Friday, September 28, 2018
Assignment 9A
1. The first person interviewed was John Maples. He has a large show cattle operation near the Alabama-Georgia border. When asked about his thoughts on the prices of animal feeds, he was relatively unfazed and did not seem to mind paying the higher prices for show animals feeds. When asked why, he explained that he is able to compensate for it. His animals sell for an average of $4,000 as a minimum, and a maximum of up to around $20,000, as six month old calves. With that in mind, he is able to overcome the expensive feed prices by simply selling his animals for more than your everyday rancher.
2. The second person that I interviewed was Mr. Jimmy Sweeney. Sweeney is an agriculture teacher and father of two sons that lives in Lakeland, Florida. When asked about the price of show hog feed as it affects his family or his students, he reacted indifferently. Sure, it would be awesome if the prices were lower, but that's true for everything; that was the reaction he gave. When asked how he keeps it from affecting his students or sons, he explained that he has a mandatory meeting for any child who wants to buy a pig from the load that he brings in. In that meeting, he gives the student and the parents the estimated amount that the project will cost from start to finish, including feed and vaccinations, and he always uses a high estimate. Those that still wish to participate understand what they are entering into, and many of them are pleased when they do the math at the end of the project and find that they spent less than their teacher thought they would. For his sons, he has worked with them to find buyers willing to purchase their hogs for a higher price than the average at the fair, and has made their project profitable in that way.
3. The third person interviewed was Steve Black. He has a small show cattle production also in Lakeland. Black explained that his method for getting around the high costs has been to buy his feed in bulk. He explained that while he has a smaller number of cattle than some of those around him, he has built a special room on his barn that is a climate controlled feed room. By keeping the temperatures in this feed room lower than the heat outside and closer to a true 'room temperature', his feed can last several weeks without beginning to mold unlike those that try to do the same thing without controlling the temperature. When asked if this is feasible when considering the added electricity that he is using, he replied that in his findings, it still saves money. While he does pay to run the air in the room during the day, it does not have to run nearly as much at night, and the room is well-insulated. Adding in the factors that he does not have to get feed more often and does not have to pay for the fuel in his truck to drive to the feed store, he finds that this is a much more efficient way that makes less work for him.
4. The fourth person that I interviewed was Hunter Maxwell. He is a senior at Kathleen High School in Lakeland and has shown steers, bulls, heifers and hogs. When asked how he manages to afford the show feed for all of his animals, he explained that he works to find sponsors. By reaching out to contacts that he has made over the years of showing, he is able to bring in enough money to cover the costs of the feed up front. In turn, he helps promote people going to that person for business, and in some instances he does odd jobs for the people and is given money that he uses to purchase feed. While it is something that has created challenges for him with organizing his time, he said that he has been successful with this method for the last three years.
5. The final person that I interviewed was Coleen Jackson. She has a small number of show cattle that she owns in Webster, Florida. For her, the way to make up for the high feed costs is to own less animals and feed less per animal. At the same time, however, her animals are very healthy and possibly more well-fed than some of the others that I spoke with. She manages to do this through a strict vaccination protocol every year and by rotating the animals on her fields. By leaving them in one place for less time, she is able to feed them less grain and simply allow them to eat more grass and hay. She then moves them to another field and does the same thing again. Though this produces a good deal of work on her part, she explained that it really does not add much time over what it would be if she were to be required to feed more strictly every day. By doing this, she only feeds her animals grain one time per day and simply spreads it out in a small area for all of them to share. If her plan were different, she may have to separate animals and feed them individually so that they can all get proper nutrition.
2. The second person that I interviewed was Mr. Jimmy Sweeney. Sweeney is an agriculture teacher and father of two sons that lives in Lakeland, Florida. When asked about the price of show hog feed as it affects his family or his students, he reacted indifferently. Sure, it would be awesome if the prices were lower, but that's true for everything; that was the reaction he gave. When asked how he keeps it from affecting his students or sons, he explained that he has a mandatory meeting for any child who wants to buy a pig from the load that he brings in. In that meeting, he gives the student and the parents the estimated amount that the project will cost from start to finish, including feed and vaccinations, and he always uses a high estimate. Those that still wish to participate understand what they are entering into, and many of them are pleased when they do the math at the end of the project and find that they spent less than their teacher thought they would. For his sons, he has worked with them to find buyers willing to purchase their hogs for a higher price than the average at the fair, and has made their project profitable in that way.
3. The third person interviewed was Steve Black. He has a small show cattle production also in Lakeland. Black explained that his method for getting around the high costs has been to buy his feed in bulk. He explained that while he has a smaller number of cattle than some of those around him, he has built a special room on his barn that is a climate controlled feed room. By keeping the temperatures in this feed room lower than the heat outside and closer to a true 'room temperature', his feed can last several weeks without beginning to mold unlike those that try to do the same thing without controlling the temperature. When asked if this is feasible when considering the added electricity that he is using, he replied that in his findings, it still saves money. While he does pay to run the air in the room during the day, it does not have to run nearly as much at night, and the room is well-insulated. Adding in the factors that he does not have to get feed more often and does not have to pay for the fuel in his truck to drive to the feed store, he finds that this is a much more efficient way that makes less work for him.
4. The fourth person that I interviewed was Hunter Maxwell. He is a senior at Kathleen High School in Lakeland and has shown steers, bulls, heifers and hogs. When asked how he manages to afford the show feed for all of his animals, he explained that he works to find sponsors. By reaching out to contacts that he has made over the years of showing, he is able to bring in enough money to cover the costs of the feed up front. In turn, he helps promote people going to that person for business, and in some instances he does odd jobs for the people and is given money that he uses to purchase feed. While it is something that has created challenges for him with organizing his time, he said that he has been successful with this method for the last three years.
5. The final person that I interviewed was Coleen Jackson. She has a small number of show cattle that she owns in Webster, Florida. For her, the way to make up for the high feed costs is to own less animals and feed less per animal. At the same time, however, her animals are very healthy and possibly more well-fed than some of the others that I spoke with. She manages to do this through a strict vaccination protocol every year and by rotating the animals on her fields. By leaving them in one place for less time, she is able to feed them less grain and simply allow them to eat more grass and hay. She then moves them to another field and does the same thing again. Though this produces a good deal of work on her part, she explained that it really does not add much time over what it would be if she were to be required to feed more strictly every day. By doing this, she only feeds her animals grain one time per day and simply spreads it out in a small area for all of them to share. If her plan were different, she may have to separate animals and feed them individually so that they can all get proper nutrition.
| Inside the boundary | Outside the boundary |
| Who is In: Kyle Carlton, Laura Lee Taylor, Maddie Dvorak, Dale Locke, Payge Nichols | Who is Not: John Maples, Jimmy Sweeney, Steve Black, Hunter Maxwell, Coleen Jackson |
| What the Need Is: Paying for high quality show animal feed and finding the best complete ration | What the Need Is Not: Paying for high quality show animal feed and finding the best complete ration |
| Why the Need Exists Tighter profit margins, unable to find complete ration that fits their animals, Very limited options | Alternative Explanations Strict rotation and vaccinations, Higher sale prices, sponsors, Prior expectations, Bulk pricing |
Friday, September 21, 2018
Assignment 8A
The problem that I addressed is the hard time that many 4-H and FFA members and/or their parents seem to struggle through as they feed the livestock that these students show. The issues that people battle seem to be high costs, either too few or too many options and rations that are incomplete requiring several feeds to be fed daily.
The way that I propose ending this issue is to simply develop new feeds. When I was in high school, one of my agriculture education teachers worked with another teacher to develop their own hog feeds. Once they had the ingredients and amounts that they wanted to be in it, they took it to several feed mills until they found one that was willing to produce it. For the next several years, the feed that we all fed our hogs was this 'homemade' blend from a local feed mill that was significantly less expensive (about $13-15 per bag, depending on the price of the ingredients, versus $20-25 per bag). There were two issues that came about with this; eventually, the mill started charging more and more per bag either due to how popular the feed was becoming or due to ingredients becoming even more expensive, and the hogs were consistently a little bit worse than their littermates that were receiving the name brand show feeds. As a result, most people stopped using the feed mill and simply continued purchasing the name brand products again.
In order to battle this problem, I propose pairing with a feed mill and working to agree upon a maximum price that they will charge for a new feed. From there, the product can be sold through schools. I know several middle and high schools that, rather than students purchasing feed on their own and bringing it to the school, have a feed plan where the advisor purchases all of the feed with the department's money and the students have to essentially pay the school back for that feed. By contacting local teachers and getting them to try either hog or cattle feed for one show season at a lower price, the feed mill would get more business and the students would be able to turn a higher profit margin on their animals for the year. Doing this would be a win-win scenario. After that season is up, the schools would be likely to return to a similar agreement the following year if they felt that the feed was good enough to continue buying, and any students that have animals at home are likely to begin purchasing the feed as well if they see how much lower the cost per bag is.
Assignment 7A
1. The opportunity that I picked is limited show livestock feeds.
2. 4-H and FFA members, as well as their parents, across the state of Florida find it difficult to find a feed for their show animals that is a complete ration, readily available and has a low enough price to make it feasible because there are so few options to choose from.
The who: 4-H and FFA members and their parents in Florida
The what: They have a hard time finding a livestock feed for their show animals that is a complete ration, readily available and has a low enough cost to make it feasible
The why: There are so few options to choose from.
3. My hypothesis is listed above.
4. a. The first person that I interviewed was Kyle Carlton. An FFA advisor and father of three daughters that have all shown hogs at one point, he has a strong background in the area. He explained to me that prices of the hog feeds has fluctuated throughout the years. Several years ago, he remembers them going up about 50% over their past normal value, and the following year they were down about 20% lower than their normal value. Other than that, they have remained steadily rising at a rate similar to what he expects inflation to be. For him, he has come to expect the prices of the feeds and does not struggle to find a good feed. He knows what he is getting into every year when his youngest daughter, the only one who is still showing, gets ready for her pigs to come in. He did explain, however, that for the first several years he could not get over how expensive the 'good feeds' were and thought that it was something that was a bit ridiculous.
b. Next, I interviewed Laura Lee Taylor. She is the mother of two children, one of which is able to show animals. Her daughter did her first market steer this past year. As someone who has been involved in producing beef cattle her entire life, Taylor knew before the steer project got underway things such as about how much feed would be needed and she had a general idea on the supplements that the steer would need in order for it to finish out well enough. What she did not foresee, however, was the price of these things. She explained that she remembers show quality feeds being no more than a couple of dollars more expensive than standard feeds when she was in school. Now, they are nearly double the value of those standard feeds. Using her experience and background, she was able to find the best feed-price ratio that she could establish and selected her feeding plan based on that, but she was clear that if she did not have a solid understanding of the importance of a show feed for the steer going in that she would have definitely gotten a regular ration instead.
c. I interviewed Maddie Dvorak, a senior at Kathleen High School. When asked her opinions on the availability of feed options that she has for her show hogs, she gave a burst of laughter and asked what options I was referring to. She then explained something that I knew from my own experiences there are essentially two companies that make show hog feeds that are available in Florida, and on a good year the cheaper of those types of feed sells for upwards of $20 a bag. She felt that the burden relates more to her than her parents, but she also said she knows some of her friends that their parents pay for the feed and therefore feel the burden more than the students. For Dvorak, however, the issue is definitely the price of the feeds that are available.
d. I interviewed Dale Locke, a cattle breeder as well as father and grandfather. When asked the challenges that he faces with his cattle now that he is producing them for grandchildren rather than just his children, he was quick to point towards the feed costs. When his sons were showing, he was able to afford all of the cattle that they could handle. Feeds were much more inexpensive back then, he explained. Now, there are many different options of 'livestock' or 'all-stock' feeds that are fine for people who are producing cattle for the market, but are useless for someone raising show cattle. Shuffling through these market feeds versus the show feeds is something that he says he has spent a great amount of time doing and must continue to do in order to determine what to use each time he weans a new set of calves.
e. I interviewed Payge Nichols, a middle school student who has shown hogs, steers, heifers and bulls. With regards to the hogs, she expresses the same concern as Dvorak, saying that she would continue doing hogs every year if the cost was not so much to feed them, and she is someone who admits to her parents paying for her feed. In terms of the cattle, however, she walked me through the process of mixing different types of feeds together in order to make the ration that she feeds the cattle complete. Rather than giving one type of feed, there are three feeds and at least three supplements that each of her animals receive every day. When asked if she would rather simply give one feed to her animals and not have to mix everything together to feed them, she replied with an emphatic yes and said that it would literally save her an hour per feeding, per day, if she did not have to mix the feeds for each animal.
5. I learned that there are different opportunities for different types of livestock. For hogs, the main issue seems to be lack of competition between providers, with two companies seemingly dominating the market and therefore controlling the prices between them. For cattle, the availability of different options is high, but the prices are high as well and the goal of a complete ration appears to be something that is lost to some.
2. 4-H and FFA members, as well as their parents, across the state of Florida find it difficult to find a feed for their show animals that is a complete ration, readily available and has a low enough price to make it feasible because there are so few options to choose from.
The who: 4-H and FFA members and their parents in Florida
The what: They have a hard time finding a livestock feed for their show animals that is a complete ration, readily available and has a low enough cost to make it feasible
The why: There are so few options to choose from.
3. My hypothesis is listed above.
4. a. The first person that I interviewed was Kyle Carlton. An FFA advisor and father of three daughters that have all shown hogs at one point, he has a strong background in the area. He explained to me that prices of the hog feeds has fluctuated throughout the years. Several years ago, he remembers them going up about 50% over their past normal value, and the following year they were down about 20% lower than their normal value. Other than that, they have remained steadily rising at a rate similar to what he expects inflation to be. For him, he has come to expect the prices of the feeds and does not struggle to find a good feed. He knows what he is getting into every year when his youngest daughter, the only one who is still showing, gets ready for her pigs to come in. He did explain, however, that for the first several years he could not get over how expensive the 'good feeds' were and thought that it was something that was a bit ridiculous.
b. Next, I interviewed Laura Lee Taylor. She is the mother of two children, one of which is able to show animals. Her daughter did her first market steer this past year. As someone who has been involved in producing beef cattle her entire life, Taylor knew before the steer project got underway things such as about how much feed would be needed and she had a general idea on the supplements that the steer would need in order for it to finish out well enough. What she did not foresee, however, was the price of these things. She explained that she remembers show quality feeds being no more than a couple of dollars more expensive than standard feeds when she was in school. Now, they are nearly double the value of those standard feeds. Using her experience and background, she was able to find the best feed-price ratio that she could establish and selected her feeding plan based on that, but she was clear that if she did not have a solid understanding of the importance of a show feed for the steer going in that she would have definitely gotten a regular ration instead.
c. I interviewed Maddie Dvorak, a senior at Kathleen High School. When asked her opinions on the availability of feed options that she has for her show hogs, she gave a burst of laughter and asked what options I was referring to. She then explained something that I knew from my own experiences there are essentially two companies that make show hog feeds that are available in Florida, and on a good year the cheaper of those types of feed sells for upwards of $20 a bag. She felt that the burden relates more to her than her parents, but she also said she knows some of her friends that their parents pay for the feed and therefore feel the burden more than the students. For Dvorak, however, the issue is definitely the price of the feeds that are available.
d. I interviewed Dale Locke, a cattle breeder as well as father and grandfather. When asked the challenges that he faces with his cattle now that he is producing them for grandchildren rather than just his children, he was quick to point towards the feed costs. When his sons were showing, he was able to afford all of the cattle that they could handle. Feeds were much more inexpensive back then, he explained. Now, there are many different options of 'livestock' or 'all-stock' feeds that are fine for people who are producing cattle for the market, but are useless for someone raising show cattle. Shuffling through these market feeds versus the show feeds is something that he says he has spent a great amount of time doing and must continue to do in order to determine what to use each time he weans a new set of calves.
e. I interviewed Payge Nichols, a middle school student who has shown hogs, steers, heifers and bulls. With regards to the hogs, she expresses the same concern as Dvorak, saying that she would continue doing hogs every year if the cost was not so much to feed them, and she is someone who admits to her parents paying for her feed. In terms of the cattle, however, she walked me through the process of mixing different types of feeds together in order to make the ration that she feeds the cattle complete. Rather than giving one type of feed, there are three feeds and at least three supplements that each of her animals receive every day. When asked if she would rather simply give one feed to her animals and not have to mix everything together to feed them, she replied with an emphatic yes and said that it would literally save her an hour per feeding, per day, if she did not have to mix the feeds for each animal.
5. I learned that there are different opportunities for different types of livestock. For hogs, the main issue seems to be lack of competition between providers, with two companies seemingly dominating the market and therefore controlling the prices between them. For cattle, the availability of different options is high, but the prices are high as well and the goal of a complete ration appears to be something that is lost to some.
Friday, September 14, 2018
Assignment 6A
Four opportunities:
1 - Sell cattle
2 - Property
3 - Start a corporation
4 - Get involved with/start a farm
1. The first opportunity that I found was to sell cattle. I found this opportunity specifically because I was looking for it. I have a small number of cattle myself, so I periodically look at some of the market trends in the state to determine when would be the best time to buy or sell animals. This particular website (Drovers) is one that I have frequented in the past and found to usually be relatively accurate for my area. The customer for this opportunity would likely be smaller scale cattle producers. They will want to seize the opportunity to make a slightly higher profit margin than their normal one, because this is an industry that has very narrow margins. I feel that the opportunity is relatively easy to exploit. If someone is already in the industry and owns cattle, they can take animals to the market any given week and sell their animals. If they knew that on a specific sale day was going to yield higher prices than another, they would be able to bring animals that day rather than the sale before or after.
I feel that I found this and believed it because of the fact that the particular site and person that wrote the article have been correct in my past experiences. The first time that I tried to follow the trends to sell a calf at the right time, I was skeptical that any of the 'experts' online would likely not have any real world practice. However, I have found this site to work well, and will continue to read through it in order to have a guideline for what to do with my animals.
2. Another opportunity that I can see is buying property in the rural portion of Sumter County. I feel that this is a venture that could prove very profitable in the long run. I found this idea by simply driving to and from Gainesville to UF for the last three and a half years. There are always properties in this area that are for sale, and the construction lining the roads in a good deal of the area shows that it will do nothing but continue to grow. I feel that an opportunity might exist here because of the areas that it surrounds. Ocala is not very far north of here, and already has begun to show sprawl into the surrounding areas as people move 'to Ocala' but are actually 20-30 minutes from the technical city itself. Prototypical customers for this will range. Some people, such as my grandparents, may buy property here with the knowledge that the land may be worth more in the future, and they may stick with their one ten acre piece. On the other hand, a company such as LandSouth may come in, buy all of the land that they see for sale (and make offers on some that are not for sale) and sit on it for the next ten years, until they feel that the price is at its peak. The work involved with this opportunity is completely minimal, meaning that it is very easy to carry out. However, it is also very hard to get the funding necessary to do this on a large scale.
I feel that I have a unique perspective because I can see multiple uses for this land. For some people, they would look at it and expect nothing but apartment complexes. For others, they expect one house per at least 10 acres and animals to be spread across 9.75 of those acres. I fall somewhere in between. If I were given enough money to buy the land, I would want to prepare it into different increments. For some of the plots, subdivisions or apartment complexes will be built and people will feel as if they are living in a city. In other areas, one house will be built every so often and the rest will have fences for cattle. Lastly, some will be left with nothing but fences, so that people can use the land to farm, have a pasture or to build their own home. This ability to view the land from more than just one perspective makes me feel that I have an advantage over some others in this venture.
3. Another potential opportunity that I found is to start a corporation. In the past, there have been many pros and cons to having a corporation rather than other forms of businesses, such as sole proprietorships and partnerships. However, the main con of corporations has always been the fact that they were taxed more harshly. Now, however, the corporate tax scheme has changed. They are still taxed differently than the other forms of businesses, but they are taxed a flat rate now, making it easier to keep track of how much you will pay in taxes at the end of the year. I learned this information in an introduction to finance course this semester. I believe that this may pose an opportunity because in the past, taxes were the main thing that would keep a business from going corporate. While corporations are still taxed twice (once as a business, once as employees receiving a paycheck), the complexity of the system has been demolished, making it simpler and easier for accountants to follow. The most likely people to take advantage of this are companies that are larger partnerships and could already be on the brink of becoming a corporation. I feel that this could be very easy to exploit in some cases and very hard in another. For groups that are already large and similar in size to smaller corporations, it will be an easy transition. For groups that are small and not the prototypical customers, it would be more challenging.
I feel that I understand how this could be an opportunity more than someone else simply because of the things that I have learned at UF. Beforehand, I would not have believed that having some debt was considered a good thing for a business. Now, I have worked through scenarios and had it explained to me the possible amounts of profit made with and without debt, and I can see why it CAN be a good thing now. In this situation, while you are still not going to save money on your taxes by going corporate, now that it is simpler I understand that it could still make you more money. By bringing in more outside investors and getting rid of all liability that individual partners had before, it can spring a company to a whole new level.
4. Recently, tariffs were imposed by the US government on various goods, making many wonder what would happen to our country's imports and exports. Since then, the price for many of the crops that we grow has gone down to lows for the last year. As things such as this begin to happen, some people will begin to get nervous while others will jump the gun and sell out immediately. As people begin to liquidate their land and their farms, the prices will go down to levels lower than you would see on a normal day. I have been taught in several different classes about the new tariffs imposed and their potential impacts, which is what brought my attention to this matter. I feel that an opportunity might exist because after the things that I have learned, I did more research and found the information above about the prices of crops such as corn reaching their lowest price for the last year in recent weeks. I feel that if new players do not enter into this market, the prototypical customer will be larger farms in the areas of the small farms that begin to sell. As the corn prices go down, small farmers will not be able to afford the loans that they took to begin the farm and will therefore be forced to sell. This is an opportunity that can be VERY hard to exploit. If one has the money to be able to afford such a venture, however, then it simply relies on dedication.
I feel that I am again specifically prepared to view this as an opportunity because of the recent education that I have received on matters such as this. One of the classes that I am currently taking is an Agriculture Policy course. In that class, we have spent a good deal of time discussing these tariffs, the fluctuations that agriculture follows on its own and many other things such as this. Without that, I would not view this as an opportunity right away, so I would expect that to be the difference maker for me.
1 - Sell cattle
2 - Property
3 - Start a corporation
4 - Get involved with/start a farm
1. The first opportunity that I found was to sell cattle. I found this opportunity specifically because I was looking for it. I have a small number of cattle myself, so I periodically look at some of the market trends in the state to determine when would be the best time to buy or sell animals. This particular website (Drovers) is one that I have frequented in the past and found to usually be relatively accurate for my area. The customer for this opportunity would likely be smaller scale cattle producers. They will want to seize the opportunity to make a slightly higher profit margin than their normal one, because this is an industry that has very narrow margins. I feel that the opportunity is relatively easy to exploit. If someone is already in the industry and owns cattle, they can take animals to the market any given week and sell their animals. If they knew that on a specific sale day was going to yield higher prices than another, they would be able to bring animals that day rather than the sale before or after.
I feel that I found this and believed it because of the fact that the particular site and person that wrote the article have been correct in my past experiences. The first time that I tried to follow the trends to sell a calf at the right time, I was skeptical that any of the 'experts' online would likely not have any real world practice. However, I have found this site to work well, and will continue to read through it in order to have a guideline for what to do with my animals.
2. Another opportunity that I can see is buying property in the rural portion of Sumter County. I feel that this is a venture that could prove very profitable in the long run. I found this idea by simply driving to and from Gainesville to UF for the last three and a half years. There are always properties in this area that are for sale, and the construction lining the roads in a good deal of the area shows that it will do nothing but continue to grow. I feel that an opportunity might exist here because of the areas that it surrounds. Ocala is not very far north of here, and already has begun to show sprawl into the surrounding areas as people move 'to Ocala' but are actually 20-30 minutes from the technical city itself. Prototypical customers for this will range. Some people, such as my grandparents, may buy property here with the knowledge that the land may be worth more in the future, and they may stick with their one ten acre piece. On the other hand, a company such as LandSouth may come in, buy all of the land that they see for sale (and make offers on some that are not for sale) and sit on it for the next ten years, until they feel that the price is at its peak. The work involved with this opportunity is completely minimal, meaning that it is very easy to carry out. However, it is also very hard to get the funding necessary to do this on a large scale.
I feel that I have a unique perspective because I can see multiple uses for this land. For some people, they would look at it and expect nothing but apartment complexes. For others, they expect one house per at least 10 acres and animals to be spread across 9.75 of those acres. I fall somewhere in between. If I were given enough money to buy the land, I would want to prepare it into different increments. For some of the plots, subdivisions or apartment complexes will be built and people will feel as if they are living in a city. In other areas, one house will be built every so often and the rest will have fences for cattle. Lastly, some will be left with nothing but fences, so that people can use the land to farm, have a pasture or to build their own home. This ability to view the land from more than just one perspective makes me feel that I have an advantage over some others in this venture.
3. Another potential opportunity that I found is to start a corporation. In the past, there have been many pros and cons to having a corporation rather than other forms of businesses, such as sole proprietorships and partnerships. However, the main con of corporations has always been the fact that they were taxed more harshly. Now, however, the corporate tax scheme has changed. They are still taxed differently than the other forms of businesses, but they are taxed a flat rate now, making it easier to keep track of how much you will pay in taxes at the end of the year. I learned this information in an introduction to finance course this semester. I believe that this may pose an opportunity because in the past, taxes were the main thing that would keep a business from going corporate. While corporations are still taxed twice (once as a business, once as employees receiving a paycheck), the complexity of the system has been demolished, making it simpler and easier for accountants to follow. The most likely people to take advantage of this are companies that are larger partnerships and could already be on the brink of becoming a corporation. I feel that this could be very easy to exploit in some cases and very hard in another. For groups that are already large and similar in size to smaller corporations, it will be an easy transition. For groups that are small and not the prototypical customers, it would be more challenging.
I feel that I understand how this could be an opportunity more than someone else simply because of the things that I have learned at UF. Beforehand, I would not have believed that having some debt was considered a good thing for a business. Now, I have worked through scenarios and had it explained to me the possible amounts of profit made with and without debt, and I can see why it CAN be a good thing now. In this situation, while you are still not going to save money on your taxes by going corporate, now that it is simpler I understand that it could still make you more money. By bringing in more outside investors and getting rid of all liability that individual partners had before, it can spring a company to a whole new level.
4. Recently, tariffs were imposed by the US government on various goods, making many wonder what would happen to our country's imports and exports. Since then, the price for many of the crops that we grow has gone down to lows for the last year. As things such as this begin to happen, some people will begin to get nervous while others will jump the gun and sell out immediately. As people begin to liquidate their land and their farms, the prices will go down to levels lower than you would see on a normal day. I have been taught in several different classes about the new tariffs imposed and their potential impacts, which is what brought my attention to this matter. I feel that an opportunity might exist because after the things that I have learned, I did more research and found the information above about the prices of crops such as corn reaching their lowest price for the last year in recent weeks. I feel that if new players do not enter into this market, the prototypical customer will be larger farms in the areas of the small farms that begin to sell. As the corn prices go down, small farmers will not be able to afford the loans that they took to begin the farm and will therefore be forced to sell. This is an opportunity that can be VERY hard to exploit. If one has the money to be able to afford such a venture, however, then it simply relies on dedication.
I feel that I am again specifically prepared to view this as an opportunity because of the recent education that I have received on matters such as this. One of the classes that I am currently taking is an Agriculture Policy course. In that class, we have spent a good deal of time discussing these tariffs, the fluctuations that agriculture follows on its own and many other things such as this. Without that, I would not view this as an opportunity right away, so I would expect that to be the difference maker for me.
Assignment 5A
1. a. Andrew Gillum is so liberal he's in space, new tv ad says
b. ANDREW GILLUM IS SO LIBERAL HE'S IN SPACE, NEW TV AD SAYS Tampa Bay Times September 12, 2018 Wednesday
c. In this article, the entire thing explains a tv ad in words and expands on it. The point is to bring to attention an ad put out by republicans as an attempt to attack a particular democratic candidate within Florida.
d. The problem that I have with this story is determining where the truth lies. Is it in the attack or the defense? Or could it fall somewhere in the middle? There are obviously people against Gillum from the party opposing him, but are they the ones that are telling the truth pointing out information about him, or are the democrats that are backing Gillum and shooting down the ad the ones being honest?
e. Any potential voters in the state of Florida.
2. a. Time, red tide wait for no one
b. TIME, RED TIDE WAIT FOR NO ONE Tampa Bay Times September 12, 2018 Wednesday
c. This article discusses the ongoing and worsening problem with Florida's red tide. The article interviews Floridians who planned vacations within the state and had their trips ruined by red tide, making the beaches unenjoyable and not allowing them to do the fishing that they planned on. It also explains the time period of the red tide, with it starting nearly a year ago but continuing to get worse in recent months.
d. The issue here is one of economic and environmental significance. Economically, people are NOT going to vacation in Florida and benefit our leading economic industry (tourism) if the beaches are ruined. There are things such as Disney to do still, but the beaches in the state are still one of the major tourist hotspots. Environmentally, aquatic life is continuing to die from an algae bloom in our waters. This is something that we have played a major role in causing and should find a way to help correct.
e. Potential tourists to Florida as well as aquatic life in the state and Floridians.
3. a. Hurricane cancels UCF-UNC
b. HURRICANE CANCELS UCF-UNC Tampa Bay Times September 12, 2018 Wednesday
c. This article explains that UCF and UNC's football game has been cancelled due to the hurricane that is currently hitting North Carolina. The article goes on to explain the other football games that could be effected by the storm, as well as the fact that UCF had a game cancelled when Irma hit Florida last year.
d. The issue here is environmental. The hurricane that has been brewing in the ocean for the last week and a half is making landfall and bringing strong winds and rains to the area where the game was scheduled to occur. Beyond that, the game cannot be simply moved to UCF's stadium and played in Florida likely due to funding; UNC has already allocated their funds for the year and cannot get their team to the game for free.
e. This issue will change plans of anyone that planned on watching these cancelled games. In addition, it has had a major impact on the Carolinas and other states north of Florida as citizens prepare supplies or evacuate for the storm.
4. a. Felons make case to vote
b. FELONS MAKE CASE TO VOTE Tampa Bay Times September 12, 2018 Wednesday
c. The article explains the system that is currently in place regarding felons rights to vote, and the potential for change. It explains that the current system forces each felon to wait 5 years before petitioning to have their case reviewed by the governor and a cabinet of other elected individuals, where it is decided if they will be able to vote again or not.
d. The issue here is whether or not the system should be changed. Some feel that the best approach is to continue with what has been being used, while others feel that they are being held accountable for things that they did so long ago that they might as well have been in another life.
e. Directly, any person who is a registered felon in Florida is effected by this ruling either way. Indirectly, any person who hopes to enter into an elected office is effected, as they may have more or less people able to vote in their election depending on the decision that is made.
5. a. Huge sewer line won't be buried on Harbour Island
b. HUGE SEWER LINE WON'T BE BURIED ON HARBOUR ISLAND Tampa Bay Times September 13, 2018 Thursday
c. The article explains the controversy surrounding a sewer line that must be replaced on Harbour Island. The old sewer line was installed in 1951, but the island was nothing more than a landfill at the time and is now a wealthy area.
d. The issue here was whether the line should be run underwater or underground. Underwater, if something goes wrong with the pipe the aquatic life will be harmed but people will not be as directly effected immediately. Underground, the people in the area would have to deal with construction crews tearing up roads as they installed the new pipe. The decision was announced in this article to run the pipe underwater.
e. The citizens of Harbour Island were directly impacted by this decision.
b. ANDREW GILLUM IS SO LIBERAL HE'S IN SPACE, NEW TV AD SAYS Tampa Bay Times September 12, 2018 Wednesday
c. In this article, the entire thing explains a tv ad in words and expands on it. The point is to bring to attention an ad put out by republicans as an attempt to attack a particular democratic candidate within Florida.
d. The problem that I have with this story is determining where the truth lies. Is it in the attack or the defense? Or could it fall somewhere in the middle? There are obviously people against Gillum from the party opposing him, but are they the ones that are telling the truth pointing out information about him, or are the democrats that are backing Gillum and shooting down the ad the ones being honest?
e. Any potential voters in the state of Florida.
2. a. Time, red tide wait for no one
b. TIME, RED TIDE WAIT FOR NO ONE Tampa Bay Times September 12, 2018 Wednesday
c. This article discusses the ongoing and worsening problem with Florida's red tide. The article interviews Floridians who planned vacations within the state and had their trips ruined by red tide, making the beaches unenjoyable and not allowing them to do the fishing that they planned on. It also explains the time period of the red tide, with it starting nearly a year ago but continuing to get worse in recent months.
d. The issue here is one of economic and environmental significance. Economically, people are NOT going to vacation in Florida and benefit our leading economic industry (tourism) if the beaches are ruined. There are things such as Disney to do still, but the beaches in the state are still one of the major tourist hotspots. Environmentally, aquatic life is continuing to die from an algae bloom in our waters. This is something that we have played a major role in causing and should find a way to help correct.
e. Potential tourists to Florida as well as aquatic life in the state and Floridians.
3. a. Hurricane cancels UCF-UNC
b. HURRICANE CANCELS UCF-UNC Tampa Bay Times September 12, 2018 Wednesday
c. This article explains that UCF and UNC's football game has been cancelled due to the hurricane that is currently hitting North Carolina. The article goes on to explain the other football games that could be effected by the storm, as well as the fact that UCF had a game cancelled when Irma hit Florida last year.
d. The issue here is environmental. The hurricane that has been brewing in the ocean for the last week and a half is making landfall and bringing strong winds and rains to the area where the game was scheduled to occur. Beyond that, the game cannot be simply moved to UCF's stadium and played in Florida likely due to funding; UNC has already allocated their funds for the year and cannot get their team to the game for free.
e. This issue will change plans of anyone that planned on watching these cancelled games. In addition, it has had a major impact on the Carolinas and other states north of Florida as citizens prepare supplies or evacuate for the storm.
4. a. Felons make case to vote
b. FELONS MAKE CASE TO VOTE Tampa Bay Times September 12, 2018 Wednesday
c. The article explains the system that is currently in place regarding felons rights to vote, and the potential for change. It explains that the current system forces each felon to wait 5 years before petitioning to have their case reviewed by the governor and a cabinet of other elected individuals, where it is decided if they will be able to vote again or not.
d. The issue here is whether or not the system should be changed. Some feel that the best approach is to continue with what has been being used, while others feel that they are being held accountable for things that they did so long ago that they might as well have been in another life.
e. Directly, any person who is a registered felon in Florida is effected by this ruling either way. Indirectly, any person who hopes to enter into an elected office is effected, as they may have more or less people able to vote in their election depending on the decision that is made.
5. a. Huge sewer line won't be buried on Harbour Island
b. HUGE SEWER LINE WON'T BE BURIED ON HARBOUR ISLAND Tampa Bay Times September 13, 2018 Thursday
c. The article explains the controversy surrounding a sewer line that must be replaced on Harbour Island. The old sewer line was installed in 1951, but the island was nothing more than a landfill at the time and is now a wealthy area.
d. The issue here was whether the line should be run underwater or underground. Underwater, if something goes wrong with the pipe the aquatic life will be harmed but people will not be as directly effected immediately. Underground, the people in the area would have to deal with construction crews tearing up roads as they installed the new pipe. The decision was announced in this article to run the pipe underwater.
e. The citizens of Harbour Island were directly impacted by this decision.
Friday, September 7, 2018
Assignment 4A
1. The unmet need is providing Coca-Cola on UF campus.
2. The opportunity that I identified is that of providing Coca-Cola instead of Pepsi exclusively on UF's campus. While I understand the background of Pepsi and UF's relationship and realize that this is the reason that Coke has not been present at a single vendor on campus, there is still the potential to make more money if that good is provided. This need is felt most days by students of UF anytime that they eat at the various food vendors on campus, as well as by alumni and visitors when they come to campus to attend events such as football games. Currently, some people bring their own Coke from home when they come to campus. Others tough it out and drink Pepsi on the days that they come to campus. Lastly, some people avoid soda altogether and drink things such as water or sweet tea instead. I feel that there is a 90% chance that this would prove successful and profitable if it were able to be implemented in some form.
3.1. Customer 1 - Alumni of UF from 15 years ago who comes to most football games every season; Keitha Bennett.
4.1. Bennett explained that she prefers Coke to Pepsi every time that she is given the choice. While she admits that this is not necessarily a need with the fact that she can drink other, more healthy beverages than soda, she is liable to do that when she comes to campus in order to avoid drinking Pepsi. She said she first became aware of the need her first time back at The Swamp for a football game after she graduated. When she walked up to the concession stand and asked for a hot dog and a Coke, she was disappointed when they asked her if Pepsi was acceptable. When asked how she handles this now, she said that she usually drinks water at games and enjoys Coke that she brings with her right before she walks in. She admitted that she would much rather be able to drink a cold Coke while she watches the game and eats her hot dog, so she is not entirely set on the solution that she has made work for her for now.
3.2. Customer 2 - Alumni of UF that graduated May, 2018; Josh Berko
4.2. Berko was very involved at UF, serving as an RA all four of his years here. Along with that, he ate in the on-campus residence halls often, as free meals in those halls were part of his pay for serving as an RA. He noticed the absence of Coke from the campus within his first two weeks, saying that he does not drink soda often but was excited to have free refills and get Coke during one of his first trips to Gator Dining, only to feel let down when all of the soda machines had nothing but Pepsi products. For him, this need was not felt all that often, as he tended to simply stick to Gatorade and water more often than drink soda; however, when asked if he were offered Coke instead of Pepsi if he would have drank soda more often, the answer was an emphatic yes. With that in mind, while he felt satisfied with his solution to the problem at the time, Berko would have been even more satisfied if offered Coke instead.
3.3. Customer 3 - Current student at UF; Shelby Carlton
4.3. Carlton is in her second semester at UF. During her first day of classes, she decided to take advantage of her break in her schedule and go to Chick-Fil-A at the Hub. As she ordered and prepared to ask for a Coke, she realized that the only thing available was Pepsi products. Since then, she has stuck to sweet tea while on campus and drinks any soda she consumes in the form of Coke in her apartment. Again, she stated that the desire to drink soda was not a need for her, and she admitted that many days she would rather have water or sweet tea. However, when the desire to drink soda with her lunch on campus does come up, the lack of Coke and presence of Pepsi quickly pushes the desire away for her. When asked about her satisfaction with her solution of sticking to sweet tea and water, Carlton says that she is happy that she is less likely to drink the beverage that is the least healthy for her, but at the same time there are days that she is very annoyed when she remembers that she still cannot buy a Coke anywhere on campus.
5. All in all, the three people that I interviewed all had different viewpoints on the campus wide lack of Coke that UF experiences. However, all three of them gave very similar answers in most of the areas; they universally felt that they would be better served if Coke were offered to them instead of or in addition to Pepsi. This consensus amongst them was the most surprising thing that I found in these interviews. I learned that while the addition of Coke would not necessarily supply every person on campus with what they want everyday or bring in more money from each person everyday, it would be something that would be well worth the time and effort. More people would be pleased to see both options present rather than just one or the other.
6. See 3.2, 4.2, 3.3 and 4.3.
7. After conducting these interviews, I feel that all of my initial opportunity is still present. I spoke with three people and all three of them would, at some point, be willing to purchase this good. I feel that my initial belief that this venture had a 90% of being successful is still a reliable number, or it may be a little bit lower than the actual value. 100% of the people interviewed were interested, but this was a very small sample size and would have to be much larger before the population parameter could be accurately assumed from the sample statistic. In terms of changing your plans due to customer feedback, I feel that this is something that is very touchy. On one hand, without customers you are out of business and literally nothing. On the other, you must make a profit in order to make a living and keep the doors open, so to speak. With that in mind, there are some instances where you must remain firm and not listen to the customers. UF has done that in the example talked about above; they signed a contract with Pepsi when Gatorade was created and have stuck with Pepsi ever since. While they could make more money on campus by providing Coke as well, Pepsi's agreement with them outlaws that and they make MUCH more money by selling Gatorade worldwide than they would selling a few more sodas on campus, no matter how much the student body wishes they would review the policy. On the other hand, if the customers have a legitimate complaint that the business can address without detriment to them, this is a great way to prove that you hear your customers and care about them. Balancing these two things in my eyes is what separates the bad businesses, the good businesses and the truly excellent businesses.
2. The opportunity that I identified is that of providing Coca-Cola instead of Pepsi exclusively on UF's campus. While I understand the background of Pepsi and UF's relationship and realize that this is the reason that Coke has not been present at a single vendor on campus, there is still the potential to make more money if that good is provided. This need is felt most days by students of UF anytime that they eat at the various food vendors on campus, as well as by alumni and visitors when they come to campus to attend events such as football games. Currently, some people bring their own Coke from home when they come to campus. Others tough it out and drink Pepsi on the days that they come to campus. Lastly, some people avoid soda altogether and drink things such as water or sweet tea instead. I feel that there is a 90% chance that this would prove successful and profitable if it were able to be implemented in some form.
3.1. Customer 1 - Alumni of UF from 15 years ago who comes to most football games every season; Keitha Bennett.
4.1. Bennett explained that she prefers Coke to Pepsi every time that she is given the choice. While she admits that this is not necessarily a need with the fact that she can drink other, more healthy beverages than soda, she is liable to do that when she comes to campus in order to avoid drinking Pepsi. She said she first became aware of the need her first time back at The Swamp for a football game after she graduated. When she walked up to the concession stand and asked for a hot dog and a Coke, she was disappointed when they asked her if Pepsi was acceptable. When asked how she handles this now, she said that she usually drinks water at games and enjoys Coke that she brings with her right before she walks in. She admitted that she would much rather be able to drink a cold Coke while she watches the game and eats her hot dog, so she is not entirely set on the solution that she has made work for her for now.
3.2. Customer 2 - Alumni of UF that graduated May, 2018; Josh Berko
4.2. Berko was very involved at UF, serving as an RA all four of his years here. Along with that, he ate in the on-campus residence halls often, as free meals in those halls were part of his pay for serving as an RA. He noticed the absence of Coke from the campus within his first two weeks, saying that he does not drink soda often but was excited to have free refills and get Coke during one of his first trips to Gator Dining, only to feel let down when all of the soda machines had nothing but Pepsi products. For him, this need was not felt all that often, as he tended to simply stick to Gatorade and water more often than drink soda; however, when asked if he were offered Coke instead of Pepsi if he would have drank soda more often, the answer was an emphatic yes. With that in mind, while he felt satisfied with his solution to the problem at the time, Berko would have been even more satisfied if offered Coke instead.
3.3. Customer 3 - Current student at UF; Shelby Carlton
4.3. Carlton is in her second semester at UF. During her first day of classes, she decided to take advantage of her break in her schedule and go to Chick-Fil-A at the Hub. As she ordered and prepared to ask for a Coke, she realized that the only thing available was Pepsi products. Since then, she has stuck to sweet tea while on campus and drinks any soda she consumes in the form of Coke in her apartment. Again, she stated that the desire to drink soda was not a need for her, and she admitted that many days she would rather have water or sweet tea. However, when the desire to drink soda with her lunch on campus does come up, the lack of Coke and presence of Pepsi quickly pushes the desire away for her. When asked about her satisfaction with her solution of sticking to sweet tea and water, Carlton says that she is happy that she is less likely to drink the beverage that is the least healthy for her, but at the same time there are days that she is very annoyed when she remembers that she still cannot buy a Coke anywhere on campus.
5. All in all, the three people that I interviewed all had different viewpoints on the campus wide lack of Coke that UF experiences. However, all three of them gave very similar answers in most of the areas; they universally felt that they would be better served if Coke were offered to them instead of or in addition to Pepsi. This consensus amongst them was the most surprising thing that I found in these interviews. I learned that while the addition of Coke would not necessarily supply every person on campus with what they want everyday or bring in more money from each person everyday, it would be something that would be well worth the time and effort. More people would be pleased to see both options present rather than just one or the other.
6. See 3.2, 4.2, 3.3 and 4.3.
7. After conducting these interviews, I feel that all of my initial opportunity is still present. I spoke with three people and all three of them would, at some point, be willing to purchase this good. I feel that my initial belief that this venture had a 90% of being successful is still a reliable number, or it may be a little bit lower than the actual value. 100% of the people interviewed were interested, but this was a very small sample size and would have to be much larger before the population parameter could be accurately assumed from the sample statistic. In terms of changing your plans due to customer feedback, I feel that this is something that is very touchy. On one hand, without customers you are out of business and literally nothing. On the other, you must make a profit in order to make a living and keep the doors open, so to speak. With that in mind, there are some instances where you must remain firm and not listen to the customers. UF has done that in the example talked about above; they signed a contract with Pepsi when Gatorade was created and have stuck with Pepsi ever since. While they could make more money on campus by providing Coke as well, Pepsi's agreement with them outlaws that and they make MUCH more money by selling Gatorade worldwide than they would selling a few more sodas on campus, no matter how much the student body wishes they would review the policy. On the other hand, if the customers have a legitimate complaint that the business can address without detriment to them, this is a great way to prove that you hear your customers and care about them. Balancing these two things in my eyes is what separates the bad businesses, the good businesses and the truly excellent businesses.
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Assignment 2A (Bug list)
1. Many people with out-of-state tags drive 5 under the speed limit and hesitate to go through ‘small gaps in traffic’ that I go through on a daily basis.
· They learned to drive in an area much different than I did, where it is likely rude to drive the way that I do.
2. People pull up to a red light in the far right lane when I need to turn right, but they are continuing straight and block the lane so that I cannot get by and turn until the light changes and they drive.
· They are likely turning right just a short distance up the road and did not want to have to cut across all of the lanes of traffic.
3. When I am turning left onto 34thStreet from Hull Road, people in front of me tend to stack up in the straight/right turn lane and block just enough of the road so that I cannot get by and into the left turn lane without jumping the median with my driver side tires.
· As they pull up to the light they likely are not planning on stopping as soon as they do, do not want to block the bikes on their other side from getting by or simply do not realize that the left turn lane gets a green light first.
4. When I am working a closing shift at work, people come in 10 minutes before I am supposed to leave and ask me to perform a task that will get three different sets of dishes dirty and take at least 5 minutes to do before I clean those dishes.
· These people likely just got off of work and cannot shop at any other time, or assume that we are scheduled to stay late to make time for late shoppers such as them.
5. When I am driving on an interstate, there are people in all three lanes that are doing the same speed (especially anything below ~75 mph) side by side.
· Traffic ahead of them may be slowing down or they may not understand that the left lane is specifically supposed to be reserved for passing other people.
6. When I am doing 5 mph over the speed limit, a person pulls up and begins to ride my bumper in the middle of town.
· Maybe the person does not realize what the speed limit is, is having some sort of emergency or thought that I was going faster as they got closer to me.
7. Many people struggle to park in the center of a parking spot, or park in a corner spot but instead of parking closest to the corner to give the next person extra room, they park right on the line between them and the next car, especially on campus.
· Maybe these people are in a rush and did not have time to readjust the way that they parked or they would have risked being late to an exam or a class.
8. People spread out across the entire sidewalk when they are walking in a group but refuse to move for you when you are walking in the opposite direction as them, or allow you to pass by if you are walking at a faster pace than them.
· Maybe these people do not notice that you are walking by, or have had the same thing happen to them so many times that they believe that is the proper way to use sidewalks at UF.
9. People that are not from Florida immediately assume that you have a pet alligator as soon as they hear that you are from Florida.
· With the Everglades and other swampy areas that make up the state, to people who have never been here the expectation may be that alligators inhabit all water bodies.
10.It is assumed that if you are from Florida, you must be overly tan and spend every weekend at the beach.
· The state is a peninsula and is a very popular tourist location for spending time at the beach.
11.When people hear that you are from near Orlando, they ask if you go to Disney all the time.
· For many people, the idea of Disney is something that they would want to go to all the time if they lived near it, so they must assume that the same feeling exists for those that do live near it.
12.When someone hears that I go to UF, the most common first question is if I want to become a doctor or a lawyer or ‘something else’.
· UF has become a very prestigious school, ranking in the top ten in public universities this past year, so many people assume that if you go there you must want to do one of the things that they consider to be the hardest.
13.My family asks me what I want to do after college every time that I see them.
· For my entire family, college at a major university is something that they did not experience, so they all hold high expectations for my future career and for me.
14.When I am told that I ‘must buy a textbook for a course’ and never use that $200 book one time.
· For many courses, the textbook is a very good supplemental material that can help you excel in it. By making it known that you must have the book from the start, the professor ensures that most of their students will get it and therefore learn the material better.
15.Readings are assigned to be done at home in class, but are then basically read entirely during class as well.
· By assigning the reading to be done at home and giving a quiz on it, the professor knows that we will all have some idea on the topic before he begins to explain it in further detail.
16.People ding the door of your car in parking spots and do not leave a note of any sort, or offer to fix it for you.
· Many people are likely scared whenever they hit someone’s car; they also may not know that they hit it at all or may not see the scratch/dent or be unable to tell if they did it or if it was already there.
17.People assume that those who raise animals for food, such as cattle, mistreat their animals.
· For people without a background in the area, it may make sense for those raising the animals to not care about the livelihood of their animals; also, ads from people such as PETA are the only education they may receive.
18. People take credit for work, however minor it may be, that someone else did as their own.
· In these people’s mind, they may honestly believe that some little part that they played in the act was the only reason that it was able to be carried out.
19. Someone hears that your major has to do with agriculture and they assume that you want to have a corn farm when you grow up.
· Since I began agriculture education in middle school, this stereotype has been something I have heard a lot. Many people do not understand the many different areas of agriculture and the variety of agricultural industries and goods that a state like Florida has.
20. People assume that everything will be given to or done for them.
· Everyone is raised and brought up in a different environment. For me, that environment taught me to work for anything that I want or need. This is not always the case.
Reflection
After I got part of the way done with my list and began to reread my 'bugs', I realized that I probably sound like someone who has road rage all the time! Once I got about halfway through the list, however, I began to feel myself moving more away from some of the more obvious, broad things and beginning to dig a little bit deeper into the smaller things that bug me that someone may not be able to see right away. At the very end, I had to dig deeper still and find things that have to do with my background and upbringing, and things that I would usually only share with those that are very close to me aloud. With that in mind, the beginning of this list was VERY easy for me. Thinking of the first several things was simple, as there are so many things that you think are worth writing. However, as I got deeper into the list, it became harder to think of individual things to use that were specific enough.
Assignment 3A
I have been a sort of an entrepreneur myself since I was in the eighth grade. That year, I purchased two show cattle and started a cattle operation/business of breeding, raising and selling show cattle. That operation is one that is still alive today, just with a new group leading the front. While I still have a portion of the herd of cattle, my younger siblings have taken over the day to day responsibilities of feeding and caring for the animals now that I have finished showing them and they have begun. This 'business' started with two heifers and has grown to a total of around 25 head of show quality cattle today. The primary focus of it has always been to produce show cattle, with a supplementary income of culling a few animals a year and sending them to the market. In doing so, most of the growth in terms of amount of animals has been done from within the herd, which has made the process longer than if we had purchased each animal but also much more cost effective. In the future, I expect for this initial project for school to continue into my adult life as a hobby and potential source of secondary income.
I signed up to take the ENT 3003 course as an elective. I am pursuing my MAB (Masters in Agribusiness) and felt that this course would be one that can prove useful in my future while also being something that I may enjoy taking on top of my current course load. In this class, I hope to diversify my understanding of businesses and learn new things that I will be able to use in my future. While it is very likely that I will be in the agricultural industry and therefore my experiences with agribusiness classes will benefit me, getting more information and knowledge from people that are likely outside of this industry will also help me become a more well-rounded student and make me more well-prepared for my future.
I signed up to take the ENT 3003 course as an elective. I am pursuing my MAB (Masters in Agribusiness) and felt that this course would be one that can prove useful in my future while also being something that I may enjoy taking on top of my current course load. In this class, I hope to diversify my understanding of businesses and learn new things that I will be able to use in my future. While it is very likely that I will be in the agricultural industry and therefore my experiences with agribusiness classes will benefit me, getting more information and knowledge from people that are likely outside of this industry will also help me become a more well-rounded student and make me more well-prepared for my future.
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