OFI 1975: My Dad Was My First Employee | FFA SAE Edition | Reagan Long | Shields Valley High School FFA

Reagan Long is the Chapter President of the Shield’s Valley FFA Chapter and owns his own lawn care company, and yes, his first employee was his own father. Way back in the 7th Grade one of Reagan’s neighbors asked him if he would be willing to mow their lawn for money. Neither of them knew it at the time, but this was the launch of a great lawn care business.

Reagan took that job and things started to grow. By the 9th grade, Reagan had a client list of 6 lawns to mow, and he was ready to start branching out and taking jobs that were beyond walking distance from his house. So, he did what anyone would naturally do, he asked his dad for a ride. However, in either Reagan or his father’s wisdom, his dad was brought on as an employee so Reagan could learn the realities of a business decision like this. It worked out, and things have only advanced from there.

Today Reagan has three full-time employees during the summers, his own truck and a myriad of equipment he uses in the business. All of this has come from reinvesting profits. He will graduate from high school this summer and his going away to college in the fall. However, he plans to continue running the business during college and mowing lawns during the summers.

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Lawn Care

HIGH SCHOOL: Shields Valley High School Clyde Park, Montana

MASCOT: Rebels

FFA ADVISOR: JR Pierce

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR REAGAN LONG:

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

Reagan’s FFA Advisor’s Email Address: jrpierce@shieldsvalleyschools.org

Lincolnwood High School Telephone Number: 406-578-2535

FFA LINKS:

National FFA Organization

Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE’s)

Support FFA

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