So, what's in the water in Slaton, Texas? Is it some sort of magical elixir that produces national proficiency and American Star finalists? This is a question that I am pondering more and more.

Today's show features a repeat guest, Rachyl Kitten. Rachyl first appeared on the show just over a year ago on episode #895. The way that I initially found out about Rachyl was that she was a national proficiency finalist in 2020. Well....she is a national proficiency finalist again, this time for 2021! She has great entrepreneurial instincts, a great business, and a great supporting cast at Slaton.

What is incredible about Slaton? Tune into this podcast to find out!

Tip Of The Week

If you employ people, learn about threat assessment

Rural Crime In The U.S.

https://www.agweek.com/news/crime-and-courts/7251594-Fired-employee-at-Nebraska-grain-elevator-kills-two

https://nypost.com/2021/10/23/catalytic-converter-theft-quadruples-in-one-year/

Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above

https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/crime/farm-equipment-stolen-from-mulbarton-farm-8433596

https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/crime/warning-over-rogue-traders-in-suffolk-8436716

Chalk One Up For The Good Guys

https://southyorks.police.uk/find-out/news-and-appeals/2021/october-2021/make-an-appointment-at-halfords-to-protect-against-catalytic-converter-theft/

https://krcrtv.com/news/local/shasta-county-man-leads-deputies-on-pursuit-in-stolen-atv-on-tuesday

How great would it be to discover a niche in the marketplace that nobody had filled and everyone was waiting to be filled? Well, our guest today, Korri Atkinson, the owner of The Ranch Signs & Company, can tell you because that is exactly what she has done.

Korri and her husband own a small farm just north of Boise, Idaho, right in my backyard actually. Korri homeschools the kids and takes care of the animals during the day which keeps her plenty busy. However, about seven years ago she got an itch to try out an idea. The idea was to create and selling beautiful signs for the horse industry. These were "stall signs" meant to be hung up in horse stalls at shows, events, etc. to identify horses, warn people to stay away, or even list out the allergies of the equine.

Today's podcast is a replay of an earlier show I did on why social media is important, especially if you own or manage a business. Whether you don't have social media accounts, are new to the world of social media, or need some further insight, be sure to tune into today's podcast.

Original Show Notes:

For years I have been jealous of those of you who never opened a social media account. By the time I developed that opinion I was well invested in social media for my business, and there was no changing that. Then, I put out an ad for a full-time, podcast producer and started interviewing candidates.

This hiring process has clearly shown me one thing, and that is that all of you who are seeking a certain lifestyle should be posting content on social media. Hang with me on this. I know it can be a toxic environment, but there is a really good reason. I delve deep into this in this episode, and I hope you will join me!

Lashawna Vogel has so many positive attributes and has accomplished so much already that it is impracticable to try and list them all here. With that said, the thing that stands out to me, so big, is that she grew up outside of agriculture. One of her aunts encouraged her to take ag classes and join the FFA because she knew how positive it could be for Lashawna. Lashawna gave it a shot, and the rest, as they say, is history!

Actually, it is not quite history yet. Lashawna is still competing and accomplishing a lot in the FFA. Right now she is serving as a state officer for the State Of Wisconsin. And, she is one of just four national proficiency finalists in the category of Agricultural Communications! She has been working as a "media intern" in the FFA since her 8th-grade year when she was awarded that position in her middle school chapter. She continued that throughout high school and has grown her skill set more and more each year.

Now, that exposure, the training, and the challenges are all culminating in national recognition. She is also pursuing a degree in agricultural marketing and communications and plans on advocating for agriculture through the medium in the future.

On the day this episode comes out I am heading to my 3rd National FFA Convention, but I won't be going alone. Actually, Hattie is already there with her Conduct Of Chapter Meetings Team as well as 32 other members of her FFA chapter. And, because Hattie is competing there Autumm took the time off of work and is traveling with me to Indianapolis as my assistant. But of course we will both be covering the conduct of meetings competitions very closely and are looking forward to seeing Hattie and all of her teammates perform.

Even though this will be my 3rd National Convention, there will be a lot of firsts for me. This is the first time that any of my family members are going. This is the first time that I will be going as a member of the advisory council for Kuna FFA. This will be the first time that Autumm and I have ever visited Chicago. It is going to be a great trip, and I have all of you in the his audience to thank for this!

If it were not for you supporting this show, there is a good chance that Hattie would not be in the FFA, I would not be on the advisory council and I would have long since abandoned the podcast and never gone to that very first National Convention! Thank you!

Behind every successful person, there was somebody who was pushing them or encouraging them, and today's interview is absolute proof of that.

Kami Holt is a National Proficiency Finalist this year in Ag Sales Entrepreneurship, but her journey didn't just start yesterday. Growing up on her family's century farm in Southern Utah, Kami has been exposed to agriculture her entire life. However, it was her older brother's membership in the FFA that sparked this interest and ultimately led her to join. However, joining was enough for Kami, and when she was asked if she was going to compete for a leadership role she said "no".

Kami's grandmother and brother would not take "no" for an answer and really pushed or, as Kami put it, "coerced" her into filling out the application to join the officer team. Ultimately she was selected, spend three years as an officer, and found that to be a very rewarding experience. During this time Kami took over her brother's SAE project, selling corn stalks and straw bales, and continued to grow the business.

Tip Of The Week

The truth is always a good way to go….

Rural Crime In The U.S.

https://www.facebook.com/76886619686/posts/10159418781439687/?d=n

https://www.newser.com/story/312440/farm-owner-hit-with-animal-cruelty-charges-over-md-zebras.html

Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above

https://www.dorsetview.co.uk/dorset-police-launches-rural-podcast-to-tackle-crime/#.YXMnnS-B2-o

https://theprestonhub.co.uk/2021/10/20/100-pieces-of-farm-equipment-marked-during-roadshow/

Chalk One Up For The Good Guys

https://www.ksn.com/news/crime/man-pleads-guilty-to-shutting-down-rural-kansas-water-system/

https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/crime/2021/10/21/woman-admits-damaging-soybean-field-no-charges-sought/853235000

Our guest today is Britin Wardlaw. Britin grew up on a citrus farm and raising cattle and married another farmer. One of the permanent crops that they grow are persimmons, which is a bit of a niche crop and they tend to be aesthetically pleasing and associated with the fall and winter. Britin noticed that before all of the persimmons could be harvested, many, perfectly good fruit fell off of the trees, rendering them no longer suitable for human consumption. This waste bothered her, and it also gave her an idea.

Britin has an eye for decorating and styling the front porches of people's homes. What is better, is that she has a deep desire to do this in such a way that reflects the agricultural industry and heritage of the surrounding area. So, she came up with an idea for a business, The Western Loom, in which she would get paid to decorate people's homes in her area of the San Joaquin Valley of California.

is interview is so good, it is worth another play.

Hannah was originally on our show on episode #410 talking all about how she combines an eye for art with her knowledge of agriculture. I am proud to say that her talents took her all the way to becoming an American Star Finalist in 2020, and it was my pleasure to profile her again. Below are the show notes from the first time she was on the show.

Original Show Notes:

Have you ever heard of a starving artist? Of course, you have. How about that old cliche about the artist that created a solid business plan, developed a targeted market that would pay for their art, and designed a solid business? Right.....that cliche is not as common.

Our guest today is that second kind of artist. Hannah York has an eye for art. Specifically, she crafts her vision into artistic holiday creations for businesses around Princeton, Kentucky. She has one, VERY busy season where she must completely prioritize her business. As her reputation grows, so does the demand for this service that she provides.