FFA Today: Louisiana FFA Member Builds Engine Repair Business

The West Ouachita High School student will take his small engine repair SAE to the National FFA Convention this fall.

West Monroe, La. (RFD News) — For Taylor Nolan, fixing things has grown from a childhood hobby into a business.

The West Ouachita High School student grew up helping on his family’s cattle and hay operation, but his interest in small engines began with a love of Legos.

“I fixed a couple of things here and there for my dad just a couple of times and watched him do it a couple of times. Growing up, Legos were always my thing. I thought of them as a Lego puzzle,” He continued. “These small motors have a certain way they go together. The instructions are very specific, and that’s what got me initially interested in doing this, but I wasn’t able to work on them until I got into FFA and learned from that.”

After joining FFA as a freshman, Nolan turned that passion into a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) focused on small engine repair.

His project earned the Star Award at the Louisiana FFA Convention and has since grown into his own business, Long Creek Small Engine Repair, named after the creek that runs through his family’s property.

Nolan will take his small engine repair SAE to the National FFA Convention this fall.

Related Stories
Cooper Kline is one of four finalists for the American Star Farmer award.
Noah Wiley discusses his path from growing up on the farm to becoming a national FFA finalist.
Jose Yepez turned a high school lawn care operation into a business with $1 million in total revenue.
CEO Scott Stump credits agriculture educators and advisors with helping drive the growth.
Young farmers gathered in Indianapolis for leadership development, industry tours and networking.
Addison Kennon’s FFA project is giving her real-world experience in growing and marketing candied jalapeños.

Tammi was raised on a cotton and soybean farm in Tallulah, Louisiana. In 1981, she became a TV news anchor and reporter at KNOE-TV in Monroe, Louisiana. She is also an anchor/reporter for RFD-TV and Rural Radio Channel 147 on Sirius XM at their Nashville news studio, where Tammi currently resides.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Dunn reflects on growing up in rural Colorado and the influence FFA still has on her career.
The statewide network will bring researchers and producers together to test new technology.
Farm Bureau says data centers are critical to agriculture, but farmland loss must be considered.
The three-day tour highlights the work behind one of Georgia’s major crops.
Large family farms make up just 5% of operations but produce half of U.S. agricultural value.
One Tennessee grower says deer damage costs his operation $10,000 to $25,000 annually.