May 6, 2021
Welcome to the County Fair Podcast! This is the podcast where fair influencers share their valuable insights, strengthening and growing the long-lived tradition of the county fair.
This week, your hosts Jeffrey Palermo and Christina Rudolph, are joined by Blake Edwards — a longtime friend of Christina’s!
Blake Edwards is an Operations Manager at Vision Diary Services and a member of Edwards Family Genetics. Blake lives and breathes agriculture and has a rich history of involvement and giving back.
Through Edwards Family Genetics, Blake and his family strive to provide learning experiences for the youth of their county. Their top priority at EFG is to present youth with a positive experience in the livestock industry as well as maintain lifelong friends and customers. They have a passion for kids, cattle, pigs and people — and strive to continually improve their genetics.
In this episode, Blake speaks about why agriculture is a calling (not a profession), his personal history in agriculture, where his career in agriculture has taken him, how agriculture impacts him and his family, and how he is giving back to his community. Blake also shares some fascinating insights on the challenges of teaching agriculture, his advice for children and families looking to get started with showing animals at livestock fairs, and why it is so important for youth to get involved with local agriculture projects.
Topics of Discussion:
[:00] About the County Fair Podcast.
[:19] This show is brought to you by ShoWorks.
[:42] Today’s bible verse.
[:59] Jeffrey Palermo and Christina introduce and welcome their guest, Blake Edwards.
[1:19] Blake shares about his background in agriculture.
[3:14] Blake discusses his recent experience with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
[4:17] Blake shares how he got started in breeding, why he has stuck with it, and some of his proudest accomplishments.
[6:40] Why Blake thinks it’s so important for youth to get involved with agriculture projects.
[9:06] Blake’s advice to families and children that want to get started in raising animals to show.
[10:20] The challenges of agriculture teaching (and why passion is a pre-requisite if you want to begin teaching it.)
[12:08] Blake speaks about the current role he plays when attending livestock shows.
[13:21] Blake shares some of the key advice he gives to children prior to attending the show they’re showing at.
[14:50] Does nutrition and diet vary per pig? How calculated is it?
[16:45] What is the typical cost of first getting started in raising and preparing a pig for show. What can you expect to make back at your local county fair?
[18:35] A word from County Fair Podcast’s sponsor: ShoWorks.
[18:54] How are kids helped out with the expenses that come along with raising an animal for showing?
[21:09] What interested Blake in getting involved with Vision Dairy Services, Inc.?
[25:24] With three children of his own, does Blake see his passion for agriculture being passed on?
[27:40] Blake shares a few of his all-time favorite livestock fair experiences.
[30:50] How to get in contact with Blake.
[32:58] Jeffrey and Christina thank Blake Edwards for joining the County Fair Podcast!
Mentioned in this Episode:
Edwards Family Genetics (Facebook)
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
The County Fair is Brought to You By ShoWorks
ShoWorks’ fair entry software has set the gold standard for fairs across the United States and Canada for more than 20 years, serving more than 75% of the country’s fairs. ShoWorks is in place to handle fair entries, billing, payouts, and the incorporation of virtual elements into your show and auction. Visit www.FairSoftware.com to learn more!
God Moment
“The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.” Deuteronomy 28:12
Want to Learn More?
Visit CountyFairPodcast.com for show notes and additional episodes.