At the 2024 Oklahoma Local Ag Summit, Oklahoma Farm Reporter Maci Carter visited with Jona Kay Squires, the Ag Business Manager at the Mid America Technology Center.
“It is really a unique job in that we get to provide training to agricultural entrepreneurs in the counties that we serve,” Squires said. “There are 29 technology centers in the state, and most of us will touch every 77 counties we have.”
From one-on-one consultations to training classes, Squires said the Mid-America Technology Center provides resources for those with careers in agriculture to accelerate.
“It can be anybody that has a small garden, it can be a livestock producer, crop producer, any way that we can help them to be economically, viably more productive,” Squires said.
Squires said the center also offers daytime programs that connect clients to labor sources and trends in the industry.
“We constantly are networking and out there in the field trying to cultivate those relationships,” Squires said.
One important aspect in homing in on success, Squires said, is to establish clear goals. While simply writing down goals may not hold a person accountable, Squires emphasized telling others about these goals.
“I think it is motivational in a sense, but it also makes you accountable,” Squires said.
While we may not reach our goals each time, Squires said these instances are a great chance to reassess, take a breath, and think about what needs to happen next. Squires said that failure can sometimes give people the chance to readjust and find success in a different way.
“Maybe that mentor or those other people that are your accountability partners can help you reassess that situation so that you can be successful,” Squires said.
For those who have a business, Squires also talked about how it is critical to analyze strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities.
“We can always spit out strengths very well, and sometimes the weaknesses may be more of a struggle,” Squires said. “I always think it is interesting to hear the threats and opportunities.”
Squires added that really analyzing a business from the inside out allows a person to see room for growth and to consider ways to improve. Regarding business management, Squires also talked about not just prioritizing the next few years but looking at how the business will run in the next generation.
“Think about your questions, then take those questions to an expert, and that will help you decide how you want to structure your business,” Squires said.
Squires also discussed loan and grant opportunities for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers. Click the audio bar above the story to hear the full conversation!
