National Future Farmer - IUPUI archives

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The'V&mahaTerraprc

workb(

Along with sweating, sore limbs and painMly long days.

Introducing the Yamaha Terrapro:The

^first

ATV

with something extra behind

it.

A rear-mounted PTO.

Or to be more specific, an

ASAE standard, 1-inch,

2,000 rpm PTO which oper-

off your workday.

The'^i^maha finish

mower has three high-

lift

cutting blades that slice a

^fioll

48-inch swath over lawns, golf courses and grounds.

The Yamaha 42-inch rough-cut mower has an

all-

purpose rotary cutter that eats up grass,

weeds and light brush.

It

has

high-lift rotary blades and side discharge v^ich keeps the mower

clear for a better, faster cut.

Both mowers

The Yamaha

sprayerwith

boom

willhelpeliminate ,. .

'

insects,

fungi weeds and

longdays.

able mOWing

ates a variety of mowers and height of 1.5 to 5 inches that

Thisisthe

PTO

behindtheATV.lt

helps

you

get

your

work ASAP.

sprayers.

For example, our exclu- sive Terrapro System of

mowers designed for Yamaha by Woods. They trim hours

you set without needing any

tools except your hands.

And because the blades are forged from tough, heat- treated steel, they'll last With

theTerraprohand-held sprayer

you can

spray

any

thing

from

^crops

to cattle.

until the cows come home.

For spraying

fertilizers,

insecticides, herbicides, fiingicides*or other kinds of industrial liquids, there's the Terrapro System of sprayers

made for Yamaha by Broyhill.

They come in 50 and 100 gallon sizes with a versa-

tile

hand-held sprayer that lets you get at those hard to

180 daylimitedivarmntyincludes TerraproandYamahamowersandsprayers.Warranty termsare limited.See yourYamahadealerfiyrdetailsDressproperly for vottr ridewithahelmet, eye protection,long sleetvd shirt,long trousers, glovesandboots.Designedfor off-road operator use mdy.This productistobe usedbyone personmly.

PTQItputsallyour

hindyou.

The Yamaha Tenapro PTO

is

an ASAE

^{standard,1-inch,}

2,000

fpn.Translated,that

means

it'sreallyversatile.

get places. Around trees.

Tlirough fence posts. Under bushes.

For fields and lawns, you can get an efficient 15- or 24-foot boom to eliminate pests, weeds, fiangi and

sore arms.

Both boom systems have a handy modular design that can be arranged in

A Yamaha mmvcr

trims

various configurations, so you won't be.

Of course, one of the best parts about the Yamaha Terrapro™PTO

isn't

just what's in back.

It's

what's up

^fi'ont.

Like a 349cc, 4-stroke engine that lets you tackle mountains of work. Not to mention mountains.

Or what's below. Like the high-flotation tires that let you go out into the mud.

hoursoff

your

workday.

And come back.

All of w^ich proves that when

it

comes to help- ing you get your work done

fast,

we couldn't be more behind you.

Now the only thing

left

ahead of you

is

to call

1-800-331-6060 ext. 684

to find the dealer closest to you.

YAMAHA

We make the difference:

Yamaha andthe Specialty Vehicle InstituteofAmerica encourage youtoride safelyandrespect fellow ridersandthe efwironniettt.Forfurtherinformationregardingthe5VZ4ndercourse,please call1-800^7-4700.

Dotu)tdrinkanddritf.Ifisillegalanddangemus.Specifications subjecttociiangewithoutnotice.

f^

^{TheJ.\atlonal}

T

l

kture hrmer

PaUUhedby IbrFutureFarmersofAmerlra

Volume

35

Number

4

April-May, 1987

ISSN

0027-9315

A Word With The Editor

Work

is

underway

forthe60th anniversary convention of

FFA, November

12-14, in KansasCity,Missouri.Earlyindications are that^itwillbe aspecialone.

Two

outstanding speakers have already been confirmed.

One

speakerisLeelacocca, board

chairman

of Chrysler Corporation,

who

isalso well

known

forhis

work

raising fundsforthe Statue of Liberty, a

program

in which

FFA

participated.

The

otherspeakeris

Roger

Staubach, best

known

perhapsas a quarterbackfor the Dallas

Cowboys, and

a

Heisman Trophy

winnerwhileincollege at Navy.

There^isalsoacommitteeat

work on

the celebration.Thiscommittee

was

authorized

by

the

Board

of DirectorsinJanuary

and was appointed by

Dr. Larry Case, national advisor.

Committee members

are

Kevin

Eblen, national

FFA

president;

Coleman

Harris,

FFA

executive secretary

and

Bill

Harsh

of

Kansas

City,aformerexecutiveof

Hallmark

Cards

and

a long-time supporterof

FFA.

This committee, along with several consultants,

met

once

by

conferencecall,

and

othermeetings arescheduled between

now and

July

when

thecommitteewillsubmitits report to the

Board

of Directors.

The

60th anniversary conventionwillkick off

FFA's

60thyear.Itwillbea timetolook back, but emphasis will be placed

on

the future.Whilethe voices ofchangeareinthe air,itisa

good

timefor

FFA

totakestock of whereitis

and

whereit'sgoing.Thisisbeing

done by

severalgroups, so

FFA's

60thyear

may

beits

most

importantyear.

Ti^eUoH ^OAKeA

In This Issue

Listen tothe

Land ^ ^

Thisfuturisticagricultural exhibit^at

EPCOT

Centerreaches millionseveryyear.

lU A Good

Casefor

Japan

^ ^

National

FFA

Advisor Larry Case^tellsofhistour with the nationalofficers.

YL

The New Ag

Professionals:

Commodity

Lobbyist

KeithHeard

makes

surecottonisconsideredinWashington.

14

Turlock

FFA

^-Mechanics

and Much More

This Californiaag mechanics

program

willtake

on

the biggestofprojects.

16

...

And

Report

Back

toYou,

Mr.

President .-

„

KevinEblen, national

FFA

president,talksaboutchangeinthe organization.

lo

Big

Dreams,

BigBusiness

^.^

Justoutside

Kokomo,

Indiana,

young

entrepreneurs getreadyforthe big time.

2M

A Summer

ofDiscovery /^ ^a

Washington

Conference

Program

has served over18,600

FFA members. .Z4 The

Mechanical

Mind

JesseDavis,ag mechanics winner,

works on

electrostaticcropsprayers.

30

Biotechnology:

A Weapon

forAgriculture

Some

peopleareworriedabout biotechnology.

Here

are

some

answers.

36

In Every Issue

News

InBrief 7

Looking Ahead

8

6 Chapter

Scoop

FFA

InAction

34 38

The Joke Page

42

The Cover: Cover Photo by Andrew Markwari

Tony

Willis, Florida

FFA

^state vice-president

examines

a

column

ofhydro- ponically

grown

chilipeppersin

The Land

pavilion at

EPCOT

CenterinFlorida.

Explainingtheconveyor system

and growing

processis

Ginny Mann,

agricultural student

program

coordinatorfor

The

Land.

Magazine

Staff

Edilor-in-Chiel.Wilson

W

Games Senior EditorJohnMPilzer AssociateEditor.AndrewMarkwart PublishingAssistant.JoColley DirectorotAdvertising.GlennD

Luedke

AdvertisingAssistant,Joyce Berryman CirculationFulfillmentManager.

DottieMHinkle Assistants.

AdaGeorge, JanetMagill.

DoitieWelzel,YvonneByrnes, Helen Daugherty,HarriettFidd PattyByrnes

National Officers National President. Kevin Eblen,Route4,Box 24,Creston,lA50801:National Secretary.

KevinYost.Route2,Box70,DeWilt,NE66341

;

National Vice Presidents.JonesLoflin,POBox 123,Denton.NO27239,DarenCoppock, PO.

Box92,Adams,OR97810:JaymeFeary,Route 1,Box125. Falkuille,AL35622.DeanHarder, Route2,Box227,Mountain Lake,MN56159

Board

ofDirectors Chairman. Larry Case:Membersof theBoard.

Robert Crawley. Richard Karelse,CLKeels, AlfredJMannebach,DuaneNielsen,Jerry Paxton,LesThompson, Rosco Vaughn

National Staff National Advisor. Chief ExecutiveOfficer.Larry Case: Executive Secretary.ColemanHarris:

National Treasurer. DavidAMiller, AdministrativeDirector.Wilson

W

Carnes:

Managerof International Programs. Lennie Gamage:FFA ProgramSpecialist(Awards), RobertSeeteldt,FFA ProgramSpecialist (Contests).TedAmick,FFA ProgramSpecialist (Leadership).TonyHoyt. Directorof Information.WilliamStagg: Director ofFFA SupplyService.Dennis Shafer, Executive DirectorFFA AlumniAssociation.Robert

W

Cox:ManagerofAccounting,JoAnnGrimes, ProgramSpecialist-Educational Technology.

DwightHorkheimer

AdvertisingOffices TheNationalFUTURE FARMER

PC

Box15160

Alexandria,VA22309 703-360-3600 TheBrassettCompany

5150Wilshire Boulevard

Los Angeles,CA90036 213-802-2571 Lampert&Associates

POBox325

Western Springs,IL60556 312-462-3993 PeterCKelly,Inc

2655SouthWoodward Avenue BloomlieldHillsMl48013 313-335-5050 Robert FlahiveCompany

22 BatteryStreet

SanFrancisco.CA9411 1 415-398-4444

TheNationalFUTUREFARMER(ISSN0027-9315)Ispublished bimonthlyby the Future FarmeisofAmerica, 5632Mount VernonHighway. Alexandria,Virginia22309-0160.

ADDRESS CHANGES:Sendboth oldand newaddresstoCirculationDepartment,TheNationalFUTURE FARMER.POBox15160,Alexandria.Virginia22309-0160CORRESPONDENCE:Address allcorrespondencetoTheNationalFUTUREFARIVtER.POBox15160,Alexandria,Virginia22309-0160 Offices locatedattheNationalFFACenter, approximately eight miles southofAlexandria.

VirginiaSUBSCRIPTION:$300 per yearinU S andpossessions(FFAmembers$150 paid with dues)SinglecopyJ1 00, five ormore50CeachForeign subscriptions. $3 00 plus $2 00 extrafor postage Copyright 1987 by the Future FarmersofAmerica

rt »>»^{'^}ft

*

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'^

^

/*^*' go

Evenifcollegeisn'tforyou, theG.I.BillPlus the

Army

College

Fund

canbe.

You

canearn $17,000foryour Vo-Techschoolingwith theArmy's specialTwo-YearEnlistment.

Or

$25,200ifyouservefouryears.

Of

course,

how much

youearnfor yourschoolingdepends

on how

long youserve

and

whichspecialtyyouqual- ify

and

enlistfor.

Butyou'llget a lot

more

outofyour enlistmentthanm.oney.You'llhavea

chanceto travel

To

meet

new

people.

To

getyourself

mto

the best physicalshape you've everbeenin.

And,

you'llgetthe

Army'shigh-techtrainingthatcan helpyou inyour

Vo-Tech

major

and

yourcareer

Ifyou'dliketolearn

more

about

how

theG.I.BillPlus the

Army

College

Fund

^canhelppayforyour educa- tion atanaccredited 'Vo-Techschool,

visityourlocal

Army

Recruiter.

Or

caU,tollfree,

1-800-USA-ARMY

ARMY.

BEAUYOUCANBE.

IF YOU WANT

IT ISN

-The

Maillm&

Think

Safety!

After reading the article "Getting

Aboard

the

ATVenture"

inthelastissue, Igot tothinking abouta

member

ofour chapterthat

was

seriouslyinjuredwhile riding

on

a three-wheelerlastspring. I feelthearticle

was

veryinformative

and

thatallpersons

owning

an

ATV

or riding one, should attend classes

on

proper safety

and

operationalprocedures.Allit

takesis

one

timetoplay

around and you

couldfindyourself seriously injuredor dead.It

makes me

thinkabout

my

fellow

FFA member and

if he

had worn

a helmet,

maybe

he

would

bein classwith

me

today.

JeniLaird

Union

Bridge,Missouri

Head

Start

Ireally likethearticle

"The

Pepper- mint Twist"inthe

February-March

issue.

Ithinkitisgreat thatahigh schoolsenior has alreadygot astart

on

hiscareer.

Tammy

Davis

Canoga

Park, California

You name ^it, Buck makes ^it

^..

.

...

and Buck makes

itbetter!

At

leastthat's

what

millions of

Americans

^tellus.

We use the best

steel

we can buy and temper

itin

out own special way so

it

holds an edge. Our craltsmen put a

^lotof

heart

into their

workmanship, and we

think that

shows,

too.

Large

tosmall,

fixed-blade

to

pocket

knife.

Buck

^offers

you more than

100

models. See them

at

your dealer or

in

our

new

^full-color

catalog

w<^^ w

^{, ,j--}

digest.

(And now,

there's

E^£ _"Iv'^J 1\/F^

also

a

fulllineof

Buck

out-

IBi IX ^{J.^} 1 V J^ C

dOOT clothing

_i)

"HJi)

Famoustor

noMmg

anedgel Foitiee"Kniie

Know-How" & Catalog

Digestwrite:

Buck

Knives. Dept. NFF-487.P.O.

Box

1267, ElCajon,

CA

92022

BUCK*

High Tech

Scores

High

I

am

greatlypleasedwithyourscien- tific coverage of a variety ofareas of agriculture.^I

was

especially interestedin

"Advice

From Above"

intheFebruary-

March

issue.

Keep up

your in-depth scientificcoverageof agriculture!

Jeff Wells

Canoga

Park, California Admirationfor

Delmar

Bell

I

am

writing

you

regardingthe beauti- fulstory

on

thebrave

young man Delmar

Bell (February-March, 1987)

and

the terribleaccidenthehad.1reallyadmire thisbrave

young man and

hisfamily.

Tony

Collette Houston, Texas

Comments on

Stress

I

am

writinginresponsetothearticle

"I

Cry A

Lot"inthelastissue.I

found

a lotof truthin this article. Icandirectly relatetoalotof the situations described.

Idon't necessarilyagreewith

some

of the aspects thatwere introducedforcoping withstress,butIfeltit

was

a

good

article.

Jim Tobben

Washington, Missouri

Ireallylikedthearticle "I

Cry A

Lot"

by

Carolyn

Dedolph

in the last issue.

Many

people tendtoforget

some

ofthe stress

young

people of today

go

through.

"Thearticlegives

some

helpful

and

posi- tive

ways

to cope with the stress of everydaylife.

Stephanie

Deeney Canoga

Park, California

What Have We

Started?

After

we

noticed the

"Muddy

Water"

iteminthe

December-

Januaryissue,the chapter

wanted

toshareourideaof fun.

Lastschool year

we had

a "Dirt

Day"

when members

usedthe

farm

tractor to

plow

afield

and

othersbroughtinwater hosesto

add

the finishing touch.

We

then

had

a

game

of

mud

football.

Missy

Charboneau

WichitaFalls, Texas

Exchange Response

I read the item about the English

exchange program

in the February-

March

issueof77?^National

FUTURE FARMER.

I

am

very interested

and would

greatlyappreciate

an

application

and

otherinformation.

Steve

Cobb

LaSalle, Colorado

Send

^lettersornotes with

name,

address

and

chapterto:

MA ILBA

G.TfieNational

FUTURE FARMER,

P.O.

Box

15160.

Alexandria, I'

A

22309. Alllettersare subject toediting.

TlteNational

FUTURE FARMER

rThe

FFA

News in Brief

Board Of Directors Meet

The

National

FFA Board

of Directors

met

atthe

FFA

CenterJanuary 27-29 toreview

and implement new

organizationalpolicy. Hereare

some

highlightsof theBoard'sdecisions.

•

A

one year"AgriscienceinSpace"

pilot

program was

approvedtobe conductedincooperation withthe

Young

AstronautsCouncilto:a)assist withtheinfusionof agriscience technologies intoag education;b) changetheperception

and

imageofag education

by promoting

itsscientific

and

technicalnature;

and

c)

promote

the agrisciencecareeroptions

and

educationalopportunities availablein agriculture.

The

National

FFA

Foundation Board

ofTrustees approvedthe

program and

willsee fundingforitasaspecial project.

•

The Board approved

achange affectingsubjectmaterialinthe PreparedPublicSpeakingContest.

Startingin 1988,"Contestants

may

choose

any

current subject fortheir speecheswhichisof

an

agricultural character (nature),which

may

include agriscience

and

technology, agribusiness,agrimarketing, international agricultural relations

and

agriculturalcommunications."

•

The Board

alsoapproved change affecting subject materialinthe

Extemporaneous

PublicSpeaking Contest.

The Board

voted, "that the

Extemporaneous

contesthavethree themesidentified

and

publishedinthe National ContestsBulletin#4(1988-89- 90) as follows:a)agriscience

and

technology;b)agrimarketing;

and

c) international agricultural relations."

Thischange

would

alsobeginin1988.

International

Scholarships Available

Thirty-onespecialscholarships are available for

FFA members who want

to participatein

FFA's Work

Experience

Abroad

international exchangesthisyear.

Each

ofthe scholarships are

worth

$1,000

and

are available

on

anationwidebasis.

Eight of the31scholarships are allocated for theJapaneseexchange whichisathree-month program.Six scholarships are available for

Hungary and

17 are available for

programs

in Kenya, Thailand, Poland

and

Italy collectively.

Anyone

interestedina

WE A

scholarshipshouldcontactMelanie Burgessof the International

Department

attheNational

FFA

Center(703)360-3600,_{ext. 83,}for

an

application

and

further information.

European Seminar for Advisors and Alumni Announced

The

^National

FFA

International

Department

recently

announced

a special14-day

European

travelseminar for

FFA

^advisors

and FFA Alumni members.

The

seminarwillcoverfive

European

countries

and

give

American

seminarparticipantsa first-handview of agribusiness

and

production

methods from

other nations.

The

1987 tourwillbegininWashington, D.C.,

on June

30

and

return to

Washington on

July13.

The

packagecosts$1,775perperson.

The

^feeincludes

most

meals,all

lodging

and

airtransportation to Europe.

The

^feealsoincludes interpreters

and

tourguides,citysight- seeing,entrancefees

and

alltips throughoutthe tour.

Sign-upfortheseminar has already begun.Availabilityislimited tovo-ag instructors,advisors,

FFA Alumni members and

spouses.

Those

interested inparticipatingshouldcontact the

FFA

International

Department

soon, becausepassports

and

other

documents must

be obtainedprior todeparturein June.

New Reporter's

Handbook Coming

The FFA

Reporter's

Handbook,

a guideforchapters

working

withthe print

and

broadcastmedia,isbeing overhauledthis

summer and

a

new

editionwillbeavailableinSeptember.

The new

versionof the

handbook

willinclude

new

ideas

and

information for

working

withthepress.Itwillalso emphasize

new

information technologiessuchas electronic mail.

The new

reporter's

handbook

isbeing sponsored

by The

Stuart

Foundation

as a special projectof theNational

FFA

Foundation.

Computers in Ag Appli- cations Due June 25

The

1987National

FFA Computers

in Agriculture

Seminar

isscheduledfor the

week

of

August

8-12,in

Washington, D.C.Allstate

Computers

inAgriculture

award

winnerswillbe recognized

and

fivenationalwinners willbe chosen.

Each

statewinnerwill haveallseminar expenses paidfor,in addition to a travelallowance.But

you

don'thavetobeastatewinnerto participate.All

FFA members and

advisors are

welcome

toattendthis year'sseminar.

^8,000 Over in

prizes

Awarded IVIonthly

Draw Me

You may

win

one

of five $1,495.00 Art

Scholarships

or

any one

offifty

$10.00cashprizes.

IVIakeyour drawing

any

size except

likeatracing.

Use

pencil. Everyqualified entrant receives a free professional estimateof hisorher drawing.

Scholarship winners

will receive

Fundamentals

of Art

taught

by Art Instruction Schools,

one

of America's leading

home

study artschools.

Our objective

is to find

prospective students who appear

to

be

properly

motivated and

fiave

an

appreciation

and

likingforan.

Your entry

will

be judged

in

the month

received. Prizes

awarded

for

best drawings

of

various subjects

received from qualified entrants

age

14

and

over.

One $25 cash award

for the bestdrawing from entrants

age

12

and

13.

No

drawings

can be

returned.

Our

students

and

professional artists noteligible.

Contest

winners will

be

notified.

Send

yourentrytoday MAIL THISCOUPONTOENTER CONTEST

ART INSTRUCTION SCHOOLS

Studio7A-3540 500SouthFourth Street Minneapolis,Minnesota 55415 Please entermydrawinginyour

monthlycontest. (PLEASE PRINT) Name.

Occupation_

Address

Oily

County_

-Stale.

-2ip_

TelephoneNumber

'&1987Art InstructionSchools April-May, 1987

-«-TrendsjM

in

*

Agricuiiure

« - _{;_}

Illinois Takes Lead In

Value-Added Products

The

IllinoisLegislaturehasallocated

$500,000fortheCenterforValue-

Added

Agriculture toconvert

raw

agri- culturalcommoditiesintofinished products.

These products could

mean

higher Illinoisagricultural

employment, more

industry,an expansioninthetax base, improved exports

and

thedevelopment ofotheragriculturalproducts,accord- ing to

John

Campbell,

dean

ofthe col- legeof agriculture at the University of Illinois-Urbana.

The

value-addedresearchcould

make

the differencebetween producing surplus agriculturalcommoditiesfor already-saturatedworld markets

and

providinghighlymarketablespecialty productstailoredtoaspecificconsu-

mer demand,

saidCampbell.

For

example,a

one-pound box

ofcorn flakescostsaboutthe

same

asa56-

pound

bushel ofunprocessedkernels.

Small-Scale Farming Office Established

The

U.S.

Department

ofAgriculture hasestablished

an

Office forSmall- Scale Agriculture.

The new

office will

work

withother

USDA

agencies to focusdepartmentexpertise

and

resour- ces

on

issuesconcerningsmall-scale farming,

and

willcoordinateitsfunc- tionswithother ruraldevelopment activitieswithin

USDA.

"Changing

trendsinrecent years have causedsmall-scale agriculture to

become

a viable

economic

enterprise,"

said

Howard

(Bud)Kerr,

program

director."Smallfarmshaveincreased in

number and

importancepartlyasa resultofconsumers'increased prefer- enceforfresh,locally-grown

farm

produce.

Kerrsaidtheoffice willassess

and

disseminateinformation

on

research, education

and

technologicaldevelop- ments ofinteresttosmall

and medium-

sizedfarmoperators.

Strawberry Clones Frozen in Time

Consumers

inthe 21stcenturycouldbe eating today's superior, virus-free strawberriesevenifdisease,drought, or otherdisasterswipe outfuture straw- berrycropplants,accordingtoa

USDA

AgriculturalResearchService

(ARS)

scientist.

A

¹00-yearexperimenttopreserve planttissue will

show

whether gene- carryingshoottipsofstrawberryplants can befrozeninliquidnitrogen

and

safely

thawed

toclone

new

plants.

Ultracold freezing, calledcryopreserva- fion,hasaproblem:

how

to freeze

and thaw

frozen planttissuesproperly withoutdestroyingthem.

Through

experimentation,

ARS

scientistshave achieveda 90-percent success ratein freezingstrawberrytissues,thawing them,

and

thengrowing

them

intofull- size plants.

Harry

B.Lagerstedt,

an ARS

horti- culturist inCorvallis,Oregon,says scientists willmonitortheexperiment overthenext100years.

The

^strawberry shoottips willbe

removed from

the liquidnitrogen after5, 10,25, 50,75

and

100 years,

grown

into

whole

plants,

and

checkedforpossible changesresulting

from

genedefects.

Market First, Produce Second

A

shift

from

aproductiontoamarket- ingmentalityisinorderif

American

agricultureisgoingtosurvive

and compete

intheworld marketplace,says

an

agindustry executive.

"To

dealwiththechangein

Ameri-

canagriculture

we must become more

savvyinunderstanding our customers,

whoever

thosecustomers

may

be," said Dale A.Miller,president

and CEO

of

Sandoz Crop

ProtectionCorporation.

"This salesmanship

means we must

pursue

more

aggressive

R&D

(research

and

development)

programs

tomeet our customers'specific

market

niches forourproducts."

The

tight

economic

situation,a withdrawalof

government

support

and

technologicalinnovationhaveallcon- tributed tochangesinagriculture, Miller noted, pointingoutthat

an

environmentally-concerned

farm popu-

lation,developmentsinbiology

and

tightbudgetswereallfactorsinthe needfor

and

development of highunit- activity,environmentally-safepesticides thatare presently

coming on

the market.

USDA's "Agtrade"

Online

A

computerizedserviceoffering infor- mation aboutinternational agricultural tradeis

now

available

from

theU.S.

Department

of Agriculture.

The new

database,

named

"Agtrade,"offers speeches, policystatements, feature stories,worldagriculturalproduction

and

trade data,supply

and demand

estimates,

and

data

on

nationalpro- ductivity

and

debt.

Agtrade can beaccessed

by

personal computers

and communicating word

processorsfittedwith

modems. The

informationisavailable to subscribers

anywhere

intheworldvirtually

moments

afterrelease.

Agtradeisavailablethrougha

com-

puterizedinformationservice called

"USDA

Online,"whichoffers

USDA

pressreleases,crop

and

livestock reports

and

otheragricultural data.

To

access

USDA

Online, users

must

obtain

an

account with

USDA's

con- tractor.

An

organization

may

optto receiveonlythat partofthe serviceit

wants.

Farm Chemical Safety Is In Your Hands

The

NationalAgriculturalChemicals Association

(NACA)

has

announced

a national

"Farm

ChemicalSafetyIsIn

Your Hands" program

to

improve

the efficiency

and

professionalism ofpeo- ple

on

thefrontlineofhandling

farm

chemicals.

"We hope

todevelopunderstanding of the principle thatriskequals toxicity

RUBBER GLOVE ZONE

multiplied

by

exposure,"saidDr. Earl C. Spurrier,

NACA's

vicepresident of Regulatory^Affairs.

"By

simplyreduc- ingexposure,

you

reducerisk.Allit

involvesisthe use ofrubbergloves, water,thoroughwashing

and

following labelinstructionsforallprotective measures."

The program

includes distributionof a12-minutevideotape,a¹2-pagetrain- ingbooklet

and

educational packets containing

"Rubber

Glove

Zone"

decals.

The

educationalpacketsarefree

from NACA.

The National

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PhotobyAuthor

FFA member

TroyWillis(left) liftsa plastic

foam

board supporting bibblettuceoutof anutrient-richpond.

The

Land's student coordinator

Ginny Mann

(center)

and FFA member Bonnie Owens examine

the rootsystemsthat

grow

withoutsoil.

Ir ^was

^{almost25 years}

^ago

^thatWalt

Disney

went on

television

and

talked abouthis

dream

for

an EPCOT

Center.

EPCOT would

bea place

where

families could

go

to seepeople

and

architecture

from

othercontinents collectedin

one

community.Disneyalsoenvisioneda Future-

world

that

would

stimulate creative thinking.

At

the center of that

dream was

a

community

that

would

beagriculturally self-sufficient,applying thelatest state- of-the-art techniquestofood

and

fiber production

and

environmental beauti- fication.

With

afewalterations, that

dream

^is

realitytodayat TTie

Land

pavilion at 10

EPCOT

Center,which

opened

in1982at Florida's

Walt

DisneyWorld.

The Land

Although

itdoesn'tprovideallofthe food

and

fiberfor

EPCOT, The Land

doesshowcase

some

ofthelatestpro- duction techniquesinagriculture.Italso providesvisitors

—

8to 10

miUion

every year

—

^{a historical}

^and

environmental viewof agricultureusingclassicDisney entertainment technology.

The

Land, sponsored

by

Kraft,isa six-acre

complex

under

one

roofthat housesrestaurants,theaters

and

the

main

attracdon, the "Listen to the

Land"

boat ride.Visitors travelthrough a simulated

rainforest,a desert, a prairie

and

afarm.

Then

theysee large-screenfilmclipsof agricultural productionas it is today, including a regiment of

John

Deere

combines

harvestingwheat.

The

boat,

which

cancarry2,300guests perhour,passesthroughthistheatrical partofthetripintofive

growing

areas that include the Aquacell, the Tropic Area,theDesert Area,aDesertGreen- house

and

theCreativeArea.According to

FFA members who

have takenthe ride, thisisthe

good

stuff.

So Much

toSee

The

Tropic area features important tropical food crops, likeeggplant, ba- nana,pineapple,coconut

and

rice.

The show

also displayslesser

known

crops withgreat potentialbecause oftheirfood value

and

tropical adaptability,suchas winged beans

and

peach palm.

In this greenhouse, grasses such as

com and

sugar cane are seen inter- cropped with legumes like beans

and

pigeonpea. Inone example, corn sup- ports theclimbingbeans,

which

increases the

pod

productionsurface.

The

beans fix aerialnitrogen to enrich thesoil

— ^and

benefitthecorn.

The

Aquacellis

an

environmentfor raisingfish

and

aquaticanimalsinhigh density forfood production.

The

Land's Aquacellisunique becausethewateris recirculatedthroughafiltrationsystem forwaterconservation. Speciessuchas the Blue Tilapia,

American

Eel

and Channel

Catfish are

grown

here

and many

areeventuallyservedin

The

Land's restaurants.

IntheDesertArea, drought-tolerant crops

and

trickleirrigation

show how

to

make

marginalareasbloom.Trickle,or drip, irrigation places the correct

amount

ofwaterattheplant'srootzone.

The

adjacentDesert

Greenhouse

con- traststhe open-field

growing

with con- trolled-environment agriculture. Here, tomatoes climb

on

space-savingtrellises

and computer

sensorsmonitor tempera- ture,humidity

and

sunlight.Halophytes, The National

FUTURE FARMER

Listen to the Land

The Land pavilion

at

Disney's EPCOT Center

tells

agriculture's story using entertainment and high-tech production techniques.

By Andrew

Markwart

plants thatcan be irrigated with pure seawater, are featured here.

In the Creative Area, visitors see tomatoes, peppers, strawberries

and

othercropsgrowing

on

conveyorbelts

—

either hanging individually or inside hollow

column

posts.Whiletheplants

move around on

the belts, theyenter

"feeding areas" where their roots are sprayed witha nutrient solution.Excess solution drips into

ponds

forwater hya- cinths,

grown

as biomassfor

methane

production.

Thereisalsoa display of plantsgrow- inginlunar

(moon)

soils

which

iscur- rently being researched

by The

Land's staff incooperation with

NASA.

Original ideas for the

hydroponic growing

systems at

The Land were developed and

designed

by

the

En-

vironmental Research

Laboratory(ERL)

at theUniversityofArizonainTucson.

Since agriculture keepsevolving, so does

The

Land. After

October

ofthis year, a biotechnology portion will be

added

tothe

show

nearthe

end

ofthe

boatride.It isbeingcreatedthroughthe cooperationof the

USDA's

Agricultural ResearchStations.

StudentInvolvement

The Land

offersasix-monthintern- ship

program

for college students with agriculturemajors.

Most

of the students chosenare

from

land-grantuniversities.

They

arepaidto

grow

plantsusedinthe

show and

giveguided45-minutewalking tours to the seriouslycuriousvisitors.

The

students

must

alsobe involvedin a research projectwith

one

ofthe per-

manent

staff

members. A

shortcourseis

taught to

complement

their

work

ex- perience.

The

classgives

them

detailed exposure to lunar soils testing, pest

management

research

and

otheractiv- ities.

Making

People

Think

Dr.

Henry

Robitaille, agricultural

manager

^of

The

Land, said the

show

displaysshould not beinterpreted as the (Continuedon page32)

'^^^^^

Computer

specialistsmonitorlight,hu- midity

and

temperature (abovetop)using sensors placedthroughout

The

Land's

"Creative"

growing

area.

The Land

pa- vilion(above)coverssixacres

and

hosts 8 to10millionguests everyyear.

Photosby WaltDisneyProductions

How the Manager of The Land Sees the Future of Farming

IN

^hisposition as agricultural

manager

of

The

Land, Dr.

Henry

Robitaille constantly monitors the latestagricul- turalresearchbeing

done

atland-grant universities, the U.S.

Department

of Agriculture's research stations

and NASA's

plant science labs.

With

that perspective,hesays agriculture students probablyhave abetterunderstandingof

how

science

works

intherealworld than alotof people.

"When

you're inhighschool,

you

take biology,chemistry

and

physical science

and

it'skind ofboring.

You

don't

know what

you're takingitfor,"said Robitaille.

"Agriculture is neat because you're applyingsomething

from

allthe different sciences."

He

says futurefarmerswillhavetoput

that

knowledge

to

work

to be viable businessmen.

"The

farmers

who

arereally goingtobesuccessful,theproducers of the future, aregoingtobetheonesthat areapplyingabsolutelyeverything they cantoproduction

— computer

sciences, the latestcrop plants,

improved

seeds

and

cultivars(plantvarieties)

and farm

machinery. They'llbethefirstones to applyrobotics to agriculture."

Accordingto Robitaille,

some

of the technologyisat

work

today."I

was

out in Arizona recently

and

visited witha coupleofguys

who

graduated

from

the UniversityofArizona. They've

bought some

farmland

and

aregrowing cotton

and making

a lot of

money.

They're applyingdripirrigation,

computer

con- trol systems,

and

are successfully ex-

perimenting with applying their herbi- cidesthroughthe drip irrigation system.

They're very curious, very technology

and

science oriented,

and

they're

making

a

go

ofit.

"Ihave

no doubt

thesekindofpeople willcontinuetobesuccessfulinfarming

and make money

inthe future, regard- less of

what happens

to the overall

economy,

becausethey're

competing on an

international basis. These kinds of

American

farmerscan

outcompete any

farmersintheworld.

"With

allthe

new

science

and

tech- nology,eventhefarmerthatstopswitha high schooleducationisgoingtohaveto learn

and

applythisstufforthey'regoing tobeleftbehind." •••

April-May, I9g7

A Good Case

for Japan

National FFA advisor Larry Case shares his experiences of traveling with the national officers to Japan.

IN

^{the first}

^{two weeks}

^{of February,}

FFA's

six national officers toured Japan wheretheyfoundacountrybulging with 115 million gracious, industrious, intelligentpeople.

The

officers

—

KevinEblen,KevinYost,

Dean

Harder,

Jayme

Peary,JonesLoflin

and Daren Coppock,

were

accompanied by

Larry Case, national

FFA

advisor

and

Lennie

Gamage, manager

of interna- tionalprograms.

For Gamage,

aseasonedinternational traveler,thetrip

was

anotherreturnvisit with longtime friends at Mitsui Co., Ltd., the tour sponsor. But for the officers

and

Advisor Case,it

was

their firsttripto theOrient,

and

formost,the firsttripto

any

foreigncountry.

Say What?

As

soonas theofficerssteppedoffof thejetin

Tokyo,

it

was

cleartheywerein forachallenging

two

weeks;

communi-

cating in Japanesewasn't going tobe easy.

As

theyvisitedtheFuture

Farmers

ofJapan, farms,factories,markets

and

hostfamilies,the biggest obstaclebetween the officers

and

their hosts

was

the languagebarrier.

Although an

interpreter

accompanied

the

group

throughoutthetrip,"the of- ficerswere putinsituationswhere they spoke

no

Japanese

and

theirhostsspoke

no

English, yettheystill

communicated

well," saidCase.

"They had

tosit

around

withtheirdicfionaries

and

experiencethe frustration oflooking

up

words.

Once

they

communicated,

the

whole room was

happy! That's

an

experience

you

can't get

any

other way.

They

were definitelyoutside theircomfortzone."

So how

canthe frustrationofgroping for

words

bebeneficial totheofficers?

"They

learnedalotaboutinterpersonal

communication —

^usinggestures

and

ex- pressionswithout

words —

whichisgoing tobea big plus for

them

ⁱⁿtheiryearas nationalofficers,"saidCase.

The FFA

delegationtouredJapanese farms and, according to Case, found

some

differences

and

similarities to

American

agriculture.

One

of the

major

differences

was

the powerful influence Japanese farmershaveinthegovernment.

"Their congressionalregions aresplit

up by

geographicarea,not

by

popula- 12

tion, like the United States.

As

the population has migratedto thecities,the farmer hasincreasedinpoliticalclout,"

explained Case.

The

farmers are or- ganizedintocooperatives

and

the leaders oftheseco-ops haveinfluencethrough- outthepoliticalsystem.

The Trade

Issue

Besides

communication and

agricul- tural politics, the officers also got a lessoninJapanese-Americantrade

from

theJapanesepoint of view.

They

touredshipyardswherefreighters were unloading U.S. grains

and

pro- cessing plants forcorngluten,soybeans

and

cattlefeed.

The

issueof

poor

quality

American

grain kept surfacing duringthe visits.

"As we

traveled tothe subsidiary

com-

paniesofMitsui," saidCase,"theykept telling us, 'Your corn has too

much

moistureinit

—

^it'shot

when

itgetshere

onboard

ship,

and

it has too

much broken

corn

and

foreign materialinit.'

Everyone

of

them

said

we had

to get the qualityofour productup."

CountriessuchasChina,

South

Africa

and

Brazilareexporting

more

grains to Japan,

crowding

a

market

thattheU.S.

once dominated.Ithas

become

aworld shopping

market

accordingtoCase,

and

theU.S.islosingground.

He

sees

two main

reasonsforthegrain qualityproblem;harvesting

methods and

themisuseoftechnology.

"America

picks their corn wet

and

drys it in dryers.

When you

dryit,

you cook

italittlebit

and

cause ittocrack more. Also, the harvesting processisthrough a combine, notcornpickers,whichbeats the grain

up

more,"saidCase.

Although some

ofthe

problem

isat theproducerlevel,Casesaidthatgrain

National

FFA

President KevinEblen

exchanges

flagswitha FutureFarmersof

Japan member

duringa

welcoming

cere-

mony

inTokyo.

merchants shippingthecornare also to blame.

He

said their

computer

mixing technologyat theportlevelisso sophis- ticatedthattheycan

mix

clean grainwith

damaged

grain

up

to

—

butjustunder

—

contract specifications.

The

national officerstouredMItsui'sin- ternational

communication

centeratthe

main

headquartersinTokyo.

"We

can'tafford the attitude of 'Here's ourcorn,

we

have lots ofit

and you

oughtto

buy

it,'"explainsCase.

"What we

haveto

do

ⁱⁿ

an

international

mar-

ketplaceis todefine

what

the

market

wants,

and

then designaproduct/orthat market. If the Japanese

want

clean,

whole

kernel,drycorn,then

we

needto deliver that product at a competitive price."

Besides a strong lesson

on

interna- tionaltrade.Casesaidthe nationalofficers

"grewintheir

knowledge

of international agriculture

and an

appreciationforthe Japanese people

and

theirculture.

Even

intheshorttime they shared withtheir host families (two days with

no

inter- preter) there

were some

tears shed

whenever

they

had

to part. It

was an

emotionalexperience as well as a learning

experience." •••

TheNaliomI

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The New Ag

Professionals:

Commodity

Lobbyist

Keith Heard works with congressmen, senators and the Reagan administration to

make sure the cotton industry gets a

fair

shake.

By Andrew

Markwart

46T COME ^from

a place so small,itdidn't

1

evenhave

an FFA,"

laughs Keith Heard."Ilivedsevenmiles

from

a

town

of700 people

—

Brooksville, Mississippi."

Sitting in his seventh-floor office that overlooks 15th Street in

downtown

Washington, D.C., Keith

Heard

appears tobedoingquite well forsuch

humble

beginnings.

Heard

isa

government

relationsrepre- sentativefortheNationalCotton

Coun-

cil;he'sa lobbyist.Hisjobisto

make

sure thecottonindustryisrepresented

when-

ever the federal

government

does

some-

thing that

might

affect cotton.

"We

represent thewhole cottonindustry,

from

producerthroughthetextile

manufac-

turer,"said Heard.

"We

speak forthe industry

when we

walkintoaroom."

Lastyear,he

worked

with congress-

men and

senators to

make

sure partsof the

Farm

Bill

would

befairforcotton growers.

Now

he's

working

with those legislators to maintain funds for agri- cultural research. He's also there

when

the

Regean

administration is putting their budget together to advise

what

impact acertainbudgetcut

may

have

on

the industry.

The

Cotton Council isone of

many

trade associations that representgroups ofpeople withspecialinterests.Just in the agriculture sector, there are the National

Corn Growers

Association, the National Cattlemen's Association, the U.S. Feed Grains Council

and many more

representing just

about

every

commodity.

Much

of the public is skeptical of lobbyists

and

the rolethey play inin- fluencing

government

decision-making.

Many

think that legislators only

pay

attention to therich

and

thatthe

common man

islefttofendforhimself

What

does

Heard

thinkaboutthe public'spercep- tion of lobbyists? "It's unfortunate. I

picked

up my

local

newspaper

lastweek,

and

inanarticle,

my

oldcivicsteacher

was

lashing out at lobbyists

and how

14

Keith Heard's career pathhas taken

him

froma small farm in Mississippi,

through

college,

two

political

campaigns and

astaffpositionwith a senator.

Now

he's alobbyistwiththeCottonCouncil.

horrible they are for the system. I'm goingto

go

seeher

when

I'm

home and

say 'I'm sorry, but associations have

gone back

tothe basicsof

democracy

—

representation

and communication

with legislators.'Granted,there'speopledoing things thatshouldn'tbedone, butthat doesn't

mean

that the institution itself isn'tproper."

Taking

thepointa step further.

Heard

says the skills necessary to bea

good

lobbyistare sincerity, a willingness to listen,fairness

and

flexibility.

He

adds,

"Be humble —

^there'salotof lobbyistsin

town

thatthink they

know more

than

anybody —

butthe

most

importantthing istobe honestinwhatever

you

do.

You

can'tfall

away from

the basic principles

you

standfor."

Heard grew up on

a

farm which

evolved throughdairy, soybeans, feed

"I've

combined two of my

favorite

subjects, agriculture

and

politics."

grains

and

beef,depending

on what was most

profitable atthe time.

He

majored inhistory at MississippiState University with ideas ofgoing into agribusiness afterschool.

So why major

in history

and

not agribusiness,

economics

or finance? "I

wanted

to

broaden

myself

and

getaliberalartsdegree," saidHeard.

"I feelit'simportantfor agriculturalists tospend

more

timeinthosefieldsincase, for

some

reason,

you

havetoleave the farm."

He

graduatedin1978,

and

went

home

to

farm

soybeans.

Near

the

end

ofthe

summer,

recallsHeard,

"My

father

was

goingto put

me on

a bulldozeruntil harvesttime,soIinterviewed for ajobin the senate

campaign

with then

Con-

gressman

Thad

Cochran."

Heard

gotthejob

and

travelledwith the

congressman

duringthecampaign.

When Cochran won,

he asked

Heard

to

go

to

Washington and

be his special assistant inagriculturallegislation.

Heard was

also

an

officetroubleshooter.

For

example,

"When

thefuel crisis hit in '79,

1

moved

into thatarea

and

keptdiesel fuel

moving

duringplantingseasontoallthe farmersinMississippi," said Heard.

It

was

1985

when Heard

took his current positionwith theCottonCouncil.

"I'vebeenhere

two

years,

and

I'mina learningprocessthat'sstillgoingon,"he said.

"My

father

and

I always talked politics

and

issuesever sinceI

was

alittle

boy and

now, withthe

Cotton

Council, I've

combined two

of

my

favoritesub- jects,agriculture

and

politics.

"Because

we

represent the

whole

in- dustry, it'sgiven

me

a business back-

ground

aswell,

and what

otherbusiness can take

you

internationally as quickly, orhave such

an

impact

on

thiscountry's

economy?

It'sphenomenal."

Although Heard

enjoyshiswork, he says it does have certain drawbacks.

Besides the

image

problem, hesays "the hoursarelong

and

the nights arelate.

What

peopledon'trealizeisthatwe'rein perpetual plantingseason

around

here.

The

pressureisalwayson." •••

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Turlock FFA— Mechanics and Much More

By

SteveOlson

PEOPLE

^{stilljokeabout it, instructor}

DalePollard says,"Oh, your school

isinCalifornia

— do you go

surfingdur- inglunchhour?"

To

thecontrary,notes Pollard,head of the vocationalag

program

atTurlock

High

School. Turlock isdefinitelynot beach country. Located in the central

San

Joaquin Valley, about 100 miles inland

from

the PacificOcean, Turlock offers

some

of the richest farmingin California,theU.S.

and

theworld.

Turlockis a

growing community

of about 35,000, surrounded

by almond

orchards, dairyfarms

and

grainfields.

The

leading commodities produced in thearea are milk

and

cheese products

from

the dairy industry, broiler

and

processedchickens,almonds,eggs,cattle

and

calves,peaches, walnuts,tomatoes, turkeys

and

silage.Accordingto Pollard,

the strength

and

diversity ofthe area's agricultureiswell-reflected

by

thebalance of the school'svocationalag program.

Ag

mechanicsstudents,led

by

teacher

Dave

Moser,produce

some

ofthe

most

visibleproducts,whichareimmediately absorbedintoarea agriculture.Thisyear, forexample, fourstudents are construct- ing silage

dump

boxes

from

scratch.

Another

is building a truck-mounted,

power manure

spreader,

and

another, a land plane. In addition to the

major

constructions, these

and

otherstudents have fashioneddozens of other

medium and

small projects such as calf pens, dairy gates

and gun

safes.

Lessvisible

on campus,

butequally importantto thestudents,are the dairy cattle,swine, sheep,beefcattle

and

horti- culture projectsthey maintain

on

their

own

or

on

neighbors'farms.

And

thischapterisnotonly strongⁱⁿ

^^:^

^S^l^^^"^^ "'*^'^iSi-^:

^s^^»^-

projects.

From FFA

competition,Tur- lock students have walls lined with trophies

and

awards.

For example,

Turlock

High

dairyjudgingteams went tothe

FFA

nationalsin 1981

and

1985, claiming first

and

third place, respec- tively, inthoseyears. Justlastyearthe chapter

produced

threestate

champions

inagsales

and

service,dairyproduction

and

swine production.

Of

thethree.

Max

Olvera

and Tim Johnson went on

to

win

gold

awards

inthe nationals

and

Leroy

Rocha went on

toearn the

American Farmer

degree.

But while winning

and

placingisnice,

what

paysoffinthelong runisthehard

work and

preparationthatearned those trophies,

comments

teacher

Anthony

Silva.

He

stressesthatthevocationalag staffalsoemphasizesleadership training in areas such as public speaking

and

parliamentary procedure.It istheseskills,

combined

withproject

work

inproduc- tion, thatwillenable

FFA

students to haveabroad impact

on

theagindustry

when

theygraduate

from

high school

and

college.

"You

can't justbea

good

producer, you've gottobeable to

go

out

and do

things.

To

be involvedintheindustryis tobeable to protect the industry," Silva says.

What

doesthat

mean?

^It

means

serving

on

the

board

ofdirectorsofthe area cooperative or

on

the advisory council of a bargaining association. It

means

lendingsupporttoeducating

and

marketing programs.

And

itcould

mean

lobbyinginyourstatecapitalorevenin Washington, D.C.

"Leadership

means

notonlybeinga

good

producer, but a

good

business person,"hesaid.Infact,agbusinessisa key areaforstudents to getinvolvedin thesedays. Inthe future, Silva says,

"Out

of 100 inagriculture,

two

willbe pro- ducers,

and

98aregoingtoservethose

producers."

Those who

serve will be

equipment

salespersons, pest conrol advisors,loan agents

and

indozens of otherag-relatedoccupations.

Like

most

ofhisstudents, Silvafeels thattheTurlockareaprovidesjustabout allthe agriculturalopportunity

anyone

couldaskfor.

"Idon'tthinkthere'sa kid here

who would

beafraid totryanything," hesaid.

"There's

no

placeI'dratherbe". •••

Brother, Partner, Mechanic

ALTHOUGH

^{times are tough,} Eddie Silvaisdeterminedto

make

a

go

of

it.

Along

with

about

140 otherstudents, Eddieistakingclasses inTurlock

High

School'svocational agricultureprogram.

Eddie alreadyisina partnership with three ofhis older brothers.

They farm

200acresof grain

and

corn nearTurlock

and

also

do custom work

for other farmers.

What

hasbeenEddie'scontributionto the partnership? This year, in his ag mechanicsclass,heiscompletingasilage

box

thatthepartnershipwilluseincorn chopping. Eddiefiguredtheretailcostof asilage

box would

be

about

$4,000.His

cost

—

^$2,000for materials.

AccordingtoinstructorDalePollard,

who

alsoheadsthe school'sagdepart- ment, Eddie

comes

in to theag shop before

and

afterschoolprobablytwice a

week

to

work on

hisproject.

And

that's justthisyear. Inprevious yearshe has constructedautility trailer,a steer feeder

and

a partswasher,

among

otherthings.

Eddie's dedication to agriculture appears firm.

"We've had some

hard times,but we've

seemed

to pullthrough,"

Eddiesaidofthe recent

bad

years

on

the farm.But headds,"I'mprettyset

on

ag.I

havetobethere,"hesaysofhisfuture.

.-

^timmm

-.

K,'^JK,JBf 4^!!

l''^i:£^J^±^4'^^

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