OFI 049: Taking Over Dad's Farm | FFA SAE Edition | Adam Drake | Kuna High School FFA

SHOW NOTES

INTRODUCING ADAM DRAKE!

Autumm and I have known Adam for three years now, ever since Hattie joined his 4h group three years ago.  Adam has now moved on to FFA at Kuna High School, and his SAE is in entrepreneurship.  This is lucky for us, as he is a perfect guest for the show!

Adam's family has a farm that is leased out, and they live in town.  He has not allowed that to slow him down, and he has been raising sheep and beef for several years now.  However, he and his family are preparing to start farming their ground again, and Adam is going to be the primary farmer.  He plans on growing hay, grain, corn and pasture.  Oh, and growing his cow herd.

Adam had very inspirational words to say about the FFA as well as FFA advisors.  He plans on becoming an FFA instructor in the future.  I think he will be a great one, as his passion for agriculture shines through.  I hope you enjoy the interview with Adam.

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Market Lamb and Beef Production - Coming Soon: Farming 80 acres and a growing beef herd

HIGH SCHOOL: Kuna High School, Kuna, Idaho

MASCOT: Kavemen

FFA ADVISOR: Joe Blackstock

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ADAM DRAKE:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the Kuna High School Ag. Department's website:

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

Kuna High School Telephone Number: 208.955.0200

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]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialRFDTV

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RURALRADIO147

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]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialRFDTV

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RURALRADIO147

OFI 048: Ramona & Chris Long | Rabbit Tea Fertilizer | Innovation In Agriculture 

SHOW NOTES

If you are interested in this business you will need to start with a quality rabbit hutch!

KEY IDEAS:

ADVICE FROM RAMONA & CHRIS:

RESEARCH: You have got to know your market, and you have to find it through research.

EXPERTISE: You should know more about about your particular business than anyone else.  This comes from your research combined with your experience.

TIME: You are going to need a lot more time to devote to your business than you are initially thinking.  Make sure to set aside enough and you should probably increase your estimate of time you will need for the business by 50%.

PLAN: Plan everything out.  Not just so you know how to get where you are going, but so you know where you going to.

RAMONA AND CHRIS'S PERSONAL HABIT THAT IS CONTRIBUTING TO THEIR SUCCESS:

STUBBORNESS: Ramona describes herself as being very stubborn - not willing to give up on something until all avenues are exhausted.  Chris agrees with this description of her!

TENACITY: Chris describes himself as a tenacious planner, studier and builder.  He states that he will study a plan for several days before he drives the first nail or breaks ground.  But, once he starts he is going to finish

BEST BUSINESS ADVICE THAT RAMONA AND CHRIS HAVE RECEIVED:

PRICE: Ramona answered this question with the advice she had received from a mentor - create something that is needed and wanted, and then sell it at a reasonable price while making a profit.  Ramona states that we are in business not just to make money, but also to help other people.

BOOK RECOMMENDATION:

For being self sufficient and building your farm, Ramona and Chris recommend the following book - The Foxfire Book: Hog Dressing, Log Cabin Building, Mountain Crafts and Foods, Planting by the Signs, Snake Lore, Hunting Tales, Faith Healing, Moonshining, and Other Affairs of Plain Living

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Clear Ranch Ag Services Telephone Number - (903) 365-3058

Clear Ranch Ag Services Twitter Handle - @ClearRanchAg

Clear Ranch Ag Services Facebook Page - LINK

Clear Ranch Ag Services Website - http://clearranch.com

OFI 047: Meat Rabbit Production | FFA SAE Edition | Ally Babcock | Gilbert High School FFA

SHOW NOTES

If you are interested in this business you will need to start with a quality rabbit hutch!

Introducing Ally Babcock - Gilbert High School FFA!

What a great interview this week.  Ally Babcock is an aspiring entrepreneur, and we were lucky enough to catch her right in the transition of her business.  Ally has been raising and selling show rabbits or "fancy breeds."  She is now transitioning into selling commercial rabbits for meat production.  She has found a distributor, and now she just has to fulfill the supply.

Ally is extremely well rounded when it comes to her knowledge of her SAE project.  She educated me on breeds, gestation periods and management techniques.  Also, she had extensive knowledge of why her facilities work so well in the extremes of her Iowa climate.  And, she thoroughly understood why her facilities were designed the way that they were.

Ally is just entering her junior year of high school!  She is unbelievably well spoken for a sophomore transitioning to her junior year.  It is very fun to get to know a student this early on in their FFA career.  She has huge potential, and I cannot wait to see how she develops both as a speaker and entrepreneur over the next two years of high school.

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: 

Show Rabbits - Entrepreneurship

Meat Rabbits - Entrepreneurship

HIGH SCHOOL:

Gilbert High School, Gilbert, Iowa

MASCOT:

Tigers

FFA ADVISOR:

Jon Davis

Melissa Appel

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ALLY BABCOCK:

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

Ally's FFA Advisor's Email Address: [email protected] or [email protected]

Gilbert High School Telephone Number:  515-232-3738

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]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialRFDTV

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RURALRADIO147

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]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialRFDTV

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RURALRADIO147

OFI 046: "Retire" Right Now! | Overcome Your Fears | Find The Right Fit

SHOW NOTES

KEY IDEAS:

I have been wanting to do a long form, solo show for a while now.  Last week's review episode #44, where it was just me talking, triggered something.  So, I decided to keep the experiment going this week and I am addressing the issue of "retirement" and trying to reach "retirement."  We are going to re-define "retirement" this week and show you how to get there immediately!

"RETIREMENT"

Our new definition of retirement is not the absence of work.  It is the thrill of waking up in the morning and doing what you want to do.  When we are in a job that is not the correct fit, we wake up and do what we have to do.  Or, we do what someone else wants us to do.

According to the United States' Census, farmers comprise the second oldest average age of any career type in the U.S.  One of the reasons this is, is that so many people dream of farming.  So, they "retire to farming."  When they are finally free of the shackles of their day job, they get their pension, buy a farm and start living their dream.

These people have re-defined retirement.  They are not ceasing to work.  They are doing extremely challenging work, but it is work that they want to do.  They are waking up and doing what they want.

My question for you is, why wait until you are 60 or 65 years old to start retirement?  Why not start right now?  Can you find something that you want to wake up and do every day?  If so, why not do it now?  It is the exact same thing you are going to do when you retire and finally get to live your dream.  Do you ever see yourself giving up your dream of farming to "cease to work?"  If not, why not start now?  How will this harm you?

FREAKONOMICS - RETIREMENT KILLS: A NEW MARKETPLACE PODCAST

Stephen J. Dubner did an episode of Freakonomics about retirement.  In this episode he shows that people who retire early and "cease to work" actually die sooner than those who keep working.  Luckily for you and me, we are going to "work" in retirement, but it will be doing something we want to do.  Don't get focused on some arbitrary date where you get to "cease working."  Know that you are going to "work" for the rest of your life because you love agriculture.  So, what is the harm in starting now?  It's not like you are going to ruin your retirement and "have to work longer."  You are going to work longer anyway, by choice!  Do it now!

OHIO FARM BUREAU FEDERATION:

The sound clip I played was of Ashton and Kyle Walls who are starting a farm in Ohio.  Here is the actual video clip:

This couple is so inspirational in their devotion to farming.  They are working very hard as a team to make it happen.  I admire their drive and conviction.  Each of them is still working full-time jobs and then farming on the side.  I worry that as the barriers to farming get steeper and steeper, the amount of people who are willing to do this so they can eventually farm full time will continue to shrink.

Not many people have the devotion to farming that Kyle and Ashton do.  I worry that in a circumstance similar to Kyle and Ashton's that they could eventually burn out from working the full time job and the full time farm.  I worry that this could rob them of the joy that is possible to receive from farming.

CONTENTMENT:

What we are really looking for is "contentment."  We want to get to the point that we are happy with what we have, and if we never bought another material possession we would...

OFI 045: Marketing Eggs To Grocery Stores | FFA SAE Edition | Rachel Dykstra | West Carrol High School FFA

SHOW NOTES

If you are interested in this business you will need egg cartons!

Introducing Rachel Dykstra - West Carroll High School FFA!

In today's interview I was able to get a lot of questions answered that I had been wondering about.  Rachel Dykstra has four separate, entrepreneurship SAE's.  However, I honed in on the egg business in the interview, and you will hear that come through.  What Rachel is doing with egg sales is something that I have considered doing on my own farm, and she was a wealth of information for me.

Rachel recently graduated high school and wants to continue working with animals.  She is going to go to a school to learn about pet grooming and the business of pet grooming.  When she finishes she wants to open her own pet grooming business.  She also plans to continue the poultry business, but she has sold the last of her cattle.  Her brother will take over the sweet corn business to make room for her future pet grooming store.

Best of luck to you Rachel!

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: 

Egg Production, Marketing and Distribution - Entrepreneurship

Beef Production - Entrepreneurship

Vegetable Production, sweet corn sales - Entrepreneurship

Small Animal Production - Entrepreneurship

HIGH SCHOOL:

West Carroll High School, Savannah, Illinois

MASCOT:

The Thunder

FFA ADVISOR:

Don Mathey

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR RACHEL DYKSTRA:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the West Carroll High School Website:

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

West Carroll High School Telephone Number: 815-273-7715

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]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialRFDTV

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RURALRADIO147