Presley Merritt supports her business while competing at the Collin County Livestock Show.
Presley Merritt began her Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) journey during her freshman year of high school with just $200. Little did she know, by her senior year that $200 would become $30,000.
Starting with just two velveteen lops, Merritt began creating her rabbit business. She began by breeding her rabbits and selling the kits until she was eventually able to use the money she earned to build more cages and buy more rabbits. She then set her focus on buying specific rabbits in order to breed chocolate velveteen lops. Chocolate velveteens are a rare color variety among the breed. Now with a total of 17 lops, Merritt has made herself a pioneer for the velveteen breed.
Through her success in breeding high-quality velveteen lops, Merritt has become a board member for the Velveteen Lops of Texas. In her position as a board member, she has been able to mentor kids across the country and help them achieve their breeding goals. She has also sold her rabbits to more than 20 different states and England.
Despite her flourishing business, breeding rabbits is not easy work. From learning how to market her business across a variety of platforms to calculating precise feed and supplement amounts for each rabbit, Merritt has had her work cut out for her.
Achievements and Goals
After doing interviews and filling out extensive paperwork, Merritt found herself the Texas FFA state champion in the small animal production and care agricultural proficiency area. Currently, she is preparing to compete at national convention this coming October.
Regardless of all her achievements, Merritt hopes to expand her business to have 20 breeding rabbits, higher-quality kit production and more chocolate-colored kits. Even after she graduates, she will continue to be a key figure in rabbit production.
