and pretty soon the dream fades away. The farm becomes just another obligation, and you then look at it only from the mathematical perspective and decide it is not worth it.
I don’t want any of us to lose the passion for this lifestyle because of burnout.
Entrepreneurship solves so much of this for us. It allows you to manage your farm better, to give you every advantage possible. And, it helps to keep us invigorated and avoid that dangerous burnout.
Will you use entrepreneurship to create your Off-Farm Income?
SHOW NOTES
INTRODUCING KAYLA REED! They say that fortune favors the bold, and after hearing this episode I think you will definitely agree. In today's episode, I am interviewing Kayla Reed. Kayla is a former chapter president at the Pulaski High School FFA Chapter, and she is currently a student at the University Of Wisconsin, Stevens Point.
Something happened in Kayla's interview that has only happened to me once before. One of her FFA advisors sent in a special note about her and her accomplishments. Here is what he said,
"She is the epitome of what we would hope every FFA members would do in their SAE program! She is a self-starter that has had a goal for many years to be a FIsheries Biologist or something related to this field and is now into her first year of college in this program. What is also fantastic is that this a non-traditional area and Kayla made partnerships with our Wisconsin DNR and College research programs to get as much out of her SAE program as possible. You will be totally impressed! P.S. Kayla has also won so many accolades through FFA , conservation groups and scholarships form her SAE --that I cant even attempt to list them all! Be ready Matt to get your world Rocked!! Sincerely, Terry Erdmann"
My interview with Kayla certainly lived up to what Mr. Erdmann said about her. Just one small part of her story will illustrate this. When Kayla was in the 8th Grade she learned that a fisheries biologist for the Wisconsin Department Of Natural Resources (DNR) was planning to release Muskie fish into a lake that she had grown up going to. She knew that several people were against this move, and she found herself getting involved. As an 8th grader, Kayla spent two weeks researching this issue and then wrote a position paper on why the fish should not be introduced. She then went to a town hall meeting held by the fisheries biologist about this issue and presented the paper to him. Ultimately, the fish were not introduced into the lake. The biologist was so impressed with Kayla's efforts on this that he allowed her to job shadow him, and he became a mentor to her in the area of fisheries biology. This is truly a David vs. Goliath story. Here was the biologist with the state position, the degrees, the research, and the experience. And here was Kayla who had not completed 8th grade yet, had no experience, was much younger, was not an adult, and who wrote a paper on her opposition to the biologist's plan. That is the definition of courage and boldness. One of the main points we stressed in this interview with Kayla is just how being bold and courageous can open doors for you that would never expect. Most kids in Kayla's position might have feelings about the issue, but would never be so bold to take on somebody who is respected as an expert. But, she did. And by so doing, she found a friend and mentor and opportunity. Oh, and she found her passion. This is a lesson for life that everyone can emulate. Do and say what you believe and let the chips fall where they may. This is the pathway to finding your happiness.
SHOW NOTES
INTRODUCING MEGAN CLARK! I once heard luck defined as "when preparation meets opportunity". I love this definition of luck because so many people on the sidelines think that people who achieve could easily be replaced by any other person off of the street if they just happened to have "luck" shine on them that day.
When I first started hosting a radio show and podcast for D&B Supply one of our family friends asked me about how that had occurred. Before, I could explain she said "just fell into it?" or, to paraphrase, "just got lucky?" There was a bit of luck involved in this happening. I had actually called D&B Supply to inquire about creating a podcast for them, and I was lucky in the fact that they had decided to make a radio show and were trying to figure out how to find a host. But, what my friend didn't see was that I had invested my own money in equipment for broadcasting about two years earlier. And, for the past two years, I had been hosting a growing podcast called Off-Farm Income with no pay. But during that time I had been developing my skills as an interviewer, learning to find guests, and becoming a consistent broadcaster. It was this background, combined with the fact that D&B was looking for a host that led to me being chosen for this opportunity.
My interview with Megan Clark reminded me of this saying and this part of my life. No youth organization in the entire world does what the FFA does. The FFA does a great job of developing skills in students (preparation) and creating situations in which they can use those skills to accomplish great things (opportunity). This is done through the efforts of the National FFA, State FFA Organizations, State FFA Foundations, Regional FFA Associations, and individual chapters.
Megan had a lot of things pulling her towards the FFA. She lives on a farm and her parents and sister were all in the FFA. But it was going to one of her sister's award banquets and seeing FFA members being rushed up onto the stage to receive awards and accolades that really lit Megan's fire. By the time Megan was in the 8th Grade, she had joined the FFA.
Megan took this fire and started working hard, being very active, and achieving in her FFA chapter. A few years prior to her even being eligible to become an FFA member some innovative leaders in her region of Iowa had started a media group comprised of FFA members called Current Ag Concerns. This has now transformed into CAC Media Group. So, while Megan was growing up and waiting to become eligible to be in the FFA, people were already creating opportunities that she could later take advantage of.
During Megan's sophomore year of high school, these two paths converged. Megan's passion and preparation met the opportunity created by the CAC Media Group. The National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado was coming up and the CAC was traveling there to cover the event. Somebody on the team was unable to make the trip, and they needed to find a student to fill in. Megan's FFA Coach recognized her talent and hard work based on how active Megan had been up to that point. She invited Megan to come on the trip and fill in.
The trip went well, and Megan brought the same work ethic and enthusiasm that she had for the FFA to the CAC Media Group. Soon, she became a regular fill-in on the team. Then it was time to find new, full-time, team members to replace the graduating seniors, and Megan applied. She was selected. Now, she is a full-time team member, and she has traveled all over the United States covering events and conducting interviews. She has been published in major publications on the radio and on cable television networks.
Megan is one of the "lucky" ones. At least in the way that I define it. She worked hard, demonstrated value and when the opportunity came, she was ready!
SHOW NOTES
Today's episode is really special for two reasons. First, it has the potential to be very impactful on the FFA. Second, 80% of the world's hungry people are farmers. But, unlike U.S. farmers, they are subsistence-based and less sophisticated. But programs like Growing Hope Globally are taking farming expertise and productivity from the U.S. and exporting it to these struggling farmers.
On today's episode, Alex Morse will join us to explain what Growing Hope Globally's mission is. He will talk about helping farmers in many poor countries throughout the world and how you can get involved. He will also discuss how his organization developed a curriculum for FFA students to help them contribute to worldwide agriculture through their supervised agricultural experiences.
Alex specializes in helping farmers in Central America, and he has traveled to small holder's farms all throughout that region. He has even taken FFA students with him to see who they were impacting with their efforts. He has some amazing stories to share, and he describes people trying to farm in conditions that no American farmer would ever consider.
SUPPORT A GROWING HOPE PROGRAM: CLICK HERE Follow Growing Hope Globally online here:
Website: growinghopeglobally.org/
Facebook: facebook.com/growinghopeglobally
Instagram: instagram.com/growinghopeglobally/
Twitter: twitter.com/GrowHopeGlobly
SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS:
In 2011 when we purchased our farm we had a long, long way to go. We bought 25 acres of weeds with a house on them. There were no fences, no irrigation, and the land had not been cultivated in years. I had a small, John Deer tractor with an 8' disk on the back, and I worked the ground with that.
Tons of rocks came up while I disked, and they all had to be removed and deposited elsewhere. Progress was slow, and at times it seemed like this place would never resemble a farm. During all of that time on the tractor, I listened to farming podcasts. They inspired me, gave me the motivation to keep going, and helped me visualize what our place would be like someday.
One of those podcasts that I listened to was hosted and produced by today's guest, Tim Young. Tim and his wife Liz were operating a farm in Georgia and selling cheese as their main product. They had a variety of livestock, and I really enjoyed hearing about their day to day farming exploits.
Fast forward to today. Tim and Liz have moved on from that farm, and Tim is now trying to help other people succeed in their farming endeavors through his website and podcast, Small Farm Nation. The main thing that Tim learned about succeeding with his small farm was how to market products and sell directly to customers.
In this episode, Tim and I talk about marketing your farm products, and how to develop a following that will patronize your farm business. Also, Tim discusses his Small Farm Nation Academy which he has built to help folks really perfect this process. He also has offered 20% off of the coast of the academy to anyone listening to this podcast and entering the code "matt20" at checkout.
This is definitely worth checking out.
CONTACT TIM YOUNG AT:
Website: Small Farm Nation
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timsmallfarmnation
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallfarmnation/
SHOW NOTES Introducing Cole Searle! I interview a lot of young men and women on this show who are devoted to agriculture. These days you hear so much about kids not wanting to take over farms or continue that lifestyle that when a student who is passionate about agriculture comes on the show you wonder what their parents did to help them love this life?
Of course, on this show, I reach out to many of the highest achievers in the FFA. Therefore, they are a self-selecting group. Students who love farming and agriculture and are passionate about what they are doing, naturally find their way to the top levels of the FFA. And, so I spend a lot of time talking to students who love this life and want to stay part of it.
Even though that is the case, I always wonder what was it that sparked the passion in these students, and how could we spread it to even more youth in the U.S. It is probably a percentage thing, and even though it seems to me that all of them are this passionate, I am speaking to a very small percentage.
In today's interview, I get to speak with Cole Searle. Cole is the 2020 Idaho State Star Farmer, an Idaho State Star winner, and was a National Proficiency finalist this year. In his short-term vision, he is looking at an American Degree as well as becoming the National Star Farmer. In his long-term vision, he is looking at a career in agriculture, especially working with cattle and horses.
Cole is another one of these students where I wonder what did his parents do, or what event took place in his life that made him fall in love with farming. And, how do we spread that around? Cole has grown up around farming with his father managing several farms from Washington State all the way over to Ashton, Idaho where they have been for the past ten years.
I know a little bit about where Cole lives and farms. I used to drive through Ashton several times per year on my way to and from college in Bozeman, Montana. And for the past five years, my daughter and I have taken a father/daughter trip every October and gone through Ashton on our way to Yellowstone National Park.
In Cole's case, I think I can solve a little bit of the mystery of what his parents did to inspire him to be so passionate about farming. The answer is, they moved to Ashton. I can visualize Cole out on the farm on a crisp, June morning, driving a tractor or irrigating. And as the sun is coming up, there is something casting a long shadow over him. That something is the peaks of the Grand Tetons.
Ashton sits in a fertile valley, to the west of the Grand Tetons and the Wyoming/Idaho border. When you drive through Ashton you cannot help but pull over and take in the majesty of these unbelievable mountains. These are the most identifiable peaks in the Rockies, and they are right outside Cole's back door.
I can absolutely see where Cole is coming from. Growing up in a peaceful valley, working outside, and staring at his mountain range on a daily basis is definitely a recipe for contentment and passion!
SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING EMMA VICTERY!
Having a business model on your farm that is sustainable is challenging. Of course, if you are commodity-based there are so many factors that are outside of the control that you've got to get bigger and push harder. If you are smaller you are almost forced into being niche so that you can increase the size of your profit margins. And then of course, if you only offer one product you can get into really hot water if the price or demand for that product falls.
In a perfect world, we would all know what type of farm business we were going to be involved in, in the future, and we could plan out our skill sets accordingly. Of course, there is no such thing as that perfect world. However, the FFA offers a future farmer the best chance of coming as close to this perfect world as anything that I know.
This is illustrated very well by today's guest, Emma Victery. Emma has grown up on her family's farm in Oklahoma. She is hoping to take it over at some point in the future. She and her father have been looking at different products they could sell, different markets they could be in, and different ways to grow the business so that it will last for Emma and for future generations.
Just recently they began marketing bulls as a compliment to their commercial herd. Looking into the future, Emma sees the sale of embryos and using embryo transfers on their farm as a way to offer other products and to really speed up the rate at which they improve their genetics. Right now, Emma is a senior in high school. But that does not stop her from looking into the future and trying to figure out how she is going to make all of this happen.
Emma will start college at Oklahoma State University in the fall of 2021. She is planning on double majoring in animal science and agricultural communications. She wants to go to veterinary school, become a veterinarian, and specialize in reproduction so that she can use those skills for embryo transfers on their farm. This would also give her a great form of off-farm income. Right now she is taking over the marketing responsibilities on their farm, and she plans on using her studies in agricultural communications to strengthen her abilities in this part of the business.
All of her efforts have led Emma to be the 2020 National Proficiency Winner in Beef Production Placement. She is looking at applying for several more proficiency awards going forward, and feels like her journey in the FFA has just begun. She has also been accepted to the honors college at Oklahoma State already due to her academic performance. Emma is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the cattle industry, and it is going to be fun to watch!
SHOW NOTES Jason Tatge describes the device that he has created as the "Fitbit for farm equipment". I don't think there could be any more apt description. Jason is the creator of Farmobile which is a device and data capture system that solves many problems that people practicing precision farming in the past faced, such as how to get the data out of their tractor and how to make it all work together so it becomes information.
Through the solving of these problems and the creation of this new interface, Jason has unearthed a revenue source for farmers that nobody ever knew existed - data. With Farmobile, farmers are now able to collect data in real-time that they can combine with weather conditions, planting dates, etc. to make crucial decisions in the field.
This information has value to other professionals in the farming world as well, and Jason believes there is a market for it. What Jason has done has created a way for farmers to sell another product that they were already harvesting but did not know there was a value for.
I wanted to bring you this episode because we are always looking for ways that farmers can enhance their revenues to make their business more sustainable.
CONTACT INFORMATION AND LINKS:
Website: LINK
Facebook: LINK
Twitter: LINK
Linkedin: LINK
INTRODUCING ELYCE BURZALAFF! Cleary my favorite aspect of the FFA is that it exposes students to entrepreneurship. I have a lot of favorite aspects, but it was entrepreneurship that introduced me to the FFA, and that is the aspect that I have been profiling for six years now.
I like this aspect so much because a lot of students may have never been exposed to the concept of working for themselves. If they are like me, they knew entrepreneurs and understood that some people were self-employed, but nobody ever told them that was an option for them. With that being the case, there are lots of potential entrepreneurs sitting in classrooms across America that will never try out that path because they are unaware of it as a viable option for them.
Today's episode highlights how the FFA can put another tool, the tool of entrepreneurship, in a student's arsenal. Elyce Burzlaff is mid-way through her sophomore year of high school. Last May a guest speaker came to her school and spoke with the FFA students. During that discussion, Elyce and her classmates were challenged to come up with an entrepreneurial idea. This led Elyce down a path of thinking of ways she could create revenue and determining what resources were at her disposal. Then she remembered that her mom had some equipment that could be used for making shirts.
"Elyce B's Tees" was born at that moment. Elyce started creating shirts and selling them at her local farmer's market. She started seeing good results and kept doing this until the market closed for the season. When the market closed she started developing her Facebook Page, Instagram Page, and her own website, elycebstees.com.
Elyce is certainly on the way with her business now and is learning all about entrepreneurship. She has another two and a half years in high school to hone her craft and learn about business, and we will see where this takes her!
The FFA Creed talks about a faith born of deeds. This amazing organization has found a way to coordinate thousands of chapters and hundreds of thousands of members throughout the United States into a cohesive unit that operates the same way, in the furtherance of agriculture.
One of the key aspects of what is done in the FFA is service to one's community. Over the past six years of interviews, I have been lucky enough to profile multiple examples of service through the FFA. Today's episode is another excellent example of that principle of service.
Jaidyen Wommack and Caitlyn Gloe respectively are the president and vice-president of their FFA chapter at Louisiana High School in Louisiana, Missouri. This past fall they led an effort to help feed those in need, in their community. There is always a need, in every community, for help in one form or another. Of course, this year, in the midst of Covid 19 that has been exacerbated.
With the encouragement of their FFA advisor, Jaidyen and Caitlyn applied for and received a $300 grant to help their community this fall. With the money they received, they and the rest of their chapter voted to purchase produce to donate to the local food bank. But they did not stop there. Then they started a canned food drive to acquire even more food for their community, and they even brought their newly formed middle school chapter into the competition.
Ultimately, through Jaidyen and Caitlyn's leadership, the Louisiana High School FFA Chapter was able to donate a significant amount of food to their local food bank and make a difference in their community during the holidays. Both of them join me on the show today to tell the story of how this came about, and how they executed their plan.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Agriculture Education & Agricultural Communications
HIGH SCHOOL: Louisiana High School in Louisiana, Missouri
MASCOT: Bulldogs
FFA ADVISOR: Lindsey O'Hara
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR JAIDYEN WOMMACK &CAITLYN GLOE:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Louisiana High School Website:
FFA Advisor's Email Address: oharal@louisiana.k12.mo.us
Louisiana High School Telephone Number: 573-754-4261
Merry Christmas to all of you! Thank you so much for making it possible for me to do this for the past three years (already)! I have a favorite memory of my time growing up in Valley Home, California that happened 40 years ago on Christmas Eve. I wanted to share this with you for my Christmas episode this year.
I could try and type out this story here for you to read, but I'm going to make you listen to it. I grew up in a very special place; a town that was dying out. We were there in what really were its last, best years and I've got a lot of fond memories from my childhood. This story is just one of them.
Here are some photographs to help show you what I am talking about when I describe Valley Home and the alley where this took place. This is what Wikipedia says about Valley Home today and the triangular shape of the town:
Here is a satellite image of Valley Home. I lived in the bottom right of the triangle:
[caption id="attachment_4289" align="alignnone" width="510"] The purple pin is where the Valley Home Store is located.[/caption]
Here is a close up of where my house and the Rinna's are located:
[caption id="attachment_4290" align="alignnone" width="510"] Karen's house in the center and mine is the brown, "L" shaped roof. The "incident" took place in the alley between our houses.[/caption]
This is the front of my home, the window I was pressed against and the door that Santa left out of:
[caption id="attachment_4285" align="alignnone" width="508"] The kitchen door of the house I grew up in.[/caption]
Here is the fence that caused all the trouble:
[caption id="attachment_4287" align="alignnone" width="510"] The short fence that caused all the problems....the shop was not there then.[/caption]
A couple of photographs of the Valley Home Store:
[caption id="attachment_4281" align="alignnone" width="510"] The Valley Home Store today.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4282" align="alignnone" width="510"] The gas pumps are gone and the post office is not longer being used.[/caption]
Merry Christmas everyone!
I am a huge fan of two things relevant to agriculture: value-added products and wool. And, that is why I was so excited for this interview, it combines both.
Kyra Uphoff has been working with "fiber arts" since she first started 4H, years ago. She concentrated on two things through 4H - public speaking and fiber arts. During this time she began learning to make felt, combine felt with silk, and create products and art projects with this skill. She also honed her public speaking abilities and developed a passion for talking with people.
When it was time for high school Kyra joined the FFA because it would continue to give her the opportunity to speak publicly. She has been pursuing this for the entire four years of high school so far. For her supervised agricultural experience, she has continued to refine her craft with fiber arts. Today she has her own business, "KS Uphoff Fiber Arts". She makes felt and silk into products like scarves and she also uses these raw materials to make art. Kyra likes to take pictures with felt, and she also makes "3D Creatures".
She clearly has a passion for working with these materials and an artistic eye for creation. She has been showing her products at craft shows, selling products, and developing her reputation. Now that Covid has hit she is developing a website and social media presence to help her do the same.
As a funny side note, both of her parents are huge fans of Kansas State University. So both Kyra and her brother have the initials "KSU". Luckily for her parents, their last name started with a "U". It made it easy to pay homage to their university that way!
The FFA is all about opportunity. From learning about different careers, learning vocational skills, public speaking to doing research the FFA offers abundant opportunities.
At what point do these opportunities end? Is it during your senior year of high school, just after graduation, or sometime during your freshman year of college? In today’s episode, we will be speaking with a student who is mid-way through his first year of college and is just seeing all the different FFA opportunities open up in front of him.
Creed Ammons is the 2020 National Proficiency winner in agricultural processing. In addition to that, he is serving as the state president for the State Of West Virginia and studying agricultural education at West Virginia University.
Even though Creed is already in college, his opportunities in the FFA are just getting started. He still has the chance to become a national officer as well as an American Star winner, and he will be receiving his American Degree in the future. Creed is studying agricultural education and is looking at becoming an ag teacher like his parents, but he is also keeping the possibility open of working in agricultural policy either at the state or national level.
I was very excited to learn during this interview that Creed had received a $1,000 scholarship from our great sponsor, Lacrosse Footwear, last spring. The serendipity of having him on the show and him winning a scholarship from those great folks is almost too much to believe!
Interviews like Creed’s are very exciting to record because you can see all the possibilities for his future laid out in front of him.
How To Contact Ammons' Farm Fresh Turkeys: Facebook: LINK
Phone: (304) 771-9022
Email: creedammons@gmail.com
The Rural Crime Edition of the Off-Farm Income Podcast gives crime prevention tips on rural crime and updates you with the latest rural crime stories from the U.S. as well as the U.K., Canada and Australia.
SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS: Do you dream of farming and being able to stay on your farm full time? Do you love to share agriculture and what you love about it with other people? Do you enjoy livestock and love to brag about the meat you produce in your own place?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then selling retail cuts of your own meat at a farmer's market or on your own place might just be the answer you are looking for.
Let's face it, my show is all about using entrepreneurship to support your farming endeavors. Even though this is what I do and what I teach, it does not mean that it is the ultimate goal. Ultimately, all of us would like to do nothing but farm. We would like to be that person who wakes up with the chickens, beds down the cows, and only leaves the farm because we want to in between.
Our guest today, David Hancock, has a recipe for doing just that. No two farms or farmers are alike, and you may have more or fewer challenges than David has had to overcome. But one thing is for certain, he loves farming and needed to figure out a niche to achieve his dream of farming full time. He did that by selling individual cuts of meat.
David shares a wealth of information in this interview. It is practically a blue print for anyone who wants to find a way to farm full time.
CONTACT INFORMATION AND LINKS:
Facebook: LINK
Website: LINK
Telephone: 301-752-2353
SHOW NOTES
Today's episode is very exciting. I am interviewing Michael Bair, the 2020 National Proficiency Winner in poultry production. Michael is also the 2020 state proficiency winner from Ohio in this very same category.
Michael's awards and recognition are exciting enough, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Michael lives and works on his family's organic dairy that has been in existence for generations. They switched to organic production for better prices some years ago, but that has not made them immune from the ups and downs of milk and input prices.
When Michael began in the FFA and needed a project for his supervised agricultural experience he decided to try something that was unique to him. So, he started raising and marketing pastured poultry. Over the years this business has really grown into a substantial revenue source for him and his family's farm.
Michael plans on returning to and taking over the family farm in the future, and like any wise business person, he is looking for additional revenue sources to hedge against low commodity prices. Michael believes that he has discovered this in the form of pastured poultry. He plans to continue to raise and direct market pastured poultry in the future when he is managing the farm.
Michael is currently studying entrepreneurship at Edison State Community College. When I asked him how he had chosen this major I saw where his wisdom came from. Michael said that his parents wanted him to go to college to learn about business. They know that he has a lot of knowledge about cattle and farming already, but the business of organic dairy farming is complex, so they want him to be prepared on that end as well.
SHOW NOTES As you all know from listening to the show, I have a very positive outlook on the world of farming and rural living. I believe that those of us who value this way of life has a lot going for us, and we are very fortunate that our values lie in living this way. With this in mind, I tend to look at this lifestyle through rose-colored glasses.
Alas, the episodes I produce about rural crime definitely demonstrate to me that not all farmers are looking out for other farmers. Interviews with folks like Jason Medows of the Ag State Of Mind Podcast show me that not everyone on farming operations is living in a state of bliss, overwhelmed by the grandeur of this lifestyle.
Since I have to admit that there are challenges in this lifestyle, the next logical question is what do we do when we need help with these unique questions? Who out there has the knowledge and understanding to address the specific life and family challenges of farmers and people living in rural communities?
That question led me to today's guest, Elaine Froese. Elaine is a "farm family coach". She lives just inside of Canada, above the State Of North Dakota. Elaine and her husband have been farming for over 40 years, and she has gone through the process of farm transition three separate times during their marriage.
Elaine is possibly the only expert in North America dealing with the familial issues involved in the rural and agricultural lifestyle. And, she understands it from multiple different perspectives - the son who wants to farm, the daughter in law who married the farmer not the farm, the sibling who doesn't want to farm but feels entitled to part of the parent's legacy, and the retiring farmer.
Throughout the interview with Elaine, two things became apparent to me. First, she is a considerable expert and extremely valuable to people in this lifestyle. Second, there are myriad issues in farm families that never really get talked about publicly. These need to be addressed. With a rise in farm divorces and suicides, they really need to be discussed.
Thank goodness for Elaine, her expertise, and the books that she has written to help people enjoy this great lifestyle, in spite of the many challenges that can develop.
HOW TO CONTACT ELAINE FROESE: Website: LINK
Blog: LINK
Facebook: LINK
Twitter: LINK
LinkedIn: LINK
YouTube: LINK
Email: elaine@elainefroese.com
SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS:
Roy Jackson has the title "Master Hatter", but I would call him an artist. About three years ago my brother-in-law returned from a work trip to Salmon, Idaho. He told me that I needed to look into "this guy up there that makes hats". That is how I got introduced to Roy Jackson.
About a year after that I was watching "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". At the very beginning of the show Jimmy Stewart gets off of the train in Shinbone wearing a large brimmed, straw hat. I wanted that hat and called Roy. He did not know the hat, and without seeing it he could not make it. He did not own a copy of the movie either.
I searched the internet and found plenty of photos from that movie, but I could not find a photo of Jimmy Stewart wearing that hat. I decided to go low-tech. I sat down to watch the movie and paused it on the opening scene. Then I took a photo of the hat from the screen of my television and emailed it to Roy.
About one week later a perfect replica of that hat showed up at my house. Unbelievable!
I need a new straw hat for this summer. I saw a picture of a hat I liked the other day and did the same thing. Once again Roy had a perfect replica of what I was looking for at my house in about a week. I knew I had to have Roy on the show right at that point!
ADVICE FROM ROY:
Make Up Your Mind: When I asked Roy when he knew he was going to make it in this business his answer was "when I decided to be a hat maker." He believes strongly in making a decision and then making sure you achieve that.
Right Person: If you are going to apprentice with someone to learn to make hats, take your time and find the right person to fit the vision you have in mind.
By Hand: In addition to the equipment you will learn to use, learn to make a hat by hand. This way you can get started with almost no investment, and you will always be able to produce a hat.
BEST BUSINESS ADVICE ROY HAS RECEIVED:
Stick With Your Product: If you are going to be a hat maker, then be a hat maker. Master your craft. Don't get distracted by other product ideas until you have mastered what you started out to master.
PERSONAL HABIT THAT HELPS ROY SUCCEED:
Roy gets to his shop early, every day. He loves what he does, and it drives him to succeed.
BOOKS/RESOURCES:
The Hatter's Guide, or Scientific Instructor; is the book that got Roy started. When it comes to a hat making business, this is the book to get you going.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Email: roy@jaxonbilthats.com
Facebook Page: LINK
Website: LINK
Telephone: 208.756.6444
SHOW NOTES
Today's episode features one of the most unique and interesting, and possibly most dangerous, supervised agricultural experiences we have ever profiled on the Off-Farm Income Podcast.
Andrew Mehus is the former chapter president of the Cochrane-Fountain City FFA Chapter. He is now studying wildlife ecology at the University Of Wisconsin, Stevens Point. He is also the 2020 National Proficiency Winner in specialty animal production. All of this stems from his SAE.
Andrew works at Neitzel's Village Elk Farm near him home in Fountain City, Wisconsin. He started working there early in high school and has steadily gained more and more responsibility over time. On the farm they raise elk for the harvesting of antlers. I learned something very interesting in my interview with Andrew. Elk do not have nerve endings in their antlers. Andrew stated that sometimes when they are sawing them off the bull will just stand there as if nothing is happening.
They will leave the antlers on a few of their most impressive bulls to demonstrate the quality of their genetics to other people. And, a few cull bulls and cows will be harvested for meat. But, by in large, the elk herd represents a sustainable and renewable source of a rich mineral.
Andrew has not learned just about the husbandry of elk. He also has learned more about the business side of elk production. The antlers are used for the production of medicines and supplements all around the world, and it is a very niche market. Because of the unique shape of elk horns the owner of the farm developed special machinery to help catch and secure the elk when they do have to remove horns or do other work with them.
This experience has really shaped Andrew and has motivated in the college major that he chose. The State Of Wisconsin has reintroduced elk in the northern part of the state, and Andrew is shooting for a future in which he works for the state department of wildlife managing that herd.
SHOW NOTES
One of things I love about hosting the Off-Farm Income Podcast is being up to date on the latest in technology and what people are doing to advance their businesses. Never has that been more true than today’s Episode.
My guest today, Luke Falkenstien, just won the National Proficiency Award for Goat Production. It is easy to see what made his application and interview stand out. He and his family are breeding goats for the show world, and they are using embryo transfer technology to do this.
I have profiled many students and farmers who are using embryo transfer technology with cattle, and I have even done it myself. However, I never spoke with anyone who is using it for goat production.
As Luke will talk about in the episode, there is still a lot to learn using this technology with goats. And, this leads to a boom and bust cycle with some years working out great and others not working out at all.
Luke is now studying Animal Science at Texas Tech. University, which is quite a way from his farm in Kansas. His answer to why he chose to go to school at TTU was interesting. The campus is just 2 hours away from two of the best goat breeders in the U.S. Going to school there not only allows him to receive his education, but it allows him to network with the breeders that he strives to emulate!
Follow Luke and His Family Here: WEBSITE or FACEBOOK
INTRODUCING BECCA LEHMAN! It is always very interesting to interview students in the early part of the FFA journey. So many students start out small on their projects or in their competitions, and then they grow into more sophisticated projects and supervised agricultural experiences.
Each of these students go through a transitional period as they progress in their FFA experience. In today's episode I get to catch one of these students right in the midst of her transition. Becca Lehman has started transitioning from simply showing market animals at her county's fair to breeding livestock and selling market animals to 4H and FFA students who want to show.
It is a very interesting conversation about what motivated her to do this, and how she is approaching this change. Becca has raised market steers, hogs and goats throughout her experience already. Now, she is starting her own herd of goats to breed them for other exhibitors. In addition to this, Becca works at her families two feed stores as a cashier, and his learning the business of retail at the same time.
On this day in 1936 Life Magazine released its first ever magazine. The photo on the cover was of the spillway of the Fort Peck Dam in Fort Peck, Montana. Some 58 years later I would find myself spending Thanksgiving on a ranch just 48 miles down the Missouri River from that historic spot, and I would find myself learning a lot about the realities of ranching and how agricultural binds communities together.
In today's episode we kick off Thanksgiving week, and I re-hash this experience with you. It is amazing the things that stick with you and things that don't. Let's remember some of them together in this episode!
INTRODUCING CONNER GRANT!
One of the greatest things about interview FFA students is hearing the “unbridled” enthusiasm that the students have for their projects, farming and agriculture. In today’s interview I am interviewing an student who is the third generation of farmer on his families farm.
Conner Grant’s grandfather started their farm from scratch in the 1970’s. Today this farming legacy has been built large enough that Conner hopes to return to it when he done with college and make this his full time career.
In this episode we find out that the land that Conner is farming for himself, he is leasing from his grandparents. I asked Conner the same question I ask any student who is leasing land from family, and I get the same answer. It is amazing to me just how much wisdom there is in farm families across the board in the U.S.
A funny surprise in this episode is just how good a voice that Conner has. I joke with him about becoming an agricultural broadcaster. I think after you listen, you will agree.
Enjoy this interview with Conner Grant.
SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Diversified Agriculture
HIGH SCHOOL: Taylorville High School; Taylorville, Illinois
MASCOT: Tornado
FFA ADVISOR: Sue Schafer
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR CONNER GRANT:
Click on the picture below to be taken to the Taylorville High School website:
Conner's FFA Advisors' Email Address: sschafer@tcusd3.org
Taylorville High School's Telephone Number: 217-824-4951
FFA LINKS:
National FFA Organization
Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)
Support FFA
Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.
REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:
- Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
- Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
- Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:
“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue
Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard:
*Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters*
Happy New Years everyone! Welcome to 2020. Today is a quick New Year's Episode, and as tradition would have it we get to have a conversation with the whole family in today's episode. Autumm and Hattie will come on and share their New Year's resolutions, what they like best about our community and our farm. And, they are going to help invite you to join us in Italy this summer!
Happy New Year's everyone, and enjoy the episode!
Me and the whole family were back up in the Wood River Valley of Idaho this weekend so that I could elk hunt. It just so happened that a friend of ours had a condo available that they could not use this weekend. So, the whole family was able to go.
I hunted during the days, and I was able to hang out with Autumm and Hattie in the evenings. Because of the short days, we actually ended up with quite a bit of time together, so it worked out really well.
For my outdoor clothing I prefer to wear wool to any other fabric, natural or man made. After this weekend, I really want to solute all those farmers who are producing wool. On my first evening I got my pickup stuck and was out in the middle of nowhere in a snow storm for quite a while. I was dressed in wool base layers, socks, pants and a heavy wood sweater. I was dry and warm, and the wind just did not have that much impact on me.
The next two days I spent climbing steep slopes in about 2 feet of snow in pursuit of these elusive big game animals. Between taking every step knee deep into snow and laying prone in the snow several times I never got cold or wet. The wool clothing did just as advertised, and I could not have been more pleased. This miracle fabric is an excellent investment!