Do You Have An FFA Chapter That You Would Like To Help?  Would You Like To Support Off-Farm Income? 

Buy A Few Copies Of My New Student Workbook And Donate Them To An FFA Chapter!

I created "The Profitable SAE Student Workbook" to help FFA Advisors teach marketing methods to their students and to help FFA Students succeed in their entrepreneurship SAE's. I hope you find this product as beneficial as all of the interviews I conducted to create it were to me!

//

Buy The Profitable SAE Student Workbook

OFI 119: Returning Veteran And New Farmer, Damon Helton (Episode 3 of 3) | American Farm Bureau Federation Patriot Project 

SHOW NOTES

KEY IDEAS:

Welcome to our third installment of our profile of the American Farm Bureau Federation Patriot Project.  In this episode we interview Damon Helton, a returning veteran and new farmer.  Damon has some fantastic things going on.  He is raising his own poultry, beef and pork, forest pork to be specific.  What is compelling about his business ideas is that he has purchased the Olde Crow General Store in Saline County, Arkansas.  At this store he is selling the meat of the animals he is raising on his own farm.  What a great business model and totally vertically integrated!

Damon's story is much more compelling than that.  Damon enlisted in the Army in 2001.  He did tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq.  When he returned he decided that he wanted to farm for a living.  It was around this time that he discovered the American Farm Bureau Federation's Patriot Project.  He ended up being paired with Jeremy Allen, who served as his mentor.  This episode is the third installment in a  3 episode series about the Patriot Project.  I had a great time making this series.

"Farming and Ranching are incredible lifestyle businesses.  The peace and solitude offered the farmer at the end of a hard day's work as they watch the sun go down are benefits that go well beyond dollars and cents.  Our goal on the Off-Farm Income Podcast is to be a resource that allows people to reach and maintain this lifestyle.

In my searches around the internet I came across a program offered by the American Farm Bureau Federation called the "Patriot Project."  This program matches veterans who want to farm with mentors who can help them avoid many of the "landmines" of business.

I spoke with Lisa Benson, the Director of Rural Development at the American Farm Bureau Federation about this program.  The concept here is powerful: give the people who deserve the "peace and solitude" the most, veterans, the best chance of achieving this lifestyle.

I was so taken by this program, that I wanted to profile it here on the podcast.  This turned into a three part series.  My first interview, episode 115, is with Lisa herself.  She explains the origins of the program, its intentions and the vision of how it will grow.  The second interview, episode 117, is with Jeremy Allen, a farmer who volunteered to mentor a veteran who wanted to farm.  The final interview, episode 119, is with Damon Helton, a returning veteran who did multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

All three interviews are fantastic, and this a great program.  I hope you will share this interview anywhere that you think veterans might be assisted!"

LINKS:

Patriot Project: LINK

Damon's Facebook Page: LINK

Damons's Telephone Number: 501-251-7436

OFI Email: [email protected]

OFI Website: www.offincome.com

LISTEN TO US ON SATELLITE RADIO!

WE ARE CONTRIBUTORS TO "FFA TODAY" ON RURAL RADIO SIRIUS XM CHANNEL 147!  "FFA Today" airs on Rural Radio Sirius XM Channel 147 Saturdays at 7:30 AM Eastern and Sundays at 6:30 PM Eastern.

Please let RURAL RADIO know that you like hearing us on their channel!  Here is how to contact them and leave feedback:

Email: [email protected]

Website:  RuralRadio147.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RURALRADIO147

I created "The Profitable SAE Student Workbook" to help FFA Advisors teach marketing methods to their students and to help FFA Students succeed in their entrepreneurship SAE's. I hope you find this product as beneficial as all of the interviews I conducted to create it were to me!

//

Buy The Profitable SAE Student Workbook

OFI 118: Fishing For The FFA | FFA SAE Edition | Lane Mergler | Miami East High School FFA

SHOW NOTES

Introducing Lane Mergler! 

Lane is coming to us from Miami East High School in Ohio.  He has an amazing business!  He has started making his own fishing lures as a freshman in high school.  He is selling fishing lures in multiple states now in addition to obtaining sponsorships and growing his brand, Lane's Lures.  How great is this.  He stated that there is not one day that goes by that he does not fish.  His family has a pond on their property, and when Lane is not making fishing lures that is where you will find him.

I hope you enjoy getting to know Lane.

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Lane's Lures -  producing and selling fishing lures

HIGH SCHOOL: Miami East High School, Casstown, Ohio

MASCOT: Vikings

FFA ADVISOR: Marie Carity

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR LANE MERGLER:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the Miami East High School Website:

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

Miami East High School Telephone Number: (937) 335-7070

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:

"Because American farmers are able to provide for so many of us, they give more and more of us the freedom to pursue goals and livelihoods beyond growing the food we need to survive."

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack 

LISTEN TO US ON SATELLITE RADIO!

WE ARE CONTRIBUTORS TO "FFA TODAY" ON RURAL RADIO SIRIUS XM CHANNEL 147!  "FFA Today" airs on Rural Radio Sirius XM Channel 147 Saturdays at 7:30 AM Eastern and Sundays at 6:30 PM Eastern.

Please let RURAL RADIO know that you like hearing us on their channel!  Here is how to contact them and leave feedback:

Email: [email protected]

Website:  RuralRadio147.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RURALRADIO147

Do You Have An FFA Chapter That You Would Like To Help?  Would You Like To Support Off-Farm Income? 

Buy A Few Copies Of My New Student Workbook And Donate Them To An FFA Chapter!

I created "The Profitable SAE Student Workbook" to help FFA Advisors teach marketing methods to their students and to help FFA Students succeed in their entrepreneurship SAE's. I hope you find this product as beneficial as all of the interviews I conducted to create it were to me!

//

Buy The Profitable SAE Student Workbook

OFI 117: Would You Mentor A Veteran Who Wants To Farm? (Episode 2 of 3) | American Farm Bureau Federation Patriot Project | Jeremy Allen

SHOW NOTES

KEY IDEAS:

Welcome to our second installment of our profile of the American Farm Bureau Federation Patriot Project.  In this episode we interview Jeremy Allen, a farmer and business owner who volunteered to mentor a veteran who was seeking a life as a farmer.  What a quality individual Jeremy is!  Enjoy this interview.

"Farming and Ranching are incredible lifestyle businesses.  The peace and solitude offered the farmer at the end of a hard day's work as they watch the sun go down are benefits that go well beyond dollars and cents.  Our goal on the Off-Farm Income Podcast is to be a resource that allows people to reach and maintain this lifestyle.

In my searches around the internet I came across a program offered by the American Farm Bureau Federation called the "Patriot Project."  This program matches veterans who want to farm with mentors who can help them avoid many of the "landmines" of business.

I spoke with Lisa Benson, the Director of Rural Development at the American Farm Bureau Federation about this program.  The concept here is powerful: give the people who deserve the "peace and solitude" the most, veterans, the best chance of achieving this lifestyle.

I was so taken by this program, that I wanted to profile it here on the podcast.  This turned into a three part series.  My first interview, episode 115, is with Lisa herself.  She explains the origins of the program, its intentions and the vision of how it will grow.  The second interview, episode 117, is with Jeremy Allen, a farmer who volunteered to mentor a veteran who wanted to farm.  The final interview, episode 119, is with Damon Helton, a returning veteran who did multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

All three interviews are fantastic, and this a great program.  I hope you will share this interview anywhere that you think veterans might be assisted!"

LINKS:

Patriot Project: LINK

Jeremy's Telephone #: 501 626 1160

Jeremy's Facebook Page: LINK

Jeremy's Email Address: [email protected]

OFI Email: [email protected]

OFI Website: www.offincome.com

LISTEN TO US ON SATELLITE RADIO!

WE ARE CONTRIBUTORS TO "FFA TODAY" ON RURAL RADIO SIRIUS XM CHANNEL 147!  "FFA Today" airs on Rural Radio Sirius XM Channel 147 Saturdays at 7:30 AM Eastern and Sundays at 6:30 PM Eastern.

Please let RURAL RADIO know that you like hearing us on their channel!  Here is how to contact them and leave feedback:

Email: [email protected]

Website:  RuralRadio147.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RURALRADIO147

I created "The Profitable SAE Student Workbook" to help FFA Advisors teach marketing methods to their students and to help FFA Students succeed in their entrepreneurship SAE's. I hope you find this product as beneficial as all of the interviews I conducted to create it were to me!

//

Buy The Profitable SAE Student Workbook

OFI 116: Value Added Firewood Business | FFA SAE Edition | Caleb Van Vliet | Ripon Christian High School FFA

SHOW NOTES:

Off Farm Income's Website: www.offincome.com

INTRODUCING CALEB VAN VLIET!

Caleb is another great student from Ripon Christian High School.  His family is in the the almond business, and they have a source of almond wood right there in their orchard.  For his supervised agricultural experience Caleb is adding value to his family's orchard  and recycling all at the same time.  

As trees die or end their useful life in the orchard Caleb and his brother take them down, cut them up and sell them as firewood.  He also splits the rounds for his customers.  He is learning all about marketing and differentiating products.  He is selling firewood in bins, and plans on selling firewood in bundles going forward.

This is a great product for Caleb to sell, in the location where he is at.  The Central Valley of California is not a forested region naturally.  Firewood cutting in the national forest in the Sierra Nevada Mountains is restricted.  So, he provides a valuable resource to people in the valley who would like to heat with wood or have a nice fire every now and then.

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Firewood Sales From His Family's Almond Orchard

HIGH SCHOOL: Ripon Christian High School

MASCOT: Knights

FFA ADVISOR: Mrs. Allison Hoover

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR CALEB VAN VLIET: Click on the picture below to be taken to the Ripon Christian High School website:

Caleb's FFA Advisors' Email Addresses: [email protected]

Ripon Christian High School's Telephone Number: 209-599-2155

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 2015, 143 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:

"Because American farmers are able to provide for so many of us, they give more and more of us the freedom to pursue goals and livelihoods beyond growing the food we need to survive."

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack 

LISTEN TO US ON SATELLITE RADIO!

WE ARE CONTRIBUTORS TO "FFA TODAY" ON RURAL RADIO SIRIUS XM CHANNEL 147!  "FFA Today" airs on Rural Radio Sirius XM Channel 147 Saturdays at 7:30 AM Eastern and Sundays at 6:30 PM Eastern. Please let RURAL RADIO know that you like hearing us on their channel!  Here is how to contact them and leave feedback: Email: [email protected] Website:  RuralRadio147.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/RURALRADIO147

Do You Have An FFA Chapter That You Would Like To Help?  Would You Like To Support Off-Farm Income? 

Buy A Few Copies Of My New Student Workbook And Donate Them To An FFA Chapter!

I created "The Profitable SAE Student Workbook" to help FFA Advisors teach marketing methods to their students and to help FFA Students succeed in their entrepreneurship SAE's. I hope you find this product as beneficial as all of the interviews I conducted to create it were to me!

//

Buy The Profitable SAE Student Workbook

OFI 115: Are You A Veteran Who Wants To Farm? (Episode 1 of 3) | American Farm Bureau Federation's Patriot Project | Lisa Benson

SHOW NOTES

KEY IDEAS:

Farming and Ranching are incredible lifestyle businesses.  The peace and solitude offered the farmer at the end of a hard day's work as they watch the sun go down are benefits that go well beyond dollars and cents.  Our goal on the Off-Farm Income Podcast is to be a resource that allows people to reach and maintain this lifestyle.

In my searches around the internet I came across a program offered by the American Farm Bureau Federation called the "Patriot Project."  This program matches veterans who want to farm with mentors who can help them avoid many of the "landmines" of business.

I spoke with Lisa Benson, the Director of Rural Development at the American Farm Bureau Federation about this program.  The concept here is powerful: give the people who deserve the "peace and solitude" the most, veterans, the best chance of achieving this lifestyle.

I was so taken by this program, that I wanted to profile it here on the podcast.  This turned into a three part series.  My first interview, episode 115, is with Lisa herself.  She explains the origins of the program, its intentions and the vision of how it will grow.  The second interview, episode 117, is with Jeremy Allen, a farmer who volunteered to mentor a veteran who wanted to farm.  The final interview, episode 119, is with Damon Helton, a returning veteran who did multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

All three interviews are fantastic, and this a great program.  I hope you will share this interview anywhere that you think veterans might be assisted!

LINKS:

Patriot Project: LINK

Lisa Benson's Email Address: [email protected]

OFI Email: [email protected]

OFI Website: www.offincome.com

LISTEN TO US ON SATELLITE RADIO!

WE ARE CONTRIBUTORS TO "FFA TODAY" ON RURAL RADIO SIRIUS XM CHANNEL 147!  "FFA Today" airs on Rural Radio Sirius XM Channel 147 Saturdays at 7:30 AM Eastern and Sundays at 6:30 PM Eastern.

Please let RURAL RADIO know that you like hearing us on their channel!  Here is how to contact them and leave feedback:

Email: [email protected]

Website:  RuralRadio147.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RURALRADIO147