Off-Farm Income – Details, episodes & analysis

The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S.  This episode is an effort to replicate the conversation that prospective students, parents and ag teachers might have with agricultural schools at trade show like the National FFA Convention.

Penn State is a very storied and very well known university, but did you know it all started with agriculture?  On today's Ag College Episode we get to delve into that history and see what it has become throughout the entire commonwealth campus system.  Hundreds of opportunities await agriculture students in State College, Pennsylvania and we have four great guests to tell you about all them!

Tip Of The Week

Coast To Coast, we need to protect copper wire

Rural Crime In The U.S.

https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-hay-bales-set-on-fire-kingfisher-garfield-county/61195550

https://www.wymt.com/2024/06/26/police-laurel-county-looking-stolen-atvs/

https://www.wgmd.com/dsp-looking-to-identify-suspects-in-thefts-of-copper-wire-from-farm-irrigation/

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/cherokee-county-sheriff-s-office-seeks-info-in-tractor-theft/ar-BB1kiflB?ocid=feedsansarticle

Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/brazen-burglar-raided-kent-farms-for-£55k-equipment-then-fooled-victims-to-sell-it-on/ar-AA1f5pWH?apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1

https://farmersforum.com/cattle-heist-75-black-angus-vanish-from-quebec-farm/

https://www.beefcentral.com/news/repeat-offender-pleads-guilty-to-aggravated-cruelty-to-livestock/

Africa

https://www.thezimbabwemail.com/law-crime/former-deputy-minister-arrested-for-alleged-theft-of-farm-equipment/#google_vignette

https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/health/amp/crop/article/2001497825/siaya-farmers-abandon-maize-after-dismal-yields-turn-to-fruit-farming

Chalk One Up For The Good Guys

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/mccordsville-man-allegedly-steals-car-joyrides-tractor-before-being-found-urinating-in-roadway-in-bartholomew-county/ar-BB1nsGXD?ocid=BingNewsVerp&apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1

https://www.missourivalleytimes.com/stories/moorhead-man-arrested-in-pisgah,55572

Today is all about the "Built Ford Tough Dealer Scholarship".  Special thanks to listener, Joel Nickerson, the general manager of Butler Ford in Ashland, Oregon for reaching out to me with this information.

Here is the link to the scholarship sign up form: https://analytics.clickdimensions.com/cn/aunbc/ford2023

For the third year in a row I ran to the Southwest Desert to find the sun and feel some warmth during the middle of winter.  This is becoming a tradition that I don't think I will ever give up.  I'll talk all about it on today's Farm Update Episode!

Today's guest, Tristan Miller, is the second FFA student who is a fifth-generation farmer to appear on the show in a row.  Tristan currently works and lives on his family's farm north of Sacramento, California that has been part of his legacy since just after the Civil War.  During that time, the farm has seen a lot of changes.  For example, they used to raise cattle in addition to crops until drought made that unprofitable.  Also, their farm and farms in their area used to be dominated by rice, but now almonds are taking over.

Tristan takes all of this in stride and loves the farm work and responsibility he has on the home place.  When I asked him what his day-to-day work looks like, his answer was simple and to the point - "whatever grandpa tells me to do!".

Tristan has plans to return to the farm at some point, but he has some other interests that are enticing to him right now.  He is heading off to college to study agricultural business next year.  He also wants to get certified to drive large equipment so that he can operate large earthmovers for Cal Fire during wildfire season.  If that weren't enough, he would like to start his own business cutting and bailing hay for farmers.

Tristan is definitely motivated, and it is going to be exciting to see where he takes this journey.

We talk about it all the time on this show - how can you get to the life in which all you have to do is farm or ranch?  What if you already had an enterprise that would allow you to quit that job in town and farm or ranch full-time, but you just didn't know it?

On today's show, we will speak with Dallas Mount.  Dallas has a history of advising and teaching folks in agriculture, and now he is the owner of Ranch Management Consultants and their key course, Ranching For Profit, in Wheatland, Wyoming.  Dallas will be talking with us about how he and his people help to identify areas within people's ranching and farming enterprises that are going underutilized or are acting as a drag on their profits.  He will talk about strategies for improving an operation, increasing productivity, and enhancing profits.  He will also talk about the challenges to implementing those strategies when there are other stakeholders involved in the operation.

Dallas accurately points out that formal, agricultural education really emphasizes production when it comes to teaching ag students.  Therefore, there are a lot of ranchers out there with a large amount of knowledge and skill when it comes to production, but who still need to learn how to look at their enterprise from the perspective of a business person.

You may wonder why I have a video of the Oprah Winfrey Show with Jim Carrey at the top of a post about farming and entrepreneurship.  The reason that I did this is that today's guest, Tyler Hendrickson, said something that really made me think about this story from Jim Carrey.

If you watch the video clip you will see that Jim Carrey visualized himself as an actor long before he was successful.  He then wrote a check to himself for $10 million for "acting services rendered".  Ultimately what he visualized he was ultimately able to make happen.

Tyler does not yet have a farm.  However, he named his diesel tuning business "Hendrickson Farms LLC". Tyler knows what he wants to do, and he has visualized it.  He wants to farm, and he has chosen entrepreneurship as the pathway to achieving that.  So, even though he does not have the farm yet, he has the business.....Hendrickson Farms LLC.  He knows that someday in the future he will be selling crops and livestock under that name, and he has chosen entrepreneurship to make that happen.

ADVICE FROM TYLER:

LISTEN: Listen to everyone intently for information that will make it easier for you to succeed as you move forward.

RELATIONSHIPS: Find a way to continually be developing relationships with people as you grow.  These people will help you succeed in your chosen business either by being mentors or customers.

PERSONAL HABIT THAT MAKES TYLER SUCCESSFUL:

DON'T QUIT: Tyler doesn't do this.  He sees every job through to its completion, no matter what it takes to get it finished.

BEST BUSINESS ADVICE EVER GIVEN TO TYLER:

"If you shoot for the moon and fall short you will still be among the stars"...or something very close to that.  Tyler's grandfather, through his words and example, showed Tyler that you need to set your goals high.  That way even if you fall short you have still accomplished something significant.

Our guest today is a 5th generation farmer from Tennessee.  Campbell Baker and his father are jointly raising cattle on land outside of Carthage, Tennessee, which has been in the family since the late 1800s.  Where they are located is just about 50 miles to the east of Nashville.  With all of the growth in and immigration to Tennessee and Nashville right now, Campbell sees many changes that he never expected.

As more and more beautiful farms are turned into subdivisions, Campbell has realized that when he takes over this farming enterprise, he will face challenges unlike any faced by his ancestors in the past.  The growth, loss of farms, and diminishing open spaces can certainly be considered negative.  However, Campbell chooses to put a positive spin on things.

Campbell and his father have recognized that the influx of people also means potential new markets and new customers for directly marketed beef.  Therefore, they have been learning about new grazing techniques, new breeds of cattle, and how to market to folks in the city.  They are prepping for the future and looking at how their farming operation can be sustainable through the future and possibly even more productive and profitable.

Campbell definitely has a passion for what he is doing.  He understands all the different forages available on their farm, grazing techniques, and why a smaller breed of cattle might serve them better.  He also is preparing to go to college to learn about agricultural business and marketing to put himself into a position to grow this operation in the future.