Off-Farm Income

On the day this episode comes out I am heading to my 3rd National FFA Convention, but I won't be going alone.  Actually, Hattie is already there with her Conduct Of Chapter Meetings Team as well as 32 other members of her FFA chapter.  And, because Hattie is competing there Autumm took the time off of work and is traveling with me to Indianapolis as my assistant.  But of course we will both be cov...

Behind every successful person, there was somebody who was pushing them or encouraging them, and today's interview is absolute proof of that. Kami Holt is a National Proficiency Finalist this year in Ag Sales Entrepreneurship, but her journey didn't just start yesterday.  Growing up on her family's century farm in Southern Utah, Kami has been exposed to agriculture her entire life.  However, it wa...

Tip Of The Week The truth is always a good way to go…. Rural Crime In The U.S. https://www.facebook.com/76886619686/posts/10159418781439687/?d=n https://www.newser.com/story/312440/farm-owner-hit-with-animal-cruelty-charges-over-md-zebras.html Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above https://www.dorsetview.co.uk/dorset-police-launches-rural-podcast-to-tackle-crime/#.YXMnnS-B2-o https://theprestonh...

Our guest today is Britin Wardlaw.  Britin grew up on a citrus farm and raising cattle and married another farmer.  One of the permanent crops that they grow are persimmons, which is a bit of a niche crop and they tend to be aesthetically pleasing and associated with the fall and winter.  Britin noticed that before all of the persimmons could be harvested, many, perfectly good fruit fell off of th...

is interview is so good, it is worth another play. Hannah was originally on our show on episode #410 talking all about how she combines an eye for art with her knowledge of agriculture.  I am proud to say that her talents took her all the way to becoming an American Star Finalist in 2020, and it was my pleasure to profile her again.  Below are the show notes from the first time she was on the show...

Kayla Rossi is a National Proficiency Finalist in the category of diversified livestock production this year.  And to look at what she is currently doing and what she has already accomplished might make you think that it has been easy.  If that is the case, it is only because she makes it look that way. Kayla raises her livestock on her family's ranch in the high country of Northwest Colorado.  Th...

I ran across a very interesting story about pigs being used to solve a safety problem near an airport in Amsterdam.  After seeing the creative way that the pigs were used, it got me thinking about the way we view livestock in the United States.  There is a mantra in the West among those who support grazing cattle in national forest lands that goes "log it, graze it or watch it burn".   As I though...

As you all know this show is all about entrepreneurship in agriculture.  So, I almost never interview FFA students with placement SAE's except for American Star Finalists.  Guests like Duncan Patton definitely make me rethink this strategy. It seems like I run into this same puzzle each time it is American Star Interview Season.  I come across a student who has risen to the top in agricultural pla...

Tip Of The Week New methods of generating farm revenue can generate new types of problems Rural Crime In The U.S. https://www.newsweek.com/woman-complains-after-pumpkin-farm-kicks-her-out-bringing-giant-snake-1639462 https://roanoke.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/bond-denied-again-for-man-accused-of-stealing-plants-worth-330-000-from-hemp-farm/article_06ff2f3a-1a4c-11ec-9d48-7330114f4686.html Acr...

Marie Canon and her husband, Mark, have been married and operating their dairy in Western Pennsylvania for 31 years.  However, the legacy of this farm goes back much further than that, all the way to the Revolutionary War.  Over time there have been different business models on the farm, and it has been some time since any direct marketing was done, such as the milk route that Mark's grandfather o...

Not much has changed when it comes to using the term "value-added" since the first time I aired this interview with Logan Schlauch who is benefitting from the trend in adding something a little extra or giving the consumer a little more while, in this case, a dairy producer can add to his bottom line. Here is the story of one small dairy operation that got creative and created a value-added produc...

Interviewing FFA students I find myself constantly asking "what was I doing during high school?".  I think I was a pretty typical high school student way back in the 1900s.  I played sports, got decent grades, had a job, and focused on menial things outside of that.  I also wasn't in the FFA, and interviewing these students from all over the country makes me realize that there is a whole other lev...

Today is a big day on our farm in Kuna, Idaho.  Our daughter, Hattie, has completed driver's training and been awarded her driving permit.  She is going to start driving with us and fulfilling the requisite hours to make her eligible for her full driver's license.  We are going to go through the motions and do everything we need to do to comply with the requirements of the state for this to happen...

Our guest today is an American Star Finalist in the category of Agricultural Placement, and there is an incredible story that comes along with this nomination. Caleb Peckham has grown up on his family's small dairy farm in eastern Connecticut.  In the latter half of the 2010s, low milk prices were harming dairies all over the United States, but smaller dairies in Connecticut seemed to be getting h...

Tip Of The Week Don't mix business with personal relationships Rural Crime In The U.S. https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/crime/it-becomes-way-too-tempting-620k-taken-from-fresno-county-farm-sheriffs-office-says/ https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/crime/louisiana-man-threatens-workers-opens-fire-after-denying-them-water/289-01fc0da0-b31a-4de2-ba8b-c4a2478c8d73 Across The Pond, Down Under And U...

90% of farmers in the U.S., large and small, rely on off-farm income to run their households because the farm revenue just won't.  In a larger percentage of these instances that revenue comes from a working spouse.  In today's episode, I get to interview Rosie Bosse , who is and was that working spouse and she has an amazing story of entrepreneurship, creativity, and hard work that spans 42 years....

On tomorrow's Friday episode I am profiling a woman who supported her families farming lifestyle for 30 years selling Tupperware, driving all over Kansas and Nebraska and working six nights per week.  I like my re-cap episodes to flow into my Friday episodes, and I thought this previous interview with Elisabeth Watkins would be perfect.  Elisabeth turned something that we all have to do, cooking,...

One of the things that I love about interviewing FFA students is coming across individuals that don't care what age they are and who will not take "no" for an answer.  Never has that been more true than in my interview with Mackenzie Camacho today. Mackenzie is now a sophomore at Purdue University, where she is studying civil engineering.  She has been nominated an American Star Finalist in the ca...

My agricultural life is kind of split into two phases by my law enforcement career.  The first phase is growing up rural and then getting introduced to working with cattle by my step-father and step-grandfather.  The next phase is meeting and becoming family with my father-in-law, Terry White, who showed me an even bigger vision with cattle than I had myself.  Terry and his wife, Wanda, also got A...

I don't even know where to begin in describing today's guest or her accomplishments.  Emily Acevedo is a bundle of energy, confidence, and personality.  And with her combining a love for research with such incredible people skills, she is really going to climb to heights that maybe even she is not imagining right now. At the age of 20, Emily is a hardened veteran in the world of agriscience resear...

Tip Of The Week If you are new to the area, get to know your neighbors. Rural Crime In The U.S. https://www.agweek.com/news/crime-and-courts/7214378-Northwest-Minnesota-farmer-charged-with-crop-insurance-fraud https://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/local-news/33726-madera-county-sheriff-s-office-requests-public-s-assistance-in-locating-a-horse-pony-and-horse-trailer-stolen-on-friday...

Have you ever heard of a business and thought, "why didn't I think of that?"  Well, that is the case in today's episode.  I think the most brilliant people are those who can see what is right in front of all of us, when none of the rest of us cannot see it. Today, Lisa Lupton and Martyn Jones, the founders of Seeds With Love Cards  join me to talk about their greeting card business.  The two of th...

On Today's show, I replay a fun and entertaining interview on how two FFA members teamed up to craft a unique FFA SAE. It is not just about the finished art products, it is also about unique marketing and forming a partnership using specific skillsets with a common interest in woodwork and art. More about how this idea for a "board art" SAE came about coming up in today's show. (Replay of Episode...

On multiple occasions, after interviewing FFA students who have started lawn care businesses, I have referred to this particular type of business as a "future millionaire maker".  It seems as though every single year there is an FFA student who is a finalist for the American Star in Agribusiness that is the owner of a lawn care company, and that is because this is such a strong and great business...

Last night was our annual scholarship auction at the Kuna FFA Chapter.  It is always a very well attended and very successful event.  This year was a new record, as it seems to be every year.   This year was the 10th year in a row at this auction for us.  A lot has changed in that time.  The first time we went Hattie was five years old. Now she is 15, in her second year of FFA and on her way to th...