Amplify Conference In State College

Over the Valentine's Day weekend, The Bibbed Wonder and I had the opportunity to attend the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau's Amplify Conference in State College. I was excited about this opportunity because it seemed to offer useful information on how to rethink the small family farm. If I am being transparent, most family farms cannot support the families who farm them. Most families have to hold jobs off the farm, and many farm as a hobby or a side business. 

I have declared that 2026 will be the year we utilize the land we are privileged to own, get our proverbial ducks in a row, and expand our business to the lifestyle level. I'll explain more about that a little later in the blog. If you are a frequent reader, you know I am full of ideas. Most of my ideas require a lot of time, energy, and work that I don't do. We are all given talents. My talent just happens to be ways to keep The Bibbed Wonder busy. What can I say, it's a gift. 

Well, I have my ideas for fully utilizing our land, and then my bib overall-wearing buddy goes rogue and decides he, too, has ideas for using it. Attending a conference on agri-tourism, social media, and marketing a family farm was right up our alley. We gleaned a lot of useful information, made some great connections, and met some wonderful people. It was a weekend filled with purpose and intent. 

For most of the weekend, we divided and conquered in breakout sessions. I attended a segment on the impact of positive language, and I have a leg up, thanks to 10 years in the classroom. Eric took on anything with numbers or social media origins. The session I attended gave me even bigger ideas for expanding and improving what we are already doing. I have a strong interest in doing a monthly vlog. At the same time, Eric and Jordan have ideas for more in-depth videos, cooking segments, and reels. Overall, the weekend was a success in educating us and helping us develop our ideas. 

While I am not ready to share my ideas in full, I can say we are working with the USDA and NCRS to improve drainage in our fields and incorporate pollinator-friendly flowers. Eric is trying really hard to get them to jump on board with wireless fencing for the goats. It is fascinating. Each goat wears a collar similar to underground dog fencing, and the farmer can use their phone or computer to adjust the grazing area's perimeters using GPS. This innovation would be a great asset to the health and well-being of our goats. They would have extensive fresh pasture. It would reduce the risk of parasite infestation. The land could be "greenly" cleared of invasive species, and the goats would be happy to graze upon their favorite scrub brush. I am only seeing the positives in this situation. However, the collars are quite expensive, which is a con. Also, creating sustainable water sources could be an issue. As with all technology, once it hits the mass market, it will eventually become cheaper. 

I believe we are making progress in seeing our ideas come to fruition. That, dear reader, is a good feeling. I can't wait until everything is solidified and I can share my ideas in full. However, as they say, Rome was not built in a day. Trust that we are getting there, and you will have an opportunity to partake in our ideas. It's definitely something to look forward to. 

Regarding the business's lifestyle level, when I developed the business plan, Eric encouraged me to think big and view the business in tiers. The first tier is product. We developed a solid product, have a strong return rate among our online customers, and continue to expand our focused product line. (This is 100% Eric. I am literally a disco ball shooting out ideas willy-nilly.) 

The second tier is developing our brand. We have strong brand recognition and can dig deeper to improve it further. With this year marking our 10th year in business, I believe it is time for a small refresh and development. Once the brand is established, we can move into the third phase, lifestyle. This is where we take our products and brand and promote a more lifestyle-oriented approach. This, dear reader, is what is currently in development. 

On this late February day, stay safe, be smart, know good things are coming, keep learning, and of course, keep washing your hands.