OFI 571: Being Shown The Way To Farm | FFA SAE Edition | Brooke Wolfinger | Central Columbia High School FFA

SHOW NOTES

INTRODUCING BROOKE WOLFINGER! 

At one point in time showing your children how to farm was all about how to drive a tractor straight, how to tell when a cow was about to calve, when hay was ready to be baled or a myriad other art forms in which farmers are so well versed.  However, in today’s farming environment, there is more to teach your kids if they are going to be successful.

Almost no farmers today are able to work in their passion exclusively.  They all have to bring in income that is not produced on the farm through the production of livestock or crops.  With the high costs of land, equipment and housing this income has to be somewhat substantial. To learn to farm today, the next generation needs to learn all of the old art forms, and they also need to learn how to sustain their farm financially with a creative side income.

Today’s guest, Brooke Wolfinger, is getting that exact education from her parents.  Brooke’s mom and dad both love agriculture and have found a way to have their own horse farm and work exclusively in agriculture.  Brooke’s dad works off of the farm in his agricultural supply store.  Brooke’s mom trains horses, sells horses and even coaches a college riding team.  Everything that I teach on this show is being epitomized by Brooke’s parents.

Brooke is definitely benefitting from this.  She has been learning the horse business for several years already, and working on the farm with her mother to support this business.  As a sophomore in high school  she is now learning the financial side of the business.  This is really a big step for Brooke, as she gets to know that no matter how good of a job you do in the business, if the the business is not financially sound it cannot last.  This lesson pertains to so much, especially an entrepreneur’s tendency to undercharge when they first get started.

Brooke’s parents are modeling entrepreneurship for her as an option.  This is great because this is not done enough.  Students need to know that in addition to getting a regular job, entrepreneurship is a viable option.  It is not just about being driven to work for yourself.  Sometimes, especially in the world of farming, entrepreneurship is a means to an end and not the end in itself.  It is what will allow you to farm when nothing else will.

Brooke is learning this valuable skill, and she is learning it well!

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Horse Production/Training/Sales

HIGH SCHOOL: Central Columbia High School; Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania

MASCOT: Blue Jays

FFA ADVISOR: Douglas Brown

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR BROOKE: Click on the picture below to be taken to the Central Columbia High School website:

Brooke’s FFA Advisors’ Email Addresses: dbrown@ccsd.cc

Central Columbia High School’s Telephone Number: 570-784-2850

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:

“Because American farmers are able to provide for so many of us, they give more and more of us the freedom to pursue goals and livelihoods beyond growing the food we need to survive.”

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack 

 Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard:

Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters