OFI 1165: This Girl Will Be The American Star Farmer In 2023 | FFA SAE Edition | Annie Boomsma | Wolsey-Wessington High School FFA

Off-Farm Income

After 1,100+ interviews and 800+ interviews with FFA students you would think that I have seen it all, or at least most of it. So, when I am surprised I am thrilled. That is exactly what happened to me in today's interview with Annie Boomsma.

Annie is just entering her senior year of high school as her chapter's president. She, her brother and her father run their families 3rd generation cattle ranch in Wessington, South Dakota where they raise commercial cattle.

Annie has her own project though, and it is impressive. Annie currently owns 18 dairy cows that she purchased as either culls or springers. She purchased all of them for their milk production and so that they could be "nurse cows". Annie also owns 75 calves that she purchased to be raised by these nurse cows. Every morning before school and every evening after, she heads out to the barn, brings the cows in, puts between 4 and 7 calves on them to nurse, and then turns them all back out.

Annie has found a niche in the market with calves that are sold early and dairy cattle that are culled because they don't produce enough for the dairy but still produce plenty to raise several calves. This is a brilliant method of making money with cattle, and I have never profiled it even once in seven years of conducting interviews with farmers and FFA students.