Lamar Uses Common Sense

A hearty "well done" to Lamar advertising for turning down a purchase from PETA targeting the California dairy which owns an 11 year old cow with Mad Cow Disease or BSE. The animal rights group wished to erect a billboard which said "Real milk comes from real sick cows", ignoring the fact that the cow is not used for milk. Lamar refused to create the ad due to the fact that it was not truthful. If more companies and organizations would be more insistent on truth, integrity and common sense, we would have far fewer problems in the Agriculture Industry. Congratulations to Lamar Advertising. Keep up the good work!

Showman's Clinic

The AgZINE Showman's clinic took place today! We discussed feeding, daily care, clipping, fitting and showmanship and the participants even got some hands-on experience. The demo calf, provided by Matthew Siddoway, was very well behaved and looked very good when we were all done. I had a great time helping the young exhibitors who came with their questions and I hope they enjoyed themselves and learned a lot. Many thanks to our sponsors and volunteers who made this clinic possible: Oregon Trail Livestock Supply, Thomas Angus Ranch, Ampersand Ranch, Coffee Corral, Terri Siddoway, Beverly Coomer, Mark Coomer, Tami Foltz and Jennie Foltz. Without your support this clinic would not have happened. If you missed today's clinic and have questions about clipping your calf, please do not hesitate to call me and we will set up an appointment for you!

Have a nice day!

4-H and FFA beef project members!

Do you want to learn how to clip and fit cattle for show? Do you already know the basics but want to learn more? How about improving your showmanship skills to give you that extra edge at fair? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then the AgZINE Showman’s Clinic is for you! We will cover such topics as daily care, clipping, fitting, and showmanship and will even have time for some hands-on practice. Fresh off of a Kirk Stierwalt fitting clinic, Luke Coomer is ready to help you take your game to the next level! The clinic will take place on May 26 at the Baker County Fairgrounds. The cost is $25 per person and anyone under the age of 21 may enter. The early entry is May 16, after which the cost will increase to $30. There will be a potluck dinner after the clinic so please bring a side, salad or dessert. For entry forms and more information, please contact Luke Coomer at: 541-377-0916 or luke.agzine.coomer@gmail.com.

FFA CDE Days

The Oregon FFA CDE Days were held May 7-8 in Corvallis Oregon. This event is encompasses many different contests, or "Career Development Events", which range from Agricultural Mechanics to Livestock Judging. The Baker FFA Chapter was very competitive this year in several of these CDEs. Taking center stage for Baker this year was the Ag Mechanics team who their contest and will now be representing Oregon at the 2012 National FFA Convention! The team, consisting of Talon Colton, Mickayla Hall, Mark Voboril, Joel Rohner and Cameron Kerns showcased their abilities of welding, tool indentification, electrical wiring and many other agriculturally related tasks to the judges who decided to award them the blue banner. Congratulations and good luck at nationals! The chapter also had Meats Evaluation, Horse Judging, Dairy Judging, Dairy Foods and Livestock Judging teams competing this year. The Meats team took 9th place and the Livestock Judging team placed 6th. Many of the these teams were composed of younger members so next year is going to be GREAT! Let's get 'em Baker!

The Agricultural Dollar

This was forwarded to my ag advisor who sent it to me. This info is from the USDA Economic Research Service. Hug a farmer today. Remember, they buy retail, sell wholesale and pay the freight both ways.



Foodservice and food processing take biggest bite out of the U.S. food dollar

For a typical dollar spent in 2010 by U.S. consumers on domestically-produced food, including both grocery store and eating out purchases, 34 cents went to pay for services provided by foodservice establishments, 21.7 cents to food processors, and 12.8 cents to food retailers. ERS uses input-output analysis to calculate the value added, or cost contributions, to the food dollar by 10 industry groups in the food supply chain. Food processing costs per food dollar were up 17 percent since 2008, whereas costs per food dollar for most other industry groups were flat or declined. For example, energy used throughout the food system accounted for 4.8 cents of the food dollar, down from 6.8 cents in 2008.  This chart is from the Food Dollar Series data product on the ERS website, updated March 20, 2012.

More on the 2012 Oregon State FFA Convention

The Oregon State FFA Convention is the annual meeting of the Oregon State FFA Association and brings together over 2000 members of the FFA from all over the state. With workshops by visiting state FFA officers, industry leaders, motivational speakers and many other highly successful and qualified individuals, this is the premier leadership event in Oregon! These workshops are all planned to help students reach their maximum leadership potential. The convention also hosts booths by the sponsors of the event, and interactive displays by many of them. The State competitions for the myriad Career Development Events or CDEs available through the FFA are also held at convention. The centerpiece of the convention, however, is the sessions held morning and evening. These are hosted and conducted by the State FFA Officer team and include speeches by teachers, politicians, visiting and former State Officers, advisors, former members and guest agriculturists. The sessions are also where awards for competitions are presented and State degrees are awarded. The highlight of each session is the State Officer’s retiring addresses. This is where the officers impart their final thoughts and wisdom to the members before they retire.

 This year’s convention, the 84^th such event, was held in Hermiston Oregon at the Hermiston High School. The theme was “Alive in Action” and we sure did live it up! With workshops ranging from “Get the Worm Faster” by Chad Hymas to “Communicating the FFA Brand” by Charlie Brown (that’s really his name!) from the Florida FFA, to “You CAN farm” by Custom Ag Solutions, there were numerous and varied opportunities for members to develop their leadership skills. Sponsors and colleges had their informational booths set up in the commons with many of them offering free samples of their products, FFA members went head-to-head in competitions such as Parliamentary Procedure, Agricultural Issues, Public Speaking and countless other contests, members made new friends and caught up with old acquaintances and delegates conducted the business of the Oregon FFA. There was a dance on Sunday night and a pre-session show each morning and evening. The guest speakers at each session shared their wisdom and experiences in everything from agriculture to life in general, advisors helped students develop their talents and members shared life experiences. In fact, there was so much going on that it was impossible for any on member to see and do everything. Everyone who went came back with a fresh perspective and a new fire to succeed. It was three days with 2000 of the most gifted, articulate, bright and outgoing young men and women you will ever meet.

Our outgoing State Officer team spent the past year of their lives serving and representing the FFA and its members, touching hearts and changing lives wherever they went. Their hard work, dedication, dignity, humor, charisma, compassion and faith have impacted over 5000 FFA members in the Oregon Association as well as numerous people from other state and even other countries. Our President Ryan Kelly, Vice President Adam Powell, Secretary Grace Wildhaber, Treasurer Jason Wetzler, Reporter Caleb Forcier and Sentinel Nicole Lane are shining examples of leaders to all of us in Oregon and they have impacted me personally. Ryan has shown me that you must never give up just because you have giants staring you down. Adam has taught me that character counts. Grace has helped me see that a smile for someone who is having a bad day will cheer you up too and that beauty is who you are not what you are. Jason has taught me that some questions do not have answers and that compassion is one of the greatest virtues of any leader. Caleb has shown me that a good attitude and an open personality are vital to anyone in life. And Nicole has shown me how to be cheerful and encouraging no matter what the situation. These six incredible young adults have shown me what it takes to be an effective leader and friend, even if you have just met someone. We, the Oregon FFA, are privileged in having had them as our leaders for a year. Their friendship and the example they have set will always be with me as I pursue my own dream of becoming a State Officer one day. I hope that I can live up to the high standard they have set.

Oregon State FFA Convention

The Baker FFA Chapter arrived in Hermiston OR for the 2012 State Convention. This convention brings together over 2000 FFA members, advisors, parents and guests every year. The Ag Issues team will present tonight in the preliminary flights. Please wish us luck and keep your fingers crossed.