I have to admit, I hate social media. I don’t see any value in it, I don’t care what 90% of people I follow post, and I’m pretty sure 99% of people that follow me don’t care what I have to post either. I’m very bad at it, I only make a post once every few months, and maybe have a few stories a week. If it were up to me, I’d never use it and let it go away. But, that’s not how the world works in 2023. People love social media. The biggest celebrities in the world right now are TikTok stars. Billions if not trillions of dollars are invested into it every year. Pat McAfee got paid 150 million dollars for three years just to say the words FanDuel. Its a wild world. It would be stupid to not try and get at least a tiny bit of the pie.
Beats Beer Bonfires was my first try at the world of social media and the internet. While nothing very notable has come from it yet, I’ve created some very exciting opportunities coming soon. I have a blog that does well, a good Instagram following, and hope for the future. However, I recently posted about two other projects I’ve been working on.
The first is Reel Forestry. Reel Forestry got created in 2020 after I graduated from college during a hiring freeze. The plan was to develop management plans for Connecticut landowners, then get my CT Foresters license and eventually execute the plans. At the time I had a major issue, I didn’t have a place to practice forestry. I had a few minor options of 1 or 2 acres, but not enough to get the full effect of writing a management plan. Eventually, I broke through the hiring freeze, got a job, and Reel Forestry was on the backburner. I never gave up on my dream though. I had the logo put on a Yeti cup, and still use it almost every day as a reminder of my dream. When Kayla and I purchased our property in 2023 and it had 10 acres, 9 of which are forest, I knew the dream was back on. Sure, I’ve been focused on the boring housework. Building things, moving things, redoing things, etc. has been consuming my time. But that’s coming to an end very soon. The weather is improving, and the Reel Forestry business plan is in development and ready to go.
The second logo I unveiled is the Reel Ranch logo. Yea I know, I live in Connecticut, we don’t have ranches. Yea I also know, ranches are out West. Sure, most ranchers will hate me for calling my little 10 acre plot of land in Connecticut a ranch. Ok fine, ranches are known for growing meat cows and I’m growing chickens and crops… its possible I have a farm. Guess what though, Reel Ranch sounds a lot more badass than “Reel Farm or Reel Agriculture” does. I’ve always had a soft spot for agriculture. I grew up surrounded by dairy farms. I went to E.O Smith High School and was a part of the FFA. Even in college for Forestry, I learned about Agroforestry and never wanted to talk about anything else. Shit, you can throw a cow in a forest, and both will thrive? Sign me up.
Reel Ranch is a project that I’m especially interested in because I want to learn. There is so much about agriculture that interests me in a way little else does. I don’t know anything about livestock besides cows give me cheeseburgers and chickens give me pork. I joined the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity trying to find people that would teach me about farming, but I found beer instead and forgot to ask the question. Agriculture is crazy to me. People only want to eat organic and non-GMO. Those same people however are the first to get mad over fertalizer emissions. They expect farmers to sell off pastures for more housing. Its bananas. I also am a sucker for the romanticized parts of farm life, as is anyone who watches Yellowstone by the way. I recently stayed in an Air Bnb in upstate New York, where I sat in a hot tub, with a beer in my hand, while a light snowfall came down, overlooking a pasture of hundreds of cows, with the Catskill mountains towering over me. I mean come on man, what’s better than that?
So yes, my sporadic and unorganized self has put more unnecessary work on my plate. I now have a full-time job, 3 business ventures that I’m exploring, learning how to be successful in the 21st century online, getting various licenses and certifications that I need, getting a house ready to show off to friends and family, and trying to maintain friendships and my relationship… I’m an extremely lucky man. I love every opportunity I have, and while I stress myself out for no reason trying to keep up, I wouldn’t trade any of this for the world. At some point I’ll have regular content, not just content talking about what I’m up to out for you to enjoy. For now here’s the plan for Reel Forestry and Reel Ranch!
