Off-Farm Income

Where do tales of haunted forests in the days of Mid Evil Knights come from? I may have solved that riddle on my own farm. I'll talk about that and some actual farming on today's Farm Update Episode!

Izzy Mikkelsen is the owner of Turbo's Treats Bakery in Gettysburg, South Dakota. She is also a 9th Grader and in just her first year of the FFA.

During the lockdowns during Covid, Izzy's mom encouraged her to start baking to pass the time. Something about that was a natural fit for Izzy, and she really took to it. About a year and a half later she had progressed to the point that she started selling the baked goods that she makes, and she hasn't looked back. Today, primarily through word of mouth, she bakes for events and does specialized cakes for people like the one you see on the post here today.

The pinnacle so far has to be the 100 year anniversary of the founding of Gettysburg when she had a booth selling cupcakes. She baked 1,000 cupcakes for the event, and she sold them all. In 2 hours! That is 500 cupcakes per hour. Or, put another way, she sold more than 8 cupcakes per minute!

Tip Of The Week

"We're Going To Need A Bigger Tractor"

Rural Crime In The U.S.

https://www.nwestiowa.com/news/information-sought-on-cattle-gate-thefts/article_0d425d46-ec85-11ee-843e-c77398c33577.html

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2024/03/07/thieves-make-off-with-large-water-tanker-truck-another-ranch-burglary/

https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2024-03-01/farmers-advocate-for-legislative-action-on-agricultural-crimes#

Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above

https://www.staffordshire.police.uk/news/staffordshire/news/2024/march/we-are-appealing-for-information-after-a-dead-sheep-was-found-by-a-dog-walker-in-horton/

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/crime/operation-recall-uk-police-and-charities-join-forces-to-launch-operation-to-tackle-livestock-attacks-4573330

https://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/24214969.two-tiny-lambs-stolen-small-family-farm-bridport/

Africa

https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/msspeechdetail.php?nid=52207

https://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/farm-guard-arrested-for-allegedly-shooting-woman-and-killing-her-male-friend-in-hail-of-bullets-ac89e6ee-a42b-4802-93ec-2db46a75847f

Chalk One Up For The Good Guys

https://www.theadanews.com/news/local_news/ada-man-charged-with-cattle-theft/article_16cd4c22-ead7-11ee-914a-1f4afbbc263e.html

https://abc13.com/police-chase-with-stolen-tractor-man-pulling-trailer-leads-high-speed-gulf-freeway-activity-webster-pursuit/14577097/

https://www.ksn.com/news/dont-miss-this/watch-police-and-front-end-loader-chase-stolen-tractor/

Richard Fultz is the Land Survey Supervisor with the Modesto Irrigation District in Modesto, California. I bumped into Richard while I was in Modesto in February and learned of his position. He suggested doing an interview about his profession for a number of reasons. One of the main reasons was how much he gets to work in agriculture through this career. Also, because there are a shortage of land surveyors, he believes this can be a very lucrative career for an agriculture student.

In today's episode we talk about what it takes to become a land surveyor, who seems to fit the best in the career and what you get to do. Richard also talks about his pathway to doing this, and some internship opportunities to help students determine whether or not this is the correct fit for them. It is my sincere hope that this helps a student find the pathway in agriculture that they are looking for.

Today's episode is a bit different than any normal, Off-Farm Income episode. Today I am speaking with Kathleen Dowling. Kathleen and I have a lot in common. We both grew up in California, we both started our collegiate education at a community college, we both had a dream of moving to Montana, we both became Montana state residents and we both got ag degrees from Montana State University.

Recently I saw a post on the Facebook Group, My Job Depends On Ag, that Kathleen had put up. She expressed a bit of frustration with finding a career in agriculture and was asking for recommendations from other people. I reached out to her and offered to provide some career coaching if we could release the conversation as a podcast. She agreed to that, and today's episode is that conversation.

Joleigh Nailor is the president of her FFA chapter and a very prolific livestock exhibitor. Growing up with a father who is a full-time dairyman, Joleigh has been engrossed in the dairy industry. When she is not milking dairy cattle, she is showing them. Between the Holsteins she owns, as well as a string of Shorthorn cattle and even Jerseys, she has the ability to participate in the show arena in many different ways. Also, she is very active showing pigs and market steers. She just can't get enough.

There was something very telling about Joleigh's personality when I asked her about the return on investment from traveling up and down the East Coast to different livestock shows, fairs and jackpots. One the most important things she named was the friendships she made being out there, showing livestock with others. She also noted having the opportunity to be a part of younger exhibitor's journey as they develop their skills.

I have recently taken up the hobby of speaking on a GMRS Radio and using repeaters to connect with people outside the range of my handset. On today's episode I want to expose you to the fun and the practical side of this activity.

Links Discussed On The Show:

My GMRS: https://mygmrs.com/

FCC Licensing: https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/general-mobile-radio-service-gmrs

Notarubicon YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNotaRubicon

Treasure Valley Linked GMS Repeater Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/889860782756239

GMRS Live: https://www.gmrslive.com/

Abbie Chase is a junior at McCook Central High School and is serving as the chapter's Vice-President of Building Community. Abbie is also a very determined bee keeper, which you will figure out when you hear her story, and she is growing the number of hives she keeps as quickly as she can.

This was a very interesting interview for me because it incorporated a story of a severe weather phenomena that I have never experienced. Abbie did experience this, and it really changed her outlook on the service component of being in the FFA. It also impacted her personally because of the impact that it had on her bee hives at the time when it occurred. So, in today's episode not only is there a great story of an outstanding FFA student, but there is a great weather story that leads right into perseverance in agriculture!

Tip Of The Week

Find reputable legal training before you protect life or property with a gun

Rural Crime In The U.S.

https://www.kcci.com/article/gun-theft-burglary-ames-iowa-theisens-brazen-smash-and-grab/60191829

https://www.kfvs12.com/2024/03/13/authorities-searching-theft-suspect-western-kentucky/

https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/calaveras-county-man-arrested-for-shooting-shotgun-toward-atv-rider-on-property/103-a1083e9c-5f26-4e42-a201-76243ba90fac

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/18/us/woman-shot-wrong-driveway-upstate-new-york/index.html

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/judge-rules-white-man-will-stand-trial-for-shooting-black-teen-ralph-yarl-who-went-to-wrong-house

https://www.wtva.com/news/local/kids-accused-of-stealing-horses-in-clay-county/article_b43fedc2-e08f-11ee-8d4c-973a3c9e60d0.html

Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/farming/2024/03/14/farmer-speaks-out-after-scores-of-lambs-butchered-in-field/

https://www.farmersguide.co.uk/rural/rural-crime/stop-me-stickers-given-to-farmers-to-protect-machinery-and-vehicles-against-thieves/

Africa

https://www.citizen.co.za/southlands-sun/lnn/article/two-men-arrested-allegedly-stealing-213-sheep/?amp

https://dy365.in/assam/assam-two-cows-stolen-from-cattle-shed-in-khetri-13875

https://www.citizen.digital/news/family-of-two-killed-over-chicken-theft-claims-wants-perpetrators-charged-n338288

Chalk One Up For The Good Guys

https://www.agdaily.com/news/s-c-man-surrenders-in-suspected-120k-feed-corn-theft/

https://www.justice.gov/usao-nd/pr/buxton-man-sentenced-crop-insurance-violation-ending-series-four-cases-involving-potato

Lukas Hitchcock is 19 years old, has a passion for farming and has little to no farming background.....and he has a vision. When Lukas was about seven years old he had some limited exposure to farming on one of his cousin's operations in Iowa. He can remember that moment, and he cites it as the moment that he fell in love with farming. However, life circumstances for Lukas were not conducive to him growing up learning about farming or working on a farm. In fact, based on some bad choices of his parents, his attention had to be diverted away from higher level things like learning about farming to just day to day success.

Ultimately, Lukas was thrust in adulthood and independence earlier than most of us, at age sixteen. As soon as this occurred he started working as a farmhand wherever he could, just to be part of the lifestyle and to learn. He continues these efforts today, three years later.

Lukas has a vision of having his own farm at some point in the future, and like so many of us, young and old, he has no idea how to make that happen given the large financial obstacles that stand in his way. Lukas is doing what everyone in his position does. He is seeking, researching and looking for information wherever he can find it. That led him to reach out to me for advice.

Instead of having a private telephone conversation about ideas, we decided to record the conversation and publish it as a podcast episode if we both agreed. At the end, neither of us said anything that we wanted kept confidential, and we decided go ahead with publishing it in the hopes it might help somebody else.