Reaping One Last Seed

I received a surprising email about a month ago from the Ohio FFA Association inviting me to attend a retiring State FFA Officer reunion in May 2, 2013 as Kayla Starlin's former FFA Advisor.  It was such a pleasant surprise as I hadn't taught at Logan since 2010.  It was so thoughtful of Kayla to include me in her special weekend.

I have taught some truly remarkable students over the years.  I thoroughly enjoy every letter, card, email, phone call, facebook message and tweet keeping me updated on their accomplishments and sometime disappointments.  Selfishly it is nice to be remembered and included in your lives.  Thank you all for keeping me in the loop.

As I sat in the audience at the State FFA Convention today with a mother of one of my former students, she was reminding and pointing out all of the outstanding students I have had the privilege to teach over the years. There have been outstanding leaders and many good souls. They are too numerous to count. It has been a blessing.

Included in this picture with me is my former teaching partner Andrew Delong, Kayla and my former student and current Agriculture Education teacher with Andrew, Jeremy Grove.  

 
Kayla I couldn't be more proud to have been able to be your teacher and advisor. I hope you enjoy a fantastic convention and  I look forward to all of your wonderful accomplishments yet to come.

FFA - oh how things have changed

Back in the late 90's FFA seemed to be a little different as I browsed through some old pictures.  I guess that warrants Jacie's recent comment "like in 1999, back in the old days".  Nothing like your own children reminding you of your age.  In the fall of 1995 when we flew to Kansas City for National Convention there wasn't as much security and I am sure it was much easier on advisers to fly with their chapters. I am confident that Carmen bought that drink before we came through security, she didn't have to remove her jacket and the pins didn't set off an alarm.

 Cell phones were new, expensive and mostly kept in a bag for your car.  So, when we returned from convention sessions the hotel lobby was full of students calling parents collect.  I remember calling my parents in EST which was usually at midnight. Dad waited up for my call that was about 2 and half minutes to say I am great, conventions great, call you tomorrow.  Do kids even know how to call collect today?  FFA camp was the same way, only there was only one phone for 250 campers.  The boyfriend type relationships were difficult through the state officer year.  Who wants to wait in line for a phone every night.  I dumped my boyfriend night number two on the FFA Camp payphone.  Really I saw the calendar, waiting in line for a payphone didn't sound fun to me. Correct me if I am wrong team, but the only relationships that made it through the year, are now married.

I would also like to note that high waist jeans with no back pockets were cool too.

Pretending it was someone's birthday at expensive steak restaurants was also fun in the late 90's.  Doing it three times at one restaurant in one evening was not cool with Mr. Gratz.   I am not sure it would be much cooler today with some of the people who are now advisers that sat around that table.

FFA Throwback Thursday Trivia

I am a little late to celebrating FFA week - I apologize.  Who wants to play trivia?  Name the person or people in the picture, where the picture was taken and what the event was.  Good luck!

Farm Toy Show, Pedal Pull and National Winning Toy Display

Looking for something to do as a family and you live in central Ohio, this is it.  The annual Farm Toy Show that helps support the Sheridan FFA and Sheridan FFA Alumni.  The highlights of the event include; a pedal pull, shopping for unique pieces of farm toys that can't be bought elsewhere (sometimes at a discount) and having the opportunity to view my Dad's National Farm Toy, Champion Display.

Sunrise Pictures

I post a lot of sunrise pictures on Facebook.  There are several reasons behind my sunrise pictures.

- There is something inspiring about a sunrise.  A new beginning.  The fact that you have awaken for a new day and can spend the day accomplishing whatever you set out to do.  At this time, it is usually too early to decide if the day will be a good or bad day.

- Sunrise pictures are not confrontational.

- Most mornings are a battle of getting the girls to put their clothes and shoes on independently.  Making sure everyone has something healthy in their belly, before we get moving.  We struggle to get out the door on time.  Sometimes I will tell the girls we have to hurry, so we can get to the top of the hill to get the picture of the sunrise.  There are times they buy into my plan and other times, they don't care if we get the picture or not. The best times are when the girls pick out the sunrise and say "oh that's a good one, put it on Facebook".  There is nothing like a lesson in noticing the little things in life.

- There is another reminder of the sunrise that comes from the Opening Ceremonies of all FFA meetings, banquets and conventions, where the Vice President asks the Advisor: "Why is the president so stationed?" (Stationed by the rising sun) and the Vice President says: "The rising sun is the token of a new era in agriculture. If we will follow the leadership of our president, we shall be led out of the darkness of selfishness and into the glorious sunlight of brotherhood and cooperation." This saying is timeless, inspirational and oh so very true.

What do sunrises mean to you? Where have you watched your favorite sunrise?

Science not Politics

If you would like to change the world, an education and career in science should be your route not politics.  I am told there was a time in our country that our representatives in politics actually had businesses and careers in their hometowns and only went to DC or their respective State Capitols to discuss and vote on official business. Hmmmm!

I see a lot of people commenting, blogging, reporting, and voting on things they are not entirely educated on.  If you want to change agriculture, food sources, education, medical practices, laws or anything else your heart desires, you should be studying the subject matter through a multitude of resources (including live people interviews) and do some old fashioned science projects. This should be a top priority.

There are many issues this applies to, some from my former classroom teacher days, some from owning a feed yard and some from my community of agriculture people I pal around with.

Who thought it would be a good idea to make it more of the responsibility of teachers for the attendance, graduation and passing of "the test"?  Who thinks that high school students who are days from entering the real world, where we want them to get out of bed and get to a job where they will pay taxes, are given no responsibility in setting an alarm and getting themselves out of bed? Many times in my teaching career I was told to call parents of 17 and 18 year old students' about them being late, not turning into their homework, and not working to their potential. I think a good talk with the pre-adult student would be more useful.

We coddle children in our society entirely too much, always thinking we expect too much of them. Then one day we want them to wake up and be adults. Who would think that is going to work?  I often look to the Amish Community when thinking about expectations for our girls.  If I grade myself on this scale I would be failing currently as an Amish Mom. My girls don't do laundry, have any real cleaning responsibilities, bake or cook.

The most recent story being talked about is antibiotics being used in livestock.  I understand the concern for the topic, however I can't understand why after all these years someone would go to the government rather than the laboratory/feed yard/farm to see if those people are concerned.  I surround myself with some really smart people. It is part of my plan to get through life. Dr Francis Fluharty is just one of those people. He has spent his life studying chemistry, animal science, and ruminants and in my mind if he says it's safe and he feeds a lot of beef to his family, I believe him.  Can you believe with all of the uproar over antibiotic use, not one person has called our feed yard. Not one reporter trying to get the truth, not one editor determined to find the truth for their readers.  Don't you think asking a feed yard owner about antibiotic use is important? Don't you think asking, "what if, we told you tomorrow you can't use any antibiotics at 4+ Feeders, what would you do?" "What do you think would be the repercussions to the consumer and how many cattle would suffer or worse die?"

If I was a reporter, I would ask these questions:

1. If antibiotics were not able to be used, starting tomorrow, what would happen at your feed yard?
2. Would the price of beef go up, if so in what proportion?
3. What things do you do to use less antibiotics?
4. When you choose a steer/heifer to butcher for your family, do you make sure you get one that has not been treated?
5. How do you choose a steer/heifer for your family?

The problem with our thought patterns is we have become a nation of couch problem solvers.  If we have an issue, problem or complaint we should not always email our representative.  We should first write people that have first hand experience with the "situation". We should also find people to represent us in government that have had at least 10 years of experience in the field.  For example before you start telling people how to run a classroom and what is best for their students, you should have been in a classroom teaching students.  That does not count, being in a principals office. Because unless you are in the trenches, it doesn't count.

The technology of Record Keeping.

I was recently asked to make comments on an important Agriculture Topic. What has been the best new technology or management style that farmers and ranchers use to produce more food?

One of the oldest and most effective management quotes on record is "you can't manage what you don't measure".  Farmers and ranchers continue to get new technologies in order to record and measure more and more information.  As we continue to collect and record more data we are able to manage more intensely. Examples of these include the use of EID (electronic identification) tags and the collection of this information.  At 4+ Feeders we are able to document the antibiotic given, date given, and withdraw date.  Being a backgrounder for calves that eventually move to another feed yard, this information easily transfers to the next care takers of the cattle.  In return beef consumers can be sure that their steaks, burgers, brisket or roast are completely safe.

There are numerous devices and tools that have been designed to help with food production.  I am sure you are thinking about a few right now.  However when I was teaching Agriculture Education I told all of my students whether they were returning to the farm or not that keeping track of expenses and expenditures for personal use, or if they were running a hair salon, dairy or any other business keeping accurate records is extremely important.  We filled out mock record books in class.  I recognized that the curriculum has called for all information to be put into a computer system.  I think it is extremely important to keep records electronically because it will give you more data and information to make better business decisions.  

However I always felt as a teacher to students being introduced to record keeping, that they should do their own adding and subtracting.  I didn't like the computer system adding for them and transferring the numbers through the book and then subtracting the expenses and telling them what they made.  I wanted them to understand the numbers moving through the system and how to change them.  It was important for them to understand that profit could be increased by both decreasing expenses and increasing income.  

I will never forget the day I realized that America was at a great loss in our education system for not teaching this anywhere in math except as an elective.  I had a National Honor Society student in my class and at the end of the week of teaching these concepts, he said "I am in Honors Algebra II, and I just don't get this."   I am thinking at this point and we are in big trouble. While I appreciate the math I have taken involving letters, that math has not made me near the money that math with numbers has.  

I am so thankful for the record keeping experience Jake and I have had with the FFA and Agriculture Education. If it wasn't for that experience, we wouldn't be doing what we are today.  Although our record system has changed and continues to evolve based on the information we want to collect and need to collect.  

There are two things that reminded me this weekend about how important record keeping was and continues to be in all facets of life.  The first was my cousin Friday night sitting down after we ate dinner together to count and record the money she had made cutting and coloring hair that day.  She recorded information from that day on paper, quite possibly the most simple record keeping system available, but still very useful. The second thing was when I found my Grandpa's record books from his Agriculture Education and FFA days.  I wish I would have had these when I was teaching.  These are my Grandpa Jim Poorman's record books from his Junior year of High School in 1942-1943.  This was the same year that he quit high school to take over the family farm after his father passed away. 

According to his records he took corn, wheat, cattle, sheep and hogs as his projects.  

This is an agreement that is very similar to the one found in today's record keeping system for Agriculture Education. It always bothered me that students would forge their parent's signature on these.  I would tell them it was against the law to sign someone else's name, they would say "oh my parents don't care".  Do you think these signatures look like forgeries?

Isn't this budget interesting?

A cattle Plan of Practice. In 1942 it looks like corn was on the menu for cattle.  Hmmmm!

Does anybody want to harvest corn with this plan of practice?

  

Perry County Fair - Queen Contest

Growing up and watching a queen be crowned every year of the Perry County Fair, became a tradition and then a goal.  In 1996 I interviewed to be the next Perry County Fair Queen.  I thought the competition was particularly tough that year.  The two other girls making the top three were from the rival high school and we had competed for years in 4-H and FFA.  There really was no way to tell who would come out on top.

 
Although they announced weeks in advance who would be in the top three, you had to wait until opening night of the fair to see who would be crowned.  The day of the interviews I was driving the square baler all afternoon. I spent most of the day thinking about what the judges would ask and what would be an appropriate answer and then what might be the best answer.

The night finally came for the Queen to be announced.  I was feeling lucky to have been named the 1996 Perry County Fair Queen. Brad Dennis's name was announced as the King and that would be a neat piece of history made.  Brad and I were both members of a very small 4-H Club called the Cow Kids.

Janet Koehler donated our trophies as she had done for many other Queens and Kings.

The unfortunate part of being the Queen is the wardrobe.  The usual cattle washing attire does not cut it for the week of the fair as the Queen.  However whatever you wear all week, you still have to care for your animals and look nice for appearances and photos.  This is quite the challenge.  There is also no local mall, therefore when the queen is crowned you had to have clothes in your closet. In the late 90's that meant colored Wranglers for me.

There are movies that make a mockery of the County Fair Queen title and country songs that mention it.  However for a girl who loved the county fair, it was a dream.  After all becoming the Fair Queen in 1996 meant behind the scenes passes, free fair food, pictures with the Champions, a front seat pass to the sale, tractor pull, demolition derby (this would be a first for me).  It would also mean a long tired week of appearances at every event and the usual busy week with your own projects.

The following year was my final year in 4-H. My brother Jason and cousin Jodi were running for fair King and Queen.  It was exciting to be a part of the special evening together.

Me, Jason (who got me into this) and Jodi

Brad and I made our way to the stage to give up our titles to the next lucky people.

The 1997 Fair Queen would be Carly Snider and the Fair King would be Brandon Snider. Unfortunately neither Jason or Jodi were announced as the winners.  However Jodi was the 1999 Fair Queen and Jason I think may have escaped a title he may not have wanted.

Summer Fun - Goat Show

We just arrived home from a wonderful evening watching my good friend Tracy Dendinger judge the Harrison County Goat Show.  She is an Agriculture Education teacher and Sheep breeder and does an excellent job judging and coaching young 4-H and FFA members.  Watching her judge in a very interactive way is more like watching a clinic than a show. I was able to sit with Jacie and Jaelin and we learned a lot about goats.  Jaelin;s first question was of course when are the cattle coming out.  I had to explain that this wasn't a steer show.  We clearly need to introduce more species to her.  Jacie had a lot of questions including what happens to the goats after they are shown.

The girls enjoyed a Lemon Shake-Up from the caged bleacher area.  Jake and I really enjoyed this seating option. They thought being fed through the cage was like bottle feeding calves.

They then decided they wanted front row seats to finish their Shake-Up and enjoy the lemons.

Watching Tracy's passion for education in the show ring is inspiring. 

The girls took at least 100 pictures of Tracy judging.  Most of the pictures do not include her head.  However I will share this picture taken by Jacie.

Thanks Tracy for inviting us to watch.  It was a wonderful family experience and the girls learned a lot.

And the Grammy goes to . . .

I have come to the conclusion that I probably will never be famous or win an Oscar, Grammy or make it to the Big Leagues.  Nor will I see my name in lights, be on the cover of a magazine or win a gold medal.

BUT . . .

Tonight a group of high school students from the Union Local FFA Chapter invited me to their banquet and gave me this FFA Honorary Degree and thanked me for helping them.  They even asked if I would get my picture with them.  This is actually my second "Grammy" this year another group of students in Lexington, Nebraska gave me an Honorary Degree this year and the Chief Logan FFA presented one to me in I believe 2002.  I know to my non FFA readers, this may seem strange, but I think these are better than a Grammy.

My acceptance speech is this.  Thank you to God for giving me the gift to teach and placing me in a rural place with a love for Agriculture.  Thanks to all of my mentors for continuing to help me grow.  Thank you to all of the students along the way that have listened to my advice, guidance and knowledge, even though at some points during my coaching/teaching you all thought I was completely nuts and a little pushy.  Thank you to my parents for a great start in life, with no major issues to see a counselor over.  Thank you to my husband who tolerates my addiction to the best youth program in the world the FFA.  A final thank you to my two wonderful daughters that know more about the FFA than others their age, please don't let your burn you out before you get to wear your own corduroy jacket.

Victory for Family Farming and Ranching

This is great news for the farming and ranching communities.  Actually it is great news for America, but only a few know how wonderful it truly is.  

The Labor Department's statement:“The Obama Administration is firmly committed to promoting family farmers and respecting the rural way of life, especially the role that parents and other family members play in passing those traditions down through the generations. The Obama Administration is also deeply committed to listening and responding to what Americans across the country have to say about proposed rules and regulations. As a result, the Department of Labor is announcing today the withdrawal of the proposed rule dealing with children under the age of 16 who work in agricultural vocations. The decision to withdraw this rule – including provisions to define the ‘parental exemption’ – was made in response to thousands of comments expressing concerns about the effect of the proposed rules on small family-owned farms. To be clear, this regulation will not be pursued for the duration of the Obama Administration. Instead, the Departments of Labor and Agriculture will work with rural stakeholders – such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, the Future Farmers of America, and 4-H – to develop an educational program to reduce accidents to young workers and promote safer agricultural working practices.”

This is OUR victory! 

My side note: someone should tell the Obama Administration the FFA changed their name.

Even with the breaking news, I do want to go on with the post I had planned for this evening.  This post is a thank you to the people who gave us our start through the 4-H and FFA programs.

I received a message yesterday from a reader that gave me this link. I can't ignore a reader, so I was moved to write on this topic. I wrote about this a while ago  http://fortheloveofbeef.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-view-on-child-labor.html.

This topic has blown up Facebook and most rural people like Jake and I believe that this would have changed the direction of our entire life.  Jake and I have an abundant amount of people to thank for the success we have had in the agriculture world.  I will use this blog to thank the 4-H and FFA programs to credit them for our start to what has been a successful agriculture venture so far.

Jake got his start with beef cattle at the age of nine in the Blue Ribbon Showmen 4-H clun in Fairfield County where his advisor was Kris Doyle.

I got my start with the Cow Kids 4-H club in Perry County where my advisors were Janie Dennis, Mary Lou Bontrager, my dad and my Uncle John.  We had a wonderful 4-H extension agent John Ulmer. Most of my childhood memories derive from 4-H and the activities that we were able to be a part of because of the volunteers and hard work of great people. 

Dad and Uncle John in their younger years.

yeah, those are colored Wranglers!

If we were not allowed to care for cattle in 4-H, Jake and I never would have found our passion for the beef industry. I have no idea what we would be doing. I think I may have been an elementary teacher and Jake may have went into construction.  I do know we would be paying less taxes.

With the passage of this new law, showing cattle could have come to an end.

By the time Jake was 15 and entering high school he had already developed a cow herd of 10 cows.  This credit would be given to his father and grandpa that helped him purchase cows and allowed him to run them on the family farm in exchange for labor on the farm.  This money would later help Jake pay for a Beef Production Degree from The Ohio State University at ATI.  I find it ironic how the government wants to find a way to find more funds for students to come to college, yet they want to take away the right for farm kids to earn money to go to college.

Jake and I both went on to earn our American Degrees through the FFA.  Jake continued to develop his beef cow herd and raise forages.  He was part of the Lancaster FFA where his advisor was Chuck Miller. 

I ended up raising market hogs, corn, wheat, hay and pumpkins through FFA, where my advisors were Phil Wagner and Mike Skinner at the Sheridan FFA Chapter.  I also had the opportunity to become a state FFA officer where I was given guidance and direction by Mr. who later became Dr. Gratz.    

I believe today that one of the best things I learned about in the FFA was record keeping and creating a budget.  Upon marring Jake and all of his dreams, ideas and goals, I soon found myself saying a lot – "I want to see that on paper".  There have been several ideas forgotten and lost because of not working out on paper.     

If you would like to share your story with pictures of how you got your start in Agriculture and publically thank the people that helped you get there send them to me at janicewolfinger@aol.com and I will post them. I am still hoping this will not become some history book of “how things use to be”.

Jake's Dad Robert with his livestock projects.

*Thanks JoEllen for the pictures.