Off-Farm Income

Today is another farm update episode, and I will be covering:

• The Farmer's Tax Guide
• Kidding Update
• Very Good Farm Help
• Night Checks
• The Creek Filling Up

More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

Tip Of The Week

Do You Check The Sex Offender Registry For Your area?

Rural Crime In The U.S.

https://weartv.com/news/local/taken-for-a-ride-santa-rosa-county-deputies-investigating-high-dollar-tractor-thefts

https://wellsvillesun.com/blog/2024/04/11/nys-department-of-environmental-conservation-investigating-timber-theft-in-andover-ny/

Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above

https://www.ckom.com/2024/04/11/veterinary-drugs-stolen-from-trailer-parked-near-saskatoon-airport/

https://www.walesfarmer.co.uk/news/24245763.police-use-stinger-take-powys-farm-theft-getaway-car/

Africa

https://www.chronicle.co.zw/comment-communities-should-unite-against-crime/

https://www.kenyanews.go.ke/ethi-residents-appeal-for-npr-deployment-to-tame-banditry/

Chalk One Up For The Good Guys

https://dailyridge.com/2024/04/10/check-up-on-non-reporting-registered-sex-offender-in-lakeland-leads-to-burglary-arrest/

https://www.wishtv.com/lifestyle/offbeat/mountain-goat-stuck-under-kansas-city-bridge-survives-rocky-rescue/

Zack Parisa is a co-founder of NCX (Natural Capital Exchange), as well as the CEO. NCX is also a sponsor of the show and has been for several months.

On today's episode I get to sit down with Zack and talk with him about the reasons I partnered with NCX to share their message on the show. We will discuss the different revenue streams that might be present on your land, and how you might take advantage of the to sustain your farming lifestyle. We will also discuss some of the things to look out for, and how the different markets for things like solar, carbon and environmental improvement are emerging and developing all the time.

My partnership with NCX has been something that I am proud to promote, and on today's episode you will learn why!

Our guest today has a passion for farming, a path to farming full-time and a job that he likes that might keep him from doing just that!

Chris Benton and his wife Leann are the owners and founders of C&L Farms Grows. They have an 8 acre farm about 45 minutes outside of Atlanta, Georgia and they are focused on growing microgreens. Chris told me that he chose microgreens for a number of reasons. The fact that there is an almost immediate harvest and return, nobody in his area was doing it and they are so nutritious were among his top reasons for this decision.

The way that Chris and Leann developed their business is interesting as well. Chris grew up around agriculture and wanted to be involved with that. Leann did not necessarily have the same desire to farm, but she wanted to find a niche business that would allow her to work from home for a number of reasons. Thus the business was developed. It allows Chris to be involved in agriculture, and it allows Leann to stay at home.

It is kidding season for us, and I am up late checking goats. So, why not record a podcast? Lots to talk about tonight:

• Dog Behavior
• Circadian Rhythms
• End Of Watch
• Coast To Coast
• Rain

Mikayla (Kayla) Kraft is the current Chapter President for the Broadwater High School FFA Chapter in Townsend, Montana. She is also a journalist for MT43, a newspaper located in Townsend.

Kayla first started writing for MT43 when she was the chapter reporter, but she had to let that go when another student became reporter. However, Kayla enjoyed what she was doing and wanted to stay on, so she approached the paper and struck a deal to continue writing for them, freelance. There was a conundrum however. In order to not steal any thunder from the current chapter reporter, Kayla had find other topics to cover. And, man did she! Her interests in agriculture have now taken her as far away as Washington D.C. to cover stories!

Kayla is heading to North Dakota State University next fall to study animal science. She discovered NDSU while she was there covering a story and found it to be the perfect fit for her to pursue her degree. She is planning on veterinary school as the step following NDSU, and currently she is considering Wisconsin and Kansas. She loves her Montana Mountains, but her career pursuits seem to be taking her east!

Tip Of The Week

If it has an engine, it is a target…

Rural Crime In The U.S.

https://www.wkrg.com/baldwin-county/2-utvs-atv-stolen-in-baldwin-county-sheriffs-office/

https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/theft-of-large-farming-equipment-in-haywood-county-leaves-officials-digging-for-answers/article_963869b6-f29c-11ee-a400-039c3c4f4cbb.html

Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/crime/2024/04/05/police-warn-rural-residents-to-be-on-the-lookout-for-egg-thieves/

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/trailer-stolen-five-years-ago-071614561.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-68726072

Africa

https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-241503.html

https://www.pd.co.ke/news/governors-want-cattle-branded-to-end-rustling-228727/

Chalk One Up For The Good Guys

https://www.pleasantonexpress.com/articles/one-arrested-and-charged-with-burglary/

https://cbs12.com/news/local/ysairis-gonzalez-50-arrested-for-alleged-animal-slaughter-miguel-cabrera-butcher-animal-recovery-mission-st-lucie-county-sheriffs-office-florida-march-5-2024

https://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/local/2024/03/08/riverside-man-facing-41-animal-abuse-charges-after-131-dogs-seized-from-property-breeding-facility/72880471007/

Taylor and Dylan Roberts are the owners of Roberts Five Farm in Sparta, Tennessee. They are a young couple, just starting their family, and they have a phenomenal story. They are just at the tail end of their first season of growing and selling tulips, and the response from their community has been unbelievable.

On today's episode I speak with Taylor, and she tells me the whole story. Beginning with she and Dylan dating as sophomores in high school to today, farming one acre of tulips on their 12 acre farm and coming up with an excellent business plan. Their trajectory is currently straight up! They have had a first year that any farmer could only dream of, and I do not doubt that they will continue on this path!

Audrey Levatino is the author of Woman-Powered Farm: Manual for a Self-Sufficient Lifestyle from Homestead to Field. This is a book that I was intrigued by when I first heard of it, and I knew that I would want to have Audrey on the show. I initially got the book so that I could read it prior to interviewing Audrey. However, it turned out to be much more than work. I could not put the book down.

If you have an interest or passion for farming, this book is for you - man or woman. Audrey's stories, writing style and coverage of a wide breadth of issues that come with running your own farm will inspire you to either get moving or keep moving. Audrey covers a multitude of issues. Everything from what tools to buy to how to protect your small livestock are covered. She even breaks down income potential by the size of the ground you own or have access to, and the most profitable business possible on that size of ground.

Audrey was a great pleasure to speak with, and I continued to be inspired in our actual conversation, just as I was reading her writing.

Cole Abercrombie is the chapter president at Tunstall FFA in Dry Fork, Virginia. He also operates his own "side hustle" mowing lawns and taking care of people's yards. And, he has one of the purest views on community service that I have ever profiled on this show.

As if that were not enough, he has a passion for agriculture and farming that spans multiple states and multiple lines of his family. Cole actually lives in a city and not a farm. However, he has family that farms about 2.5 hours south of him in North Carolina and 25 hours west of him in Nebraska. While he doesn't get as much time on those farms as he would like, he knows every detail about what they are doing, at both places. This only happens if you are truly passionate about something. Otherwise, you just don't retain all the knowledge that Cole has.

The area of Virginia that Cole comes from is largely agricultural and rural. So, the needs and values of that region are not recognized as frequently in the state legislature because there aren't as many representatives from there. Cole's future goals include being a voice for the folks of this region. He is hoping to go to law school after obtaining and agricultural business degree. Among his goals as a attorney are to advocate for agriculture and this region of Virginia, and to have an impact on policy that represents agriculture positively!