Off-Farm Income

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. More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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 More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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 More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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! More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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 More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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 More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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: [email protected] 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 More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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: [email protected] 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 More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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: [email protected] 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 More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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/ More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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! More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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 More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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: [email protected] 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:

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. More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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: [email protected] 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 More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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! More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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: More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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: [email protected] 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! More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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: [email protected] 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. More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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! More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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: [email protected] 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 More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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. More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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: [email protected] 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/ More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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. More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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. More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: