National Future Farmer

Published by the Future Farmeff s of America December- January, 1983-84

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: FFA Convention Coverage

One Step Ahead of the Times.

44 Our second man-to-man talk

was about seed corn.'

99

"My Dad

is

real good about giving me the straight facts on a lot of things, and especially about seed corn.

"He's been farming for years and

if

there's one thing he takes seriously,

it's

the hybrids he plants. He's learned from experience what works best on the land we farm and over the years

it's

been Pioneer® brand hybrids.

"Someday

^I'll

probably be making the decisions around

here. When

it

comes time to talk man-to-man with my ^son,

our second discussion will likely be about seed corn, too." PIONEER

BRAND

-SEED

CORN

TheLimitationofWarrantyandremedyappearing onthelabelIspartofthetermsofsale.

PioneerIsabrandname;numbersIdentify varieties. "RegisteredtrademarkofPioneerHi-BredInternational,Inc.,DesMoines,Iowa, U.S.A.

Mure Mrmer

I*uritiNhedbyIheFutureFarmersofA

Volume

32

December-January, 1983-84

Number

2

ISSN

0027-9315

A Word With The Editor

Work

^isgoingforward on something

new

invocationalagriculturaleducation.Itcould have as

much

impact

on

the future of vocational agriculture as any development since the

Smith-Hughes

Act started the

program

in 1917.

This

new

project is the formation of a NationalCouncilforVocational

and

Tech- nicalEducationinAgriculture.

The

articleof incorporationand bylaws have beendrafted andarereadyforadoptionbythe profession.

The

purpose of thecouncil is to provide a structure for national leadership involving various agricultural interests. While the councilwillbringlittlechangeinvocational agricultureduringyourenrollment,itshould help assure a quality

program

in the years ahead.

Some

ofthe stories

we

havefor

you

in this issueserve as

good

examplesof theimpactof the Future Farmers ofAmerica. Individual

FFA

achieverslikeMiguelPatrickand

Ron

Wineinger(pages12

and

18)

show how FFA

and

solid farm

mangement

training helped

them

secure bright futures in production agriculture. Butthisimpact stretchesallthe

way

tofarm familiesin Europe, where our story

on

page 34details

some

oftheexper- ienceof

FFA members

livingand workingin a foreign land.

Meanwhile, Future Farmers

made

a big impact on Kansas City

—

^and the nation

—

duringtheir56thannualnationalconvention.

Our

coverageofthisyear'smeetingbeginson page2¹

.

But perhaps the most dramatic impact

FFA

has had,

on

a personal level, can be found in ourexclusive interviewwith Rep.

Wes

Watkins. His FFA-inspired success in

overcoming handicap and poverty, lifting

him

tothehallsoftheU.S. Congress.

You, too, can have an impact on those around you, in your community, in your state

and

nation.

The FFA

offers

many

opportunitiesfor

you

to getinvolved. Don't

lettheseopportunities passbyunchallenged.

In This Issue

A

Cattleman's

Dream

For

The

Future

ThisFFA'erhasmapped outaplanfora careerinthecattleindustry.

12

One

Man'sTribute

A

noted leader detailsan FFA-inspiredclimbtothehallsof congress.

14

High

Tech Learning

Byusing "fake" farms, theseaspiringfarmerslearn bettermanagement.

16

One

Step

Ahead Of The

Times

ThisNebraska

FFA member

keepsanopenmindaboutfarmmanagement.

18 BOAC

ConferenceSets

High

Standards

Thewinnerswere announcedatthis first-evernationalconference.

20

Convention Coverage^'83

FFA's56th national conventionprovedbrighterand betterthan^ever.

21

Bright

Moments

^In

FFA

History. . .

Here's alightlookatsomelittle-knownbut important

FFA

facts.

26

LEASING: One More

Option

It'safairlynewfarm managementtoolyoungfarmersshould consider.

28

Careers In Agriculture:TeachingVocational Agriculture

Let'sturn the tables

— how

wouldyouliketobean agteacher?

30

One

Friendship At

A Time

*%*

Theseunique

FFA

membersgeta worldof experiencefarmingabroad.

J^T

In Every Issue

News

In Brief

6

Mailbag

8

Looking Ahead 11

Chapter

Scoop 32

New

InAgriculture

36

FFA

InAction

38

The

Joke Page

42

Cover:

Cover Photo by Michael ^Wilson

We

caught Miguel Patrick. State Farmer and current Nebraska state officer, busy cleaning out the seed box ofthe family planter last

summer

on the family's highly- progressive farm near Grant, Nebraska. He and his father

Ron

make an impressive managementteam. Thestorybeginson page 18.

MagazineStaff

Editor-in-Chief,Wilson w. Carnes ManagingEditor.MichaelWilson SeniorEditor.JohnM Pitzer Publishing Assistant,JoColley Editorial AssistantJoanBeach Director ot Advertising,GlennD

Luedke

Advertising Assistant,JoyceBerryman Circulation FulfillmentManager,

DottieM.Hinkle Assistants,

PatGlenn.

DorothyWelzel.

Sandy Hynson

National Officers

National President,RonWineinger,Route2.

Box107. Marion.KS66861; National Secretary.

BillCaraway. 1709 Glenarm.Clovis.NM88101 National Vice Presidents.RhondaScheulen, P.O.Box62,LooseCreek,MO65054; Carol Irvine.P.O.Box248. Gaithersburg,MD20877;

ChuckDuggar.202HallStreet,Mananna.FL 32446.Melody Lawson. 7202 West Thunderbird.

Peoria,AZ85345.

Boardof Directors Chairman.(Acting)ThameMcCormick;

Membersof the Board, WilliamDannenhauer, DuaneNielsen.C

W

Reed.WilliamSchreck.

LesThompson.JW. Warren, Donald E Wilson

NationalStaff National Advisor, ChiefExecutiveOfficer, (Acting)Thaine McCormick. Executive Secretary,ColemanHarris;National Treasurer.

DavidA Miller;Administrative Director.Wilson

W

Carnes.Managerof InternationalPrograms.

LennieGamage. FFA^{ProgramSpecialist}

IAwards). RobertSeefeldt.FFA Program Specialist (Contests),ledAmick;FFA Program Specialist (Leadership).TonyHoyt; Director of Information.CameronDubes,Audio-visual Specialist.William Stagg. Director otFFA SupplyService,HarryJ.Andrews;Assistant Director, Paul Kidd,ExecutiveDirectorFFA AlumniAssociation.Robert

W

Cox;Managerof Accounting.JoAnnGrimes

AdvertisingOffices TheNationalFUTUREFARMER POBox15160

Alexandria.VA22309 RobertC Whaley 4605Fulton.SuiteNo4 ShermanOaks.CA91423 RobertFlahiveCompany

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Old Greenwich.CT06870 203-637-4397 The^NationalFUTUREFARMER(ISSN 0027-9315)ispublished bimonthly by^theFuture FarmersofAmerica,5632MountVernon Highway,Alexandria, Virginia22309.POSTMASTER:Sendaddress changestotheNationalFUTURE FARMER.P.O.Box15160. Alexandria. Virginia 22309.

ADDRESSCHANGES:Sendbotholdandnewaddressto CirculationDepartment. The^NationalFUTURE FARMER.^P.O.Box15160. Alexandria, Virginia 22309.CORRESPONDENCE:Addressall

correspondencetoThe NationalFUTURE FARMER,^PO Box15160. Alexandria. Virginia22309Offices locatedatthe NationalFFACenter,approximatelyeight milessouthofAlexandria, Virginia SUBSCRIPTION:S2.50 peryearInU.S.and possessions (FFAmembers$1.25 paid withdues) Singlecopy50C;fiveormore35Ceach.Foreignsubscriptions, S250plus $2.00 extraforpostage Copyright 1983 bytheFutureFarmersofAmerica.

Got what it takes and really care?

There's a special ^life you'll want to share.

-'& You'll move up.

You'll feel proud.

You'll stand out above the crowd.

Not all who try

fit the bill.

<

It calls for brains.

It calls for skill.

ARMY

NAVY

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Serving your country

is a special ^call.

It's good for you.

If s good for all.

But most of all

you'll earn the respect of thepeopleand nation you're there to protect

in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines.

The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines have a special kind of

life

you can share— especially

if

you're bright enough to graduate from high school.

Being a member of the

Armed Forces calls for a special kind of person, too. A person

who has what

it

takes. A person

who has self-confidence. A

re-

sponsible person. And a person

who cares about their country.

In addition, a good part of today's Services

is

highly tech-

nical.

Not everyone has the aptitude for that kind of work.

But

if

you do, the rewards are great. You'll work with

terrific

people. And you'll build a career with a future.

Pay

is

higher than ever- more than $550 a month to

start.

And you earn 30 days of vacation each year. Plus, the Services take care of your food, uniforms, housing and medical needs.

But most of

all,it's

truly a career you can be proud

of.

You'll be serving your country- one of the finest things a

person can do. And, you'll have the respect and admiration of

your family and friends.

To find out more about these opportunities, see your

local Armed Forces recruiter or write Armed Forces Opportu-

nities,

P.O. Box C 1776,

Huntington Station, N.Y. 11746.

IT'S A GREAT PUCE ^{TO START}

-The

FFA

rNewsinBrief

Hunt with the Old ^Timer.

You'rein

good

com

ponywith anOld Timer.

OLD TIMER

A NATIONWIDE SEARCH

continuesfora persontofill the positionofNational

FFA

Advisor, opensince Augustasa resultof formerNational Advisor Byron Rawls' retirement. DepartmentofEducation

officials

announced

theposition to the public in October

and

hopeto have the position^filled by January 1, 1984.

PLANS ARE TENTATIVE

but hopefulforfinalstages ofremodeling at thenational

FFA

headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, scheduled

now

for possiblecompletion sometimeafter thebeginning ofthe year, say

FFA

officials.

The

lowerlevel officespace was completed in late 1982. Only one floorremains tobe remodeled.

WriteforyourfreeSchradeAlmanactoSchrade Cutlery Corp.,Ellenvllle. N.Y.12428-0590.

FFA Foundation

Bits-n-Pieces

TWO MAJOR BEQUESTS

were

made

recently

naming

the National

FFA

Foundation as a beneficiary.

AccordingtoSteveGreene,assistant executive director in charge ofindi- vidual giving, these gifts represent

"the firstmajor

commitment

ofsup- port

from

individuals for the

FFA

Foundation's

Endowment

Fund."

Totalplannedgiftsdesignatedforthe

Endowment Fund

are

now

estimated at about $1.8 million. If

you know someone

with a possible interest in providinglong-termsupportto

FFA

throughan

endowment

gift,contact Mr. Greene at the National

FFA

Foundation, P.O.

Box

5117,

Madi-

son, Wisconsin 53705.

WHO'S WHO Among American

High SchoolStudents has

announced

their support of

FFA

by providing

two

$1,000 scholarships for 1984 through the National

FFA Foun-

dation.Requirements: studentsenter- ing college

who

seek a degree in agricultural education. Interested

FFA members

should write for

an

applicationformat thisaddress:

FFA

Scholarship Committee, National

FFA

Center, P.O.

Box

15160, Alex- andria, Virginia 22309.

NATIONAL FFA FOUNDATION

welcomesthefollowing

new

sponsors:

InterNorth Foundation and State

Farm Companies

Foundationjoin as

new

general fund

FFA

supporters;

Cotter

& Company

and

Valmont

Industries, Incorporated join the Foundation as special project spon-

sors.

Chevron

U.S.A. Inc. is also a

new

supporter by offering a

Wash-

ington Conference

Program

Scho- larship for 1984.

THE TELEPHONE

^surcharge

imposed bythe National

FFA

Supply Service

on

incoming

phone

orderswas instituted in

March

tohelpoffset

expenseofoperatingthetelephone ordering service.

"We

receive

thousands ofordersduringthe yearby phone," says SupplyService

Manager

Harry Andrews.

"Most

callsare orders requiring aspecialdelivery date, usuallywithintendays orless.

A

heavyburdenis placed

on

our productionfacilitiestomeetthese deadlines andalso keepmail orders flowingsmoothly,andthesurcharge helps payfor thisaddedoperational expense."

The

SupplyService

now

offersa 2percentdiscountiffull

payment

accompanies yourorder.

HOMER

E.

EDWARDS,

a stamp collectorand former

member

ofthe National

FFA

BoardofDirectors, recentlydonated hiscollection of 3,943 agriculturalstamps to theNational

FFA

Center. Mr. Edwards,

who

servedasthefirstpresident ofthe Illinois

FFA

Association andastate

FFA

^supervisorfor West Virginia, says the collectiontookfour yearsand over 2,000hourstoassemble. He's donatingthe collection to

FFA

"so

members

havea betterunderstanding

Stamp

collector

Homer

^E.

Edwards

points out

one

^otalmost4,000stampsin his collection.

of theimportanceofagriculture in the world."

The

collection,

now

displayed inthe National

FFA

Center'slibrary, contains stampswithanagricultural theme from210different countries.

Some

ofthe stampsareworth over

$30each.

TheNational

FUTURE

FA

RMER

YOU ^DON'T H ^J0T2 TO PUNCH COWS FOR A LIVING TO APPRECIATE

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Oil-tanned to

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Next, we use genuine Welt Construction to

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And,

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We

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We build confidence from the gound up.

Our soles are made from long wearing, high

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For a good ^feeling

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Boots

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^©U--^

Mailha a

Newburg,

Missouri

I

am

writingthis letterinresponsetoa recent article in your magazine.

You

stated that the National

FFA

Boardof Directors voted to discontinue the National MilkQualityand Dairy

Foods

contest as well asthe National Poultry Judgingcontest by 1985. I cannotstate

enough my

shock

when

^Ireadthis.Iwas aparticipantinbothcontestsatthestate levelandthe benefitsIgainedfrom

them

was enormous. Judging teams are an integral part of vocational agriculture sincetheyallow us to "learnby doing"

and

^their removal will only result in stiflingthose

whose

interestsventure in thatfield.Inschoolssuchas ours,which emphasize the value ofjudging teams,

we

canonly

hope

thattheboardreviews

its decision before 1985 and decides to retainbothcontests.

Joseph Richards Kenton,

Ohio

I

am

writing this because ^I want to shed

some

light

on

the subject of

taxonomy. You

see, I

am

a student in the

FFA and my

futuregoalsare to get

my

^statedegree

and

thenI

would

liketo be astate officer.ButIhave encountered amajordifficulty. I

am

part

owner and manager

of a pizza parlor

and

^I

am

usingthisas

my

project.

The

problem is that

my

advisorsare certifiedagricultureproduction^teachers, not sales and service which is what I

need.

With

the

taxonomy

the

way

itis,a lot of students like

me who

have other projects than what their advisors are certified for, cannot apply for state degrees.

I have written to our State Advisor Dr. Earl Kantner aboutthisandhe says thatyou havetohavewhat yourteachers arecertified for.If

you

haveanyideason whatI should do, please let

me

know.

Bob

Stone

We

^{consultedourexpert}

on taxonomy, Bob

Seefeldt,

FFA program

specialist,

who

says,"Inorderto qualify forastate degree, your Supervised Occupational Experience

program

must beagricultural or agribusiness oriented,showing agri- culturally-related skills.

Owning

and

managing

apizzaparlorisnot considered agriculturally-related."

—

^Ed.

Glasco, Kansas

The

attention-getter and attractive Levi Straussadappearingin

my

October

I, 1983.Kansas

Farmer

deserves a

word

of

commendation —

particularly the in- signiaoftheFutureFarmersofAmerica and showingthatLevi Straussisaproud sponsor. This is the first time I ever noted such an addition to an adver- tisement. Iwish

more

wouldfollowsuit.

Such manufacturers and companieslike thishave beenjustgreat tosupport

FFA

activities.

I

was

a vo-ag instructor

and FFA

advisorforover 30years. Iappreciateall

support.

Oran Nunemaker

Ravenna, Nebraska

On

behalf of the

Ravenna FFA

Chapter,Ravenna, Nebraska,

we would

like to thank The National

FUTURE FARMER

for the article

"A

Pasture Full

Of

Profits."

We

have had

many

complimentary

comments

about the article

and

wantedtopass

on

to

you

our appreciation.

Scott Standage. President KentZeller, Advisor Shelby, North Carolina

Afterreadingyourarticle

on

agjour- nalismintheAugust-Septemberissue, I

finally

knew

what Iwanted todo.

For a long time, I couldn't decide betweenjournalismandagriculture.(I'm involved in our school newspaper

and

our

FFA

chapter.)

Now,

after reading yourarticle I've found that I can have the bestofbothworlds.

I really enjoy reading Tlie National

FUTURE FARMER.

^{Keep up}the

good

work.

Amy

Elliott Clay, WestVirginia

In response to Julie Sullivan, (Mail- bag,October-November, 1983)

you

say

it'scruel to pen up foxes.

What

about your grandmother's pet bird?

What

about the fish in your tank?

Do you

think

women who

wearfurcoats careif

the fox or

mink came from

the wild where they killchickens and lambs, or from a pen where they are fed and watereddaily?

A

foxinthewild

may

go fora

week

without food.

As

foritbeingcruel tokillthem,they are killed instantly and I quote

from

page 33 of The National

FUTURE FARMER

(August-September, 1983)

"Animals are killed instantly with a painless injectionofpoison."

Julie,

you

are right

on

one point aboutthefox

—

as forbeing a valuable assettoourcountry,for theirfur.

RichardAdkins Benson, NorthCarolina

I

am

writingto

commend you

onthe beautifulcoverthat

was

chosenfor the

October-November

issue.

Your

photo- grapher Michael Wilsondid agreat job.

Mr. Scott

Johnson

is one of the agriculture teachersat South Johnston High Schoolandhegives agreatviewof

alltheadvantagesof

FFA.

John

Taylor

Send

lettersornotes withname,address

and

chapter to:

MAILBAG,

The Na- tional

FUTURE FARMER,

^P.O.

^Box

15160.Alexandria.

VA

22309. Allletters aresubject toediting.

TheNational

FUTURE

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RMER

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Suzuki

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7

Inthe Tradition oftheAmericanCowboy

-w-Trenas

»

in

m

Agriculture

m

^-m

-

Lookin g Ahead

WHO'S BETTER? ^When

^it

^comes

^to

efficiency,youngerfarmers

may

have thelatestequipmentand

more

technical training,but middle-aged farmers

make

upforthatin experience andresources.

An

ageconomist's researchatCornell Universityshows middle-aged farmersbetween35and 44years old are

more

efficient than farmersyoungerthan 25andthose olderthan55.

The

report saysmiddle- agedfarmers weremost efficient in

crop production

and

use of machinery,

and young

farmers mosteffective

when

it

came

tohired laborand return on energy expenses.

FARM REAL ESTATE

values have slumpedfor the secondyearina row, saysa reportin

USDA's

Farmline.

The

latestdeclineof 6 percentfor the yearending April, 1983,follows a 1

percentdeclinein 1982.

The

average acre ofU.S. farmland is

now

worth about$744,

compared

^with $789in springof 1982and $795inearly 1981.

AN ALL-TIME LOW: American

families

now

spendanaverage ofless

than 12cents ofeach$1 oftheir disposableorafter-tax personal income, saysa reportfrom ag

extensionspecialistsat North Carolina State University.

The

specialistssay thatin mostcountries,theproportion of disposableincome required forfood

expenses^is

much

higherthan inthe United States.

PIK AND DROUGHT

tooka big bite out oftheU.S. cornharvestthis year,accordingto

USDA's Farm

Paper Letter.

The

nation'sfiveleading cornproducingstates, which account for64 percent oftotal production, vividlydemonstrate the

phenomena.

Iowa, topproducerlast year, willseea 53 percentlowerharvestfrom 1982.

Illinois'productionisforecast

down

60 percent, Indiana

down

58percent, Nebraska is

down

36 percentand Minnesota's totalisseen

down

39 percentfrom last year'scrop. Insiders at

USDA

estimatethetotal U.S. corn croptobe49 percent lowerthanlast year's record.

THAT LONG-TERM

agreement between theUnited Statesand

USSR,

in spiteofinternational conflicts,

began October 1, 1983,with the Soviets topurchaseninemilliontons ofwheatand corninapproximately equalquantitieseachyear over the nextfiveyears. Thosefigures are significantly higherthanthe old agreement: six million tons peryear withoptiontobuy anadditional

two

milliontonswithout consent.

Many

ag leaders credit Secretary of Agriculture

John

Block forstanding firmtothe agreementinthe

wake

of the

Korean

jettragedy.

A COMBINE THAT STEERS ITSELF

electronically whileautomatically controllingharvestingspeed and headerheight iscurrentlybeingfield tested, saysareport from

Massey

Ferguson. Equippedwith several

microcomputers, a"combine information center"andasophisticated electronicssystem,theexperimental

combine

hasbeen averaging 25 percent betterproductivityover standard machines and in

some

cases as

much

as50 percent higheryields. Below,aninteriorviewofmobiledatacollection lab thataccompaniesthe

combine

toitsfield test sites.

The

labmonitorsdata

from

30 sensors

on

thecombine.

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STATF 7IP

1

December-January,1983-84

PhotosByAuthor

Above, MattWineinger

seems

to havethis calf undercontrolas heprepares the animalforeartagging. FatherEarl,left,doublesasMatt'svo-aginstructor.

A Cattleman's

Dream For

The Future

Accomplishing

a short-rangegoal

helped

this

FFA member move one

step closertoalife-long

ambition

in thecattlebusiness.

By

Michael^Wilson

12

He

^{is a tall, lanky}

^{young man}

^with

dark, liquideyes

and

a quick, easy smile that matches perfectly with the friendlycharacter

commonly

found

on

America'sfarms. Reservedandrespect- ful,this

FFA member

might

seem

alot like any other future farmer at first glance.

But the easy-going nature is only a coverforthefirmdeterminationbehind

thisgoal-setter

named

Matt Wineinger, ofthe Marion, Kansas,

FFA

Chapter.

Have

atalkwith 18-year-old Mattand chancesare

good

wordslike"plans"and

"future"

come up

often

—

because for Matt,planningthefutureistheverykey to success. Matt believes the future doesn't just

happen — ^{you make}

^it

happen.

And

he's been proving it ever since donningthebluejacket four short years ago.

Thesedays Matt'sfutureplans revolve around fulfilling one lofty dream: to build a career in thecattle business by

owning

andoperatinghis

own

registered

Angus

cattle operation. "I suppose ^it's beena

dream

allalong," says Matt, but theeyesgivea sparkleofself-confidence.

Matt's engineered along-range plan to turnhisfamily'smodest

home

farminto hislife-longgoal:alivestockproduction business complete with sale barn and

office.

The

planissowellthoughtoutit

might

make

themostsuccessful architect envious.

Matt'splan foracattle careerled to national recognitionthisyearas central regional winner of the

FFA's Home

and/orFarmstead

Improvement

award, sponsored by

The Upjohn Company.

Several building

and improvement

pro- jectsaroundtheneatandtidyWineinger

home

outside of

Marion

led to the award.

Butas Mattquickly admits,"Ididn't even

know

I could applyforthe

award

until last year. All the

improvement

activities were aimed at furthering

my

beefproject." Itallstarted,strangeasit

may

seem, with a hedgerow.

Matt decided the hedge, overgrown

and

hazardoustomotoristspullingout ofthe Wineingerdriveway,just had to go.

Not owning

achainsaw. Matt used an axeto

chop

throughthepeskybush, andashovelpermanentlyendeditsroot system.

He

then constructed a split-rail fence along the roadway. "It doesn't looklikeitwasthatdifficult

now

thatit's

finished,butbelieveme,thatwasalotof work," Mattgrins."Hopefullythisfence will

someday

be a trademark of the Wineingerfarm."

Since then, small buildings on the homestead have been painted, corral fenceshave beenbuilt,shrubsandgrass planted and plans laid for a circular drive.

A new home

replaced the one destroyed bya fire fiveyearsago, and Matt hopestoturn thehouseintooffice space

someday

after he's built"amulti- purposedisplay barnforcattleproduc-

TheNational

FUTURE

FA

RMER

tionsalesandotheryear-rounduses,"he says. He'sevenpicked a spotinanearby pasturetobuildhis

own

house oncethe cattlebarn^iscompleted.

Matt'sinterestin cattlebeganwithan orphan calfgiven to

him

bya friendly cattleman. Although his grandfather

owned

a farm, Matt's experience had beenlimited. Buthisfather Earlteaches vocationalagriculture classesatMarion, and vo-agclasswenta long

way

to

make

up the difference. "Dad's been a big help,"says Matt.

Matt has experimented with other,

more

exotic cattle breeds.

As

a result, thecurrent herd has taken

on

the colors of a multi-flavorice

cream

parlor. Still,

hehopestoeventually

manage

a "pure"

registered

Angus

herd. "I think the registered industry has a lot

more

to offer,"hesays.

"Whenever

it

comes

^time

to sell the offspring, registered cattle

seemto^sell

much

better."

Mattruns40 headof"mostly

Angus"

cattleplus eightreplacementheifersdue to calve this

May. He

cites ease of calving,

and

uniformity as his favorite reasons for sticking with the breed.

"Besides," he grins,

"Angus

don't have hornstomesswith."

Not

onetolet

new

ideasgotowaste, Mattkeeps a constant eye

on

^trends

and

methodsusedbytoday'scattlemanagers.

He

usesa heat synchronizationprogram, forcing all

cows

to

come

into heat at once,

making

breeding a simple task.

Artificial insemination

and embryo

transferarealsoideashe'spicked

up

on.

"I'd eventually liketo get into

embryo

transferbecauseit'sthe

way

togointhe beef industry. If

you

have one

good cow you

canget 30calves out of herin

oneyear,"he says.

The

Wineinger herd has reaped the rewards ofthis alert,ambitiousmanager.

Like

many

youths his age, Matt takes hisbeststocktothe localcountyfairand

some

area

Angus

shows. "Mattstrictly

showshis

own

stuff,"saysMr.Wineinger.

Adds

Matt: "If I

happen

to win, it

probably

means

alot

more

to

me

thanit

would someone who

might

buy

^their

show

cattle."

Unlike

many

youths his age.

Matt

literally grew

up

in the

FFA.

Before

coming

to

Marion

asan agteacher,Mr.

Wineinger

worked

atthenational

FFA

headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia,

when

Matt andolderbrother

Ron

were

little.

The memories

aredim,saysMatt;

he

was

infirstgradeatthe time. Buthis father's dedication to the organization

made

its

mark on

both brothers.

Ron won

the nationalextemporaneouspublic speaking contest ^{at the} 1980 national convention and later served as Kansas

state

FFA

^president.

Matt's accomplishments have been just as impressive.

On

top ofthe recent proficiencyaward,he'salso participated inseveralstateandnationaljudging and publicspeaking^contests.

He

earnedthe national

4-H

beef

award

in 1981

and

December-January,1983-84

hopes to apply for the

FFA's

^beef productionproficiency

award

nextyear.

The

brothershaveshared

many

goals in

FFA,

including Matt'smostrecent,a shotatstate officer.Buthe'snotliving in hisbrother'sshadow."I

saw

things that

Ron

really enjoyed in

FFA,"

he says,

"but I have goals that I want to meet also."

Mattiscurrently studyingagriculture at Kansas State University. "I feel

you

justabout haveto getadegreeinanimal science in order toeven

make

it in the beef industry today," hecomments.He's plannedtousehisdegreeas"something

tofall backon" ifhisfirst goal doesn't panout. ButjudgingfromMatt's enthu- siasm for the beef business and his carefully-laidplansfor the future,failure doesn'tlooklikely. "Thereareso

many

youngcattlementoday

who

^getintrouble theirfirstfiveyearsinthebusiness,"says Matt. "If

you

planyourfinances,

work

slowlytowardagoaland

make

a long- rangeplan,

you

stand abetterchanceof

making

it."

That'ssoundadvicefrom one cattle-

man whose dreams

and plans for the future have already harvested achieve-

mentstoday. •••

Bottom, a glimpse ofthe multi-colored Wineinger herd, including older brother Ron's Jerseycows. Top, Matt adjusts a post inthefence hebuilt. "Hopefully this fencewill

someday

beatrademarkoftheWineingerfarm,"hesays.

Editor'snote:

A

few

months

ago

man-

aging editor Michael Wilson accom- paniednationalofficer WendellJeffreys to the Capitol Hill office ofRep.

Wes

Watkins, D-Okla.,in Washington, D.C.

Itishere

Congressman

Watkins,along with fellow federal lawmakers,

must make

critical decisions affecting not only his district in southeastern Okla-

homa,

hut a nation as well.

Upon

returning Wilson

had

this report to

make:

"

We

arrivedlate attheCongressman's office

— _knowing

his busy schedule, I feared

we would

miss Rep. Watkins altogether. To ourdelight,he

welcomed

usinto his office

and made

usfeel atease immediately. Inoticedan

FFA

plaque

on

one wall. Withshirtsleeves rolled to theelbow.

Congressman

Watkinslooked

liketheworking man'spublic servant

—

far

from

theimage

we

sometimes have of our^politicalrepresentatives in Con-

gress.

"Congressman

Watkins

made

^time

forourvisit;in fact,

when

thecall

came

torushtothe

House

floor

and

vote

on

^a

critical bill, he took Wendell

and me

with him. Afterwards, Rep. Watkins hosted both ofustoacup ofcoffee there inthecapitol, where herevealed a

most

intriguing,

dynamic

^{tribute to}vocational agriculture

and FFA.

"1

knew

the congressman

had more

pressing mattersofnational importance.

But he neveronce glancedat thedoor.

He

couldn't talk

enough

about

FFA and

whathis

FFA

experience

had done

for him.

We ended

theinterviewhoursafter ourarrival. Ithinkhe

would

haveletus

visit alldayif

we had

askedto.

"

That

^{report is a telling} testimony of one leader's love affair with voca- tionalagricultureandtheFutureFarmers of America.

Wes

Watkins grew up in rural,depressedBennington,

Oklahoma,

where his determination

was

strong

enough

to

overcome many

obstacles

—

including a speech

impediment and

poverty.

As

a restless, ambitious teen- ager, Watkins searched for something he couldexcelat

—

^{and founditthrough}

whatwasthena

new

high schoolactivity called

FFA. By

practicing hisspeaking ability in vo-ag classeach day, he not only overcame his handicap but soon

became

a skilled public speaker.

He

swiftly rose to

become

state

FFA

pres- ident and later

was

electedchairman of several student organizations at Okla-

homa

State University, where he gra- duated inagricultural education.

Rep. Watkins

now

splits his time betweenWashington, D.C. andhis

home

in Ada,

Oklahoma. He

is serving his seventh yearas a U.S. Representative.

FUTURE FARMER: Can

^{you tell}

usabout vourearlyexperiencesin

FFA?

WATKINS: When

Iwasstillingrade school

my

father had a small farm operation, alittlecountrygeneral store

14

^ne ^Man's

Tribute

The\ationalFUTURE

FARMER