A MISSOURI FFA TODAY Got Milk? Goat Milk, That Is Summer Project Turns into Unique SAE Project Table of Contents PAGE B The President’s Position PAGE D Get ‘Em Back to the Farm PAGE G In Their Words PAGE G FFA Calendar Summer 2012 CONTINUED ON PAGE C Cass Midway FFA member Katie Nance demonstrates how to make cheese during a Food for America program. The high school junior makes cheddar, ricotta and chevre cheeses as well as other milk products like yogurt, buttermilk and Kefir. R aising Nubian milk goats, producing various goat milk products and holding several monthly goat cheese making classes is enough to be a full-time job for any person, but to Cass Midway junior, Katie Nance, it’s all in a day’s work of developing a successful Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). Six years ago Nance’s mom brought home two does and a 3-day-old kid to keep for the summer to clean out the pasture, which she then planned to sell in the fall. The family quickly fell in love with the goats and didn’t sell them when the summer ended. Not wanting to just keep them as pets, the family started using the goats as their milk source. Nance said neighbors and close family started asking to purchase the milk, and then became SAE HELPS EDUCATE PUBLIC BY SAMANTHA WARNER
Transcript
A
MISSOURI FFA TODAY
Got Milk? Goat Milk, That IsSummer Project Turns into Unique SAE Project
Table of ContentsPAgE B The President’s Position
PAgE D get ‘Em Back to the Farm
PAgE g In Their Words
PAgE g FFA Calendar
Summer 2012
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Cass Midway FFA member Katie Nance demonstrates how to make cheese during a Food for America program. The high school junior makes cheddar, ricotta and chevre cheeses as well as other milk products like yogurt, buttermilk and Kefir.
Raising Nubian milk goats, producing various goat milk products and holding several monthly goat
cheese making classes is enough to be a full-time job for any person, but to Cass Midway junior, Katie Nance, it’s all in a day’s work of developing a successful Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE).
Six years ago Nance’s mom brought home two does and a 3-day-old kid to keep for the summer to clean out the pasture, which she then planned to sell in the fall. The family quickly fell in love with the goats and didn’t sell
them when the summer ended. Not wanting to just keep them as pets, the family started using the goats as their milk source.
Nance said neighbors and close family started asking to purchase the milk, and then became
Department of Elem. & Sec. Education P.O. Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102
Phone: (573) 751-3544.
District Supervisors: Nancy Alford, Leon Busdieker, Oscar Carter, Keith
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MO 65102-0480; telephone number 573-526-4757 or TTY 800-735-2966; fax number 573-522-4883; email [email protected].
bY bRADY JAMESSTATE FFA pRESIDENT
THE pRESIDENT’S pOSITIONThe Power of Your Attitude
I sat there watching my newborn calf awkwardly wobble in an
effort to stand. He finally was capable of pulling his feet under himself to stand on his own to nurse. While looking at the newest addition to my herd I thought to myself, “This little guy will by my next show steer.”
When the time came to pick out my steer there was no other option than that little calf. I named him Buster, and began working with him the day after Christmas. I spent hours preparing Buster for the show in July, and I knew he was going to win— no problem.
July came all too slowly for me. But when it finally arrived, Buster was weighing a whopping 1400 pounds. I had him all fit and looking pretty to take into the ring. To me, I had won my class no problem just by showing up. The entire class went through the usual routine of walking around the ring, and the judge began to place the class. It came down to the final two steers competing for first place. Buster was one of the two. The judge looked at him and raised two fingers. I had been placed second. My dreams were crushed. I stomped out of the ring dragging my steer behind me.
My attitude that day was horrible. I did not even realize that I was setting an example that day, an example to younger members and to the people in the audience.
Attitudes are powerful things. Attitudes can be the difference between “I won’t” and “I can”. Attitudes can turn disappointment into drive, and dread into ambition. YOUR attitude can be the wind behind your sails. Which direction are you heading?
interested in other products the family was producing. Over time Nance slowly took over the business, named Serene Caprines, and has continued to expand it.
“Every year we try to expand. The herd was the first thing to grow. We purchase or keep kids each year to steadily expand our herd. We buy new equipment, too, (such as) a refrigerator strictly for milk, a milking machine and recently we invested in the technology to accept credit cards,” Nance said.
Nance now has seven milkers, two bucks and three does which are all Nubian or Nubian/Alpine crosses. She produces feta, mozzarella, cheddar, ricotta and chevre cheeses as well as other milk products like yogurt, buttermilk and Kefir. Outside of the milk products, Nance also offers cheese-making classes several weekends a month.
Nance says she enjoys being a young entrepreneur, but says there are challenges to face like her age and the stigma around goat milk. As a result, she says she has learned to be confident and very knowledgeable in her subject.
“People are absolutely horrified that the cheeses and milk come from goats. It has gotten a bad reputation. The only thing I can do is ask them to try it and then make a decision. Almost always they are pleasantly surprised,” Nance says.
As an FFA member and agriculturalist, Nance says one of her favorite parts of her project is the educational aspect. Through the cheese-making class and giving
demonstrations at school she has the opportunity to share the positive message of agriculture.
“The majority of my students come from an urban background and don’t know anything about agriculture. They take the (cheese-making) class as an interest in different foods,” Nance said. “I feel
Katie Nance works to dry off a newborn kid as part of her Supervised Agricultural Experience. The young entrepreneur’s project includes milk goats, as well as marketing both goat cheese and milk. She’s a member of the Cass Midway FFA Chapter.
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D ED
Headed back to the Farm?New Century Farmer Program Opens Doors
DEvElOp vISION,GAIN pERSpEcTIvEbY SAMANTHA WARNER
800-778-6452 / www.mofb.org
AGRICULTURE
FFA members are the future of production agricultureContinuing a tradition,
moving an industry forward and proceeding with a family legacy are just a few of the motives that drive young American agriculturalists to enter the production agriculture industry. With only two percent of the country’s population actively involved in production agriculture and the average age
of the American farmer being 57, agriculture needs more young adults to return to the farm. National FFA’s New Century Farmer program helps foster this movement.
Every year 50 individuals are selected from across the country to participate in this elite program. The conference focuses on helping each participant develop a vision for his or her own operation, gain entrepreneurial leadership skills, learn practical knowledge, gain a global perspective on agriculture and foster continuous personal growth.
Last summer Missouri was fortunate to have five participants in the program. Two of those students were Nancy Jackson, junior at the University of Missouri-Columbia from the Macon FFA Chapter, and Shane Cooper, recent graduate of Northwest Missouri State University from the Chillicothe FFA Chapter.
“When I first applied, I (did so) thinking that I would never get accepted because I was only a freshman in college and came from a small agricultural operation. When I received the email I was ecstatic that I would have the opportunity to be around so many others all from a production background!” Jackson says.
Jackson and Cooper say the program is full of informative, social and hands-on experiences. Every morning the conference began with a speaker who focused on issues such as: agriculture economics, farm banking and finance, current issues in agriculture and organizations that are harmful to production agriculture. There were also many small group discussions and tours throughout the week.
“I cannot express the amount of valuable information and experiences that are available at the conference,” Cooper explains. “Even if one is not planning on returning to the farm right away, I still recommend the conference to become more aware of issues, to meet new producers from across the U.S. and to hear interesting
D E E
National FFA’s New Century Farmer Program assists college-age members with vision development, entrepreneurial leadership skills and global perspective as well as fostering continuous personal growth. Missouri had five program partici-pants in 2011.
is all social now.www.todaysfarmermagazine.com
www.facebook.com/todaysfarmer
todays_farmer
Missouri FFA Today: “2011 Today’s Farmer Social Media” 63⁄4" x 41⁄2"Art director: Craig J. Weiland [email protected]
MFA Incorporated
aspects from some of the top professionals in the ag industry. By recognizing the most important characteristics I wanted my operation to have, I am now more able to set better goals to get to the point I want to be with my farm.”
One day of the conference is also dedicated to developing
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like this is a way I can be an advocate for agriculture and really explain to people why many of us do what we do. I love showing people the process of farm-to-table and putting the agriculture industry in a positive light.”
Nance first grew her business through word of mouth, but now has expanded to magazine ads, online
ads, a website and Facebook page. Find her on the web at www.serenecaprines.com.
Other aspects of Nance’s SAE include a garden, chickens, pigs and a llama. When she isn’t busy with her business Nance is also the Area VII FFA Secretary, Cass Midway’s chapter president and a member of NHS and PALS.
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leadership skills by working through a ropes course with the other participants, providing a great opportunity to bond with the other members.
“The highlight of the trip was definitely just meeting all the other attendees,” Jackson said. “Some of these people I still talk to on a regular basis and the memories we have together are some that are definitely irreplaceable. We constantly are on Facebook trying to find times to reconnect.”
Both Jackson and Cooper adamantly recommend applying for the conference. They also encourage anyone who is accepted to enter the conference with an open mind. Be prepared to listen to the speakers and the other participants, but also don’t be afraid to share your own ideas and experiences.
“I never dreamed of being accepted to such an elite program, but I am SO glad I spent the time to fill out the application and attend the conference. I truly believe in the saying “nothing ventured, nothing gained” because
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JUNE1 Teacher & Student Agri -Science Apps. DUE4-8 Missouri Agribusiness Academy Tour St. Louis4-July 13 Missouri FFA Camp Rising Sun Lake of the Ozarks~Kaiser, Mo.5-7 Public Speaking Academy—UCM Warrensburg8-9 Area Officer Institute—Camp Rising Sun Lake of the Ozarks~Kaiser, Mo.22-24 HYMAX Academy—Camp Rising Sun Lake of the Ozarks~Kaiser, Mo.
JUlY1 Livestock Entries DUE for State Fair15 Agri-Entrepreneurship Applications DUE to National FFA20 The Leadership Adventure Registration DUE23-26 Mo. ACTE Conference—Springfield27-8/5 Ozark Empire Fair—Springfield
AUGUST1 The Leadership Adventure—Columbia3-4 The Leadership Adventure—Springfield9-19 Missouri State Fair—Sedalia
FFA calendarMissouri FFA—on the Move
In Their WordsUp close with your Missouri State FFA Officers
ADAM bIRK
I was in my advisor’s office
working when Mr. Burkemper came in and told me that he had received a phone call from a man saying that our chapter banquet was one of the best-run banquets he had ever attended. I was ecstatic.
Throughout the 2010-2011 school year I had served as the Jackson FFA Chapter President and, to me, the determining factor of how well I did as president came down to the chapter banquet. The day before the banquet we had a practice, but not many officers were there and it didn’t go well. I was nervous, frustrated and even became a little bit angry with my fellow officers because I didn’t think that they were ready. I could just see the banquet not running well because no one was prepared. Hours before the banquet, we came together for our final practice. I knew I had prepared as completely as I could and to my surprise so did all of the other officers. The final practice went smoothly and before too long we were starting opening ceremonies. The entire banquet ran so perfectly that before I knew it the new president tapped the gavel to adjourn.
My dream of a well-run banquet to end my year as president was achieved beyond my expectations and it was all due to my fellow officers. Even though I had temporarily lost faith in my officer team and thought the banquet would not pull together it showed me that we should always do our part in a job but to truly achieve success we must rely and have faith in others. As FFA members, we literally have thousands of people to lean on. Just remember to trust them and you will all harvest success.
you never know what door will open to you when you put the effort out,” Jackson said.
Jackson and Cooper both made a point to explain that it doesn’t matter what one’s background is upon arriving at the conference. Everyone is from different walks of life, different sized farms, and no one has the same opinion.
“No matter who you are, where you are from, why you produce, or how large your operation is, this experience is one in a lifetime,” Cooper said.
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