Hadley Steifvater is an American Star Finalist in the category of Agriscience Research.  She has grow up around her father's veterinary practice, raising livestock of her own and also helping to solve problems in the production agriculture world in her region of South Dakota.

Hadley was homeschooled for the entirety of her primary school career, and her pathway into the FFA and agriscience research are a bit different than normal.  Hadley was actually recruited by the FFA Advisor for McCook Central High School, Terry Reickman, as her father had been the FFA and Terry had been his advisor too.  This recruitment took place her 7th Grade year, but it was not until 8th Grade that her parents allowed it.

In the first year, another of Hadley's FFA Advisors, Tracy Chase, encouraged her to do an agriscience research project.  Hadley went on to win both state and national awards with that project in just the 8th Grade!  This set her on a course of seeking research projects, and soon she was researching the best methods of farrowing pigs and caring for newly born pigs on behalf of her father and for one of his customers.

This led to Hadley researching block chains in the beef industry and assessing whether or not the origins of a steak could be traced back to the farm the calf was born on - a topic of particular interest to me.

Hadley is now at South Dakota State University, majoring in Animal Science, and she is looking at a future career in the veterinary field as either a veterinary nurse or veterinarian.

Today, I've got a lively farm update for you.  We will be discussing:

• very successful FFA scholarship auction
• .75 inches of rain and done irrigating
• grazing goats on canal for two weeks straight
• Oso working out great
• still on pasture with cattle and hope to be for a couple more weeks
• corn, kochia and cover crops for goats to green

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

Audrey Pinger is a 2023 American Star Finalist in the category of Agriscience Research.  This all began in the 9th Grade with her adamantly refusing to the join the FFA as her friends tried to get her to sign up.  Finally, after a lot of peer pressure (the good kind), she relented and became a member to join what would later become a nationally competing parliamentary procedure team.

During this time Audrey was encouraged to do an agriscience research project by her FFA Advisor.  She ended going to and winning her state with the project, and this lit a fire.  Soon, she was running four separate agriscience research projects, and obviously those projects stood out as she has become one of only four finalists in the category out of over 800,000 FFA students in the nation!

Audrey is currently studying to become an agriculture teacher at The Ohio State University, and she will also be receiving her American Degree this year.

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.

Mid-State Technical College serves as a conduit between employers in their region of Wisconsin looking for talented and qualified recruits, and up and coming employees who need certifications and more to be qualified to work for those employers.  This pragmatic approach is very beneficial to agriculture students because that is how we in agriculture tend to operate.  And, because Mid-State Tech. has four locations, they can cater to all the different types of agriculture that are represented in each location.

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

Tip Of The Week

The legal system does work….

Rural Crime In The U.S.

https://www.agdaily.com/crops/california-authorities-still-trying-to-solve-watermelon-caper/

https://kansasreflector.com/2023/09/28/kansas-farmer-loses-appeal-in-bizarre-hog-effluent-disposal-trespassing-nuisance-case/

Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above

https://www.southwestfarmer.co.uk/news/23805448.police-appeal-56-sheep-stolen-woolavington/

https://www.farmersguardian.com/news/4124922/bales-hay-slashed-police-investigate

Africa

https://www.citizen.co.za/witness/news/pietermaritzburg/criminals-target-power-cables/

https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2023-09-28-five-suspected-rustlers-escape-death-as-their-vehicle-is-set-on-fire/

Chalk One Up For The Good Guys

https://www.klkntv.com/man-accused-of-igniting-hay-bales-burglarizing-northeast-nebraska-golf-course/

https://www.wctv.tv/2023/09/21/something-good-wcso-joins-4-h-hay-bale-contest-with-new-deputy/

https://www.fultonsun.com/news/2023/sep/27/man-sentenced-for-kingdom-city-farm-theft/

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

Peggy Coffeen is a podcast host, farmer and seller of value added products. She also make a successful transition from a corporate career to self-employment after identifying two niche businesses and moving into them.

On today's ag business episode Peggy and I have an in depth conversation about the dynamics of moving to full time, self-employment.  We also talk about many of the pitfalls you will face along the way and the fear that will seek to stop you.  Peggy has a very unique perspective on identifying your target customer, and an interesting story that goes with that.  In addition, she started a very niched podcast after seeing a hole in the dairy world that she believed needed to filled.

Come along for an inspiring and very interesting interview today!

On tomorrow's Ag Business Episode we are going to be profiling an entrepreneur who transitioned from a full-time corporate career to being a full-time entrepreneur.  In the spirit of what I normally do, I wanted to pull an episode from the archives that tied in with tomorrow's theme.  I believe that this interview with Daryl Mast of Doorstep Dairy does so nicely.  From the transition to the family legacy, this episode has it all.

Daniel Jossund is a 2023 American Star Farmer Finalist.  I met him for the first time in this interview, but what an impressive resume he put forward.  He has been farming corn, wheat, soybeans, barley and sugar beets with his family his entire life.  However, at the beginning of his FFA career he joined his brother in a straw bailing business, and actually purchased his own bailer.

The purchase of that bailer was just the beginning for Daniel.  Soon he was leasing ground from his grandmother and growing wheat and soybeans.  Then he leased some ground from his chapter and began growing alfalfa.  Just after graduation from high school he purchased 150 acres of his own and diversified even more.  

Daniel is currently in college at North Dakota State University studying agricultural business and minoring in banking.  When I asked him what was next for him, after college, without hesitation but with full confidence he said "full time farming".  He is already well on his way to that dream, and her is wishing him the best of luck at the National Convention!

A while back I did a solo show defending farmers from a newspaper article calling them "hogs" for using the water that has been allotted to them for well over a century for farming  **See The Original Show Notes Below**

An article recently popped up locally for me that supported the idea of the "pyramid scheme" that small cities get involved with that leads to the need to continue to approve development projects so that they can create new tax revenue that will pay for aging infrastructure.  On today's Tuesday episode I've got a brief farm update for you, and then I want to read you this article and cite it as evidence that this "pyramid scheme" is really happening.

Weston Whiteside is an American Star Finalist in the category of Agribusiness.  Weston has been working in the lawn care and landscaping business since he was 11 years old, and when he turned 16 years old he purchased the business from his father.  Since then, Weston has made moves to transform his clientele from residential to commercial and to ramp up the earnings.  He has been succeeding in that endeavor.  

Weston is currently studying agricultural business and playing baseball at The College Of The Ozarks in Missouri.  In addition, he is working in exchange for his tuition, so he has absolutely no tuition payments to make to get his degree.  He is employed at the campus feed mill and does a variety of jobs in exchange for tuition.  

When Weston graduates he plans on running his business, Whiteside Landscaping, full time and building the business even larger.  He has a lofty goal of being financially independent by the time he is 30 years old, not so he can stop working, but so he can always do work that he loves and is passionate about.