Off-Farm Income

On tomorrow's ag business episode we are looking at the concept of farm transition again.  It has been several years since I have done this, but it is a topic that we should keep front of mind because it is a valid way to begin farming or ranching.  Back in 2017 I interviewed a young man who was a National Proficiency Finalist and a sophomore in college.  He was raising his own cattle and working...

Jay McClure is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Forage Production.  This is the result of Jay's efforts on his families farm taking over responsibility for hay production under several center pivots.  Jay is now a full-time farmer and has chosen this path as his career for the rest of his life.   Jay is faced with a unique problem.  The family farm has been in the family for o...

On today's farm update show, let's talk about my goals for 2023, including: Be better at gopher control More frequent pasture rotations Sell sweet corn in a road side stand Start a working dog Become more of a vagabond on Idaho's back roads Graze goats on our canal more Start a couple of pack goats More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:  

Will Sherman is a 2022 National Proficiency Finalist in the category of Ag Processing.  He has been cutting meat at Mound City Butcher Block in LaCygne, Kansas since he was 14 years of age.  At age 18, just months after graduating high school he is already managing the shop.  Will takes a lot of satisfaction from cutting meat.  He sees it as a way to serve his community by preparing their meat for...

Hattie Brechwald is a chapter sentinel at Kuna High School, has just started her own herd of goats, is a district winner in two welding methods and is my daughter.  Traditionally, Autumm, Hattie and I record a year end episode for New Years.  However, this year Autumm is sick and is in no shape to be a guest on the show, so it is just Hattie and I.  I have been waiting for Hattie to get far enough...

Jana Earp is the Advertising and Partnership Manager at Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association in Fort Worth, Texas.  The TSCRA began as a conglomerate of ranchers in Texas that banded together to stop cattle rustling in 1880.  Since the this group has evolved, officially becoming the TSCRA in 1921.  It's mission also evolved and turned from being focused on catching cattle rustlers to he...

Because of the holidays and the way they fell this year, I am not producing a rural crime episode this week.  However, on tomorrow's ag business episode I am doing a show all about the Texas And Southwestern Rural Cattle Association, which I was introduced to through hosting this rural crime episode.  So, for today's re-cap episode I thought it made sense to go back and revisit a rural crime inter...

Ty Steffen is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Diversified Crop Production.  On his families property and on leased property in his hometown of Newark, Illinois he grows 4 acres of pumpkins, a 1/2 acre of broom corn and gourds as well as a large vegetable garden.  Using honor system stands Ty markets his broom corn, gourds and pumpkins as decorative produce every fall.   There...

A quick farm update on a "kind of" week off between Christmas and New Years.  This one has it all: goats, freezing rain and more.... More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:    

Hanna Schmidt is a junior at Mullhall-Orlando High School and the secretary of her FFA Chapter.  She also has a business removing invasive cedar trees from the pastures and fields of the people in her community.  In today's episode Hanna explains that the research she has done has indicated that cedar trees rob a lot of soil moisture from the grasslands, and their removal can result in higher carr...

Doland FFA Avery Miles - Chapter President of the Doland FFA Chapter in Doland, South Dakota Starting this year the Doland FFA Chapter decorated the town's park on Main Street for Christmas.  The emphasis is on lights, but there is also a beautifully lit up FFA logo at the front of the display tying the community, Christmas and the local chapter all together.  This project began with a $500 grant...

Gracee Poorman has overcome a lot in her life, and dealing with the difficult challenges of overcoming obstacles is probably what attracts her to agriculture.  She did not grow up in agriculture, but through a series of twists and turns she found herself working in a commercial hog barn.  She also found many people skeptical about her ability to put in the work and be successful working in that en...

Dresen Ferschweiler is a really incredible entrepreneur and has what I call "The Entrepreneur's Attribute.  She was first on the show in 2021 talking about how she recognized shortcomings in sheep halters and decided to do something about it, very early on in high school.  I have since met her, her family and her fellow chapter members at the National FFA Convention.  Dresen is the epitome of an e...

Blake Moore is a 2022 National Proficiency Finalist in the category of Agricultural Mechanics and Repair.  Starting on his uncle's farm somewhere around 6th grade Blake quickly found his curiosity piqued when he was in the shop around the tractors, feed trucks and pickups.  Soon, he was working on engines and demonstrating aptitude. 6th Grade was also the very first year of his school's middle sch...

Hi everyone.  We have a farm update for you today and some more weather talk.  Yes, I love the weather and I love interesting weather.  We seem to have that in abundance right now, and I talk all about it in today's Tuesday Episode.  

Halle Miller is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Small Animal Production & Care.  She is also a junior at the University Of Akron in Ohio studying marketing and sales.  Halle was previously a guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2021 on episode #1063 as she was preparing to graduate high school.  At that point in time she was planning on becoming a nurse, but during that ve...

Tip Of The Week Get involved and create a community Rural Crime In The U.S. https://www.bainbridgereview.com/news/3-break-in-to-bay-hay-and-feed-on-bi/ https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/12/police-shortage-california-rural-departments/ Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/llama-dead-two-others-injured-7930026 https://www.daily...

Lance Irving is the program director for the Leopold Conservation Award which is presented to one farmer in each of 25 participating states.  The award comes after a farmer has been nominated for the conversation practices on their farm that are both financially sound and environmentally beneficial.  The award is facilitated and presented by the Sand County Foundation, which is named after Aldo Le...

On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode I am profiling the Leopold Conservation Award that is given out by the Sand County Foundation each year to one farmer in 25 states.  The Sand County Foundation has a significant tie to Wisconsin and, of course, Aldo Leopold.  Whenever I think of old time Wisconsin, I immediately thing of Jerry Apps and his great story telling ability.  So, on today's re-cap episod...

Arturo Madriz is a 2022 National Proficiency Finalist in the category of Agricultural Mechanics and Repair.  He is also a senior at Madera South High School in California, and has a big time job in his father's trucking company.  Just this year Arturo started going out on his own to repair damaged or broken down semis from the families business.  He has driven up to 3 hours to take care of a truck...

The last piece of media I took in last night before bed was the weather report.  My favorite meteorologist predicted that the rain we were receiving would turn to snow over night but that little to no accumulation would occur.  She did give the caveat that if snow were to stick it would have to be from a very fast and heavy snowfall, which was very unlikely. The first thing I heard this morning wa...

Willie Schoonover is a junior at Mulhall-Orlando High School in Orlando, Oklahoma and he is the treasurer in their FFA Chapter.  He is also the son of two veterinarians and moving quickly towards that same career pathway.  Willie and his younger brother raise goats, cattle, pigs and sheep on their Oklahoma farm, and this is giving them great experience for their futures, as Willie told me that his...

Tip Of The Week Learn what a reactionary gap is and how to maintain one. Rural Crime In The U.S. Are the folks in this audience more susceptible to being defrauded of money?  Well.....Perhaps. Anytime that you have a goal that involves a lot of money, and it is difficult or next to impossible to figure out how you will obtain the money needed to reach the goal you become more susceptible to being...

Jenn & Phil Tomkins (Homestead Jenn & Phil) are the creators of "Rent The Chicken", an affiliate business that is helping farmers across the U.S. and Canada to create extra revenue and support their farming lifestyle.  They are also helping prospective entrepreneurs to get experience running their own businesses and gain the courage to really go out on their own. Phil & Jenn are based in Western P...

On tomorrow's ag business episode I am catching up with Jenn and Phil Tompkins of "Rent The Chicken".  They first appeared on the show in 2015 on episode #30.  Their business is still going strong, and they are both full-time entrepreneurs in agriculture. For today's re-cap episode I wanted to provide you with their very appearance on the show.