Off-Farm Income

I am starting to think that plant breeders are born, not made.  At least every time I interview a young man or woman with this passion it appears that is correct.  In today's interview I am speaking with a junior in high school that has already obtained $10,000 in funding to begin an apple orchard on his high school's property.  Gabe Olson-Jensen is our featured guest, and look at this list of acc...

Baxter Black, who I have been a fan of for at least three decades has passed.  In 2015 Baxter generously agreed to be a guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast when we had barely began and had no catalog and no reputation.  He provided me with a great, long-form interview as well. The world learned that Baxter was ill and on hospice care back in January of 2022, and in February of 2022 we replayed hi...

It is so interesting how students answer the elevator question I ask them during my interviews.  Mallory Bowers' answer may be the most interesting that I have heard thus far.  She told me that "agriculture saves lives", and then she went on to articulate her thoughts on why this is.  Everything from people finding their purpose to the basic need for food was included in her explanation. I guess I...

Tip Of The Week If somebody pays for $20 worth of gas but is pumping for hours, you might check it out. Rural Crime In The U.S. https://www.wwnytv.com/2022/06/08/thousands-gallons-thieves-using-modified-trucks-steal-gas-stations-police-say/ https://www.ocala.com/story/news/courts/2022/06/07/prosecutors-ocala-florida-drop-charges-death-600-pound-pig/9999829002/ https://www.12news.com/article/news/l...

In today's episode I get to learn about a species of livestock that I had never heard of before, the Pacovicuna.  A Vicuna is the wild ancestor of the Llama, and they have characteristics in their fiber that just cannot be replicated by Llamas.  Jane Lavene and her husband, Arthur, raise the largest herd of Pacovicuna's in the U.S. on their farms in the Denver, Colorado and Salida, Colorado areas....

Today, I am replaying my interview with James Budd of Alpacas Of Montana.  This is perfect segue into our ag business interview tomorrow, talking about luxury wool and fleece production.  At the time I did this interview with James he had built a worldwide brand with Alpacas Of Montana.  He continues to grow and succeed, and it is my pleasure to bring the interview to you again. Below are the orig...

INTRODUCING LANE COLSTON! There was a very consistent theme running through today's interview with Lane Colston from Western Hills High School FFA.....people.  When I asked Lane about why he had joined the FFA, he talked about all the great people he had known who had been FFA members, and he also talked about the great people he has been able to meet by being a member.  When we talked about the r...

Today, we take a look at what has been going on, on our farm and with the podcast.  We also take a few minutes to discuss the importance of creeds and some of the most well known creeds in agriculture. More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:    

INTRODUCING SAMUEL JIMENEZ! Buckle up to learn something new in this episode.  I sure know that I did when I was conducting the interview! Samuel Jimenez has just graduated high school, and he has just been awarded a California State Proficiency Award in Specialty Animal Production Placement.  How you ask?  By raising thousands of Koi Fish in his families business in Madera, California. Sam's pare...

Tip Of The Week Keep a close eye on your copper and diesel. Rural Crime In The U.S. https://www.bakersfield.com/news/kcso-asks-for-publics-help-to-id-burglary-suspects/article_ac759778-e1f3-11ec-b4a6-479a9fa9db46.html https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/crime/2022/05/31/hobart-man-sentenced-after-admitting-3-counts-arson/9912721002/ Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above https://www....

It is amazing where an agricultural passion can take you.  Even though I know that, I am not quite sure I have ever profiled a story quite like today's episode with Daniel Oduntan. Daniel grew up in the city of Ibadan in Nigeria, Africa.  Sometime, around the time he was 30 years old, a woman from Denmark put on a workshop about beekeeping that he attended.  This was the beginning of what would be...

On tomorrow's ag business episode we are talking all about bees with a fascinating entrepreneur who has traveled the world.  I thought that a look back at this great interview with Saralynn Smith would be a great idea as she talked to us about the very beginning stages of starting her bee business. Below are the original show notes: SHOW NOTES If You Want To Raise Bees, You Will Need The Right Clo...

INTRODUCING EMMA ALBERS! I like to say that if you are hitting all of your goals, you aren't setting them high enough.  Today's guest understands that completely.  Emma Albers set a goal of becoming a national proficiency finalist when she was in the 9th Grade.  She just graduated high school a couple of weeks ago, and she is on the cusp of that accomplishment. Emma actually has three very strong...

Today is our farm update episode, and the theme is definitely "never give up".  With the odds stacked against it, spring rain fall has really made a big difference in our irrigation season.  And, I've got another project that I need the "never give up" attitude for!  Plus a success story on a new marketing effort.  I hope you enjoy! More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:...

Have you ever had the experience of speaking with a person and not being able to match what you are hearing to your preconceived notion about who they would be?  That was my exact experience speaking with today's guest, Ben Bugbee.  Fortunately for me, I interview a lot of FFA students, and that means that I have this experience frequently.  Ben is just finishing his 11th grade year of high school...

Tip Of The Week Find the strength to be patient before passing judgment. Rural Crime In The U.S. https://localnews8.com/news/crime-tracker/2022/05/26/new-details-released-about-reported-animal-abuse-and-fire-investigation-at-local-farm/ https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/putnam-county-sheriffs-office-asks-for-help-locating-trailer/77-5a0c6a2d-6733-46f6-bad3-965ec315742d Across The P...

There are very few things that make me happier than when I can pull a gold nugget out of an interview that I know is going to be helpful to the listeners.  That definitely happened in my interview with Kendall Teichmeier today. Kendall works full-time in agriculture.  His first exposure was a fifteen year career of managing large hog operations in Nebraska until his body just could not handled the...

On today's show we are going back into the archives to look at an off-farm business that generates revenue at fairs and festivals.  This is a great tie-in to tomorrow's ag business episode.   Mark Hufford has the fascinating business of doing educational displays and talks about the use of oxen in the frontier and colonial times.  Below are the original show notes from his first episode with us.  ...

On this show, I have said that work is not the enemy, the wrong job is the enemy, on multiple occasions.  Today's guest, Lila Wantland, probably summed that statement up better than I have ever done in our interview.  This is one thing I love about interviewing FFA students.  They learn, early on, that work can be fun and it is all just a matter of finding the right work for them. Lila has grown u...

Today is a farm update episode everyone.  Here is what I will be talking about: A big strategy change in the way we are raising goats. Less means more Work smarter not harder The inverted bell curve of grass growth on our farm in Idaho I am unable to imagine being short on forage later this summer Some farmer/inventors who were innovating themselves out of an obstacle and found their invention bei...

I've said it before, and I will say it again - I really enjoy interviewing FFA student entrepreneurs because they are not encumbered by fear and other responsibilities that frequently stop adults like myself from exploring business ideas.  With this fear being absent, these students go try ideas, and in many cases they discover businesses that work and are replicable by adults.  In this way, these...

Tip Of The Week Before you pick fruit off of someone else's tree, you might want to hear this episode. Rural Crime In The U.S. https://wgntv.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/video-shows-unusual-traffic-stop-chase-involving-horse-and-buggy/ https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/is-it-legal-to-pick-mangos-off-your-neighbors-tree-14500558 Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above https://www.9news.com.au/nati...

Our guest today is highly educated about the world of agriculture, believes strongly in advocating for ag and knows that we need to reach out to children with the truth about farming and livestock before inaccurate information is told to them so many times that it becomes ingrained.  And it is these core beliefs that led Jackie Nix to strike out as a children's author and create her first book, Mo...

Tomorrow on the show I am featuring an entrepreneur who is helping to teach children about agriculture.  This reminded me of the great interview I did with Katie Benson about her efforts to do the same, and I wanted to bring that episode back for you today.  Below are the original show notes for this episode. SHOW NOTES Introducing Katie Benson!  Katie has a different supervised agricultural exper...

I first discovered Sam Martin through an article that mentioned he and his families anhydrous ammonia business, Martin Custom Anhydrous, and that is what led me to invite him to be a guest on the show.  However, I wound up getting a lot more than I bargained for with this guest. Sam is a former chapter president, former Iowa State Vice-President and current Iowa State President.  He just obtained...