Off-farm Income

  SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING TYLER GARDNER!  Imagine for a moment that you are the nation's highest achiever in a very niche crop.  What could you do with that?  Well, Tyler Gardner, the 2020 National Proficiency Winner in fruit production is that person. Tyler has grown up on a cranberry farm in Pittsville, Wisconsin.  This is the largest cranberry producing county in the largest cranberry producing state in the U.S., and Tyler is right in the middle of it.  Gardner Cranberries has been referred to as "the biggest little guy" in cranberries.  Tyler's family has vertically integrated their portion of the cranberry business from the growing of the fruit to the production of the concentrate. For many years, Tyler has been working in every aspect of cranberry production.  Today he finds himself at the University Of Wisconsin, River Falls, studying agriculture business in preparation for a career farming this interesting and timely fruit.  Tyler wants to set off to work for one of the big players in agricultural i

SHOW NOTES Sign Up To Receive Our FFA Stories Newsletter! Email address: On this day in 1936 Life Magazine released its first ever magazine.  The photo on the cover was of the spillway of the Fort Peck Dam in Fort Peck, Montana.  Some 58 years later I would find myself spending Thanksgiving on a ranch just 48 miles down the Missouri River from that historic spot, and I would find myself learning a lot about the realities of ranching and how agricultural binds communities together. In today's episode we kick off Thanksgiving week, and I re-hash this experience with you.  It is amazing the things that stick with you and things that don't.  Let's remember some of them together in this episode! Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard: t.     Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters

INTRODUCING CONNER GRANT! One of the greatest things about interview FFA students is hearing the “unbridled” enthusiasm that the students have for their projects, farming and agriculture.  In today’s interview I am interviewing an student who is the third generation of farmer on his families farm. Conner Grant’s grandfather started their farm from scratch in the 1970’s.  Today this farming legacy has been built large enough that Conner hopes to return to it when he done with college and make this his full time career.  In this episode we find out that the land that Conner is farming for himself, he is leasing from his grandparents.  I asked Conner the same question I ask any student who is leasing land from family, and I get the same answer.  It is amazing to me just how much wisdom there is in farm families across the board in the U.S.  A funny surprise in this episode is just how good a voice that Conner has.  I joke with him about becoming an agricultural broadcaster.  I think after you listen, you will

Tip Of The Week If you are considering whether or not to get a home alarm system to deter burglars, what about just putting up signs indicating you have a burglar alarm?  You might consider this because the deterrent effect is the same. Rural Crime In The U.S. https://whobserver.com/how-farming-in-south-africa-became-a-full-scale-war/ Where The 2nd Amendment Does Not Exist https://www.itv.com/news/border/2020-11-19/thieves-hammering-rural-farms-leads-to-new-campaign https://www.leamingtoncourier.co.uk/news/crime/thieves-have-been-stealing-post-boxes-rural-areas-near-leamington-and-warwick-here-are-five-have-been-targeted-so-far-3039648 Chalk One Up For The Good Guys https://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2020/11/18/failed-tractor-thieves-busted-after-jefferson-county-truck-chase-sheriff-says http://www.crimevoice.com/2020/11/17/four-arrested-after-workers/ Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard:   Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters

SHOW NOTES One of the earliest sources of off-farm income I ever profiled on the show was that of being a freelance writer.  I have been very enthused about this source of income ever since.  As a freelance writer you can work from literally anywhere, and that is just what a new farmer needs.  This enables you to purchase land where it is priced in such a manner that you have a chance to pay for it with the crops or livestock that you produce there. On today's episode we get to profile a freelance writer who is doing exactly that.  Jaclyn Krymowski has just recently changed from being a paid employee, writing agricultural stories, to being a full-time entrepreneur as a freelancer.  She started her own company called "The Herdbook Ag Media".  In addition to this, Jaclyn and her boyfriend are preparing to move to West Virginia where they can purchase land cheaper than they could in her home state of Ohio.  Freelancing will give her the ability to do this and still continue to make a good living. In this

SHOW NOTES Here are the show notes from the first time that Brent appeared on the show. I hope you enjoy envisioning his lifestyle just the same way that I did, and that this interview gives you some inspiration for your future business. KEY IDEAS:  I am very excited to bring you this interview.  Brent Legere is living what I think is probably one of the coolest lives possible.  He is living on his family's homestead in Lovell, Maine and to support himself he is building wooden boxes with his own "flame stamp" on them and selling them to tourists and farmers alike. I picture Brent working in his shop, on his land with his own wood to create products that people both want and need.  I love this business model.   Speaking with Brent is equally impressive.  He is humble, down to the earth and not overly excited with the golden goose that he seems to have discovered.  This is one of those businesses that I would love to replicate, and I have to remind myself that I cannot chase every good idea that is out the

I am very blessed to have had so many guests of the Off-Farm Income Podcast go on to success at very high levels.  Jaleigh Oldenburg, who originally appeared on episode #689, found herself as an American Star Farmer Finalist this year!  That is an incredible accomplishment, and JaLeigh certainly deserved to be there. Not only has JaLeigh developed a great business with her own flock of Southdown Sheep, but she teaches others how to show by putting on clinics.  It is easy to see how she rose to the top with this project, and why she can always call herself an American Star Finalist! INTRODUCING JALEIGH OLDENBURG! I get to speak with another student who is a result of the Mulhall-Orlando FFA Chapter today, and I have to say that I am impressed with this chapter and the students that I have spoke with from here. On this episode I am speaking with Jaleigh Oldenburg.  Jaleigh is now attending Northern Oklahoma College and studying agricultural science.  She has been working with sheep since she can remember, a

SHOW NOTES Sign Up To Receive Our FFA Stories Newsletter! Email address: 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!   Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard: t.     Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters

  SHOW NOTES: INTRODUCING HANNAH YORK! 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 become 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. 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. Hann

Tip Of The Week If you are committed to carrying, get a good holster.  Here are affiliate links for the holsters I recommended in today's episode: Rural Crime In The U.S. https://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/nebraska/exeter-man-found-with-more-than-200-dead-cattle-on-his-farm-set-for-sentencing/article_fd6cc2be-50b3-527d-8df2-3a0b0c8f7d44.html https://www.fox43.com/article/news/crime/police-investigating-armed-robbery-at-dauphin-county-egg-farm/521-aa555991-6a20-4829-8ba8-c0519b450130 Where The 2nd Amendment Does Not Exist https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/crime/crime-expert-warns-of-fake-pesticides-threat-post-brexit https://www.elystandard.co.uk/news/putney-hill-road-hare-coursers-appear-in-court-1-6927865 https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/urban-myth-horse-thieves-secret-19264299 Chalk One Up For The Good Guys https://www.ktlo.com/2020/11/10/man-who-fled-after-armed-atv-owner-corners-him-makes-court-appearance/ https://www.bakersfield.com/news/grand-theft-pomegranate-valuable-c

SHOW NOTES On the Off-Farm Income Podcast we are always trying to solve the riddle of how can you become a farmer in the U.S. if you don't already have any land or equipment?  This show is about using entrepreneurship to create an agricultural business that will help you in this pursuit.  This is the method that I used to get myself onto my own farm, full-time.  This method is perfect for somebody who is mitigating risk as much as they can. This is not the only method however.  Other methods include leveraging debt to get started into a certain method of farming with the enterprise budget and business plan that you have laid out.  This is a valid method as well, but it is not for the faint of heart.  There was a story I ran across recently about a very young farmer who had got started in this way.  What stood out to me about this young man was how early he went for it. At a very early age, Zemua Baptista, knew that he wanted to be a farmer.  Growing up in a small town in Nebraska and seeing tractors an

SHOW NOTES In this week's bonus episode I am revisiting episode #195.  On this episode I was able to go "into the field" and interview Roy Austin, the owner of Goat Central, on location while we watched his Spanish goats do their work for a client.  I hope you enjoy getting his perspective on a goat grazing business. KEY IDEAS:  Roy Austin of Goat Central left his life in the heavily populated Bay Area of California for the Gold Country of the Sierra Nevada foothills about sixteen years ago.  He has always been an entrepreneur, but when he and his wife bought property near Shingle Springs, California he was introduced to goats. Roy had very high chaparral brush on his property, and it was an extreme fire danger.  After paying over $2,000/acre to have the brush bulldozed for later burning he realized this was going to be a very expensive proposition that would have be repeated about every three years.  This led him to look for an alternative and he found Kiko goats. Roy quickly started discovering the many

SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING COLE KETTERLING:  I am very proud to feature the 2020 American Star Farmer in today's interview.  Cole Ketterling and I did this interview prior to the National Convention, and he was later named as the American Star Farmer.  It is easy to tell why he was selected. Cole is from North Dakota, and he is truly on his way to a full-time career as a farmer.  He just graduated from North Dakota State University.  However, he started building his farming enterprise even before high school.  Today Cole has as a herd of 65 cows and he is farming just over 1,000 acres.  What is so amazing is that he has already bought 200 acres for himself and is well on his way. Cole is involved in every aspect of farming from row crops to animal feed to livestock production.  And he was very active in his FFA chapter during high school.  Ultimately he became the president of his chapter.  He is looking forward to a career in agriculture and farming, and you are going to be truly impressed with this young man.

SHOW NOTES Sign Up To Receive Our FFA Stories Newsletter! Email address: We all know that farming is a lifestyle business.  After all, if we invested the same amount of education, money, sweat, tears and money into any other business we would probably make a lot more money.  But there is something about this lifestyle that makes it all worth it.  There is clearly more to work and your life's pursuit than just a bank account. So, does that mean that every day of your life on the farm is euphoria and you never have a bad day?  Of course not!  There are clearly days that the work, the conditions or just the accidents really suck.  And, it is natural to think on those days or at those moments that a different type of life would be better. As I sat down to record this episode today I realized that I was having one of those days.  And, coincidentally, it was a Monday.  So, I thought this would be a good topic to cover and something for all of us to admit happens sometimes.   Where Off-Farm Income And Matt

SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING COLE SCHOCK! The FFA does a better job of getting students ready for the career world than any other high school program that I know of.  This is a very good thing, and it can create a question - should I go straight to work or should I go to college.  Today, that question is more valid than it has been in decades.  The price of tuition his risen sharply, well above the rate of inflation and wages over the past 10-20 years, and the value of a bachelor's degree has dropped in many sectors because starting wages with a degree are being overtaken by wages in the trades. So, is a student who goes to college better off?  I think the answer to that question is "it depends".  The answer is definitely not "yes" as it was for so many years.  Today, a student who has a skill and is ready to go to work the day after graduation can get started building their salary, experience level, retirement accounts, seniority and skills 4 to 5 years before their peers who go to college.  If that same student

Tip Of The Week Keep your phone on you and use it (understand when to confront) Rural Crime In The U.S. https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2020/11/04/mrw-more-than-2-dozen-cows-horses-slaughtered-this-year-in-central-utah-10k-reward-offered-for-information/#.X6Vgdi9h2J8 https://denver.cbslocal.com/2020/11/01/trevor-george-babysitter-killed/ Where The 2nd Amendment Does Not Exist https://www.thepigsite.com/news/2020/11/uk-authorities-warn-against-dumping-pumpkins-for-wild-boar https://www.cambstimes.co.uk/news/hare-coursers-on-a47-run-from-fen-police-1-6915459 Chalk One Up For The Good Guys https://www.wkrn.com/news/crime-tracker/alert-sumner-county-deputy-catches-alleged-atv-thieves-red-handed/ http://cw34.com/news/local/man-wanted-for-fraud-felony-cattle-rustling-in-wyoming-captured-in-indian-river-county   Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard:   Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters

SHOW NOTES As part of my journey in agricultural podcasting I have found myself as the editor and producer of the Bulkloads Podcast.  The Bulkloads Podcast is part of Bulkloads.com, which is a service for truck drivers hauling bulk freight.  Naturally this is related to agriculture with all of the hauling of bulk commodities around the country. I was recently editing an episode for Bulkloads, and their guest was Mike Wade.  Mike grew up on a dairy farm in Northern California and eventually found his way into truck driving.  Along the way Mike saw a homemade tool another driver had, and he thought he would like to make one for himself.  However, when he designed it he added on other features that he always wanted in a tool that would help him in other ways.  Huckleberry's Hammers were born. As I listened to Mike's interview on the Bulkloads Podcast and he described all of the uses for this tool, I couldn't help thinking about how I could use it around my farm.  And then I thought of how other farmers cou

SHOW NOTES Here are the show notes from the first time that I ran this episode.  I hope this is helpful to you as navigate the tricky waters of dealing with customers who pay slow! KEY POINTS:  80% of small businesses receive late payments - paysimple 64% of small businesses have clients who don't pay for 60 days - Wall Street Journal In agriculture, just like everywhere else, some customers have a tendency to pay slowly.  They're our customer right?  They deserve some grace.  That is true, but slow payment for services or products can create a host of problems for the small business owner, namely a cash flow problem. The term cash flow gets spread around so much that everyone assumes that it is widely know what is meant by this term.  But for simplicities sake, let's explain it.  Imagine that you worked two weeks last month on a big project for one customer.  This cost you $2200 in labor, and the pay period just ended.  Your big customer has yet to pay you for the job, but you just cut the payroll check

SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING WILL KELLUM! As I continued on interviewing American Star Finalists for 2020, I got to my interview with William Kellum, an American Star Finalist in agribusiness.  William comes from the small town of Jefferson City in Georgia.  He is now studying electrical engineering at the University Of Georgia. During high school William and his friend started a lawn care business.  This is a common type of business for FFA students to start, and it is also the business that I see FFA students having the most success with.  It is truly a business that a student can start in high school and run for the rest of their working career with great success. Any type of business is going to require marketing.  As a matter of fact, once you buy your equipment, make your product or offer your service you are only about 10% done with creating a business.  The other 90% is going to be marketing. Never in the history of this show have I interviewed someone who took advantage of everything at their disposal t

SHOW NOTES Sign Up To Receive Our FFA Stories Newsletter! Email address: I ran across a very interesting article this week about a research project at the University Of Texas in Austin.  A group of researchers has developed an artificial soil that can capture moisture from the atmosphere overnight and then release it into the soil when the temperatures warm up the next day. When I read this article two things struck me.  First, were my selfish thoughts about using this magic soil on my own farm and not irrigating any longer.  Who knows if that will ever be possible, but I dream.  Second, was the perspective of innovating through difficulty.  I really like the idea of finding innovations to solve problems rather than cutting back or looking at things negatively. This particular invention, if it is works and has commercial applicability could really change a lot of lives in our world.  Here is a link to the article. Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard: t.     Member Of The Na