SHOW NOTES

KEY IDEAS: 

Today I get to profile another generational farmer, actually a set of generational farmers who love the lifestyle and are not taking it for granted.  Anne Diemand Bucci and her daughter, Tessa White-Diemand, are working the farm started by Anne's father in 1936 during the Great Depression.  They are doing this in conjunction with other family members, and you would not believe the amount of value adding as well as revenue generation projects they are involved in to keep this farm going and profitable.

Just look at this list of products, services and revenue sources:

CSA

Over 25 soups

6 different sandwiches and other ready to eat dishes

Over 48 main dishes made from their chicken, turkey, beef and vegetables

Over 7 salads

Over 10 desserts

Grass fed beef

Fresh eggs

Free range turkeys

Free range chickens

Custom cut lumber

Woodcrafts

Pullets

Compost

Maple syrup

Wool products

Selling turkey legs at four festivals

2 Events at the farm

It is truly mind blowing how much they are doing to insure that they have value built into their products and they can weather any storm.

ADVICE FROM ANNE & TESSA:

ASK: Make sure to ask your customers what they would like for you to sell.  If they don't want it, you won't be able to sell it.

EQUIPMENT: What equipment do you already have on the farm that you can make money from?

SATURATION: Do your best to make sure you don't get into a market that is over-saturated with products or services.

RECORDS: Keep accurate records, especially if you are involved in as many ventures as Anne and Tessa.  You need to know what is, and what is not making money.

BEST BUSINESS ADVICE ANNE HAS EVER RECEIVED:

"Put Your Name On Your Products" - it keeps you accountable to the quality.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Website: LINK

Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard:

 

Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters

SHOW NOTES

INTRODUCING MATT WINES! 

There are certain things about the West that the rest of the U.S. just does not understand, especially if they have never traveled out here.  Mainly, it is the size!  The size and scope of the West, how many miles you can travel on dirt roads and the sparse population can really take people by surprise.

When you talk about specific stories, it can really bring this home for people.  In my second interview at the Nevada FFA Convention I heard one of these stories that I thought would really catch listeners in the rest of the country off guard.

Our guest today, Matt Wines, has a 75 mile commute to high school as he lives on a cattle ranch in Northern Nevada.  He actually only makes that commute twice per week as he lives in town while school is in session and goes home on the weekends.  I was first introduced to this concept when I lived in Montana because of the remoteness of some of the ranches.  It was fun highlighting it with Matt.

Matt has had a great run raising cattle in Nevada.  He has won a silver award in beef entrepreneurship, and he was the Nevada State Star Farmer in 2018.  He has aspirations of going back to the ranch when he done with high school and carrying on the tradition.

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Beef Production

HIGH SCHOOL: Spring Creek High School; Spring Creek, Nevada

MASCOT: Spartans

FFA ADVISOR: Ty Smith

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR MATT WINES:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the Spring Creek High School Website:

Matt's FFA Advisor's Email Address: [email protected]

Spring Creek High School Telephone Number: 775-753-5575

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

Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard:

 

Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters

SHOW NOTES

STATE OF THE FARM! 

The segment that I released today is something new that I am doing.  There is an aspect of this podcast that has kind of been lost over the last couple of years, and that is me discussing what is going on with our farm.  As time has gone on, and I have interviewed more and more great guests it has become harder to fit all of that information in.  So, instead of abandoning the part of the podcast that tells you about our farm journey, I decided to make it a separate episode.  This way, you can can listen if you are interested, and if you are more interested in the stories of our guests you can skip it.  We will see how this works!

Loss Of A Great Agriculturist:

On March 28th we all lost a great agricultural advocate and expert, Allan Romander.  I also lost an uncle, agricultural mentor and the first ever guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast from way back on episode #002.

Here is Allan's obituary:

Modesto resident Allan Hugo Romander passed away peacefully at home on March 28, 2019, following a lengthy struggle with heart disease.

Allan was born on May 30, 1941, in Irvington, N.J., to Charlotte Folsom Romander and Claes Hugo Romander. The family moved to Redwood City, Calif., in 1945, driving across the country at a maximum of 40 mph to save fuel and tires in the post-war era. He graduated from Sequoia High School in 1959, and received his B.S. degree in Animal Science from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, in 1968.

Allan served California farmers as an agricultural consultant for more than 40 years, beginning with H.J. Heinz in 1968 and retiring from Western Farm Service in 2014. In retirement Allan remained active in California agriculture. As chairman of the International Certified Crop Adviser Association, he was instrumental in bringing the Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) program to California. The CCA program offers voluntary, professional certifications to agricultural advisers, proving their commitment to growers, their employers and to the public welfare. California now relies on this program to set the standard for plant nutrition in the state. For this work, he was awarded the International Certified Crop Adviser of the Year Award in 2008 and the Outstanding Service Award in 2018.

Allan also served various roles in his local homeowner’s association, The San Jose Blackjacks RV Club, the Tea Party Republicans, and Stanislaus County for State of Jefferson.

Allan’s life was dedicated to making the Central Valley a more productive, pleasant, and free place to live.

Allan is survived by his wife of 32 years, Mary Romander; his sons, Ethan (Rachelle) and Stephen (Kristen) Romander, Chris (Marti) and Craig (Bethany) Hennings; nine grandchildren, Emily (23), Nicholas (22), Christian (21), Kate (20), Kaylie (10), Sophia (10), Ezekiel (9), Evelyn (9), and Amelia (7); brother Curt Romander and sister Linda Romander; nieces Andrea Badger and Linnea Romander; as well as countless farmers and friends.

A public viewing will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, April 5, at Franklin and Downs Funeral Home, 1050 McHenry Ave., Modesto. Memorial services and reception will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 6, at Shelter Cove Community Church, 4242 Coffee Rd., Modesto. Interment will follow the reception at Acacia Memorial Park, 801 Scenic Ave., Modesto.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations made to the Cal Poly Pomona Department of Agriculture, The Salvation Army of Modesto, The American Heart Association, or a charity of your choosing.

No Bull, That Is A New Bull:

We recently got a new bull.  We stuck with the Polled Hereford as I really like their temperament, the lack of horns and the quality of the beef.  We are restructuring our calving season,

SHOW NOTES

INTRODUCING LILLIE MCKINNEY! 

I was fortunate enough recently to attend the Nevada FFA Convention in Reno, and I was able to interview four great students.  I kicked it off with a fun interview with Lillie McKinney who lives just outside of Gardnerville, Nevada.  Gardnerville is situated right at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the eastern side.  This is the most beautiful side in my opinion as the relief is majestic and much more dynamic than the western side.

Lillie's father is the general manager of a very large cattle ranch in Nevada.  As such, she has grown up around the cattle industry.  She has her own herd of cattle, but she also raises goats and sheep.  She likes to go her own way, and this has led her to becoming the star farmer in her "zone" of Nevada.

Lillie has her sights set on attending Oklahoma State University in a couple of years when she graduates.  Only a sophomore, Lillie has already been a silver proficiency finalist, star zone farmer and is a reporter for both her chapter and the western zone of Nevada FFA.

It will be exciting to watch Lillie progress through the FFA during the rest of her high school career!

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Diversified Livestock Production

HIGH SCHOOL: Douglas County High School; Minden, Nevada

MASCOT: Tigers

FFA ADVISOR: Robin Futch

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR LILLIE MCKINNEY:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the Douglas County High School Website:

Lillie's FFA Advisor's Email Address: [email protected] 

Douglas County High School Telephone Number: (775)-782-5136

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

Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard:

 

Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters

 SHOW NOTES

KEY IDEAS: 

Today's episode is a profile of a 6th generation farmer.  Mark Kannmacher's farming roots go all the way back to a farm located on the French and German border.  After immigration to the United States the tradition transferred to Illinois.  Today, Mark is keeping the legacy alive, and he has found a way to farm full-time and hopes to have his wife join him soon!

Mark, like so many farmers, has stories of long hours and little sleep.  His are quite incredible though.  When he was trying to transition to farming full-time but still working off the farm as a teacher he found himself getting 1-2 hours of sleep per day during certain times of the year.  And, he was getting this sleep on his lunch break or during his prep period at school!

In this episode Mark will discuss how he made the transition, and how he used a speciality form of livestock for his area, turkeys, to help him generate additional revenue on his farm.  Also, he discusses how he uses niches and diversification to be sustainable as a business.

Mark, his father and his grandfather have all used various entrepreneurial ventures along the way to create income that would support the farm.  This has all led to Mark being the first of all of them to farm exclusively with no off-farm job.

ADVICE FROM MARK:

PASSION: Mark believes you must really have a passion for farming to make it work.  This passion should naturally lead you to learn all the aspects of the farming business backwards and forwards.

BACKUP: Mark suggests having a back up plan, perhaps several.  He cites his turkey barns.  If his contract for raising turkeys falls through, he has already considered other ways to make revenue with that infrastructure.

THE WORST: Mark also suggests that you decide that on the very worst day you ever have farming that you will still be convinced that this is the only job that you truly want.

BEST BUSINESS ADVICE MARK HAS EVER RECEIVED:

"Alwasy have a backup plan" which was giving to him  by Jim Bolin in the oil service industry.

PERSONAL HABIT:

Following God's word and guidance on a daily basis.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Facebook Page: LINK

Telephone Number: (217) 232-1052

Email: [email protected]

Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard:

 

Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters