Taylor Eddie Introduces Agriculture as a Business to Youth in Her Community of Spanish Fork

Taylor’s Dream

Taylor’s dream is to introduce agriculture as a business career to the Nebo School District Title VI Indian Education program in order to teach her peers and younger students hands-on practices in agriculture.

And she has already planned out her course of action by first building a chicken coop and buying chickens for students who are interested in learning. From there she intends on buying a couple of milking goats and building a pen.

“The purpose of the chicks is to teach students how to raise them, collect eggs and then harvest meat to feed families,” she said. “The purpose for the goats is to teach students to get milk from the goats and make soap and cheese.”

And, she is also working to plant a vegetable garden to teach students to plant, harvest, prepare food and sell the surplus.

“When the chickens are slaughtered and the goats have been milked and the garden has been harvested, I want to have a farmers market and teach them how to start a business.”

Taylor’s Home and Community

Taylor lives in the northern Utah town of Spanish Fork in what she describes as a nice, urban community.

“It can be busy, but not as busy as Salt Lake City (about 50 miles north),” she says, adding “and Spanish Fork has better drivers.”

As far as her school community, “everyone is friendly and minds their own business, but it’s easy to spot out cliques.”

The Nebo School District Title VI Indian Education program has about 210 Native American students, represented by about 175 families, from 25 different tribes, and spread out over a 40-mile radius.

“Our mission,” says Taylor’s mentor Title VI program manager Eileen Quintana, “is to empower each Native American student to be better culturally educated, to be academically progressing towards graduation and to empower parents to be involved with the education of their children.”

What motivated Taylor to develop her dream?

Taylor told us she was motivated to pursue her dream saying, “I want to teach younger students and my peers hands-on practices in agricultural careers.

“I want to teach them how to start a business and have it be successful by teaching a basic plan, advertising, employment (hiring and interviews) and of course, money management.

“I want to teach them the importance of agriculture and how it ties in to Native history and culture.”

The Dream as a Solution

Taylor notes that her project fits perfectly into the theme of entrepreneurship because “agriculture is business. It is one of the most important businesses because it feeds the world.

“Times have changed for our Native American communities who were always hunters and gatherers, now we can make a living so that we can support our families with this career. Native Americans have been practicing agriculture for generations.”

Taylor also points out that in addition to providing income for farmers, it also provides food security for the population.

“Local farming gives us the ability to feed people in our communities independent of outside influences and keeps dollar spent on agricultural products in the local economy,” she said. “The most basic needs of humankind are food, water and shelter. Without them, life, society, and economies cease to exist.”

The Potential Impact in the Future

“Times have changed for our Native American communities who were always hunters and gatherers, now we can make a living so that we can support our families.

“Farmer entrepreneurs see their farms as a business. They see their farms as a means of earning profits. They are passionate about their farm business and are willing to take calculated risks to make their farms profitable and their businesses grow.”