Off-Farm Income

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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:

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

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

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:

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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.