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SHOW NOTES I am a huge fan of two things relevant to agriculture: value added products and wool.  And, that is why I was so excited for this interview, it combines both. Kyra Uphoff has been working with "fiber arts" since she first started 4H, years ago.  She concentrated on two things through 4H - public speaking and fiber arts.  During this time she began learning to make felt, combine felt with silk, and create products and art projects with this skill.  She also honed her public speaking abilities and developed a passion for talking with people. When it was time for high school Kyra joined the FFA because it would continue to give her the opportunity to speak publicly.  She has been pursuing this for the entire four years of high school so far.  For her supervised agricultural experience, she has continued to refine her craft with fiber arts.  Today she has her own business, "KS Uphoff Fiber Arts".  She makes felt and silk into products like scarves and she also uses these raw materials to make art.  Kyra likes to take pictures with felt, and she also makes "3D Creatures". She clearly has a passion for working with these materials and an artistic eye for creation.  She has been showing her products at craft shows, selling products, and developing her reputation.  Now that Covid has hit she is developing a website and social media presence to help her do the same. As a funny side note, both of her parents are huge fans of Kansas State University.  So both Kyra and her brother have the initials "KSU".  Luckily for her parents, their last name started with a "U".  It made it easy to pay homage to their university that way! SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Fiber Arts HIGH SCHOOL: Prairie View High School MASCOT:  Buffalos FFA ADVISOR: Tammy Bartholomew CONTACT INFORMATION FOR KYRA: Click on the picture below to be taken to the Prairie View High School website: Kyra's FFA Advisors' Email Addresses: tammyb@pv362.org Prairie View High School's Telephone Number: (913) 757-4447 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