FFA New Horizons - IUPUI archives

FFJt,

ffiii

HE NATIONAL

Al'KlL-.MA'i

Hiniler? Gentler?

No ^Way.

BuSlffeup,America!

E

J,

*Rear-wheelanti-lockbrakes operatein2VVDonly. ''"Seeyour Chgp'Oletdealerfortermsofthislimitedwarranty. Chevrolet,

^Chevroletemblem andS-10are registeredtrademarksandChevyisatrademarkofthe

GM

Corp.©1991

GM

Corp.AllRightsReserved.

• Shift-on-ttie_-flyInsta- TracJ'^'themostrelied-upon

4x4

systeminAmerica. •Standardanti-lock brakes.^'

• 3 year/36,000mile

Bumper

to

Bumper

Plus Warranty.

No

deductible.''^

Chevy S-10 Tahoe 4x4. We biggest UB engine you can get. Take on any

mean

street or unforgivingbactc

road with Chevy S-lOTahoe 4x4.

Its big,4.3 Liter

Vortec V6

lacks

out 160

horses at

4000 RPM.

Nail ^it,

and you know

^it's

hammer

time.

Chevy

S-10

Tahoe.

Strong.Tall.

Proud.

Chevrolet.

The

trucks

you can depend

on.

The

trucksthat last.

The Heartheat 01America Is Winning.

FFA

New^oriTDHs

OFFICIAL M

AC AZI NE

OF THE NATIONAL FFA 0R6ANIZATI0N

Volume40 Number4 April-May,1992

22

Interview Survival

Tips

Itcanbeajungleoutthere. Interviewing

isstressful.But,byfollowingthesesimple survivaltipsyoucanemergetriumphant.

28

Up With

Agriculture

Winners The

top four essay winners write about theirroleinpreservingtheenvironment.

30

One Moment

In Time...

FFA member

John

Thompson

found out

itonlytakes a

moment

for afarm accident tohappen

—

^{readandbe aware.}

32

Profiles In

Courage

See

how

one

member

introducedarevo- lutionaryplan for

new FFA

regions.

COVER STORY

12

Project Pals

On

the cover,Shirley,Arkansas,

member Shawn

Burgesshelpsoutelementarystu- dentApril Stanke.

Photo by

Lawinna McGary

ENVIRONMENT

14

Careerwatch

Ifyouspeakthe languageofagriculture you have an edge ⁱⁿ the environmental field.

16

Blue And Gold Goes Green

See

how FFA members

all around the nation are educating, recycling, reducing andreusingtokeeptheircommunitiesclean.

26

Backyard Solutions

This

FFA member

researchedaproblem ofglobalproportionsandsayspartofthe solution

may

lie inour

own

backyard.

April-May, 1992

DEPARTMENTS

4

Front Line

6 News

In Brief

1 1Mailbag

10

LookingAhead

36

Chapter

Scoop

39 FFA

InAction

43

GetTo

Know 44

JokePage

FFANewHorizons (ISSN 0027-9315),formerlyTheNationalFUTURE FARMER,ispreparedandpublishedbimonthlyby theNationalFFAOrganization. 5632Mount VernonMemorial Highway. Alexandria.Virginia22309-0160.incooperation withtheU.S.DepartmentofEducation asaserviceto stateandlocalvocationalagricultureeducation agencies.

TRAIN FOR A CAREER AS A

VETERINARY TECHNICIAN

Bel-Reaistheonly privately

owned

schoolin the country with

a

veteri- naryhospitalfor

"hands-on"

exper- ience.

Our

^18-

month program

will fullypre- pareyoufora career as avet tech.

You

will

work

with large

and

small animals,

be

instructed

by

veterinarians,

and

gain sur- gical assisting experience.

Earn

an

Asso- ciatesof Applied

Science

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begina career workingwithsomething

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CALL TOLL FREE:

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—

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AmericanVelennary Medical Assn. andNATTSaccredited, approvedtorveierantrcunmg, Imancialaid assistance available.

Approved andregulated by the Divisiono(PrivateOccupational Schools,DepartmentolHigher Education.

SZh

NRA.

WHITTINGTON ADVENTURE

Do

^you

^know

^{a boy or girl}

^who

wouldliketoexperience

some

ofthe wildestcountry leftIntheWest, learnto shoot, hunt and sharpen his or her outdoorskills?

Set inthe beautifulSangredeCristo rangeoftheRockyMountains,the1992

NRA

Wh'rttington Adventure

Camps

at the

NRA

WhittingtonCenterⁱⁿRaton,N.

Mex.,willofferyoungstersages13-17 a combinationofoutdoorexperiencesthat can befoundatnoother

summer

camp.

Participantswill learnthefundamen-

tal F.ki!'sof shooting rifles,pistols, shot- gunc and muzzleloading rifles. Also, they ^'be introducedtothecompetitive sports ^' smallbore rifle, pistol and smallbc ^esilhouette,highpowerrifle

silhouette "powerrifle andtrap and skeet. All ?iing equipment and ammunitionv* .(^ picyided.

The

firstcartipwillbs heldJune21- July3; the seconc '^orn July 5-July 17.

The

feeforeach sessionis £525.

For

more

informal, ^'•, orio snrolla camper, contact Pat Beyle ,

W\k

Whittington Center,at(505. -453615.

THE ^FRONT LINE

Few

^{thingshavecaughtonasfastasthe}

^word

"Not!" Example:

"Maybe

I'lleatthoseBrusselssproutsbecauseI

know

they're goodfor me...

Not"

Another term catching on fast is recycling. Everybody seems to be doing it.

The

majority ofour writing contest winners mentionedit(seepage 28).It'soneof thoseideasthat

ishardtoargue with

—

^{itbenefitseverybody.}

Some FFA members

havewrittenusaskingif

we

could print our magazine on recycled paper.

We

looked into it and found that right now, recycled paperisjusttooexpensivebasedonthe$1.75

mem-

berspayfortheir yearly subscriptiontoFF/K

New

Horizons.

As

soonas

we

canaffordrecycledpaper,

we

will switchtoit.

Our

printer did tell us about a

new

ink, called

Envirotechink.

We

decidedto startusingitwiththisissue. It's

made

of 18 percent soybean,

com

and linseed oils. That's oil

grown

by Americanfarmersinsteadofoilbeing

pumped

outoftheground.

Even

thoughabout80percentoftheinkisstillpetroleum,

we

feelitisa step intherightdirection

—

^{^justlikerecyclingthatfirstsodabottle}

A^^^^^y

^{orpieceofpaper.}

i^^^^^m^

^In

^making

^{the decision to switch,}

^we

^{are trying to}

•

C'^.^IIL^

^{• maintainthequalityofthecolorpicturesinthemagazine}

'^%r"-S

^~

w^

while usingrenewableresources,inthiscase, oilseeds,to

/^^^^^

^{get thejob done.}

^We

^{hope youdon'tnoticeanydifference}

' ' '^

inthe quality.

We

alsohopethat

someday

^fannersnotice the difference inthemarketfortheirproducts.

In this issue,associate editor

Lawinna McGary

reportsonProject Pals,a

new FFA

programthatcapturestheleadershipabilitiesof

FFA members

tohelpelementarychildren

who

needa positive rolemodel

intheir lives.(Seepage 12.)

It'snosecretthatchildrentodaydeal withtougher personal prob- lems at a younger age

compared

to children 10 years ago.

FFA members

inArkansasandMichiganaregetting positive resultsfrom these children, results thathave escapedteachers, parentsandother adults.

It looks like Project Pals could have a life-altering impact on thousands ofkidsalloverthecountryinjustafewyears.Tellyour

FFA

advisorifyou would like tobeinvolved.

And

eatyourBrusselssprouts.They're

good

foryou.

Jy^'^A^

^I

WU»a^

FFANewHorizons

"WHEN YOUR ^LIVELIHOOD DEPENDS

ON ^{THE LAND,} Wni ^{GOT TO BE ABLE}

TO DEPEND ON YOUR EQUIPMENT."

When

^it

comes

to

maintaining mine,

I

choose

the bestpartsI

can

find.

Like

the

ones

you'llfindat

your nearby Big A Auto

PartsStore.

Big A has

a

complete

line

of

quality

brand names and tough, dependable Big A

partsto

keep

all

your equipment running long and

strong.

Parts like

Grote

Specialty

Lighting Products, Gates Hydraulic Assemblies, Bower/ BC A Ag

Bearings,

McCord Gaskets,

Clevite

Heavy Duty Engine

Parts,

Lincoln Lubrication Equip-

ment and

Jacks,

Big A TempControI, Big A

Tune-Up and

a

wide

selection

of Big A

^Batteries,

Lighting,

Oil and Air

Filters,

Exhaust, and Oil Products.

Whatever brand of equipment you

run.inthe field

or on

theroad,

Big A

has theparts

you need

to

keep DIWi

it

running

right.

\bu can

bet the

ranch on

^it. Ido.

AUTOI^VRTS

gAISaregisteredtradenurkotAPS.Inc..Houston.TX77054

BIG 7^.

.„,—..., BIG

^S^^

BtG BIG

M%.

^iSSmlt

^ i^

Crlote

S^ ^^ ^{^^^ ©FEDERAL J^^}

/^^^

LUBEEQUIPMENT .^ -^

^-^

^{^*^%M.} qILAND ^HYDRAULIC LIGHTING

MOGUU

OILAND EXHAUST

TUNE-UP ANDJACKS TEMPCONTROL BATTERIES AGLIGHTING LUBRICANTS ASSEMBLIES PRODUCTS BOWER BCA AG BEARINGS AIRRLTERS PRODUCTS

>^%. Ctevite HEAVYDUTY ENGINE PARTS

Ne^i\Wori2Dns

Magazine

Staff

Editor,AndrewMarkwarl AssociateEditor.LawinnaMcGary ContributingEditor.JohnM Pitzer Art&Production. LindaFlint Director of Advertising.GlennD Luedke Publishing Assistant.Joyce Berryman Circulation FulfillmentManager.DotlieM. Hinkle Assistants.JanetMagill,SusanFernandes,Heather Simpson

National Officers

National President,LeeThurber.RR^1.Box111-A,Roca, NE68430;National Secretary.MichaelStevenson.

StevensonEstate.Hobson,MT59452;National Vice Presidents.ChadLuthro,RR¹Box64.Moorland,lA 50566,ShaneBlack.Rt 12Box433. Athens.AL35611

.

WesleyBarefoot.Rt 6Box165.Dunn.NC28334;Louie BonA^n.Jr..12953 HoustonAve,Hanford,CA93230,

Board

ofDirectors

Chairman.LarryCase,MembersoftheBoard.Jamie Cano.EverettHarris.HughMcClimon.BobbyMuller,

TomMunter.DeweyStewart.LesThompson, Rosco Vaughn

National Staff

National Advisor. ChiefExecutive^Officer.LarryCase;

ExecutiveSecretary.ColemanHarris.ChiefOperating Officer.BernieStaller;National Treasurer.CharlesKeels;

TeamLeaders

—

StudentServices.AndrewMarkwart;

TeacherServices.Marshall Stewart;Partner Relations, JoyceWinterton:SponsorRelations.DougButler;Human

&FiscalResources.LennieGamage;Communication Resources.William Stagg; DistributionResources. Janet LewisandJamesLong,FFAVentures.Dennis Shafer

Advertising Offices FFANewHorizons

PO Box 15160 Alexandria,VA22309 TheBrassettCompany 1737Fairgreen Drive Fullerton.CA90036 MidwesternStates

Karaban/Labiner Associates.Inc.

333NorthMichiganAvenue Chicago.IL 60601

Pennsylvania,Delaware.NewJersey Karaban^'Labiner Associates.Inc.

130West42ndStreet

NewYork.NY 10036 RobertFlahiveCompany 22Battery Street SanFrancisco,CA94111

703-360 3600

714-523-2776

312-236-6345

212-840-0660

415-398-4444

ADDRESSCHANGES:Sendboth oldandnewaddress to:CirculationDepartment.FFANewHorizons.POBox 15160,Alexandna,Virginia22309-0160.

CORRESPONDENCE: Addressall correspondenceto:

Fr. '-fonzons.P.O.Box 15160.Alexandria,Virginia 2230b Offices locatedatthe NationalFFACenter, approxirr •-'h miles southofAlexandna,Virginia.

SUBSCRIPTIO. Oper yearinUS-and possessions

'FFA membersSi- r-6with dues). Singlecopy$1,50;

fivtormore75ceac. ^" -inn subscriptions.$3,50plus

$2.00extraforpostage ^•" ,,r!,j;-,;1991 by the National FFAOrganization.

~~ Tne

%

^Audit

^ Buie^u

fiz^

NEWS ^IN BRIEF

Board Of

Directors

Determine FFA

Direction

National officers, andottier

members

ofthe

Boardof

DirectorsmetJanuary 27- 30togetanupdateon

FFA

activitiesand

to decide on major issues affecting the organization. Here are

some

highlights.

•New

feesofS450perstudentwereset fortheWashington Conference Program.

•Middleschoolacricuituraleducation/

According to

my watch

it's

break time! National Presi- dent Lee Thurber

and

na- tionaladvisorDr.LarryCase.

FFA

task force survey resultswere pre- sented.

Below

are afew preferences of the middle school students.

Things

Members

Liked

Most About

FFA: learningnow things. tra\eling.

Things

Members

Liked Least

About

FFA: paying

membership

duesandwear- ing the

FFA

jacket.

FavoriteSubjectsFor

Members: com-

puters, animals and mechanics.

Most

Popular

Hobbies

For

Mem-

bers: team sports,pelsandchurch.

Most

Popular

Hobbies

For

Non- Members:

team and individual sports, dancing/gymnasticsandsocialactivities.

Win An Arabian Horse With Your Essay

'My

Arabian Horse ^is History in

my

Hands'"isthethemefor the 1992Interna- tional Arabian HorseAssociation's an- nual Youth Essay Contest. Essay win- ners willreceiveanArabiangelding ora

savingsbond.

The

contest is divided into two age groups,9-13and^14-18,withcategoriesin eachgroupfornon-horseowners andhorse owners.

To

compete in the non-horse

owner

category, neither the contestant nor an immediate family

member may own

a horseorpony.

The

firstplacenon-horse

owner

ineach agedivision winsanAra- bian gelding and second place wins a

$250

savings bond.

To

compete in the horse owner cat- egory, either the contestant oran immedi-

ate family

member

must

own

ahorse or pony. Thefirstplace horseownerineach agedivisionwinsa$500savingsbondand secondplacewinsa$250savings bond.

Forcompleterulesandanentryform, please phone 303-450-4774, or write to this address:

lAHA.

YouthDepartment, P.O.

Box

33696, Denver,

CO

80233-0696.

To

enter,sendyouressay, the$5entry fee andacompletedofficialentryblank,(post-

marked

byJune 15, 1992),to

lAHA.

A

panel of college studentsatamajor universitywilljudgetheessaysonorigi- nality,accuracy, spellingandgrammar.

n/lake

Way ^For The Washington Conference Program

A

fun-filled, action-packed

week

of personalgrowth andleadershipdevelop- ment awaits you. With the Washington ConferenceProgram(

WCP),

you'llmeet

FFA members

from all partsoftheU.S.

whileyoulearnaboutteamwork,building yourself-image, goal setting andpublic relations.

Datesforthe1992

WCP

^areJune9- 13.

16-20. 23-27; July 7-11. 14-18. 21-25;

andJuly28-August 1.

Staff

members

are: Directors: Sarah Braasch,Idahoand MichaelBennett,

New

Mexico.Counselors:BranchCarter,Geor- gia; Krista Fritz, Indiana; Stewart Kennedy, Oklahoma; Nichole Phillips, Utah; Jennifer Barber, Arkansas; Kelly Mclntire, Oklahoma; Emily Read, Or- egon;Scott

Shuman,

Colorado.

Formore detailscheck with your

FFA

chapteradvisor.

FFANewHorizons

YOU ^May Know

Someone Who Needs

a New ^Cap!

All INTERNATIONAL

or FARMALL _g ^asoline

tractor owners

may need a

New Style Gas Cap

You can get them a FREE ^one!

A serious

fire

can occur during operation of a gasoline powered

tractor.

Under certain conditions, gasoline vapors can build up pressure in the gas tank.

If

the gas

tank cap

is

then removed, while the engine

is

running or hot, the sudden release of pressure could force

fuel

out of the tank. Gasoline can also escape

^if

the gas cap

is

not securely tightened.

Never remove a gasoline cap from a hot or running

tractor.

Always tighten the gas cap.

A new

style

gas cap.

first

available

in

1980, has special design features

to

reduce gas vapor buildup or

fuel

eruption due

to

improper gas cap removal. The new cap has two vent holes

in

the top and has

"Pressure, Open Slowly" embossed in the

top.

NewGasolineTankFuelCap

To request a new cap, simply complete and mail the attached post card. There is absolutely no obligation.

INTERNATIONAr

fromNAVISTAR

A Brand *Em ^II Team Effort For Safety!

fiZT

LOOKING AHEAD

Making Bucks From Com Smut

It's repulsive-looking, but

when

the fungus swells yellow

com

kernels into a gray mass,

some

see big

money

in the rediscovery of an ancient delicacy...com smut.

Chefsanddiners are takinga liking to

com

smut.Agriculturalscientistsareeven seekingwaysto cultivateit.

A

fewfanners are taking a

new

look at something they onceplowedunderasnature's garbage.

Elite places serving themaize mush-

rooms include the Plaza Hotel in

New

York and FronteraGrill inChicago.

The

fungus can becooked upas the founda- tionfor a dishorasa flavoringinfoodsas diverseasmeats, soups, saucesand even

icecream.

Farmerscangetfrom$¹to$2fortwo smuttyears,comparedwiththreeto five cents fora pairof healthyearsofcom.

Source: FarmProfitAGRISEARCH, a publi- cationofMasseyFerguson

Althoughit doesn't look very appetizing, corn

smut

Isconsideredadelicacy.

Concocting

TlieUltimate

BeetleJuice As

allurmgasthescentsoffermenting fruits

may

beto dried fruitbeetles, even

more

attractive aresuchscents

when

mixed withchemicalattractantsrecently patented by

USDA

scientists.

The

"perfume"put into a custom-de- signedbeetle trapcould help farmersand warehousemanagersgather theinforma- tionthey needtom. kcdecisionsonpes- ticideapplications.

The

chemical attrac nis synthesized by theresearch teamare similartothose produced by a male beetle

when

he's founda food source (such as .1 limier's crop).

Many

female and male ^hi eties, sensethepheromones fromafar,andjoin

intoone big partytodine andmate, says entomologist RobertJ.BarteltoftheNa-

tionalCenterforAgricultural Utilization Research,Peoria. Illinois.

Besidesdamagingfruit throughfeed- ingandegglaying,the beetles

may

carry such crop-destroying diseases as smut,

mold

and rot.

In

some

recent years. California fig

growers havespent as

much

as$100,000

tocontrol the beetles,whichareaninter- mittentproblem.Ifany

company

licenses the synthetic pheromone, fruit growers could better decide

when

or whether to spraytheircrops,says Bartelt.

Source; AgriculturalResearch.

USDA

Listen

To The Mummichog A

beautifulsmallfishcalled the

mum- michog may

betheenvironmental canary of the 1990's, at least along the East Coast.

Mummichogs

develop tumors

when

carcinogenic pollutants are in the water.

Carcinogenscan

come

fromindustrial discharges, municipal waste, agriculture andevennaturalsources.

"We're testing

mummichogs

as bio- logical indicators ofwaterquality,to be surefamichemicals

—

fertilizersandpes- ticides

—

^{are used} safely," says George Gassner. an

ARS

biologist in Beltsville,

Maryland. "The

mummichogs

would be living sensors something like canaries usedtodetect toxicgasesinminesatthe

tum

ofthecentury."

"But unlike exposing canaries to po- tentially fatal doses of gas. we're not threatening

mummichog

lives," Gassner adds.

In fact,Gassner's workwith

mummi-

chogs very

much

resembles the care of people inthebestofhospitals.

He

removes fish from one of three saltwateraquariaandgently anesthetizes them and wraps them in plastic

foam

blankets that protect the fish from han- dling

damage

anddrying.

The

blanketedfishiscarefullyplaced inaplastictubeandinserted intoanuclear magneticresonanceimagingscanner.The machineproducesviews ofthefish's in- terior.

Gassner says keeping the fish alive allows repeatedmeasurements onthesame

fish.

"Using this approach, environmental scientistsand managers fromfederal, state

andlocalagenciescanperiodicallymoni-

tor fishfromvariouswaterways,tagthem forfuture studiesandreturn themtothe riversandbaysunhamied," Gassnersays.

He

saysthefishcould be usedtomoni-

torestuaries worldwide.

And

fisharen't the only candidates for the

MRI

early

waming

system.Gassner isalready con- sidering crawfish,clams,oystersandother shellfish.

Source: AgriculturalResearch,

USDA

10 FFANewHorizons

flZ?

M A

^I

^L B A G

To Drink

or

Not To Drink

Imust handitovertoyou.

The

article.

To

DrinkorNot

To

Drink;, inthe

Decem-

ber-January, 1992issuewasgreat!

I'vesharedthearticlewith

my

fellow stateofficersand members.

It gave

me

a wonderful feeling just reading it and asking those questions to myself.

Nimala Fagater Wall.,

Hawaii

Safety

Hazard

1

am

writinginregardto apictureand cutlinethat appearedinyour December- January, 1991-92.

FFA New

Horizons

(FFA

inAction,page34.)

The

article

was

titled,"OhioClassicTractor."

One

of the people in that picture is

seatedonthe tractorfender.Ibelievethis isan unsafe practiceand doesnothingto

promote famisafety.1

know

thefullintent wasto promotetheantiquetractor,butit

would have been inbettertaste ifoneof theyoung

men

had beenstanding beside thetractor.

The

thingthat bothers

me

the mostis that

DuPont

published a 1992 calendar withthispicture.

1hopeareview offarmsafetypractices willbeused inthe future

when

selecting photosforyourpublication. 1wouldalso appreciateyournotifying

DuPonI

ofthis safety hazard.

Mike

Jones Safety

Program

Coordinator Indiana

Farm

BureauInc.

Outstanding!

1wasimpressed withyourstory."'Out- standing" (December-January, 1991-92 pages 16-20).

1 was unable to attend the 64th Na-

tional

FFA

Convention. Butafterreading yourarticle,1 felt like1 wasthere.

FFA New

Horizons is a greatmaga-

zine.

Keep

up thegoodwork.

MaltStefanel Zephyrhills,Florida Sendlettersor noteswithname,addressand chapterto

MAILB

AG.

FFA New

Horizons.

P.O.Bo.x15160. Alexandria. VA 22309.All lettersaresubjecttoediting.

Aphl-l\/lay. 1992

PROJECT ^PALS

For Those Who Care

FFA members are taking part in a hold new pro-

gram that pairs high school students with elementary kids who ^{need help}

Their

common

interestin

music

help put Shirley, Arkansas,

FFA member Chuck

Mollis

and

Paul Jenkins to- gether.

I

almostdroppedoutof schoolintilthgrade,"saysone

FFA member. "My

grades were really low. I felt likerunning

away

from home. All I had was me. Inthe sixth grade I

decidedtheonly

way

outof povertywastostayinschool.

I want to teach that to

my

^pal and encourage him to stay in school."

Through studying, playing

games

with orjust listening to theirlittlepals

FFA

mentorsareboostingtheyoungerkids"self-

esteem andgrades.Saysoneelementaryteacher, "thisprogram accomplishes far

more

in developing self-esteem in both the high hool andelementary kids than anyotherprogram I've everst "

Parenk ^>changesintheirchildrentoo.Saysone

mom

^ofan

FFA

memb..

My

son is

much more

adult in his decision making proces. ow. He's learning responsibility and a lot

aboutcaring."

Mr. Glen

Hack

tc, Project Pals Coordinator ⁱⁿ Shirley, 12

By

Lawinna

McGary

Arkansas, says what Project Pals does isreally nothing new.

"This type ofmentoring took place all ofthetime in theone-

room

school houses.Olderstudentsalwayshelpedyoungerones with schoolwork. If a child couldn't hit a baseball, the highschoolerwouldbat forhim,andtheyoungerstudentwould runaroundthebases.

We

lostthatinteraction

when we

separated thebig kidsfromthelittleones. Project Palsjustbrings thesetwo groups together sonaturalcaringcantakeplaceagain."

The

programis

made

possiblethroughathree-year $1million grantfromtheKelloggFoundation.

Bemie

Staller,

FFA's

Chief OperatingOfficer,says

FFA

providedagoodfitforthefounda- tion.

"They

wantedto start mentoringin smallschool systems thatusuallydon'thavethefundsforthissortofthing,

"he

says.

"And

while

FFA

does exist in large schools, it'sreally

more common

in smallcommunities."

Also, the continued success of Project Pals depends on

community

involvement(whentheKelloggfunding isgonein

1994,theplanisforlocaldollarsandsupporttotake over)."With programslikeBuilding

Our

AmericanCommunities

(BOAC),"

saysStaller,"agricultureeducation has involvedcommunitiesin itsactivitiesfor

many

years."

To

keepthe kidscoordinatedineachcommunity,sixschool staff

members

and oneperson

who

^is not a school employee

work

together. High school students

who

want tobea partof Project Palsusuallyhavetofilloutanapplication.

"We

wantto

make

sure they're seriousaboutthecommitmenttotheprogram.

A

childwillbecountingonthem," says CharlesFranklin,

FFA

advisorin

Hamburg,

Arkansas.

Elementary teachers pick kids they think willbenefitmost from having a pal.

Once

parents give the okay, students are paired withan

FFA member.

In all there are

more

than

400

students and 20 schools in

Michigan and ArkansaswithProjectPals.

By

nextyearstudents in80schoolsandtwo

new

stateswillbementoringtoo.Eventu- ally,saysProject PalsDirectorJosieGarza,

"we

hopetherewill beaprogramineverystatethat wantsone."

Unfortunatelyfornow,thereisn'tenough

room

foreveryone

who

wants to be involved. Here are just a few examples of FFANew^Horizons

//

jT:J!.^eW).u

Elementary student KaylaWatts,Shirley,Arkansas,

and

her

mentor Kim

Lockard sharea loveforhorses.Kayla

watches Kim compete

in localrodeos.

students

who

have beenable totakepart.

One

mentor

made

a Christmas present for her pal in the school's agricultureshop.

When

shegave^ittothestudent,tears flooded his face.

No

one had evergiven

him

a Christmasgift before.

"Now we make

something in the shop for

him

every week," saysthe

FFA

advisor.

An

elementarystudentusedtowrite'Ihate

myself

overand overagain.Butafterjustafew monthshechangedhisnotesto

ilovemyself. Ilove

my

classmates.I love school."

One

high school student even had to deal with death. "I couldn't believeit."hesays,"one day

my

palwas okay andthe next day he was dead. It was hard because he was a special friend."

Spinal meningitis, suddenly took the elementary student's

life.Mostofthe

FFA members

wenttothe funeral.

"We

wereall affectedbecause we'relikefamily," saysonestudent.

"Before

we

closedthecasketforthelasttime,Ibent

down

and put the Project Pals pin onhis lapel,"says thementor.

"Some-

thing insideof

me

saidhewould alwaysbea partofme.

He was someone

special. I wanted to let people in the

community

know." •••

Shirley, Arkansas,

FFA member Andrew

Michelle,

and

^fifth grader Derek Watts study for

an

hour just about every

Wednesday.

If youVi/ould like to

be

a part of, as

one

mentor putit, "endless possibilitiesto help kids," writeJosieGarza or Beverly Wilsonin the ProjectPalsofficeat:5632

Mount

Vernon Memorial Highway,Alexan- dria,VA,22309-0160,

il i!

PROJECT

PALS

For

those ivhocare!

April-May. 1992 13

Environmental Career Sources

•EnvironmentalProtectionCareers Guidebook($7.50 each)

SuperintendentofDocuments GovernmentPrintingOffice Wastiington,DC20402 (202)783-3238

•OpportunitiesInEnvironmental Careers(availableatbookstores) Auttior:OdomFanning

Publistied by:VGMCareerHorizons

•Environmental Careers(entry level jobsavailable after college) CEIP

68HarrisonAve.

FiftfiFl.

Boston,MA02111

•Youth ConservationCorps

Ifyou're 15 to 18 years old you're eligible towork,learnandearnwages

wfiileworkingforthe Park Service's YouthConservation Corps, Theirpub-

liclandsprojectsincludeconstructing

trails,buildingcampgroundfacilities, planting trees, collectinglitter,clear- ingstreams, improving wildlifehabi- tatsandofficework.

United StatesYouthConservationCorps U.S. FishandWildlifeService NationalParl<Sen/ice Washington,DC20240 (202)343-5951

Federal

Agencies

•AgricultureDepartment,Natural Resourcesand Environment

14thSt.and IndependenceAve.,S.W.

Washington,DC20250 (202)447-7173

•EnvironmentalProtectionAgency

401MSt.,S.W.

Washington,DC20460 (202)382-4361

•GeologicalSurvey(Interior Department)

12201SunnseValleyDr.

Peston.VA22092

•InteriorDepartment Maini. •;"'Bidg.

Washing, :20240 (202) 343-/.

•Justice Departn.

Land andNaturalh. -,:

P.O.Box 23985 Washington,DC20026 14

n

Career ^ ^Watch

Agriculture Gives You

An Edge With

Environmental Careers

i

Do

^{you speak the} language of agriculture'? If your answer is

yes, you're a minority, and you're in

demand

in the envi- ronmental field.

"As

an agriculture student and

FFA member,

you havetheinside knowledge

it takes to

work

with farmers and the technical skills you need to understand biology,chemistryandotherissues,"says

Bob

Ehart. IssuesandPoliciesManager, Environmental and Public Affairs De- partment,

CIBA-GEIGY

Agricultural Chemical

Company.

"Thebiggest benefitthat

someone

with arural background has is terminology,"

headds."'We speakthe

same

language^as farmers.

We come

inasapartnerwiththe farmer,not as the police.

They

^|fanners]

canseethatwe'retryingtoimprovethings forthem andtheenvironment."

Ann

^Sorensen.assistant director.Natu-

ral and Environmental Resources Divi- sion.AmericanFarniBureau, agreesthat

knowing agriculture helps meet farmers needs."Growing up ona farniisanexperi- ence sofewpeople havenow.Thereareso fewscientists that really understand what farmersneedand

how

towork

w

iththem.

"Only two percent of the American public is actively involved in fanning, while20percentareinvolvedinthefood industry," she explains. That

means

18 percentoftheworkforceinvolvedinagri- culturein

some way

don'thaveanyagri- culturalexperience.

Because of this shortage, she says,

"We

especiallyneedkidswithanagricul- tural background.

We're

looking for people

who

canactasresourcesandhelp educate farmersabouttheenvironment."

Learning Environmental Language

"To

succeedintheenvironmentalfield you'll need a good background in ecol-

ogy, botany and entomology," says Sorenson. "Organicchemistry and toxi- cology

make

a potentcombinationtoo."

But Sorensonalso believesscience is

not theonly areayou'll needtobe sharp

in. "Ithink we'refindingintheinforma- tion age you almost have to have back- ground with computers. Speaking skills

come

inveryhandy andthere'sno

way

to

I can put enough emphasis on writing skills. They're tremendously important.

Ifyoudon'thave those skills youeither learnthem very quicklyoryousink."

Below

areafewenvironmental areas tokeepaneyeon.

•Agronomy-the theory of crop pro- duction and soil management; manage-

ment

offarm lands.

•Biology-the science oflifeandliving organisms.

•Biotechnology-the applied science of controlling and adapting living organ- ismsto meettheneeds ofman.

•Demography-the statistical study of the characteristics of

human

population andtheireffectsontheenvironment.

•Ecology-theeffect

human

activitiesand otherorganisms haveontheenvironment.

•EnergyConservation-developing al- ternativeformsofenergyorfindingways

todecrease energy use.

•Environmental Engineering-Usingen- gineeringskillstohelppreservethe envi- ronment.

A

few job examples that fall

underthiscategoryare:

-performing

EPA

complianceaudits (atfarmdealerships,etc)

-designingand implementing ways

to store and

manage

waste, pesti- cidesandfertilizer

-designingand implementing ways

todecrease soilerosion

•Hydrology-the science dealing with the properties, distribution and circula-

tionofwater. ^•••

FFANewHorizons

CO^ ^{toa^.}

Si.052

n^ iies®*;!^ CO

'^%^.

\RoO-

.IMS

>,

'^^FV'i-:.-|;---'^'-.;.

^iW |«

^

^{' "}

M Kj

-^

Ir

\EALL YOU CAN BE. 1-800-USA-ARMY

S.ARMY

ESERVE

Two

in El^tonsPaso. Texas.^{oftrashdisappears} Elementary students learn about water safety andconservationinSchuyler,Ne- braska.

The Morgan

County landfill in Madison. Georgia, is spared

120,000poundsofwaste.

No...specialenvironmentalor- ganizations didn't take over in these towns and counties...FFA

members

andtheircommunitiesdid.

ThroughtaskforcessuchasEarth

Team

and R^S.V.P. (Recycle Soon It's Vital

To Our

Planet),studentsallaroundthe UnitedStatesareeducating, recycling, reusingandreducing.

Cleaning up your

commu-

nity, says Debbie Martinez, a

member

of the Ysieta

FFA

ⁱⁿ El Paso, Texas,

"affectsyourhouseand youreconomicfu ture. It en- sures the stability of the

commu-

nity."

El Paso bor-

ders Jaurez, Mexico,acity with unregu- lated air pollution and a tremendous amount of truck traffic heading to and fromtheUnitedStates.Thatpresents spe- cial problems for his

community

says advisorSteven Forsythe.

"We

foundout first-hand that

we

need to be concerned aboutwhere

we

live,breatheandraiseour family becau.se

we

get so

much

exhaust from oursister city."

Sincethere is so

much

traffic andac- tivityonElPasoroads, thereisalso quite a^bitoftrash.So

FFA members

decidedto adopt-a-high\vay.Inoneyear theypicked up twotons oftrash.

They mak

re torecyclealuminum, but insteadofj. cting the profit, they turn it back to tl. -x highway depart- ment where it's u. ro help maintain local roads. "We're ::'ro to

make

El Pasoa better,nicerpla;. 'ive...aplace

we

can beproudof,"say. svthe.

ThreestatesnorthofTexasinSchuyler, Nebraska,

FFA members

arealsodealing with unique environmental challenges.

Recently, their

community

landfill was closed.Something hadtobedonewithall

ofthat trash.

To

respondtothecrisis,the Building

Our American Communities

committee fomiedthe"EarthCare

—

^Be-

cause

We

Care"project.

Members

began a recycling center.

They

worked with

FFA

Alumni, local farmers andother local organizations to design a five-year groundwater protec- tionplan.

And

theyeducated elementary studentsaboutwatersafety,toured several water conservation plants, plugged aban- donedwellsandtestedwellsfor nitrates.

President

Bush

andtheEnvironmental Protection

Agency (EPA)

was even im-

By

Lawinna

McGary

pressed by all of this activity.

They

awardedthechapterone ofthePresident's Environmental Youth Awards."

Meanwhile

inMadison,Georgia,

FFA members

caught recycling mania.

"We

startedoffonasmallscale,justthinking aboutwhat

we

coulddohereattheschool,"

saysBlaneMarable, chapteradvisor.

Soon

theywereofferingrecyclingser- vices toeveryone in thecommunity.

To

help get the

word

out

members

printed and distributed flyers. "Everybody's bringingitemstousnow,"says Marable.

"The response hasbeentremendous."

Justayearanda-halfsince the^startof their project they've cut the

amount

of trash that goes into the

Morgan

County

landfill by 120,000 pounds. "According

tothecountyadministrator,"Marablesays.

16 FFANewHorizons

"we've

made

a sizabledentin tiie waste our

community

hastodeal with."

A

bonus to saving on waste is the

money

recycling earns.

The

$¹00a

month

the chapter gains goes right back into developing an outdoor environmental studyarea.

Thesearejust atew examplesofwhat

FFA members

allacrossthe countryare doingtohelptheenvironment. Here are

some ways

you and yourchaptercanget involved.

•Conductenergyauditsof schoolsand

members homes

ⁱⁿcooperation withlocal electricutilities.

Proper insulationcan save 20to 30 percentinheating costs and 15percent in airconditioningexpenses.

•Holdcommunity forumsinyour school auditorium. Feature environmental club members, recycling center personnel or soil conservationstaffmembers.

•Start testplotsdemonstrating conser- vationtillageorintegrated pest manage- ment (IPM) programs. These methods helpcut

down

onsoil loss andchemical use.

•Start a nature trail in a wetland or forestarea.

•Raise

money

whileyoucontributeto the environment. Recycle glass, plastic

and aluminum;sellandplanttreesorsell

mulch. Donatethe

money

youearntoan environmentalgroupsuchastheNational Wildlife Federation.

•Start an elementary coloringor writ- ing contestonan environmentalsubject.

•Produce a recycling booklet for the community.

•Startan anti-styrofoamcampaign.

•Raise

money

toadoptrainforestland.

You

candothisby^sellingenvironmental singing telegrams, raffling environmen-

tal items, sellingjunglejuicepunch,etc.

For$.30youcan preserve anacreinLatin America (PhonetheNatureConservancy

at l-HOO-628-6860).

•Put up environmental displays ^at a local libraryorin yourschool.

•Startaquarterlyenvironmentalnews- paper for the community, highlighting local efforts.

•At gasstationsvolunteertochecktire

pressure and change oil free (customer buys oil).

Hand

out pamphlets on envi- ronmental savings earned with propercar maintenance.

•At grocerystoresgive

away

reusable shoppingbags.

•Promote special

community

and school parking spots for people

who

carpool.

•Recycle Christmastrees.Turnthem

intomulch.

^^cn

Matt

Stuthman and

hisadvisor

Tom Wheeldon

of

Schuyler, Nebraska,

re-

ceived

the President's En-

vironmental Youth Award

from President

Bush and EPA Administrator

William Reiley (far right) In 1991.

April-May. 1992 17

POWERPOINT

New front end ^{design All-new interior} comfort New Power Po

The harder your day looks, the bette

>ur new ^truck looks.

THE NEW ^'92 F-SERIES

Ford delivers the news farmers want

^to

see.

America's

Best-Built tull-size

pickup* has always been a welcome

sight.

Now

^for

1992,

this

rugged worker

^isoffering

new

proofthat real value

can

still

be found.

The new Ford pickup has a more

aero-

dynamic

look. In

back,

the

deep cargo box -

longest in its class

- provides

the

payload and

flexibility

you need. With

the

widest range

of multi-port EFI engines,

and

the

biggest

FbrdTniGks.

TheBeslNeverResL

ro3«=«»-«*=^-'^

Ws

'%./^

m Mi^J

.^^^

r^f^^-i'-'-^^^x

«UJU

available diesel for

any

pickup, the 7.3L V-S,

you

get the kind of

power you want.

Inside, there's

more good news. The spacious new

interior offersavailable

contour seats and power lumbar supports. The

user- friendly

instrument panel -

with its

convenient

new Power

Point electrical outlet

- makes

things

easy

to see,

easy

to reach.

What

else

could you hope

to

see?

A new 36-month/36,000-mile Bumper-to- Bumper Warranty

with

no deductible**

Through

the

hardest day - any day -

^this truck is

going

to look

and

feel very

good.

•Based on an averageofconsumef-feported problemsmasurveyofait1991full- sizepickupmodels designed andbuiltinNortfiAmenca,'Besl-Builffull-line claimbasedon an averageofconsumer-reportedproblemsinaseries ofsurveys ofall'81 -'91models designed andbuiltinNorthAmenca-SalesbyDivision.

'*Askyourdealerforacopyof this1992modellimitedwarranty.

<sg^

THEBEST-BUILT. BEST-SELLINGAIVIERICAN

TRUCKS

ARE BUILTFORD TOUGH.

V ^was

^{gestured to a small}

wooden

chair inthemiddle

I

of the floor.

The

^

^{room...humid.Facing}

^me

was a panel of five.

The

interrogationbegan.

"Do

you deserve _the

FFA

scholarship?"

My

glasses steamed as I

choked on

my

^words.

Slumped

in

my

seat, I

stared at the floor.

They

dis-

missed me. ^I barely got out of therealive.

Itcan beajungleout there. Inter-

viewingforapart-time job.

FFA

office or scholarship isstressful. But.byfol-

lowingthesesimplesurvivaltips,youcan emergetriumphant.Soonyou'llbe

Queen

orKing ofthejungle,just like Janeand Tarzan.

Mapping Your

Safari

Adventure

Before you step into the thick ofthe interview, you should plan ahead. Re- searcheverythingyoucan abouttheinter- viewerandthe

company

or organization.

What

service or products do they pro- vide?

What

qualities aretheylookingfor from you?

What

aretheirgoals and

how

do youfitin?

You

mightfindanswerstotheseques- tionsfrom

company

literature,yourlocal library, ^-'sinessassociations,localnews- paper fik or even past employees or candidates^ ^> know.

Packingfo. ejungleis next.Gather thesesuppliesa. ^. ntureout.

20

/Pen

/Two

resume copies (makes fill-

ing out anapplication easier) /List of high school courses and

gradepoint /Social Security card

/Letters of referenceor atypedlist

of references(atleastthree)

/Samples

ofpreviousworkortal- ent(ifneeded)

Tarzan

Is

Not A Fashion Statement

A

loincloth is not appropriatefor the interview.

And

^IdoubtTarzanwould

make

a greatfirstimpression.

By

Linda

May

When

it

comes

to interviewing, ap- pearanceiseverything!Ifyoudress slop- pily, the interviewer will think you're carelessorlackinitiative,orthatyou

may

needclose supervision. Inone majorsur- vey:

•95 percent ofemployerssaidpersonal appearanceaffected theiropinion ofthe applicant.

•91percentbelieveddressandgroom- ing

showed

anapplicant's attitudetoward

theircompany.

Common

senseandsimplegoodtaste arethe bestguidesto

making

afirst im- pression. Plus,

knowing

you look great givesyou addedconfidence.

When

it

comes

todressingforaninter- view, follow this simple rule ofthumb.

Dressat leastalevelabovewhatthejob requires.Ifthejob callsfor dress slacks andshirt,

men

wearatie. For

women,

if skirts are the dress code,

show

up in a dressorsuit.

Be Prepared For Anything When

Jane

was

in trouble, Tarzan wouldarriveintimetosaveher.But

when

asked a toughquestion,you're leftalone tofightthe crocodiles.

You

can expect certain questions to

come

up.Practice, practice. ..andpractice again. Write out your answers and re- hearseinfrontofa mirror, orinroleplay withothers.

When

atough question

comes

your way,you'llbe relaxed andready.

The

mostimportantpoint?

SELL

your- self. Smile...be enthusiastic...lean forward...andlisten! Don'thold back.

Be

yourself.

Explain

how

your skills and experi- enceareexactlywhatthey'relookingfor.

FFANewHorizons