Off-Farm Income

 

SHOW NOTES

Today's episode is very exciting.  I am interviewing Michael Bair, the 2020 National Proficiency Winner in poultry production.  Michael is also the 2020 state proficiency winner from Ohio in this very same category.

Michael's awards and recognition are exciting enough, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.  Michael lives and works on his family's organic dairy that has been in existence for generations.  They switched to organic production for better prices some years ago, but that has not made them immune from the ups and downs of milk and input prices.

When Michael began in the FFA and needed a project for his supervised agricultural experience he decided to try something that was unique to him.  So, he started raising and marketing pastured poultry.  Over the years this business has really grown into a substantial revenue source for him and his family's farm.

Michael plans on returning to and taking over the family farm in the future, and like any wise business person, he is looking for additional revenue sources to hedge against low commodity prices.  Michael believes that he has discovered this in the form of pastured poultry.  He plans to continue to raise and direct market pastured poultry in the future when he is managing the farm.

Michael is currently studying entrepreneurship at Edison State Community College.  When I asked him how he had chosen this major I saw where his wisdom came from.  Michael said that his parents wanted him to go to college to learn about business.  They know that he has a lot of knowledge about cattle and farming already, but the business of organic dairy farming is complex, so they want him to be prepared on that end as well.


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