Off-Farm Income

New FFA SAE Episode🎙The FFA As An Entrepreneurship Incubator

Jenna is a very competitive person, and upon joining the FFA she found that this organization served her competitive spirit very well. Through a myriad of different contests and competitions, she found exactly what she was looking for.

Then the day came that she wanted to go on a mission trip and needed to raise $150 to make this happen. Jenna decided that she would make ice cream and sell it to people for the fundraiser and actually pre-sold what she needed to raise.

Learn more about Jenna Spangler Episode 2107 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙A Guest Speaker Can Be The Spark That Lights The Entrepreneurial Fire

Today’s episode highlights how the FFA can put another tool, the tool of entrepreneurship, in a student’s arsenal. Elyce Burzlaff is mid-way through her sophomore year of high school. Last May a guest speaker came to her school and spoke with the FFA students.

During that discussion, Elyce and her classmates were challenged to come up with an entrepreneurial idea. This led Elyce down a path of thinking of ways she could create revenue and determining what resources were at her disposal.

Learn more about Elyce Burzlaff on Episode 2100 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙OFI 2079: The Creation Of A Plant Breeder

I am starting to think that plant breeders are born, not made. At least every time I interview a young man or woman with this passion it appears that is correct.

In today’s interview I am speaking with a junior in high school that has already obtained $10,000 in funding to begin an apple orchard on his high school’s property.

Learn more about Gabe Olson-Jensen on Episode 2079 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙2071: “Going Hard” In The FFA, Academics & Sports

Peyton Gay is the sentinel for the Deane Bozeman FFA Chapter, and he is a remarkable young man. A natural athlete, gifted student and very hard worker Peyton has managed to put together an FFA and high school experience that will be rivaled by few.

Peyton has grown up on his grandparent’s farm in Northern Florida that they purchased because of their love for animals of all types. Never having a profit motive, Peyton’s grandmother has cared for and rescued multiple different species of wildlife and livestock on the farm since it first began. This is how Peyton grew up as well, and it led to his supervised agricultural experience raising, incubating and giving away Sebastopol Geese, which are listed as a threatened species.

Learn more about Peyton Gay on Episode 2071 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙2069: Woodworking Her Way Into A Career

Abigail Harrison loves to inspire others, and that is what has driven her to start her own business – Abigail Grace Woodworking. Along with selling her work, she loves going to different SAE sales, setting up a booth and speaking with other FFA students.

Abby really thought about what she wanted to do, and it occurred to her that she wanted to work with her hands and have a tangible creation to hold when she was done. That is how she got started creating products, and that is what has opened the doors for her in her SAE.

Learn more about Abigail Harrison on Episode 2069 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙2064: Happy On Horseback & Helping Others

Natalie Rider is the third generation of her family in the horse business on the Circle T Ranch in Celina, Ohio. Her grandfather, who always had a passion for horses, purchased this property in 1995 in the midst of his truck driving career. From there, the rest is history!

Natalie was first put on horseback when she was 6 months old. Today, if she is not at school or sleeping, she is at her grandparents' ranch working with the horses. She trains client horses, gives riding lessons, feeds and cleans stalls for the boarding business, and coaches an equestrian Special Olympics team of eight competitors.

Natalie knows that she wants to be around horses and her family's ranch in the future. She has her sights set on choosing a university where she can work towards a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and keep her close to home so she can continue working on the ranch!

Learn more about Natalie on Episode 2064 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙 #2062 The Art Of Farming And Farming Of Art

Hayden Mueller is just finishing his sophomore year of high school and second year of the FFA, and he already has a lot going on. In addition to farming corn & soybeans with his dad, uncle and brother, he is now leasing his own land to do the same. In the 8th grade he started his own business in order to make some money, and that has grown into Hayden’s Landscaping in which he is providing an array of lawn services to his customers.

It may sound like Hayden is working all the time, but there is another side to his high school experience – music. Hayden first got introduced to music playing the recorder in elementary school. Since then, that has grown to him playing guitar, bass guitar and saxophone. Currently he plays the baritone saxophone in the marching band and pep band at his high school.

Learn more about Hayden Mueller on Episode 2062 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙2057 How Do You Pay For Yourself When You Return To The Family Farm

Noah Richards is 11 days away from graduating high school and pursing the life he loves, farming. Noah’s parents purchased their own land and had their own dairy infrastructure built after they were married. They have been dairy farming ever since, and this is how Noah and his sister grew up. Noah has his sights set on this life as well.

After high school graduation he will head to Hawkeye Community College for two years to study agricultural business with the hopes of returning to the farm. During that two year period, he and his parents will have to assess how this is financially possible. Is there a way that having Noah on the farm as a full-time employee will increase revenue enough to pay his salary? This is a problem that many farms and ranches must solve when a child wants to come back.

There are no employees on Noah’s family dairy. His sister is now an FFA Advisor, so it is just Noah and his parents taking care of things. Therefore, there is not an employee position that could be eliminated to make room for Noah. Expansion? A new enterprise? A service business? What are the options to make this happen?

Learn more about Noah Richards on Episode 2057 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙2023: A Real Life Farm Transition Story

In episode #22 of this show, way back in 2015, I interviewed an attorney named Adam Kline about “Farm Transition”. It was a very interesting episode because we discussed ways in which farmers who wanted to retire could pass their farms to up and coming farmers. The retiring farmer could do this, still be compensated for their farm and equipment, but it could be structured in such a way that the up and coming farmer did not need all the oppressive capital necessary to purchase the land, equipment etc. right away.

Our guest today is living proof of this concept. Stetson Dittmar is not only a national proficiency finalist in beef production, but he is a future rancher. And I believe he will be the farmer on that second level who finds a way to move into full-time, production agriculture in the beef industry.

Stetson is already in the process of farm transition with a retiring rancher who he is not related to. What Stetson models in this episode is possible for any of us. Only two things are necessary: Finding the right retiring farmer and being willing to relocate to where the farm is. In Stetson’s case he found this rancher nearby by doing work for him on his place. The rancher noticed that Stetson wanted into ranching, and he also wanted to start scaling back. This led to an agreement in which this transition is possible.

These possibilities exist all over the country. If you truly want to farm or ranch, this is a way in. You just have to go find it!

Learn more about Stetson Dittmar on Episode 2023 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode 🎙2050: Building A Herd

Abby Neft is the President of a brand new FFA chapter located in Kelliher, Minnesota. Just 57 miles from the Canadian border, her family has been farming in this very cold area of Minnesota since the 1980’s.

Abby loves the cattle industry, and she has been building her own herd since she was six years old when her father gave her, her first show heifer. Since then, she has been retaining her show heifers, having calves and trying to develop genetics that will allow her to produce top notch cattle. She uses artificial insemination and embryo transfer to do this.

With just one year of high school left, Abby’s goal is to raise cattle for a living. If she can do it on the family farm, that is her preference. However, her sights are set on this happening, either way.
Learn more about Abby Neft on Episode 2050 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙2055 Graduating From Grain Cart To Planter

Wyatt DeAth is his chapter’s president as was a district reporter, district star winner and state proficiency winner. All this before he reached his senior year of high school. This young man can talk farming, and I had a great time talking about it with him in his episode.

Wyatt has grown up on his families farm in Eastern Illinois. He started out driving the grain cart on the farm at a very young age, and when he was home full-time during Covid his dad graduated him to the tractor and the planter. That was just the beginning. Today, he is leasing 30 acres of his own and growing and selling alfalfa hay.

Learn more about Wyat DeAth on Episode 2055 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙2041 Heading East Of The Mountains Into The Future

Mikayla (Kayla) Kraft is the current Chapter President for the Broadwater High School FFA Chapter in Townsend, Montana. She is also a journalist for MT43, a newspaper located in Townsend.

Kayla first started writing for MT43 when she was the chapter reporter, but she had to let that go when another student became reporter. However, Kayla enjoyed what she was doing and wanted to stay on, so she approached the paper and struck a deal to continue writing for them, freelance. There was a conundrum however. In order to not steal any thunder from the current chapter reporter, Kayla had find other topics to cover. And, man did she! Her interests in agriculture have now taken her as far away as Washington D.C. to cover stories!

Kayla is heading to North Dakota State University next fall to study animal science. She discovered NDSU while she was there covering a story and found it to be the perfect fit for her to pursue her degree. She is planning on veterinary school as the step following NDSU, and currently she is considering Wisconsin and Kansas. She loves her Montana Mountains, but her career pursuits seem to be taking her east!

Learn more about Mikayla Kraft on Episode 2041of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙2034 How To Sell 8 Cupcakes Per Minute

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

During the COVID lockdowns, 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 progressed to the point that she started selling the baked goods that she made, and she hasn’t looked back. Today, primarily through word of mouth, she bakes for events and makes 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 Gettysburg's founding, 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 eight cupcakes per minute!

Learn more about Izzy Mikkelsen on Episode 2034 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙OFI 2036: Representing The Rural Side

Cole Abercrombie is the chapter president at Tunstall FFA in Dry Fork, Virginia. As his side hustle, he mows lawns and helps people care for their yards!

Cole is passionate about community service, agriculture, and farming. While he lives in the city, his area of Virginia is largely agricultural and rural. His family farms in North Carolina and Nebraska, and he spends as much time there as he can and is sure to stay up to date on everything they are doing throughout the year.

Coles plans to attend law school so he can advocate for agriculture in this region of Virginia.

Learn more about Cole on Episode 2036 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙2027: Un-Bee-lievable Determination In The Face Of Nature’s Wrath

Abbie Chase is a junior at McCook Central High School in Salem, South Dakota. She is serving as the chapter’s Vice-President of Building Community.

Abbie is a determined beekeeper who is growing her hives as quickly as possible. In today's episode, we discuss some severe weather that impacted her bee hives, the resilience and perseverance needed for agriculture, and more!

Learn more about Abbie on Episode 2027 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙2029 A Passion For Dairy Cattle And Exhibiting Livestock

Joleigh Nailor is the president of her FFA chapter and a prolific livestock exhibitor. She has grown up in the dairy industry and when she is not milking, she is showing dairy cattle, pigs, and market steers. Her herd includes Holsteins, Shorthorns, and Jersey cattle.

Joleigh has traveled up and down the East Coast to different livestock shows, fairs, and jackpots. She has developed a lot of friendships through these shows and speaks to how important these relationships are.

Learn more about Joleigh on Episode 2029 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙2020: Flowers Floating Towards Natural Curiosity

Ava Belanger is just finishing up her sophomore year of high school and is well ahead of the pace in her knowledge of horticulture. She and a partner are growing floating flowers in a kiddie pool at her school: they have already rescued them from deterioration and death once, only to see them come back and flourish!

Ava is serving as a Junior Officer and the chapter secretary. She hopes to advance to an upper-level officer position next year and continue pursuing her interest in plants.

Learn more about Ava on Episode 2020 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙2015 Sharing A Passion For Livestock Judging

Quinton Berg has a passion for livestock judging and has carried that forward through his time in the FFA. He has been judging livestock since he was in the 4H, and he travels to competitions all over the Midwest to pursue this skill set.

Last year, he decided to share it with others the way it had been shared with him. He set up a free livestock judging clinic to teach younger 4H members how they can participate.

At a Fort Scott Community College competition in Kansas last year, the college’s judging coach saw something in Quinton and offered him a scholarship! Quinton will be judging livestock for Fort Scott starting in the Fall of 2024!

Learn more about Quinton Berg on Episode 2015 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙OFI 1994: A Fascination With The Cattle Industry

Cash Lehrman is the Chapter President of the Bridgewater-Emery FFA in Emery, South Dakota. He is also a cattle rancher in his family’s first-generation operation. He has his own business clipping cattle for other ranchers in preparation for their performance sales.

His long-term plans are to ranch cattle on his family's property and continue to grow this business. After he graduates this year, he will be heading to Oklahoma State University to get his degree in animal science.

Learn more about Cash on Episode 1994 of the Off Farm Income Podcast.

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New FFA SAE Episode🎙 Balancing Cattle, The FFA And Athletics

Pepper Elmore is the Chapter Reporter for the Kremlin FFA in Kremlin, Oklahoma.

Pepper chose to go to school at Kremlin-Hillsdale, a 45-minute commute because her local school did not offer agriculture education classes. Pepper is well versed in fitting, showing, and husbandry of cattle through her family's business of raising purebred Simmental Cattle.

After college, Pepper plans to pursue a career in being a dual-purpose chiropractor, working on both people and livestock. She also wants to run track in college, and plans on attending Oklahoma State University. With so many decisions already made, now it is just down to mapping out the path and following along.

Learn more about Pepper and her plans for the future on episode 1922 of the Off-Farm Income Podcast.

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