Farm Director Joe Gill (KASM, 1150 AM, Albany, Minnesota) raised a calf, which he sold and then contributed its proceeds to the NAFB Foundation.
“After every NAFB Convention, I try to have a take-a-way (usually more than one) that I try to implement as a new idea for our station or programming. I love going to auctions, so the NAFB Foundation auction always catches my attention. In the past, I have provided items for the silent auction, and I am always thinking of what I could do next to help raise and donate money,” Gill said.
“I had an idea. I began raising calves the day after I got back from Washington Watch 2019. It has been over a year, and we currently have 19 head. My family and I have had up to 33 at one time. We raise baby calves up to 400 to 500 pounds then sell them at the local auction barn,” Gill said.
“We rent a barn near the radio station as we currently live in a nearby city. I had the idea to dedicate one of our calves to the NAFB Foundation. I thought, why not raise money via some of the topics we as farm broadcasters talk about daily, such as markets, cattle, and so forth.
“I documented the journey on Facebook and Twitter using #FocusOnFarming and #Steers4Stars. The calf ended up weighing 471 pounds and sold for $1.12 per pound. His proceeds tallied $527.52. We hope to dedicate another steer yet this year. I had a goal of reaching $1,000 by the 2020 NAFB Convention,” Gill concluded.
BOTTOM PHOTO: Gill’s son Ben with #71 Teddy; Gill’s kids have gotten more involved, starting a YouTube channel called Gill Family Farming to educate others on what they do raising calves.
