Off-farm Income

Sign Up To Receive Our FFA Stories Newsletter! Email address: SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING Sierra Boggio!    I speak with enough FFA students that it allows me to see trends emerge.  In today's interview with Sierra Boggio, she said something that I have heard before, and it is apparent that there is another trend emerging. The FFA offers students the ability to access and learn a lot of things that students who are not in this program miss out on.  One of those things is the ability to see needed services that are not being fulfilled in their local, agricultural communities.  Sierra has grown up on a cattle and sheep ranch, and now she is breeding and raising goats of her own.  Growing up around all of that livestock has given her a good lesson in the things that ranchers go through. Being in the FFA has exposed Sierra to different career fields in agriculture, and the one that is standing out to her is that of a large animal veterinarian.  Sierra's answer to why she was interested in becoming a large ani

Today I’ve got a story for you all that I think illustrates a point about goal setting. As I have talked about, many times in the past, I grew up in a very small town in the Central Valley of California called Valley Home.  It is a tiny, triangular shaped farming town north of Oakdale and east of Escalon.  It lies right in the northern sliver of Stanislaus County where the county seat is Modesto.     Valley Home was originally named Clyde, when a tiny train stop of the Southern Pacific Railroad was created between Stockton and Oakdale in 1871.  Clyde remained just a small stopping point for the railroad until about 1903 when a bunch of German immigrants moved to the area and created a settlement.     Chief among these immigrants was FD Volkman, and the house I grew up in had actually been purchased from his family by my parents in 1972.  FD convinced the railroad to build a depot there, and this led to many other German’s settling the area and starting farms.     There happened to be another trai

Sign Up To Receive Our FFA Stories Newsletter! Email address: SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING Wyatt Todd!  I have interviewed hundreds of extremely successful FFA students on the Off-Farm Income Podcast.  Almost all of these are students who are 17, 18 or 19 years of age who have achieved incredible things in business, livestock production or farming.  And, almost all of these kids got started and developed their passion at a very young age.  Whenever I conduct these interviews I always wonder how the student has changed over time and how sophisticated and knowledgeable they were when they first began.  In today's episode I get to flip the script and speak with one of these students at the beginning of their journey.  I will be speaking with Wyatt Todd.  Wyatt is in the 8th Grade at St. Regis High School in St. Regis, Montana.  Wyatt's school is very small.  There are only 180 students total from Kindergarten to 12th Grade.  So, the FFA starts early there.  He began last year, when he was in the 7th Grade. Bei

Tip Of The Week Write down important information immediately if you see something suspicious, and only take pictures or video if it absolutely safe to do so. Rural Crime In The U.S. https://www.wbbjtv.com/2021/01/27/new-details-emerge-in-reelfoot-lake-double-homicide-investigation/ https://www.wandtv.com/news/farm-bureau-reports-break-ins-thefts-in-rural-macon-co/article_f572ed4c-61dc-11eb-bb5a-b7f129934c18.html Where The 2nd Amendment Does Not Exist https://www.agriland.co.uk/farming-news/nfu-scotland-and-sle-call-for-urgent-action-to-be-taken-on-fly-tipping/ https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/farmer/19042365.police-warn-suspicious-van-visiting-farms-east-devon/ Chalk One Up For The Good Guys From listener, Jennifer Goodman - https://www.wbir.com/article/news/crime/athens-police-man-arrested-for-stealing-a-450000-tractor-evading-officers-during-slow-speed-joyride/51-18ec3a89-64e8-49b1-b269-4a26635736c8?fbclid=IwAR1gXmTD5b4HaKmOA654tqxUiHahkrNIo7cGKwv5vh5Jj_9hs0mbsRdCSIc https://www.facebook.co

SHOW NOTES I have repeatedly said that you will see business opportunities all around you once you become an entrepreneur.  It is really true.  Once you start a business, you don't have trouble thinking of new business ideas; you have trouble staying focused on just one.  Something in our perspectives changes once we enter into the arena of entrepreneurship. There is a good chance that if you listen to the Off-Farm Income Podcast, you could be surrounded by business opportunities in your everyday life and not even realize this.  Many of my listeners are parents who are taking their kids to stock shows several times per year to exhibit their animals.  So, if you are spending all of your time at livestock shows thinking that you can't start a side business or even a full-time business because of this commitment, are you correct? Back in 2016, I featured an interview with Dolly Denson, "The Fit Stock Show Mom."  She was a person who found herself in this position and came up with a business idea that would se

SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS:  However you decided to get into business for yourself there is one constant; you must make the leap from your full time job to your new business when the time is correct.  For most of this audience is especially true because so many of us have a lot at risk.  If you are in your mid to late 20's without a 401K, a family, a house, etc. then making a big leap is a lot less risky.  But for the rest of us we really need to mitigate this risk. Our guest today, Ray Miller, does not take this lightly.  Even as his microbe business grows and spreads across the nation, he continues with his previous career on a less frequent note.  He does not want to let his license expire, thus burning that bridge to an income if he were ever to need it.  So, he is content taking it slow and making the leap when the timing is right. I normally follow Dan Miller's lead and suggest making the leap when your new enterprise is producing 50% of your full-time income as a side hustle.  However, if you have the abil

Sign Up To Receive Our FFA Stories Newsletter! Email address: SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING SAVANNAH PITTMAN!  Interviewing FFA students for this show is an absolute privilege.  It constantly keeps me optimistic about the next generation, and I get exposed to multitudes of wonderful stories from around our nation.  Today's interview is a perfect example of this. Savannah Pittman is a junior at Calloway County High School in Murray, Kentucky.  Her family has been farming in Kentucky for at least four generations.  And for many years all of her family has worked together in a very large, family garden.  Today, Savannah and all of her cousins work together in this large, 1 acre garden and their very large greenhouse.  Together they produce all the fruits and vegetables that they sell under the name, "Papa's Produce Barn". They took their business name from the legacy left by their great-grandfather, whose barn they sell out of when they are not at the local produce market in Murray on Saturday's.  All the cousi

Those of you who do not live in the Western States are probably not familiar with the photo I used as the featured image for this episode of the Off-Farm Income Podcast.  That is a photo of the Les Schwab Tire Center that is located in my hometown of Kuna, Idaho, and I have them up there for a reason. Les Schwab Tires is the epitome of a company that knows how to provide customer service.  I took this photo on a Saturday afternoon when I had gone there for assistance.  Earlier that day I was feeding cattle in our creek bottom on our side by side, and I ran over a small log with a broken branch sticking straight up.  Somehow, I managed to puncture my tire with a piece of broken wood and take with me as I finished feeding.  Thankfully, it stayed in there or I would have been instantly flat because the hole was so large. When I finished feeding that morning I took the wheel off of the Ranger and threw it in the back of the truck.  Later that day I headed into town, to Les Schwab.  When I pulled into the parkin

Sign Up To Receive Our FFA Stories Newsletter! Email address: SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING PAIGE HAITH!  At what age can you start setting big goals?  I think that I have learned from almost 1,000 interviews on this show that there is no minimum or maximum age.  I have spoken with business owners who set their goals when they were young children, and I have spoken to business owners who never realized they had it in them until they retired. Today's guest is one of those inspirational entrepreneurs starting at a young age.  Paige Haith is a sophomore in high school.  She is also the founder and owner of "Pastries By Paige".  She has a line of 10 desserts that she makes, markets, and sells.  Paige does all of her marketing on social media with Snap Chat and Instagram being her most widely viewed locations.  She is also in the process of starting a second business. What stands out about this interview with Paige is her goals and her attitude.  Starting with her attitude, she has not been in a classroom since M

Tip Of The Week Take great photos, document everything and have a great time…but post the information about your trip after you get home… Rural Crime In The U.S. https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/crime-insider-home-break-in-suspect-posed-as-uber-driver-to-see-if-anyone-was-home https://thealpinesun.com/alleged-horse-thief-has-january-appearance/ Where The 2nd Amendment Does Not Exist https://www.farminguk.com/news/out-of-control-dog-massacres-50-ewes-in-wales_57378.html https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/123979213/farm-manager-tried-to-burn-down-landlords-home-to-cover-up-thefts Chalk One Up For The Good Guys https://www.ktlo.com/2021/01/16/man-who-had-short-argument-with-owner-of-atv-he-was-trying-to-steal-pleads-guilty/ https://www.ktlo.com/2021/01/16/man-who-had-short-argument-with-owner-of-atv-he-was-trying-to-steal-pleads-guilty/ More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:  

SHOW NOTES There is a debate that has been arising over the past decade or so about whether or not paying for a college education is a wise investment.  This debate has continued to grow as valuable skills are being taught more and moreover the internet.  As the advancement of technology moves forward at a more rapid pace, the people with the most up to date skill sets are not coming out of colleges but are coming offline. When you throw out professions that require a college degree; such as a doctor, lawyer, engineer, etc. you really start to see a devaluation of a college degree.  If you focus specifically on entrepreneurship type skills, the value drops even lower.  Part of the reason for this is the rapid pace of increased tuition costs that have outpaced inflation for years now. Today's guest, Kyle Stockdale, is a married, 25-year-old dairy farmer from Ontario, Canada.  At the beginning of our interview, Kyle told me that he had not attended college, and then he made the statement "might as well go to

Sign Up To Receive Our FFA Stories Newsletter! Email address: SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING CAITLIN HENNE!  Caitlin first appeared on our show way back on episode #142.  She has come a long way since then.  Now she is studying animal science and agricultural business at Michigan State University, she is the Michigan State FFA President and she went to the White House and met the United States' President. Caitlin is still raising and selling her show quality lambs all over the country.  She wants to build this business even bigger, thus her choice to study Ag Business.  She has now won a proficiency award in sheep production, and she has been a regional star in agribusiness.  You are going to love getting this update on Caitlin Henne! SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Sheep Production HIGH SCHOOL: Springport High School; Springport, Michigan MASCOT: Spartans FFA ADVISOR: Megan Merril CONTACT INFORMATION FOR CAITLIN HENNE: Click on the picture below to be taken to the Springport High School Website: Cait

Sign Up To Receive Our FFA Stories Newsletter! Email address: SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING DRESEN FERSCHWEILER!   In six years of producing this show and conducting interviews, I have learned a lot about entrepreneurship.  For example, I know that I am not a natural-born entrepreneur and the only way I ever became one was to decide that was what I wanted to do and then teach myself how to do it. Of course, there are natural-born entrepreneurs who will never be able to work for somebody else and have no concerns about failure or risk. Outside of those two categories, there are those people who find themselves entrepreneurs because some characteristic about themselves pushes them in that direction.  I am calling that characteristic, whatever it is, "The Entrepreneur's Attribute". I believe that our guest today is one of those people with "the entrepreneur's attribute".  Dresen Ferschweiler is somebody who learns all the details about whatever she is doing.  For example, her father and grandfather farm hazeln

This morning I was out feeding our bull and goats on the part of our farm nearest the road.  I heard a noise that caused me to turn around and look over towards the road, and I saw a pickup turned sideways on the road, blocking the westbound lane.  The tailgate was sticking up in the air abnormally, and I could tell that they had slid into the ditch on the side of road.  I heard the wheels spin a couple times as the driver attempted to back out, and it was clear that was not going to happen. I hurried and fed the hay that I had in the back of my Ranger and drove out of the driveway and over to the pickup.  There can be a lot of traffic on our road, but luckily it was reduced this morning due it being Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  I pulled up to the pickup and the driver got out.  It was the son of one of our neighbors how lived about a mile down the road. He had been coming around the curve near the front of our place and hit black ice.  His back end came around, and he went straight into our neighbor's past

Sign Up To Receive Our FFA Stories Newsletter! Email address: SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING TOBY WINANS! In 1988 the Future Farmers Of America changed its name to the National FFA Organization because of Toby Winans.  Toby Winans was only born 18 years ago, and 1988 is 32 years ago, so how is this possible?  Well, Toby Winans is the perfect avatar for the person that the National FFA Organization was thinking of when they changed their name to reflect the growing diversity in agriculture. What the FFA recognized in 1988 was that there were a lot of students in the United States that were devoted to agriculture but who did not have the aptitude or desire to do the ground level work of farming.  However, these students loved agriculture just the same and had something to contribute with their particular skill sets.  The name Future Farmers Of America could have the connotation of excluding these students because they already knew that they were not future farmers. Capturing the talents and devotion of students

Tip Of The Week: Make the call, you are not going to pull the police away from something more important. Rural Crime In The U.S. https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/01/12/alleged-santa-cruz-vehicle-theft-undone-by-stray-cattle-roundup/ https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/authorities-drop-charges-against-animal-right-activists-in-rural-aplington-incident/article_5e4ad1aa-356b-5589-964c-6564e66fb7a3.html Where The 2nd Amendment Does Not Exist https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2021-01-15/north-wales-police-appeal-for-help-to-find-selfish-idiot-who-fly-tipped-pile-of-tyres-at-beauty-spot-entrance https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/criminals-dump-burnt-out-car-4885135 https://www.dailyliberal.com.au/story/7085775/four-men-charged-after-sheep-allegedly-shot-in-the-neck-with-an-arrow/ Chalk One Up For The Good Guys https://www.carrollspaper.com/news/stolen-farm-tractor-found-on-manning-acreage/article_052bf15e-55bf-11eb-b3bc-dbb3f7d9eee1.html https://www.ourdavie.com/2021/01

SHOW NOTES There are two fundamental issues that have always plagued me when it comes to farming.  First, what do we do about urban sprawl and disappearing farm ground?  Second, how can a person expect to start a successful farm and be a full-time farmer with land, input, and equipment costs being so high?  So, when I was contacted by The Conservation Fund asking to be on the show and talk about their answers to these questions, I jumped at the chance. The folks at The Conservation Fund are pro-agriculture, and they are particularly fond of locally produced farm goods that follow their model of sustainability.  They also abhor disappearing farm ground.  So, they are working to increase locally produced goods while slowing urban sprawl.  Right now they are doing this in the 30 counties, metro area of Atlanta, Georgia as a pilot project.  But the prospects are very good for expansion. In this episode, I speak with Stacy Funderburke, who is heading up the "Working Farms Fund" on behalf of The Conservation Fun

SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS:  Entrepreneurship is the only option If you want to farm, the further away from a major city you can get the more the land prices will reflect on their production capability.  But, there will be less jobs available to you, likely with lower salaries.  How will you produce your off-farm income?  92% of farmers in the U.S. rely on it for household income, either created by themselves or their spouse. If you are going to take a full-time job, what do you do when you need time for farm management activities? calving Irrigation raking hay swathing harvest etc. If you are making a big transition from a city career to a rural & farming lifestyle you might have skills and/or education that is not applicable in your new hometown.  If that is the case, can you use these skills to create your own business? Turn your previous employer into a client? Work remotely? Teach online? If you are going to keep a full-time career job in the city, what is a reasonable commute? 20 m

Sign Up To Receive Our FFA Stories Newsletter! Email address: SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING KAYLA REED! They say that fortune favors the bold, and after hearing this episode I think you will definitely agree.  In today's episode, I am interviewing Kayla Reed.  Kayla is a former chapter president at the Pulaski High School FFA Chapter, and she is currently a student at the University Of Wisconsin, Stevens Point. Something happened in Kayla's interview that has only happened to me once before.  One of her FFA advisors sent in a special note about her and her accomplishments.  Here is what he said, "She is the epitome of what we would hope every FFA members would do in their SAE program!  She is a self-starter that has had a goal for many years to be a FIsheries Biologist or something related to this field and is now into her first year of college in this program. What is also fantastic is that this a non-traditional area and Kayla made partnerships with our Wisconsin DNR and College research programs to get as

Today was an unbelievably long (14 hours) and busy, busy day.  So busy in fact, that I almost did not notice that I was in the middle of living the life I had once dreamed about....right up until Hattie walked into my office in her FFA uniform. On today's episode I want to take you through my day: Loading cattle in the dark at 7am 2 incredible interviews with ag entrepreneurs for Friday episodes Interacting with folks online Hattie's FFA Creed Speaking Competition Lighting candles in the driveway Feeding cattle after dark We hope you enjoy and are inspired! More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald: