A while back I spoke with you about setting your New Year's Resolutions later in the year, rather than on January 1st.  There was a good rationale for that, and I am find that to be proven true.  On today's show I'll share with you what my two resolutions for 2024 are.

Lilly Cappitte is her chapter's president, a business owner and a gregarious agriculturist, but it wasn't always this way.  Growing up in her blended household, Lilly did not have anyone expressing any agricultural influence on her.  Nobody in the family worked in agriculture or was trying to move back to a farm or anything like that.

When Lilly was in her second semester of her sophomore year of high school she took a veterinary science course because she was interested in animals.  This was taught by one of the FFA advisors, and it automatically enrolled her in the chapter.  One day, her teacher approached her and asked her if she would be willing to be on a plant science team to help out.  They were one person short, and without a full team they could not compete.  Lilly said yes, went to the competition and ended up doing very well on the individual level.

Since that competition, Lilly has caught fire in the FFA and has served as an officer twice.  She has also started her own flower business, selling flowers at the farmer's market as well as to friends and classmates for dances.  She also took a job on a farm helping to teach children about agriculture.  She is planning on getting a degree in agriculture, and she is totally in on agriculture!

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.

The Pennsylvania College Of Technology is a niched agricultural college with specialties in forestry, horticulture and diesel technology.  Offering associates, bachelors and master's degrees, upwards of 90% of the forestry students study for an associates degree and then get to work.  The hands on learning is impressive with 3 hours of lab work, in the forest, for every one hour of classroom instruction.

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Tip Of The Week

How can you help with threat assessment?

Rural Crime In The U.S.

https://salinapost.com/posts/d8120ba2-e53e-4785-b9ad-5deb4f882340

https://www.greenriverstar.com/story/2024/02/29/news/recent-sentencing-from-the-us-attorneys-office-district-of-wyoming/11404.html

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/miniature-horse-shot-killed-maple-valley/P2ZSZDBNGFFKLDCREBSO56ZYJE/

Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above

https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/n-s-rcmp-charge-four-following-alleged-copper-theft-1.6788080

https://www.iheartradio.ca/virginradio/winnipeg/news-trending/it-s-frightening-rural-manitoba-residents-take-action-to-curb-crime-1.21933772

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-03-01/merriwa-farmer-reward-black-angus-cattle-rustlers-police/103532808

Africa

https://www.chronicle.co.zw/6-arrests-58-stolen-cattle-recovered/

https://gna.org.gh/2024/02/man-convicted-over-water-meter-theft/

Chalk One Up For The Good Guys

https://hpj.com/2024/02/29/south-dakota-bans-home-equity-theft/

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/farm-watch-used-to-bust-agricultural-theft-crew-in-southern-california/

When school started again the following year, he moved back to his parent's home where he would attend school in person.  Taking care of the rabbits became more of a challenge considering the travel required and the level of attention required.  As a result, the enterprise failed.

Nate was not done, but he knew that he needed to try something different than rabbits.  Through a series of examples, contemplations and research Nate and his grandfather decided to have Nate try raising Dorper Sheep.  This is where Nate found his niche and his passion.  Today he is the owner of Cartwright Dorpers and is operating both a purebred and commercial sheep enterprise.

Today's episode is significant to me for a couple of reasons.  First, what Dan Frank is doing epitomizes what this show is all about.  He is a small, owner/operator of a business that allowed him to "make it in farm country".  Dan values the lifestyle that living rural and farming brings, and this drives him to find a way to make a living "out there".

Dan chose entrepreneurship to be the main way of creating his income in an area where jobs normally are scarce.  He sees our current economy for what it is - a moment in time that will allow you to get ahead.  Right now, Dan can get all of the side jobs he wants working for other people because unemployment is so low that farmers cannot find labor, let alone quality labor.  However, Dan realizes that this is not going to last forever.  So, instead of sitting back and enjoying the fact that he can work as much as he wants for other people and make good money right now, he is building his own business on the side for when the economy slows and jobs are less plentiful and competition for those jobs is higher.

Dan has been bootstrapping his silage hauling business, Frankie's Feed Movers.  He started out by purchasing an old truck and using an old box on the truck to get started.  He is now creating enough revenue that he is going to be able to upgrade equipment and expand the services he can offer.

Jace Taylor is the Chapter Reporter for his FFA Chapter and a sophomore in high school.  He is also the owner of "Goat Tuff Solutions", a company that he purchased from his father in which he manufactures panels, gates, feeders and more for goat production.  

Jace has some big goals in the FFA.  Currently he competing at the state level in Oklahoma in the chapter reporter position.  He is striving to win a state award for his work in that position.  He is also growing his business and manufacturing more equipment for people who see his work and recognize the quality.  

Jace was preceded by his sister in the FFA, and she demonstrated to him what could be accomplished all while really enjoying yourself.  Jace is exhibiting wisdom right now.  He has goals of possibly growing his business after high school, but he doesn't want to grow it too fas

Hello everyone.  Today is our 2,000th episode!  I never thought this possible, yet here we are!  I have you to thank for this, and that is what I do in this episode.  Please join in to learn just how much you have impacted, not just my life, but the lives of my entire family.

Clayton Jennings is currently serving as a 2nd Vice-President in his FFA Chapter as well as playing two sports.  He and his sister work together on their families farm and raise pigs, with a total of three enterprises devoted to selling show pigs, showing their own pigs and selling pork.  The pork enterprise, called C&C Premium Pork, belongs to Clayton alone while his sister sells show supplies as a distributor for Sullivan Supply as her own enterprise.

Clayton and his family moved about three hours from their previous home approximately a decade ago so that they could live this lifestyle.  Clayton's parents had grown up around livestock, and they found themselves living in the city of Columbia, Missouri as the kids were growing up.  However, the ability to work remotely changed the opportunities that they had, and they ended up moving about three hours away to a piece of property that was conducive to starting a pig breeding operation.  From there, Clayton and his sister got to work and have been developing these enterprises ever since.

Clayton has a strong interest outside of agriculture, and that is sports.  In addition to playing basketball and baseball in high school he is very interested in statistics, and is hoping to have a career in sports media.  You might wonder how the two things will relate.  When I asked Clayton about his vision of how his career in sports media would look, it involved three distinct ways of reporting on sports.  I found this to be very similar to the three enterprises of the pig business that he finds himself involved in now.

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.

Midway University is a niched agricultural college, specializing in every aspect of the Equine Industry.  Located in the heart of horse country and surrounded by the most elite horse farms in Kentucky and the U.S., Midway offers students with a passion for horses opportunities for real world learning in unprecedented environments.  With an aim to be among the most inexpensive universities in Kentucky, Midway is launching incredible careers working with horses.

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