BRONZE

According

to Ysleta'sapplication,the cityof El

Paso

is

known

asthe

most

polluted

and environmentally

unsafe

metroplex

in

North America. The

chapter's struggletoboost thecity's self

esteem

focused

on

responsible

economic

develop-

ment and

attention tothe

needs

of people:

disease,

hunger and

isolation.

With no

smalltaskbefore

them,

the chapter cooperated

with

11

community

groups.Collectively,they spent

more than

2,000

hours on

a variety of projects.

Notable was

aplantoeducate 20,000

households about

the

dangers

of cholera, a severe,contagious disease usually

caused by

drinking

contaminated

water.

More

than

two

tonsoflitter

and

recyclablematerials

were

collected,

and

500trees,flowers

and

plants

were used

to beautifythe area.

More

than $7,000

worth

of toys,

food and

coats

found

their

way

intothe

hands

of

wanting

people.

GOLD

ARKANSAS:

Amity,GreeneCountyTechII

COLORADO:

Flagler

FLORIDA:

Miami

GEORGIA:

MorganCounty ILLINOIS:FranklinCenter

IOWA:

Bison,Nashua/Plainfield

KENTUCKY:

Spencer County MAINE:Limestone,PresqueIsle

MARYLAND:

^Catoctin,FrederickCounty

MICHIGAN:

Benton Harbor

NEW JERSEY:

WarrenHillsRegional

NEW YORK:

Chemung-TiogaConservationists

NORTH CAROLINA:

EastMontgomery OHIO:Greenville,

Wauseon

PENNSYLVANIA:

Grassland,Greenwood,Lenape, Spud Growers

SOUTH DAKOTA:

WestCentral

TEXAS:

Calallen,Troy,Ysleta

VERMONT:

Middlebury,Springfield VIRGINIA:Central,Laurel Park

WASHINGTON:

Cathlamet,Elma,Winlock,Yelm

WISCONSIN:

Denmark,FortAtkinson

WYOMING:

PineBluffs

SILVER

ALABAMA:

ShelbyCounty

AVC ARKANSAS:

Delaplaine, Rison

DELAWARE: Thomas McKean

FLORIDA:

JohnI. Leonard,Poncede Leon IDAHO:Troy

ILLINOIS:Seneca,Sycamore

INDIANA:CarrollFortWayne,Clinton Central, Shenandoah

IOWA:

Algona, Crestland, Creston,

Manson-NW

Webster,Marengo,North Polk

KANSAS:

ClayCenter,Concordia,Marysville, Plainville,Williamsburg

KENTUCKY:

OldhamCounty

LOUISIANA:CentralLaFourche, Elton,lota,

Midland

MASSACHUSETTS:

Burncoat

MICHIGAN:

BranchArea Careers Center

MINNESOTA:

Anoka,Menahga,Stewartville

MISSOURI:Carthage,ElDoradoSprings, Hartville, Keytesville,Union

MONTANA:

Columbus

NEBRASKA:

BlueHill,Leigh,Ravenna,Schuyler, Superior

NORTH DAKOTA:

DivideCounty,Finley-Sharon OHIO: Elmwood, West Muskingum

OKLAHOMA:

Delaware

PENNSYLVANIA:

CedarCrest

SOUTH CAROLINA:

Furman/Manchester

SOUTH DAKOTA:

Bowdle

TENNESSEE:

Bartlett,Bradley,WarrenCounty

TEXAS:

Columbus,KleinForest,Mansfield

UTAH:

BearRiver,Manila

VIRGINIA:DanRiver,Northampton, ParkView Middle

WASHINGTON:

Monroe

WEST

VIRGINA:Ripley

WISCONSIN:

Freedom,Spencer

BRONZE

ALABAMA:

Jacksonville,Kinston, RobertC. Hatch, Tanner,WestBlocton,Wilcox Central

ARIZONA:

St.David

ARKANSAS:

Stuttgart

CALIFORNIA:

Fullerton,Kingsburg,LaPuente ValleyROP,Lemoore,Mt.Whitney, Sacramento-Burbank

CONNECTICUT:

Mattabeset,Stamford

DELAWARE:

CaesarRodney,Smyrna

FLORIDA:

LakePlacidSr.

GEORGIA:

Perry HAWAII:Pahoa

ILLINOIS:ChicagoAgScience,CissnaPark, Clinton,DeKalb,GeorgetownRidge Farm, Mt.

Carroll,Somonauk-Leland,

Warsaw

INDIANA:Bremen,Tri-County

IOWA:

Akron-Westfield,Alburnett, MountAyr,North Linn, Riceville, Sibley-Ocheyedan,St.Ansgar, WallLake View Auburn,West BendHawkeye

KANSAS:

Girard,HillCity,Inman,

Wamego,

Winfield

KENTUCKY:

BarrenCounty, Central Hardin LOUISIANA:Crowley,RacelandJr.

MASSACHUSETTS:

Essex,SilverLake

MICHIGAN:

Marshall

MINNESOTA:

Kimball,Montevideo, Rushford- Peterson,Willmar

MISSISSIPPI:Hamilton

MISSOURI:Houston,MonroeCityR-l,Salisbury

MONTANA:

Joliet

NEBRASKA:

LoupCity,St.Edward

Nancy

Iannuzzo(onleft),accepted thesecondplaceplaaueintheBuildingour

American Communities program

onbelialfof the

Miami FFA

Cliapter, Fla.

Tom

BurnsiderepresentedthirdplaceCathlamet

FFA

Chapter,Wash.,

and Cory

Sarver representedtheFranklin Center

FFA

Cliapter,FranklinGrove,III.,whichplaced fourthttationally.

BOAC, ^com.

NEW JERSEY:

Belvidere

NEW MEXICO:

Animas,

New

Mexico 50-Socorro

NEW YORK:

Young Foresters

NORTH CAROLINA:

ForestHills,Piedmont, Southern Nash, Starmount,WestCraven OHIO:Alexander,Eastwood,Pettisville

OKLAHOMA:

Jet-Nash,Waukomis

OREGON:

Douglas, ForestGrove,

McKay PENNSYLVANIA:

Headwaters,TwinValley

SOUTH CAROLINA:

Loris,McBee,Strom Thurmond

SOUTH DAKOTA:

^Elkton,

Waubay TEXAS:

Booker,Brownsboro,Cotton Center,

Fairfield,Haskell,JohnsonCity, RossS.

Sterling

WASHINGTON:

Bethel,Mabton

WEST

VIRGINA: HampshireCounty

WISCONSIN:

Ashland, BlackHawk, Bloomer,

Granton, Holcombe-LakeHolcombe,Loyal, Reedsburg,

Waupaca

WYOMING:

SoutheastGoshen

Achievement In Volunteerism

A

project

with

the unlikely

name, "Miss Jimmy" earned

the national

Achievement

in

Volunteerism award

for

Jeremy

Carroll of Alpine,Ark.Carroll

was

presented

with

the highest individual

BOAC honor during

a

ceremony

Friday

morning.

Carrolllivesin

an

areanotserved

by

911

emergency

services.

The

65 or soelderly

people who

residethere

had

feelingsof isolation aswellasfear.

People

likeMrs.

Jimmie Callaway were

lonely

and anxious about

theirsafety.EnterCarroll

and

his

FFA

chapter.

He planned

a "visiting"

program,

posting

names and phone numbers

inthe classroom.

As FFA members

called

on

the seniorcitizens,they

became problem

solvers

and

friends.

"The most important

thingI

have

learned,"saysCarroll,"isthat after a

person

has giventheir

whole

lifecaringforothers,

someone needs

to

be

theretocarefor

them."

Carroll

and

theother

winners were

presented

with

a

plaque

for theirefforts.

National Winner:

Jeremy

Carroll Alpine,

Arkansas

Second Place:

Tom Burnside

Cathlamet,

Washington

Third Place:

Tammy Ney Denmark, Wisconsin

Fourth Place:

Jason Reifsnyder TerreHill,

Pennsylvania

33

National Chapter Safety Awards

Sponsored by the Equipment Manufacturers Institute;

and Ford New Holland, Incorporated

Chapters were honored Thursday

afternoonfortheireffortsin

improving community

safety.

Based on

awritten application,

winning

chapters

had been

designatedgold,silveror

bronze

inadvance.

The award ceremony was

atimetoenjoya

moment

of recognitionforgettinginvolved ina

most worthwhile

cause.

Chapters who submitted

applications offered

glimpses

into

complex

projects.

These were designed

toheighten

awareness about

safety inevery conceivablearea:farm,

home, highway,

shop,workplace,school.

Because

safetyisnot learned overnight,

most

projects

were

multi-faceted.

One gold-ranked

chapterchose the

theme

"Farm

Safety

— ^Something

^toLive With."

Members

of the

Amanda-Clearcreek,

Ohio, chapterfocused

on

thespecialrelationship

between

rural

and urban

citizens.

They

believed the

non-farm

population

would

benefit

from understanding

thesafety

needs

of thefarmer,

and

^thatlivescould

be saved and hazards

reduced.

A

significantproject forthechaptertook place

during

a

Labor Day

festival.

More

than 350

people watched

as a

mock

hayride

and

tractoraccident

was

staged.

Emergency

servicestook part

and demonstrated

their roles indisasterresponse.

Gold

COLORADO:

Eaton

FLORIDA:

John^I. Leonard,LakePlacidSr.

GEORGIA:

Perry

ILLINOIS:CissnaPark,Seneca,Wapella,

Warsaw

INDIANA:Clinton Central,Tri-County

IOWA:

Cascade,Creston,Estherville,MountAyr,

WestDubuque

KANSAS:

Marysville,

Wamego KENTUCKY:

^Apollo,Spencer County LOUISIANA:Elton, Lacassine

MINNESOTA:

Pipestone, Willmar MISSOURI:Nevada,Stockton

NORTH CAROLINA:

SunValley

OHIO:Amanda-Clearcreek,Preble

Shawnee OKLAHOMA:

Billings,Waukomis

PENNSYLVANIA:

Spud Growers

SOUTH DAKOTA:

WestCentral

TEXAS:

Brownsboro,Mansfield, Troy,Ysleta

UTAH:

Manila

VIRGINIA:Fauquier,Northampton, ParkViewSr., Tunstall,TurnerAshby

WASHINGTON:

Cathlamet,Elma,Winlock,Yelm

WISCONSIN:

Denmark,Loyal,Monroe,

New

Auburn

Silver ARIZONA:

Peoria

ARKANSAS:

Black-Rock

ILLINOIS:FranklinCenter,Sycamore INDIANA:Bremen

IOWA:

Bison, George-LittleRock,Humboldt, Manson-Webster, Marengo,Vinton,West Bend Hawkeye

KANSAS:

HillCity, Inman,Mankato

KENTUCKY:

McLeanCounty LOUISIANA: Rayne

MICHIGAN:

BranchArea Careers Center

MINNESOTA:

Lanesboro,Menahga,Worthington MISSISSIPPI:Hamilton,Weir

MISSOURI:Clopton,Keytesville,Union

MONTANA:

Joliet

NEW YORK:

Chemung-TiogaFuture Conservationists

NORTH CAROLINA:

NorthLenoir,Parkwood OHIO:BowlingGreen,Greenville,WestMuskingum

PENNSYLVANIA:

BerlinBrothersvalley

SOUTH CAROLINA:

Furman/Manchester, PleasantHill

TENNESSEE:

Bartlett,Lexington,WhiteHouse

TEXAS:

Calallen,Columbus,Haskell

WASHINGTON:

Mabton

WISCONSIN:

Blanchardville-Pecatonica, Evansville,Mauston,

New

Holstein,

Waupaca WYOMING:

Southeast

Bronze

ALABAMA:

Brantley, Crossville,Cullman, Daleville,EastLawrence,Jacksonville,RobertC.

Hatch, Scottsboro

ARIZONA:

Antelope

ARKANSAS:

Stuttgart,Weiner

CALIFORNIA:

LaPuenteValleyROP,Mt.Whitney- Visalia

CONNECTICUT:

HousatonicValley

DELAWARE:

SussexCentral

FLORIDA:

TaylorSr.

GEORGIA:

EffinghamCounty IDAHO:Kendrick

ILLINOIS: ChicagoAgScience,Clinton,DeKalb,

Wyoming

INDIANA:CarrollFortWayne,ClintonPrairie

KANSAS:

ClayCenter,Plainville

LOUISIANA:Crowley,LeeRoad MAINE:Limestone,PresqueIsle

MARYLAND:

Frederick

MASSACHUSETTS:

Essex

MICHIGAN:

Centreville

Hard work

finallypaid off.

On

behalf of her chapter,this

FFA member

accepted aNational Chapter Safety

Award from

National Vice PresidentShaneBlack.

MINNESOTA:

Kimball,

New

Ulm

MONTANA:

MilesCity

NEBRASKA:

^Leigh,Ravenna,Schuyler, St.Edward,Superior,Verdigre

NEW MEXICO:

Animas

NEW YORK:

Fort Plain

NORTH CAROLINA:

EastMontgomery,Forest Hills,Piedmont

NORTH DAKOTA:

^Beach,DivideCounty OHIO:Wilmington

OREGON:

ForestGrove,

McKay PENNSYLVANIA:

Greenwood

SOUTH CAROLINA:

TravelersRest

SOUTH DAKOTA:

Bowdle,Elkton

TENNESSEE:

Bradley

TEXAS:

BaytownSterling,Booker,IowaPark,Klein Forest,

New

Waverly, Sabine,Weslaco

UTAH:

Davis

WASHINGTON:

Eastmont

WEST

^VIRGINA:Ripley pp^

WISCONSIN:

BlackHawk, Bloomer

WYOMING:

^Buffalo

National Chapter Awards

Sponsored by Nestle USA, Inc.

Walking

across thestageto receiveaNational

Chapter Award was indeed

a

proud moment.

For

many,

hearingtheir chapter's

name

read

over

the

sound system was

the

high

point of the convention.

Chapters were ranked

gold,silverorbronze,

based upon

awritten application

with

12 categories.

Each

chapter'splan or

"program

of

work" was

spelledoutindetail to

demonstrate

excellence

on

the locallevel.

Perry, Ga.,

was one

chapter receivingagold ranking.Perry,

with

a

membership

of90,

was chosen

fora diversity of

worthwhile and

productiveactivitiesaswell asforgetting the "basics"right.

•The

chapter

completed

a

food

processingcenter,

with

facilitiesfor

meat and produce,

at the school.

Members used

thecenter,

and

also

helped more

than

250

families

can

vegetables.

•The annual banquet

attracted 200,

and

featured thestatepresidentas aguest speaker.

The

chapter

planned and

financed the banquet,

which had

a

budget

of$1,300.

•Volleyball

became

thehotactivity

around

school,

with

a

game played

before

each

night meeting.

The

chapter

decided

toplay

each day

at

lunch and

atbreak,sothey

bought equipment and

painted

two

courtsnear the

gym with

thehelpofschoolofficials.

Gold

ALABAMA:

Brantley,Ider,Jacksonville

CALIFORNIA:

Fullerton,Hanford,Kingsburg, La PuenteValleyROP,Mt.Whitney

COLORADO:

Valley

CONNECTICUT:

HousatonicValley

FLORIDA:

Branford,LakePlacidSr.TOrlando- ColonialSr.,Ponce deLeon^Sr.,SouthSumterSr.,

West Orange

GEORGIA:

Perry IDAHO:Meridian

ILLINOIS:Amboy,ChicagoAgScience,Cissna Park, Leroy,Seneca,Sparland,Sycamore,

Warsaw

INDIANA:Carroll Flora,Tri-County,Woodlan

IOWA:

Bison, Creston, North Polk

KANSAS:

^Chapman,ClayCenter, HillCity

KENTUCKY:

Apollo, ScottCounty

LOUISIANA:Elton, Hathaway, South Lafourche

MICHIGAN:

Marshall,Unionville-SebewaingArea

MINNESOTA:

BellePlaine,Willmar

MISSOURI:Carthage,Chillicothe,ElDorado Springs,Eldon,Hartville,McDonald,Stockton, Troy, Union

MONTANA:

FlatheadCounty

NEBRASKA:

Lakeview,Schuyler,TriCounty, Waverly

NEVADA:

^ChurchillCounty

NORTH DAKOTA:

Finley-Sharon, Libson,Rugby OHIO:Wilmington

OKLAHOMA:

Altus, Billings,Coyle, Crescent,El Reno,Kingfisher,Lindsay,Moore,Tecumseh

RHODE

ISLAND:Scituate

TENNESSEE:

Bartlett,Bradley Central, Lexington, Riverside

TEXAS:

Calallen,ClearCreek,Columbus, Mansfield,OrangeGrove,Pleasanton,RossS.

Sterling,Ysleta

VIRGINIA:Fauquier,

James

Wood,ParkView

Silver

ALABAMA:

Daleville

ARIZONA:

Antelope, Peoria

CALIFORNIA:

Ceres, Turlock

COLORADO:

Flagler

FLORIDA:

JohnI.Leonard,Tate, TaylorSr.

ILLINOIS:Bushnell-PrairieCity,Clinton,DeKalb, Franklin Center,Somonauk-Leland

INDIANA:Clinton Central,Shenandoah

IOWA:

Alburnett,Algona, Harlan, Linn-Mar, Marengo,Montezuma, MountAyr,NorthLinn, Vinton

KANSAS:

Concordia, LabetteCounty,Marysville, Plainville,

Wamego,

Williamsburg

KENTUCKY:

Barren County,BreckinridgeCounty, Central Hardin,SpencerCounty

LOUISIANA:

Oak

Grove MAINE:Limestone, PresqueIsle

MARYLAND:

Frederick

MICHIGAN:

BranchArea CareersCenter,Corunna

MINNESOTA: New

Ulm,Pipestone

MISSISSIPPI: Carthage, Weir

MISSOURI:CarlJunction,Clopton,Keytesville,

MonroeCityR-l,Salisbury

MONTANA:

Shields Valley

NEBRASKA:

BlueHill,Norris, St. Edward

NEW JERSEY:

Allentown

NEW YORK:

Tri-Valley

NORTH CAROLINA:

NorthLenoir, Piedmont,Sun

Valley,WestCarteret

OHIO:BowlingGreen, Eastwood,Greenville, MadisonPlains,

Oak

Harbor,PrebleShawnee, RiverView,TrumbullCountyJ.V.S.,Versailles,

Wauseon

OKLAHOMA:

Calera,Delaware,Indianola,Madill, Perry, Stratford

OREGON:

ForestGrove, Perrydale

SOUTH CAROLINA: McBee

HighSchool,Pleasant

Bronze

ALABAMA:

Crossville,EastLawrence,Scottsboro

ARKANSAS:

Brookland, Lavaca,Marshall,Prairie Grove,Stuttgart,Weiner

CALIFORNIA:

Atascadero,Norco

COLORADO:

Delta,FortMorgan, McClave

CONNECTICUT:

Woodbury

DELAWARE:

SussexCentral

FLORIDA:

IndianRiver,

New

Smyrna Beach Senior,NorthMarion

GEORGIA:

ColquittCounty, FranklinCounty, GilmerCounty

IDAHO:Troy

INDIANA:Carroll,IndianCreek,Southmont

IOWA:

Cascade,Estherville,North Fayette, Rockwell-Sheffield

KANSAS:

Girard

KENTUCKY:

Daviess County, Garrard County, LoganCounty,OldhamCounty

LOUISIANA:lota,Lacassine

MARYLAND:

Catoctin

MICHIGAN:

Byron, Perry

MINNESOTA:

Atwater-Grove City-Cosmos,Maple

River,Menahga,Worthington

MISSOURI:

Albany, Aurora,Cameron, KansasCity East AgribusinessMagnet,Liberal

NEBRASKA:

Northwest, Verdigre

NEW MEXICO:

Animas, Hobbs

NEW YORK:

Hamilton

NORTH CAROLINA:

ForestHills,Madison

NORTH DAKOTA:

Mott

OKLAHOMA:

Atoka, Bethel, BrokenArrow, Burlington, Eufaula,Hooker,Idabel,Mooreland, Prague, Ryan, Sapulpa,Springer,Wagoner, WebbersFalls,Weleetka,

Wetumka OREGON:

Culver

PENNSYLVANIA:

Grassland,Greenwood, ManheimCentral,Manor,Selinsgrove,TwinValley

SOUTH CAROLINA:

Clover,TravelersRest

SOUTH DAKOTA:

Bowdle,

McCook

Central

TENNESSEE:

East Robertson,North Knox, Northeast,West Greene

TEXAS:

Central,Clarendon,Gilmer, Livingston, McCullough,Quanah,South Garland

UTAH:

Davis,Manila,Tooele VIRGINIA:Central,TurnerAshby

WASHINGTON:

Cathlamet,Evergreen, Monroe, MountainView,Yelm

WISCONSIN:

BlackHawk,ClearLake, Evansville, Granton,Loyal,Mauston, Monroe,

New

Auburn, SaukPrairie,

Waupaca

WYOMING:

Gillette

Retiring Addresses

t QeJtX&jjL...

WesleyBarefoot

National

FFA

Vice President

—

_EasternRegion

Dunn,

NorthCarolina

t

believeinthefuture of agriculture^,withafaithbornnot ofwordsbutof

| deeds...

Those words

written

by

E.

M.

Tiffany

some

62 years

ago

begin the creedthat

our members

learn

and

understand.

However,

I

have

often

wondered what Mr.

Tiffany

meant by

the

words he

wrote.In today's world,

when

so

many

people

are

two

orthreegenera- tions

from

thefarm,

do

theyreally

understand

the

meaning behind

"...forI

know

the joys

and discom-

fortsof agriculturallife

and

hold

an

inborn

fondness

forthose associations

which, even

in

hours

of

discouragement,

I

cannot deny?"

Our

organization

was founded upon

a

few

beliefs

such

as

hard work,

dedicationtoacause,

and

security forthe

improvement

of agriculture.I

wonder

ifE.

M.

Tiffany

was from

afarm.

What was

histieto theindustry?Ifonly^I couldtalkto

him and

findout

what he was

thinking

when he wrote

the

FFA

creed.I

would

ask his

purpose

inwritingthepas- sages,I

would

ask

where he thought FFA,

agriculture

and our country

is

headed.

Tiffany: Well,

why

don't

you

ask

me!

Wesley: Mr.

Tiffany,

what

influenced

you

towrite the

FFA

creed?

Tiffany:

Any

organization

needs

direction

and

a

purpose

forits

members.

I

wrote

thecreedto

meet

those

two

basicconcerns.

Wesley: At

thetime

you wrote

thecreed,

what was

agriculture like?

Tiffany:

Back

in 1929,farmers

used mules and oxen

to pullplows, the

farm was

afamily business

where

the entirefamily servedas the

work

force

and

theaverage-sized

farm was

50acres.

Wesley: Mr.

Tiffany,

today

the

FFA

focuses

on sharpening

leadershipskills,

developing

supervised experience

programs, and improving

personal,

academic and

careerareas.

What was

the

FFA

likeinthe earlyyears?

Tiffany:

At

the

beginning

oftheorganization,its

primary purpose was

toteach

young farm boys more

efficient

and

effective

manage-

rialskillssothat

America would have an

insured futureinfood

and

clothingproduction.

Wesley: What do you

think

about

the

changes? Were

they

good

or

bad?

"We, as agriculturalists,

need to recognize the backbone

of ^the industry and support production agriculture... and

to believe in the future of farming!'

Wesley Barefoot

Tiffany: Ibelievetheorganizationhas

responded

inapositive

manner

to

meet

the

needs

oftheindustryaswellas toeducate

young people about

thefactsof agriculture.

Tiffany:

Wesley,

referring

back

to

your

firstquestion,I

wrote

the creedfor

one major

reason

and

that

was

belief! I

wanted

to

impress upon young people how important

itistobelievein something,especially agriculture.

SinceE.

M.

Tiffany

wrote

the creed,

more

than 60 years

have

passed.

Our

nationhas seen

many

changes.In thattimeperiod,

we

have been

ina

number

ofwars, experienced

atrophy

inrural

America, and watched

aselectricityhas

spread from

thecitiesto the farms. Insteadof

having one

car forevery

seven homes, today

the

average household

has fourvehicles.

Computers have become

as

popular

astelephones,

and

threeout ofeveryfivefarmers

have

cellular

phones

in their trucks.

Yes

indeed,

our country

has seen a

number

ofchanges.

But one

factorhas

provided

motivationfor

improvement, and

that factorisbelief.

Ibelievein

American

agriculture,

my country and my

family.I

believe that

everyone

is

on

the

same

team,

and

^Ibelieve inyou.

Without

believingin

something we

areatastandstill

with

allthat

we do

ascitizens inthisnation.

Ibelieveinthe

American

farmer.

Growing up on

a

farm back

in

North

Carolinataught

me

the true

meaning

ofbeingapartof a

worthwhile

cause.

As

I

have

traveled

throughout

thiscountry,I

have

seen thevariety in

production

agriculture.

From

thecattleranches in

Idaho

tothedairies in

Wiscon-

sin,tothegrainbelt in

Kansas and Nebraska and

tothecottonfieldsof

Arizona and

Texas.I

have had

a

complete

lookattheproduction capacityofthiscountry

and

I

am

heretotell

you

thatthis

country

is

theleaderinqualityproduction.

However,

I

have

sensed isolation

from

productionagricul- ture in

some people

thatI

have

talked

with

thisyear.Itbothers

me

to

know

that

people who

call themselvesagriculturalists

do

not

want

to

be

associated

with

the

farming

orranching partoftheindustry.

Farmers

are definitely believers

who

are willing to riskeverythingtocontinuetostay in business,

and

to

do

thejobtheylove.

We,

as agriculturalists,

need

torecognize the

backbone

oftheindustry

and support

production agriculture...andto believe in thefutureoffarming.

Ibelievein

my country because

Irealizethevalueoffreedom.