Mercedes Jones is her chapter's historian and her district's sentinel, and she is only in her sophomore year of high school!  She is also the recipient of a $1,000 SAE grant for a flower business that she has been launch with her family on their farm in South Dakota.

Mercedes is in a unique position with both of her parents being full-time farmers.  This is the life that she has known since she was four years old and her family moved to the multi-generational farm and both of her parents left their city jobs to devote all of their time here.  Mercedes is learning that maintaining this lifestyle with revenue that is produced exclusively from the farm is a challenge, and it takes innovation and hard work to meet that challenge.  As a result, she and her family are in the development process of adding flowers as a crop on their farm, and developing their "direct to consumer" business model.  She has already become an expert in varieties of flowers as well as planting and preservation methods, and there is no doubt why she was awarded the grant.

If you have listened to the Off-Farm Income Podcast for some time, then you have likely heard me speak of Dan Miller on more than one occasion.  Since 2009, Dan has been a mentor, inspiration and "permission giver" to me.  It was around 2009 that I decided that I wanted to change my life, and I started dreaming of entrepreneurship.  It was also then that I discovered Dan and started consuming his content.

Since that time I met Dan in person and became friends with him in 2015.  I talked all about this in episode #67.  In 2017 I had Dan on my show for the very first time on epsiode #330.  And, in 2022 I was a guest of Dan's as a featured entrepreneur for his private Eagles Community, which I recaptured on episode #1362.

Dan was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer on December 7th, 2023.  And he passed on January 23rd.  In today's episode I want to pay tribute to this man who has meant so much to me, and who helped to unlocked the door to the life I was dreaming about.

Katie Dauch is her FFA Chapter's President, a junior in high school, a gardener, a food preserver and a very benevolent high school student.  Starting way back in elementary school, Katie and her mom started growing a raised bed garden at their home in Upstate New York for their own food production and food security.  They used canning methods to preserve food for themselves, and between what they grew and what they purchased they put away food for the winter.

This is what led Katie to take her first agriculture class and ultimately to become involved in the FFA.  She and her mom are still growing vegetables in their raised beds and canning them.  It was the involvement in the FFA that led to Katie's SAE.  Seeing that the school was producing more vegetables in it's community garden than was being consumed, Katie decided to preserve those vegetables in the same manner that she did at home.  However, once they were preserved she donated them to food banks around her community.  There are three food banks that are happy to accept the preserved vegetables and soups that Katie and her mom make, and her community is the better for having her!

For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below:

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.

Have you ever heard of "Laradise"?  Well, I had not either.  That is how the folks living and going to college in Laramie, Wyoming describe where they live.  This is the location of the only university in the state of Wyoming, The University Of Wyoming.  Being the only university in a geographically large state with a very low population opens up an immensely diverse set of opportunities for students.  Agriculture, wildlife and topography is very diverse throughout the state from Yellowstone National Park on the western edge to Mid-West style farming on the east, and much in between.

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Tip Of The Week

Fact check whenever you can, especially before taking a stand

Rural Crime In The U.S.

https://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/can-mississippi-strip-felons-including-tree-thieves-of-voting-rights-federal-judges-hear-the-case/27XRCH5UNRG7HJR6SGYTIYJG4Q/

https://www.lancasterfarming.com/farming-news/news/minnesota-dairy-accused-of-3m-wage-theft-after-failing-to-pay-workers/article_0f216731-b7fa-5f4c-9813-3f9f3b9dbe6e.html

https://www.abc15.com/news/region-southeast-valley/gilbert/its-heartbreaking-az-horse-rescue-says-its-work-is-set-back-a-year-after-theft

Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-68091251

https://www.northants.police.uk/news/northants/news/news/2024/january/two-dogs-seized-after-livestock-killed-in-braybrooke/

https://www.theleader.com.au/story/8494442/mudgee-robbery-crackdown-as-strike-force-uji-arrest-two-suspects/

Africa

https://capitalradio.co.ug/news/2024-01-25-stolen-cows-given-a-ride-in-land-cruiser/

https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.34GQ62J

Chalk One Up For The Good Guys

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/25/amish-horse-buggy-stolen-walmart

https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/crime/second-teen-arrested-after-14-lambs-mown-down-in-field?utm_source=homelatestnews

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Dr. Alan Harrelson is a history professor at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.  In his dissertation he focused on Agrarian Society in the Antebellum South.  He also has a successful Youtube channel, website and podcast in which he discusses these ideas as a corollary to one of his passions, tobacco pipes and the accompanying lifestyle.

I discovered Dr. Harrelson some months back through his Youtube channel and have enjoyed his ideas on what it means to be an agrarian as well as the history of agriculture looked at from this perspective.  I also find myself aligned with him when it comes to personal choices of how to live life, why we bought agricultural land and the rewards that come from such choices.  I am thrilled that he is joining me on today's episode.

On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode, I am profiling a gentleman that I connected with through the hobby of pipe smoking.  That got me thinking about if I had ever profiled anyone on the show who grew tobacco, and I was so pleased to be reminded of this great interview with Lorrie Barron that I did two years ago.  In addition to so much more, they grow speciality tobacco on their farm in Southern Virginia, and I am thrilled to play their episode again.

Mya Ibarra is a junior in high school and the historian of her FFA Chapter.  She is also an amazing human.  Coming from a non-agricultural background, she was enticed into an FFA meeting by pizza when she was in the 7th Grade.  Since then, she has become very involved and things have taken off for her.  She also plays three sports, including basketball, and she had never shot a basketball prior to going out for the team during her sophomore year!  If that is not enough, she has aspirations of becoming a physician, and science and math are her strongest subjects!

When it came time to develop an SAE, Mya gave it some serious thought.  She looked around and thought about the teachers she had throughout her school life so far and realized how much work they put in, even at home.  Mya believes that teachers are under appreciated, so she decided to start a subscription flower service to bring smiles to their faces.

Mya began purchasing flowers from a farm about 45 minutes away and selling monthly subscription services to teachers and staff at her school at a very low cost.  She doesn't have any profit motive.  She simply wants to brighten the day of these great women and men.  So, she charges only $5/month, just enough to cover her costs and allow her to continue providing flowers to these folks!

Welcome to the Farm Update show for this week.  Today, I am going to be speaking about a new testimonial for a product that was sent to me - Hen Gear's 54" laying box.  Hint: So far, I am very pleased.  I will also be discussing:

• The ever changing weather conditions on our farm.
• A car sliding into our fence
• A snow load related insurance claim at a rental house

Maverick Scheckel is just a sophomore in high school, but he is already the proprietor of two businesses and has developed a skill set that is going to serve him well for the rest of his life.  Mentored by his father and working his father's large equipment "buy/sell" business, Maverick learned a lot about repairing equipment.  This includes both working on engines and welding.

Maverick has taken what he has learned both from the business side and the skill sets to form two impressive businesses.  First is "Scheckel Buy/Sell" which is similar to his father's buy/sell business.  Rather than focusing on large equipment, Maverick focuses on small equipment like pickups, atv's and motorcycles.  He purchases them in poor condition at bargain prices, fixes them up and then flips them.

Maverick has been welding since he was in the 6th grade, and he now can use all methods.  This has led him to start "Scheckel Welding".  He does repairs for his father's business, friends and farmers in his area.  And, he is just launching a project to start fabricating gates and selling them around Bellevue as there are none available anywhere close.

For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below:

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.

[caption id="attachment_421490" align="alignright" width="125"] Ashlyn Cook-Huggins: Student Ambassador[/caption]

Seward County Community College is an agricultural program that is on the rise.  Will Milashoski and his wife, Rachael, were both just hired last year to teach and start rebuilding the agriculture program there.  Already the enrollment has increased from 6 agriculture students to 25.  In addition, they are rebuilding the livestock judging team and bringing in students to participate, such as Ashlyn Cook-Huggins, who joins Will on today's episode.  With very reasonable tuition and an easy path to having non-resident tuition waived, this could be the exact spot for you to being your pursuit of an agricultural career.

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Tip Of The Week

What is “broken windows policing”?

Rural Crime In The U.S.

https://vtdigger.org/2024/01/18/final-reading-vermont-lawmakers-try-again-to-rein-in-timber-theft/

https://www.kxii.com/2024/01/18/copper-stolen-choctaw-county-radio-tower-found-paris/

https://www.northcentralpa.com/news/crime/police-looking-for-stolen-tractor/article_de077596-b53b-11ee-a4e7-d3a713ccf172.html

Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above

https://www.farmersguide.co.uk/rural/rural-crime/nfu-calls-for-action-after-defra-fly-tipping-figures-published/

https://au.news.yahoo.com/bramley-fourteen-lambs-mown-down-121418765.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEAx_WzHJ5HMgDIMuAqzdE3en5oSyJJLp-EY2fMH--dRfOwGmdKZfL_NAhWcgxQeEmZHUoN3NTdw6mqlECcpUAyAbL5LX61Bd6mbOKxlAxkKiecJSPRRV-bumvseVXdn28gGHtiyLt6npUnGKmCt77Bat1Q1Ak1sAONaomdHBCy2

Africa

https://www.citizen.digital/wananchi-reporting/laikipia-alarm-over-rising-cases-of-livestock-theft-as-100-cows-150-goats-stolen-n335016

https://bnnbreaking.com/breaking-news/crime/unrelenting-crime-wave-hits-ugunja-sub-county-residents-cry-out-for-help/

https://www.guwahatiplus.com/assam/mob-lynching-kills-alleged-cattle-thief-in-morigaon

Chalk One Up For The Good Guys

https://www.bakersfield.com/news/district-attorney-investigators-find-stolen-tractor/article_a9612d66-b679-11ee-9b1f-4718f22b5b7b.html

https://www.wafb.com/2024/01/18/3-arrested-after-multiple-atvs-stolen-baker/

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Lauren Schroeder is an amazing humanitarian, farmer and FFA student.  During Covid, when she was in the 8th Grade, she started volunteering in her community and made an observation.  She noticed that in the meals available to people there was no fresh produce.  The timing of this observation coincided with her beginning her FFA career and needing to develop a supervised agricultural experience.

Lauren decided to plant a garden and donate 100% of the production to those in need.  A very benevolent SAE was born.  Starting her 9th grade year, she planted 1/2 acre with a variety of vegetables, ultimately donating them to multiple different organizations around her community.  During the summer between her sophomore and junior year she increased her production to 1 acre and donated over 7,000 lbs of vegetables.  She has two summers left while she is in high school FFA and wants to increase production this year to 1.5 acres and finally 2 acres with a total of 20,000 lbs of vegetables.  It is an unbelievable story and goal, but she has proven that she can do it, and there is no doubt that she will!

Chase Krug was already doing amazing things when I first interviewed him in 2016.  Since then he has gone on to even more amazing accomplishments.  I was able to meet him in person in Indianapolis when he won the American Star Award for Agriscience Research.  And, I am happy to profile him again today on our re-cap episode.

Aidan Yaddof is a sophomore in high school, sentinel of his FFA chapter, a two time SAE grant recipient, and hunter and a pheasant producer.  Growing up in eastern Iowa on his families four acres, Aidan has always been around livestock and agriculture.  This engagement with livestock and farming led him to join the FFA in the 8th grade, and he found that he really enjoyed the organization.  This has led Aidan to become very active in his chapter with aspirations of serving at the district and state level as well.

Aidan has also been hunting all of his life, and over time he has noticed smaller numbers of pheasants in his area.  He researched this and confirmed that counts of pheasants had been steadily declining.  This knowledge, in combination with his introduction to the FFA and the need for an SAE, led him to pheasant production.  Aidan started a pheasant production business with two goals.  First, is to make revenue by selling pheasants, mostly roosters.  Second, to help grow the pheasant population in the area by releasing birds into the wild, mostly hens.  

Aidan has been doing this for two years now, and twice he has been awarded an SAE grant to help him grow and improve his business.  He has long term aspirations for both the business and what he can achieve with it in the FFA.  Aidan is currently in the process of applying for a state proficiency award, and he hopes that this will one day lead to a national proficiency award in Indianapolis.  

We have been experiencing actual winter on the farm ever since we got back from our tropical vacation.  It is funny how things get more complicated with even a little snow and frigid temperatures.  Today, I will talk all about it.

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Abby Kolousek is a 6th Generation Farmer on her families property in Eastern South Dakota.  When she was first getting started in the FFA a neighbor was getting out of goats and gave her family a Nigerian Dwarf Buck.  There was something about the personality of a goat that was intriguing to Abby, and she started building a herd of the same breed.

At its peak, Abby had about 20 nannies.  However, she is scaling down a little bit with the knowledge that she will be graduating high school this year and leaving for college.  So, she is cutting the herd back in preparation to transition the project to her younger sister.

Abby sells the Nigerian Dwarf kids as pets to other families in the area.  In doing so, she had to develop marketing skills in order to be able to get them all sold.  This sparked an interest in Abby that has led to her choice of major.  Abby is planning on getting a degree in marketing and looking for a career position that will allow her to work remotely.  This will enable her to return home after college and start developing a goat herd again.

If you would be interested in seeing more of what Abby has done or purchasing a goat from her, you can find more information on the Kolousek Farms Website.

For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below:

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.

Laramie County Community College, "L - Triple C", is the only college in the capital city of Cheyanne, Wyoming.  Being in close proximity to the University of Wyoming, the Colorado Rocky Mountain Front, Denver and being the home of Cheyenne Frontier Days, LCCC offers some very unique opportunities at the community college level.  From working with horses to collegiate livestock showing to internships in rodeo this is a fantastic place to get your start in agriculture, especially if Western Sports, Western Heritage or Western Lifestyle is what you are after.

More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald:

Tip Of The Week

Whose that knocking at my door?

Rural Crime In The U.S.

https://wtop.com/crime/2024/01/fairfax-co-police-on-hunt-for-rose-ruse-burglars/

https://www.ketk.com/news/crime-public-safety/tractor-front-loader-backhoe-attachment-reported-stolen-in-camp-county/

https://www.cbs19.tv/article/news/local/2-horses-go-missing-in-smith-county/501-8fc4dfae-ea7f-4db7-92e8-2f9a1ec3ddcd

Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above

https://www.southwestfarmer.co.uk/news/24016466.men-found-farm-machinery-stolen-somerset-sentenced/

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-67951638

https://crimestoppers-uk.org/news-campaigns/news/2024/jan/rural-domestic-abuse-–-speaking-up-can-save-lives

Africa

https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/crime/perjury-false-kidnapping-cases-11-january-2024/

https://www.farmersweekly.co.za/agri-news/south-africa/alert-farmers-and-workers-reduce-incidence-of-stock-theft/

Chalk One Up For The Good Guys

https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/jersey-county-compact-track-loader-theft-leads-18600487.php

https://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/local-news/52970-kern-county-sheriff-s-office-rural-crime-unit-arrest-three-suspects-in-attempted-copper-wire-theft

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An interesting dynamic of our world today is the news cycle.  We know about more of the most horrific events and suffering in the world than any of our predecessors.  However, it turns out that there are a lot of very bad stories out there, each of them compelling.  As such, we have the strange phenomena of hearing about something in another part of the world that causes us great consternation in the short term, but is then replaced by another horrific event that causes us to slowly withdraw concern or even forget about the first event.  And the cycle repeats itself.

Just because we experience this phenomena, does not mean that any of the problems we initially heard about have been fixed or even improved.  It just means that they are not being talked about on a large scale any longer.  But somewhere, there are people still dealing with the issue that still need help.

In 2021, the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan after being omnipresent in that country for two decades.  This created a vacuum that the Taliban quickly filled, and it put the people who worked with the U.S. in our efforts in peril.  This was a great crisis and huge news story at the time, and it compelled me to interview Caroline Clarin, a woman who I had read about that was helping families from Afghanistan that she had come to know when she was doing agricultural work there between 2009 and 2011.

On today's show we are following up with Caroline.  She is still very involved in this work, and her efforts have now evolved into a 501(c)(3) called the Friends And Allies Project where she and her team are working to support five families who made it out of Afghanistan but are stuck in Pakistan trying to get Visas that will allow them to come to the U.S.

On tomorrow's Friday episode I am featuring an episode with previous guest, Caroline Clarin.  Caroline first came on the show in 2021 during Christmas, and we discussed the situation with people in Afghanistan who had helped out the United States since the war began there in 2001.  The United States had just pulled out of Afghanistan, and many of them were now in danger because of the return of the Taliban.  On tomorrow's show, Caroline is coming back on to give us an update on that situation, so today I'll play her first episode again to give you an idea of the before and after picture.

Morelia Vieyra Santana is a 2023 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Equine Science.  She is also a previous guest on the Off-Farm Income Podcast, appearing when she was a sophomore in high school in 2021.

When I first interviewed Morelia, I was taken with how bold she was in her role at her families horse boarding, training and events business in Madera, California.  Not only was she working steadily in the business, but she was taking ownership of more than her assigned role and suggesting changes that she believed would improve their operation.

Knowing what I knew from our first meeting, it should have been no surprise to learn that she was a proficiency winner.  It should have also been no surprise to learn that she no longer considered her role just as a member of her family and her families business.  Today, she sees her role as representing her Mexican Heritage and that style of horsemanship as an ambassador to the greater agriculture community in the Central Valley of California.

Morelia is attending Fresno State University and studying agriculture business.  She plans on using what she learns in college to improve the business side of her families business.  At the same time, she wants to spread Mexican Horse Dancing to an even wider group of people and audience.  She sees it as her role to make this part of her heritage more pervasive and known to a much larger audience than it currently enjoys.

Autumm, Hattie and I have just returned from 10 days on the Island of Roatan in Honduras.  That is why you have been hearing "best of" episodes for the past two weeks.  Hattie and I are now certified SCUBA divers, and I've got a lot to tell you in today's farm update!

James Titus is a 4th generation farmer on his families property in Valley Home, California.  James is also the oldest son of one of my oldest and dearest friends, who I grew up with in Valley Home.

Beginning as a small village made up of German immigrants at the turn of the 20th's Century, Valley Home had two different names.  First, as a small railroad water stop it was referred to as "Clyde".  After the Germans came it was referred to as "Thalheim", German for home in the valley.  During World War I, out of respect for their American countryman, the residents changed the name to its English translation - Valley Home.

Among these first residents were the Benedix family, from whom James is descended.  I knew James' Great Grandfather, Rich, when I was just a boy.  Back then, the primary crop grown in Valley Home was rice.  Rich farmed rice and he was assisted by James' grandfather Fred, who I knew very well.

Today, James is "farming" on a much smaller scale than his grandfather and great grandfather.  However, the Benedix legacy of agriculture in Valley Home is being kept alive by James and his family with the goat herd they keep at the home site that his Great Grandfather Rich once owned, was sold out of the family and then purchased back by James' parents.  There are thousands of stories and legacies like this, all over the U.S.  James' story is just one, but it is one that is still taking place in a small town that is specially tied to the Off-Farm Income Podcast.

For Information Like Degrees Offered, Annual Costs, Etc., Please Click The Banner Below:

The Agricultural College Episode is designed to profile agricultural trade schools, junior colleges, colleges and universities around the U.S.  This episode i

s 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.

Auburn University seems to have endless opportunities for both agriculture and natural resources students.  In today's episode I speak with the largest cast of guests I have ever had appear on one interview.  Between the five of them there is fantastic information about this historic university, and I hope it is of great use to you.

• Madisen Cope - Student Recruitment Administrator
• Brooke Martin - Student Recruitment Administrator
• Lexi Garret - Student Ambassador
• Abbie Star - Student Ambassador
• Jose Wolan - Student Ambassador

Tip Of The Week

Consider using an alarm system with video incorporated to get a faster response from law enforcement.

Rural Crime In The U.S.

https://www.ky3.com/2021/08/13/thief-steals-tractor-john-deere-gator-skyline-school-district/

https://www.wtvq.com/2021/08/10/in-two-cases-boyle-authorities-need-info-on-theft-suspect-stolen-atv/

https://www.wdbj7.com/2021/08/09/search-pittsylvania-county-tractor-thief/

Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above

https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/people/earls-barton-family-business-welcomes-robocop-style-crime-fighting-automated-guard-3342497

https://uknip.co.uk/breaking/news-269821/rural-crime-investigators-are-appealing-for-information-after-two-sheep-were-killed-in-a-field-near-sittingbourne/

Chalk One Up For The Good Guys

https://www.wrdw.com/2021/08/09/ga-deputies-shoot-man-chase-after-rural-mail-carrier-killed/

https://www.farminguk.com/news/man-who-stole-87k-worth-of-sheep-handed-prison-sentence_58730.html

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Today I get to profile another national star finalist.  Murdock Wynn will be up on the stage in Indianapolis just days after this interview is released.  How did he get there?  Working on his families farm on a sow to weaner operation.

The numbers of pigs they are raising there is staggering.  With their sow numbers they are raising around 65,000 pigs per year and selling them.  Those are unbelievable numbers.  Something a very casual pig farmer like myself cannot even imagine.

Making this number even more unbelievable is the amount of artificial insemenation that takes place to keep the sows bred and producing pigs.  It is really phenomenal.

If this were not enough, Murdock and his family also raise commercial cattle on their land.  Murdock has dove right in, and is also studying agricultural business at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Southern Georgia.

How would you like to start your farming endeavor, come up with a business model and then find out that the demand for what you were producing was way bigger than you ever expected?  Well, that is exactly what happened to Steve Horton and his wife, Lyn.

Steve's wife Lyn has always wanted to have a farm where they sold raw milk.  After about 20 years of waiting, she and Steve decided to put in a modern, milking barn on their small farm north of Dallas, Texas. They went through the entire process of getting certified and inspected, and they reached a point in which they were legally able to sell raw milk.

Soon, they had a big customer base wanting to purchase raw milk from both their goats and cattle.  Then they started getting requests for other products, so they began selling grass fed meat that they purchased from other farms in their area.  They also started making and selling cheese, yogurt and other products.

Steve and Lyn live in a rapidly expanding rural interface to the north of Dallas, and in this area people are passionate about purchasing food raised the way they want it raised.  Steve states that in this segment of agriculture there is room for a lot of farmers.  Instead of competing with each other, farmers can work in collaboration with each other for the betterment of everyone.

The "can do" spirit of the students that I get to interview for the Off-Farm Income Podcast is truly remarkable.  In today's episode I am fortunate to interview another one of those students who just blows away my pre-conceived notions of what high school students are capable of.

Katie Nealen was just finishing up her junior year of high school when we recorded this episode.  She has a love for animals and she obviously has a talent for working with them.  Katie had already been awarded a state proficiency award from the State of Pennsylvania for animal care as a result of her work with animals.

Katie trains and sells border collies as herding dogs for working goats, sheep and cattle.  Her business is called Kat Slash Farm.  She also captures and trains raptors for hunting and raises goats and dairy cattle. She has her sights set on veterinary school once she is done with high school, and her love of working with animals makes this an obvious choice.

Entrepreneurship is a very fun and rewarding journey.  But just like anything else there are highs and lows to this journey.  The problem with entrepreneurship is that some of the highs can be so high, that a low that would seem normal for an everyday employee might seem like the Marianas Trench to an entrepreneur.

Happy New Year's Everyone.  This is always a fun episode because we announce the results of our silly,
agricultural survey, Autumm and Hattie come on the show and we give away prizes.

This year's episode was recorded remotely in Texas!  We are in the midst of an epic trip exploring Texas history, the Southern Border and a watering point on the Goodnight/Loving Trail.  Enjoy the photos!

Thank you all for another great year!  We could not do this without you, and we will be forever grateful.