Off-Farm Income Matt Brechwald

Today's episode highlights how the FFA can put another tool, the tool of entrepreneurship, in a student's arsenal.  Elyce Burzlaff is mid-way through her sophomore year of high school.  Last May a guest speaker came to her school and spoke with the FFA students.  During that discussion, Elyce and her classmates were challenged to come up with an entrepreneurial idea.  This led Elyce down a path of thinking of ways she could create revenue and determining what resources were at her disposal.  Then she remembered that her mom had some equipment that could be used for making shirts.

What do all these great folks with different passions have in common?  Cambridge, Idaho is the answer and I will explain why in today's show.  
 

Tip Of The Week
Inspect your properties after hosting guests
Rural Crime In The U.S.
https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/police-burglary-tourists-hidden-cameras/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/reward-increases-after-beloved-horse-statue-stolen-from-yolo-county-stable/ar-BB1nhPfr
https://www.yahoo.com/news/tree-dna-helps-solve-case-000000070.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAC6t5SojekcGODc6GxH3dK5sh867i2OMkIksCR5mIz6LuJukgor8q2oDkdehq6jdzqNeRC9JRim2OA-71R8OPC_kB4jnDTd0RsFfHJ_igwaHfEsmoCh_TgKc01aP0vplI4ovf_mWLgz9ehTmmPAljpXLjtANW0tUnwiijFhpcNxy
https://www.ksnt.com/news/crime/tires-slashed-on-deputy-first-responder-vehicles-in-clay-county/
Across The Pond, Down Under And Up Above
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pony-sanctuary-targeted-by-thieves-weeks-after-fire/ar-BB1niNqD
https://globalnews.ca/news/10535621/granum-rallies-to-support-family-business-after-robbery-gone-wrong/
https://www.farmersguide.co.uk/rural/rural-crime/farmers-urged-to-be-vigilant-following-new-wave-of-gps-thefts/
Africa
https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/jur-river-county-reports-new-wave-of-cattle-theft
https://www.herald.co.zw/man-convicted-for-stealing-cow-to-pay-lobola/
Chalk One Up For The Good Guys
https://www.wral.com/story/new-group-of-public-defenders-amid-attorney-shortage/21458049/
https://cw39.com/crime/two-men-in-caught-in-the-act-in-custody-for-burglary-on-fm-1960/
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2024/may/29/two-arrested-for-trespassing-possible-theft-near-ritzville/

I have a list of businesses that I like to revisit and get different perspectives from different business owners on.  The business of manure spreading is on that list.  There is a wide range of complexity in this business.   Everywhere that anyone raises livestock there is the need to deal with manure.  If you live in the Northeast you might just be dealing with small farmyards.  A tractor with a bucket and a PTO driven manure spreader might be all the equipment you need for your business.
And then there is the Midwest and all of the cattle on feed plus the massive fields of crop ground that are there.  To run a manure spreading business in this region you need big equipment and a lot of it.
In today's interview I get to speak with Chadd Schmidt, one of the owners of 4 Bar S Inc.  4 Bar S is a manure spreading and pen cleaning business that Chadd's parents started in the 1980's.  Today they are running top of the line, triple axle, manure spreaders that can haul up to 48 ton.  And they have four of them!

We celebrated Hattie's high school graduation starting last Wednesday with the ceremony on Thursday and party on Saturday.  That has been all encompassing and is the topic of today's Farm Update.
 

I don't know if you have noticed, but his show is about non-conformists and people who look at the world a different way.  All of us fit that definition a little bit by the mere fact that we want to farm and only 2% of our population is in that career field.  But what about that person that says "why do I have to do it that way"?
Today's guest, Ben Rykerd, is that person.  Ben is now 29 years old.  He describes himself as having a "travel bug" and he has known this since he was a kid.  So, as high school was coming to a close Ben didn't just take the next prescribed step in the journey, he stopped and asked himself what type of life he wanted to have.