Jake Fanning of May, Okla., originally purchased cattle as a part of a competition with his FFA chapter, but that simple transaction turned him onto a lifestyle and passion for work in the cattle industry.
It all began when a local feedlot became involved with the local FFA chapter and created a stocker cattle competition. Those participating in the competition were to buy four head of cattle and feed them either at the feedlot or at home for 100 days. Then certain prizes were awarded based on the highest average daily gain, the highest profits or on the amount of pounds gained in addition to an interview competition.
Once Fanning began taking his agricultural education classes and became more involved in FFA, he realized there were ways where he could grow his business and be successful. He worked with his brother and sister on starting a cattle company as part of his supervised agricultural experience (SAE), where they’d buy the cattle around 300-500 pounds and raise them to 700-800 pounds and then they’d sell them on the national market.
“Learning the proper business techniques, the accounting processes and the financial formulas helped me grow the business,” Fanning said. “Through FFA there have been a lot of opportunities that have been given to me, which has helped me grow my passion for the beef industry in northwest Oklahoma.”
In addition to the cattle company, Fanning and his brother and sister started a not-for-profit organization, “The Beef Project.” They seek out monetary or financial donations of beef, process it and then have it delivered to five food pantries in northwest Oklahoma and have about 15 different families they donate to once a month.
“Seeing the look on people’s faces and realizing how much of any impact that the beef industry and our organization has on them has been very rewarding,” Fanning said. “There’s no amount of profit that I could make in this industry that could surpass what has been done with this organization in the amount of two years so far.”
Fanning’s passion for the beef industry as well as his heart for giving back and strengthening his community has earned him the honor of being named a 2017 finalist for the American Star Farmer.
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