Off-Farm Income

Stephen Lemon is the host of the Chef Lemonhead Youtube Channel, an FFA student and the chair of his chapter's recruitment committee. With almost 4,000 subscribers on Youtube, including me, Stephen is inspiring people to cook all sorts of creative dishes.

Stephen has had a fascination with cooking since he was about five years old, and when he first started asking if he could cook for the family. In the beginning, nobody was too sure what the food he was making was going to taste like. So, when he cooked he cooked just for himself and not for the rest of the family. However, it didn't take long for things to start smelling pretty good in the kitchen and enticing the rest of the family. Pretty soon, he was the main chef in the house.

In combination with wanting to cook, Stephen had always wanted to have his own Youtube channel. So, during the long, boring days of Covid he decided that he would make one. The, just a couple of years later, he joined the FFA and needed a supervised agricultural experience. Viola!, the cooking channel fit perfectly, and it became his SAE!

As an agricultural broadcasters I can't say that it is not intimidating to interview a student who has risen to the level of being a national proficiency finalist in ag communications, but that is just what I did in today's interview with Jordan Howell. However, I found out something during the interview that compounded this original factor.

Jordan Howell is just completing her first semester at Iowa State University. All throughout high school she had been working at a radio station and learning the ins and out of the radio business, including the market reports for agriculture. She was able to compile this into a great supervised agricultural experience and record book, and ultimately this has culminated in her being selected as a national proficiency finalist this year!

With me being a self-trained, amateur agricultural broadcaster, that was intimidating enough. However, I am also a self-trained, amateur meteorologist, and during our interview I found out that Jordan had chosen to go to college in Iowa because she is pursuing a degree in meteorology, and she though Iowa State Univeristy's program was exceptional.

I have looked into meteorology programs several time and decided that I did not have the mathematical aptitude to complete one. However, that did not stop me from asking Jordan a lot of questions about meteorology and having a very interesting conversation about....you guessed it, the weather!

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Ag Communications

HIGH SCHOOL: Howells-Dodge High School; Howells, Nebraska

MASCOT: Jaguars

FFA ADVISOR: Hannah Groth

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR JORDAN HOWELL:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the Howells-Dodge High School Website:

Jordan's FFA Advisor's Email Address: [email protected]

Howells-Dodge High School Telephone Number: 402-693-2207

FFA LINKS:

National FFA Organization

Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)

Support FFA

Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.

REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:

• Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
• Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
• Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:

“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue

What year in school is too soon to start an agricultural business that serves large farmers? I'm not sure, but, based on today's interview, I know that the answer is not 9th Grade. Ashton Brusveen has just completed his 9th Grade year of high school, and he has been part of the FFA since 7th Grade. He has grown up farming on his families land, helping to produce corn, soybeans, rye and wheat. But when it came time for him to develop a supervised agricultural experience, with his grandfather's help, he decided to start a business providing a service to other farmers.

This business, "Seed Clean", all began with some conversations with older farmers in the area talking about the need for a seed cleaning business. As the idea was discussed it became apparent to Ashton and his grandfather that there would be a lot of business for a person who started up a business like this. It just so happened that Ashton's grandfather had an old, Clipper fanning mill, in a shed on the farm.

Ashton and his grandfather cleaned up the old mill, and his grandfather even purchased an old co-op facility that was no longer in use for the logistics of farmers bring seed in. Then they made an arrangement that Ashton would run the seed cleaning business as his own, splitting the profits with his grandfather until the time that he was completely paid back.

The demand for this business turned out to be even higher than they expected. Therefore, Ashton is now investing in a larger mill, a Clipper 99 fanning mill, that will give him the ability to serve more customers and clean their seed faster. In addition to all of this he has got his eye on expanding his services in the future to bagging corn, and he is considering hiring his first employee.

I am very excited to watch and see how this business develops. This has got national proficiency and possibly even American Star Award written all over it!

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Seed Cleaning

HIGH SCHOOL: Cambria-Friesland High School; Randolph, Wisconsin

MASCOT: Hilltoppers

FFA ADVISOR: Lauren Frances

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ASHTON BRUSVEEN:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the Cambria-Friesland High School website:

Ashton's FFA Advisor's Email Address: [email protected]

Cambria-Friesland High School Telephone Number: (920) 348-5548

FFA LINKS:

National FFA Organization

Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)

Support FFA

Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.

REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:

• Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
• Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
• Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:

“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue

Tomorrow on the show I am featuring an entrepreneur who is helping to teach children about agriculture. This reminded me of the great interview I did with Katie Benson about her efforts to do the same, and I wanted to bring that episode back for you today. Below are the original show notes for this episode.

Introducing Katie Benson!

Katie has a different supervised agricultural experience than we normally profile. However, I had to have her on. She is doing a lot to advocate for agricuture.

Katie's SAE is "ag education." She is teaching all the third graders in her school district about agriculture. She has done a number of things including dispelling myths about agriculture and making products, such as butter.

Katie has had multiple students tell her that they want to join both 4H and FFA after they are done with one of her lessons. She plans on continuing her education after high school and becoming an agricultural education teacher and FFA advisors.

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Agricultural Education

HIGH SCHOOL: Staples Motley High School; Staples, Minnesota

MASCOT: Cardinals

FFA ADVISOR: Kerry Lindgren & Brian Schornack

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR KATIE BENSON:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the Staples Motley High School Website:

Katie's FFA Advisor's Email Address: [email protected]

Staples Motley High School Telephone Number: 218-894-5400

FFA LINKS:

National FFA Organization

Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)

Support FFA

Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.

REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:

• Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
• Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
• Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:

“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue

Today's guest is a self-professed "showmanship freak". Showing livestock in jackpot shows and fairs is Pacee Miller's "thing". She talks about getting everything perfect and striving to be the best in the ring, and this has come true for her on more than one occasion.

Pacee is a young lady who has a passion for agriculture, and more specifically, cattle. As soon as she finishes up school for the day she heads to a local dairy farm where she feeds bottle calves every evening as an after school job. When she finishes up there, she heads to one of two locations of her families farm to help her father with their herd of beef cattle. Currently they are breeding cattle through artificial insemination. They run several different lines of show cattle, and Pacee helps to synchronize all of their estrus cycles so they can all be bred simultaneously. She is hoping to earn her AI certification through the FFA next year.

Once the work is done at that location, Pacee heads home where she keeps the livestock that she will be showing during the current or upcoming show season. She has a few head of cattle there that she has chosen to take into the ring. She also keeps two goats and two pigs that she will also show.

Hearing about all of her experience with cattle, you might think that beef is where it all started for Pacee. However, in the interview she tells us that she actually began her showing career with one pig. It has all built from that first animal. Pacee is currently ranked in the top four proficiencies for beef entrepreneurship in the State of Ohio. She will find out on May 5th, if she wins state!

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Beef Production

HIGH SCHOOL: West Holmes High School; Millersburg, Ohio

MASCOT: Knights

FFA ADVISOR: Jaime Chenevey

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR PACEE MILLER:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the West Holmes High School website:

Pacee's FFA Advisor's Email Address: [email protected]

West Holmes High School Telephone Number: (330) 674-6085

FFA LINKS:

National FFA Organization

Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)

Support FFA

Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.

REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:

• Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
• Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
• Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:

“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue