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SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING WHITNEY YERINA! It's funny how warm a feeling so many people get when they think about farming and the lifestyle that goes along with that.  Most of the time when we get that warm feeling we are thinking back to a time when farms were smaller, they were producing food for the family first, producing commodities to sell second and were run exclusively by the family. For the most part, when we see that vision, we are looking back into the early 20th Century.  A lot has changed in agriculture and farming since the middle 1900's, and that vision that we like so much has been altered significantly right along with farming. In today's episode we get a chance to look back.  Our guest, Whitney Yerina, is going to tell us about her families dairy farm in Missouri.  Currently there are three generations of her family, including her, working on the dairy.  Her grandfather actually moved the dairy from Maryland to Missouri in 2001 for a number of reasons, but one of the things this moved allowed them to do was to keep the dairy in the family and operating in the way it always has. Whitney describes running their dairy cattle on pasture and using intensive rotational grazing to maximize forage for them.  She also talks about what she wants to do after high school.  She is going to go to college and major in agribusiness to give her the background she needs to expand her families business.  Whitney and her mom have a dream of creating a value added business with a storefront to sell products from their dairy. This story will warm your heart and help you envision that farm we all like to remember. SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Dairy Production HIGH SCHOOL: Laclede County High School; Conway, Missouri MASCOT: Bears FFA ADVISOR: Mary Ann Keck CONTACT INFORMATION FOR WHITNEY YERINA: Click on the picture below to be taken to the Laclede County High School Ag. Department's website: Whitney's FFA Advisor's Email Address: mkeck@lcr1.org  Laclede High School's Telephone Number: (417) 589-2171 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