On tomorrow's ag business episode we are profiling a family business with a long legacy of building saddles for the regular market and for custom customers.  This is a business that is so interesting for the folks who want to live in the world of horses.

Of course with saddle ownership comes saddle maintenance, and sometimes it is easier to outsource that work.  So, I thought for today's re-cap episode it would make sense to go back to this interview that I did with Sarah Banowetz talking about her small business bringing old saddles back to life.

Andrea Buhrow is the owner of The Flower Patch, a multi-faceted flower business located in Ashton, Illinois.  Andrea first appeared on the Off-Farm Income Podcast in 2020, right in the middle of lockdowns and quarantines from Covid.  She was just beginning her FFA career and wanted to start her own enterprise, even though she had grown up on her family farm.  She loved flowers, and people were looking for something to do locally because of limitations on travel.  So, she started the Flower Patch as a "u-pick" flower farm where people could come have an experience, be outdoors and safe from transmission and leave with some beautiful flowers.

Ironically, as covid let up, this caused Andrea to pivot in her business.  Most business owners got back to normal when the pandemic waned, but for Andrea that was normal.  So, Andrea started selling bouquet subscriptions, selling at the farmer's market and continued with the u-pick business.  Today, Andrea has just graduated high school and her business is running at full capacity.  So much so, that she has had to cut back on orders for this summer!

On today's farm update show I am going to tell you about getting pushed and pushed and pushed and finally responding......to an annoying goat.  Also, a little message about not giving up and is it really worth it!

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Kacie Wooten is the outgoing Kuna FFA Vice President, a 2023 Salutatorian, the squadron commander of her JROTC Chapter and her JROTC region's Outstanding Cadet of 2022.  That is quite a resume and some very wonderful accomplishments.

Our family has known Kacie since Hattie first joined the Kaveman Kritters 4H Club of which Kacie was also a member.  So, Autumm and I have been able to observe her as she has grown up and have become well acquainted with her family.  From this, there are two character traits that Kacie has that help to explain all of the accolades and accomplishments she already has as a recent high school graduate - service and planning.

Throughout this interview you will hear Kacie talking about the common thread between all of her activities, and that is the ability to serve others.  Surrounding that will be planning and goal setting.  Kacie is a great example of what can be accomplished when these two characteristics are combined.  And, she is not done.  She is heading to Liberty University in just a couple of months with her eyes fixed on becoming a military chaplain, once again giving her the ability to serve others.

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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.

Lake Area Technical College is a 2 year, public college, located in Watertown, South Dakota.  There is a strong emphasis on real world, practical application of education at Lake Area Tech.  In this interview I encountered a term that was new to me - Supervised Occupational Experience - this is a program, similar to an internship, designed to get students into the field and working which often leads to their first job out of college.  In today's episode Greg Miller, the Agriculture Department Supervisor, joins me to talk about this highly recommended program.

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Tip Of The Week

Be careful with antique farm equipment on display

Rural Crime In The U.S.

https://www.agdaily.com/lifestyle/hay-bale-scams-we-played-along-with-frauds/

https://southsidemessenger.com/lunenburg-sheriffs-department-looking-for-stolen-equipment/

https://kymkemp.com/2023/06/10/antique-hayrake-stolen-from-rio-dell-home/

Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above

https://www.kent.police.uk/news/kent/latest/policing-news/rural-task-force-officers-recover-stolen-goods/

https://www.sheppnews.com.au/news/stolen-tractor-involved-in-slow-speed-police-chase-before-crashing-into-army-base/

Africa

https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/farm-business-torched-mob-justice-elandskraal-impopo-2-june-2023/

https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/move-to-stop-livestock-theft-cartels-gets-boost-4278280

Chalk One Up For The Good Guys

https://tscra.org/uvalde-county-man-arrested-for-felony-theft-of-more-than-650-goats/?fbclid=IwAR0ePebBbto6zAHxhaq4LgLQ2lHM0aMekTo2_O2-gjwL5oUnTdfBS1dD_xk_aem_th_AeHSx0tIF0PqLgh0kFdzb1ROg6Df-Gpa-NnlGZVNtKXrCvVd9iJbL9sHP72c03b_bcE&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

https://www.fox43.com/article/news/crime/mechanicsburg-woman-sentenced-up-12-years-prison-crime-spree/521-af0d18cf-c2f7-45d2-a499-9d926fac7f2a

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Alicia Tomlinson is the owner and creator of One Less Thing, a company that provides teaching materials and curriculum to agriculture teachers all around the U.S.  Alicia and her husband, Brian, run this business full time and have been doing so since 2007.  Both of them were agriculture teachers until they started their family and made this switch.  Alicia was the first one to leave the workplace so that she could be home with their first born.  Eventually, One Less Thing grew so much that Brian left the workplace to partner with Alicia in the business and take some of the workload from her.

I first interviewed Alicia in 2005 after learning about her business online.  Since then I have got to know both she and Brian personally, meeting up with them at the National FFA Convention each year.  Their business continues to grow, and now the son that they started the business in order to be home with has entrepreneurial aspirations of his own and works in their business from time to time.

There are many lessons about starting and succeeding in your own business wrapped into this episode.  Alicia does a great job of illustrating those, and that is why I was excited to have her back on the show!

Alicia Tomlinson has become a friend and mentor over the years since I first interviewed her for the Off-Farm Income Podcast.  On tomorrow's ag business episode she is coming back on the show to update us on her business and what has gone on, over the past 8 years.  So, for today's re-cap episode I wanted to replay her first interview so you can have the complete before and after picture when you hear her tomorrow.  

Sadie Rola has just graduated from Turlock Christian High School, just completed her term as her FFA Chapter's Reporter and just completed her term as a National FFA Style Squad Member.  What is the National FFA Style Squad?  Well, if you don't know, I didn't know either.  However, I certainly do after conducting this interview with Sadie.

Sadie and I have very similar pathways that led us into agriculture, and she is going down a very similar path in the exact same place, that I did at her age.  It is always amazing to me how when a person who has no agricultural background gets introduced to agriculture and its positive aspects, how that can bring them right into the profession.  That is one of the great things about how the FFA is reaching students from neighborhoods more and more.  We are getting more and more young people interested in agriculture.  In today's interview, Sadie will explain exactly how that worked for her.

Autumm, Hattie and I just got back from an epic 9 day camping/road trip to Northern Idaho and across Montana to Red Lodge.  We concluded yesterday by going over the Beartooth Pass and driving all the way across Yellowstone Park.  I've got a lot to talk about in today's farm update episode, including:

• Hattie's State FFA Competition
• The Hiawatha Bicycle Trail
• Priest Lake, Idaho
• Noxon, Montana
• A German Restaurant in Missoula
• Camping at the fairgrounds in Bozeman
• A great wedding in Red Lodge
• The status of the farm when we returned

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