Sophia Sisil is a natural born entrepreneur and the owner of Sophia's Succulents, selling plants and arrangements in farmers markets around the Madera, California area. Sophia is also just getting ready to begin her 10th grad year of high school, but her 4th year of FFA. Starting in middle school, Sophia joined the FFA kind of because that was the thing to do in her family. However, by the end of her 8th grade year she was hooked and knew that she would wear the blue jacket for as long as she was able.

In today's interview Sophia talks about her succulent business and how she got started. Something stood out to me as she told the story. She said that she was at a Home Depot with a friend, and she saw pieces of a succulent plant on the floor, waiting to be swept up and thrown in the trash. However, her curiosity was piqued, and she took the pieces home and tried to propagate her own plants with the pieces. When she told me that part, I knew that something was different.

As I inquired further, Sophia told me that she had been trying to start businesses since about 6th Grade. She said that she has even tried selling her own clothes. She also said at one point she was drawing pictures and selling them on Instagram. She did this, even when her parents told her they didn't think it would work. That is a natural born entrepreneur!

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The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.

On today's episode I am joined by Dr. Aslihan Spaulding, a professor of Agribusiness and Food Industry Management as well as Cori Malone, and instructor and academic advisor - both from Illinois State University. This is my first exposure to this agricultural college, and I have to say that I am impressed. Illinois State University offers a performance based, non-resident tuition waiver, to students has a large college farm and a small agricultural college housed within a good sized university. This position agriculture students for unique opportunities and exposure while having class sizes in the single digits!

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Tip Of The Week

Don't rely on others to follow through when it comes to rural crime

Rural Crime In The U.S.

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/fulton-county-flying-change-equine-therapy-horse-trailer-stolen

https://www.12newsnow.com/article/news/local/deputies-are-asking-for-help-to-find-owner-of-stolen-tractor/502-eb22abb9-95aa-4751-97cf-f7629c83e3ef

https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/644122520/shaftsbury-barracks-theft-of-tractor

Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above

https://www.farminguk.com/news/uk-wide-crackdown-on-tractor-gps-thefts-to-commence-as-crime-rises_62955.html

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/alberta-rcmp-seek-suspect-in-rural-home-arson-in-strathcona-county

https://www.farmersjournal.ie/gardai-warn-farmers-following-monaghan-theft-spree-774131

Africa

https://www.dfa.co.za/news/de-aar-stock-theft-cops-nab-wanted-suspect-in-eastern-cape-1405c21b-426c-4bfc-b1b2-b8a20e7e5a58/

https://leadership.ng/police-arrest-4-for-cattle-rustling-kidnapping-in-adamawa/

Chalk One Up For The Good Guys

https://vicksburgnews.com/mississippi-department-of-agriculture-and-commerce-recovers-stolen-farm-equipment-valued-at-over-198000/

https://www.12newsnow.com/article/news/local/deputies-are-asking-for-help-to-find-owner-of-stolen-tractor/502-eb22abb9-95aa-4751-97cf-f7629c83e3ef

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Forrest Durham was first a guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast back in 2015 when he was an FFA student and running a roasted corn business. As a high school student Forrest was attending an average of 14 fairs or festivals per year for a total of 28 days. He was selling around 500 ears of corn per day at an average profit of $2 per ear. That's around $30,000 in profit. Not bad for a high school student working 28 days per year, right?

The roasted corn business was inspired by his father, who sold fudge and ice cream out of a mobile car and later a brick and mortar location. When Forrest finished high school he went to the University Of Kentucky and got a degree in agriculture, but then he was right back at it, taking over his father's business "The Sweet Shoppe".

Forrest is currently expanding "The Sweet Shoppe". They do mail orders and are starting to distribute fudge to local grocery stores. He is also building his cattle herd and has plans for a direct to consumer beef business. And, he already has a brick and mortar store front and large scale social media following for The Sweet Shoppe. So, selling cuts of meat produced on his very own farm is just a step away.

Forrest Durham is one of the most memorable FFA entrepreneurs that I ever profiled on this show. In just 12-16 weekends per year, during high school, he was making an very impressive income selling roasted corn at fairs and festivals. Forrest has continued his entrepreneurial ways and now taken over his father's fudge business and his running both a mobile stand, brick and mortar location and mail order business. I am having Forrest back on the show tomorrow to catch up with him and profile his continued entrepreneurial pursuits. I thought playing his interview from back in 2016 would be a great tie in for tomorrow's show.

Baylor Bloom is the owner of "Full Bloom Harvesting", a tree shaking business located in the Central Valley of California serving almond farmers in and around Gustine. At the time of this interview Baylor was almost 1/2 through his final semester of his 9th grade year of high school. However, his expertise on the permanent crop farming industry of California was like somebody who had been farming for decades.

Baylor has a passion for farming, and for his families 8 generation farm. As a matter of fact, he has immense knowledge of the history of the farm and how it changed due to the Great Depression almost 80 years ago. Baylor took over his fathers tree shaking business, and as a freshman in high school he leases the equipment on an annual basis and is responsible for every aspect of the business. This includes hiring people to transport his equipment since he does not have a driver's license yet and hiring labor to shake the trees during the time that he is in class at high school!

In this interview Baylor does a fantastic job of explaining to the audience how almonds are harvested, and it will of interest to anyone that has natural curiosity about farming.

My mom was a painter, and she used to watch Bob Ross on PBS religiously. Bob had a saying that has become very popular. When a brush stroke that he didn't intend happened, he called it a "happy little accident". I have stolen that phrase, but I use it when I talk about why I raise goats. Me becoming a goat farmer is definitely a "happy little accident".

On today's farm update episode, goats is what it seems like I have to talk about. I'll be discussing using them in our driveway to control weeds and growth as well as in a new area of pasture that I have planted. What amazing little creatures.

Levi Knopp is just finishing up his first year of high school, but he is fortunate to be finishing his 3rd year of FFA already. Coming from one of the school districts that allows middle school FFA, Levi got an early start. Levi was preceded in the FFA by his sister, and she has been a significant role model for him.

Levi has a lot of high school and FFA ahead of him, but he already has very clear goals and objectives. Among them are winning the state fair with a lamb that was born on his farm, becoming a state officer and ultimately becoming an agriculture teacher. It is rare, even for FFA students, have such clear, long term goals identified this early. However, it was apparent in the interview with Levi that he is a forward thinker.

Part of our discuss steered towards alternative farming methods and the world's growing population. Levi is an optimist, and he sees the glass as half full when it comes to future population. He is already looking into innovation and believes that new methods or farming, including urban farms and vertical farming, will be the answers that are needed to get the world through the exponential growth.

For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below:

The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S. This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.

The University Of Tennessee Martin is one of the universities that inspired this episode. Hattie and I were made aware of UTM at the National FFA Convention, and after that conversation and hearing how affordable an agricultural education could be there, it got me started thinking about making this episode. Today, I am speaking with the Agriculture Department Chair, Dr. West Totten. There is a wealth of information in this interview about another agricultural college that will make it possible for you to create your future in Ag.

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Tip Of The Week

Rural crime is more prevalent in the U.S. than reported

Rural Crime In The U.S.

https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/crime/california-green-energy-investment-scheme/103-c2bf5a3b-e1c1-4931-8aa9-df785effb274

https://www.agweb.com/news/machinery/used-machinery/crime-sprees-target-precision-ag-technology-farms-and-dealerships

Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above

https://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/23634530.warning-rural-thefts-west-dorset-villages/

https://www.farmersguide.co.uk/nearly-a-fifth-of-waste-in-england-falls-into-criminal-hands-survey-finds/

Africa

https://nation.africa/kenya/blogs-opinion/opinion/it-s-in-the-country-s-interest-to-protect-avocado-growers-from-ruthless-cartels-4296510

https://www.foodformzansi.co.za/icymi-shock-as-fruit-thieves-attack-female-farmer/

Chalk One Up For The Good Guys

https://tscra.org/former-ranch-hand-indicted-in-smith-county-cattle-theft-case/?fbclid=IwAR2HA5ULV31qD1QacH8RmBoPkAtxPIeVR4ben0wwkN_Xou0k1ULBPMJg_xw_aem_AX04O7PxoezRe_5wetIMFJQy_mkKuNEAXa4dtPl5RmjnUl-PnSET0loniZFyaLm4eCE&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

https://www.kget.com/news/crime-watch/wasco-man-arrested-for-burglary-grand-theft-of-copper-wire-kcso/

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