OFI 1097: Getting Started With Direct Marketed Pigs | FFA SAE Edition | Annie Johnson | Cambridge High School FFA

We talk a lot on this show about how to get started farming right now, even if you don’t have the farm that you ultimately see in your dreams. Usually when we speak of this we are talking about marketing some fruits, vegetables, herbs, etc. from a back yard operation or possibly something like aquaculture or hydroponics. But, what if you want to raise livestock? Is there anything that you can do on a small piece of ground that would be profitable?

Our guest today, Annie Johnson, is going to talk to us about doing exactly that with pigs. Annie’s has a very interesting story that has come full circle. Her grandfather used to raise pigs on their families farm about ten miles away from where she currently lives in Cambridge, Illinois. However, nobody in the family raised a pig for about 20 years until she got started at the age of 14.

The family farm is still there, and that is where Annie raises her pigs. However, the crop ground on the farm is in the CRP program, so it is not being farmed. That means that Annie only had a small piece of ground to be able to begin her livestock enterprise. Pigs were the answer for her, and direct marketing was the business model. Annie has been able to pre-arrange the sale of her pigs to multiple customers, and because of her unique story and the way she is raising them she can charge a premium for her pork.

Through direct marketing, Annie has been able to increase what she receives for her pigs. However, she is being just as innovative on the other end to keep expenses low. Instead of feeding a boar all year long, she is using artificial insemination to breed her sows. There is an old grain cart on the property that can safely hold a lot of pig feed. So, Annie buys feed in bulk and has that cart filled to save money on feed costs, and it works! Annie has also experimented with different breeds and is now raising Duroc’s. Her customers prefer the meat, and the Duroc’s work be in her operation. So, she is producing a very desirable product through the most efficient means she has at her disposal.

Annie has just graduated high school and has just been awarded a state proficiency for her efforts in pork production. She is going to take all of this experience and knowledge with her to college where she will be studying to be an Ag teacher. When she finishes college, she will bring it all with her to the classroom, and she will be inspiring Ag students for years to come!

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Swine Production Entrepreneurship

HIGH SCHOOL: Cambridge High School, Cambridge Illinois

MASCOT: Vikings

FFA ADVISOR: Trent Taber

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ANNIE JOHNSON:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the Cambridge High School Website:

Annie’s FFA Advisor’s Email Address: ttaber@district227.org

Cambridge High School Telephone Number: 309-937-2051

FFA LINKS:

National FFA Organization

Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE’s)

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Donate to FFA – FFA students can start small businesses 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% and the rest of the world. FFA provides the needed education, training, and resources to Americans to carry that torch forward and ensure 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 food search 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