OFI 733: Supporting Dairy Farmers With An Ice Cream Truck As A Freshman | FFA SAE Edition | Benjamin Williams | Thomas Nelson High School FFA

SHOW NOTES

INTRODUCING BEN WILLIAMS!

I never get tired of hearing from FFA students who have started businesses that require them to drive around when they are not old enough to drive.  I run into this most often with landscaping businesses, but today’s story is a bit different.

Ben Williams wanted to do two things when he started the FFA his freshman year of high school and found out that he needed a supervised agricultural experience: support dairy farmers and start his own business. The way he decided to accomplish this was to purchase an old utility truck and convert it to an ice cream truck.

Ben had a sound system and freezers wired and installed.  He came up with a great name for his business, “Ben’s Jammin Ice Cream” and he had the truck professionally wrapped with his business name and logo.  Then he found a driver – his older brother, that could work for him and get him where he needed to be to sell ice cream.

Ben knew that folks in the dairy industry were having a difficult time, so he decided to source his ice cream directly from a dairy in his area to help them open up a new revenue source.

To get all of this started, Ben took out a loan for $10,000.  Then he found an opportunity to obtain a $5,000 grant through a “shark tank” competition in his home state of Kentucky.  He entered the competition, and he was one of the winners.  He used the $5,000 to pay down some debt and to make some further repairs on his truck.

Ben is well on his way, and I am so glad that nobody stood in front of him and said “you’re a freshman, you can’t do that”.

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Ice Cream Sales

HIGH SCHOOL: Thomas Nelson High School; Bardstown, Kentucky

MASCOT: Generals

FFA ADVISOR: John Martin

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR BEN WILLIAMS:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the Thomas Nelson High School Ag. Department’s website:

Ben’s FFA Advisor’s Email Address: john.martin2@nelson.kyschools.us

Thomas Nelson High School’s Telephone Number: 502.349.4650

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

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

Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters