National Future Farmer

''''''":-.

Every day 248,000 farmers

drag our good name throughdft^lirt.

Not

to

mention

themild,sand, snow,water,

rocks and weeds

Factis,

more farmers on more

acresin

more

states

depend on one name more than any other—Honda?

Maybe because we

invented theall-terrain vehicle.

Then

per- fectedit.

With rugged machines

likethe

FourTrax®250 and Big Red®

—both

save

thousands

of

farmers thousands

ofdollars.

In work,

gas,

and

time.

Haul hay on

a

Honda? Mend

fences.

Tend

livestock.

Check

irri-

gation.

Spray

crops.

Catch

trout.

Whatever.

ATVs

^are

changing

the

w-

^r

farmers

farm,

and ranchers

r

So

roll

with

thechanges.

And

ride what's

become

the

most

popular, reliable

name on

earth.

The best safety equipment

isyou.

Whenever you

^ride,please

be

careful.

Get

qualified training.

Read your owners manual. And

always wear

helmet,eye protection

and

protective clothes.

Never drink

and

ride,or

carry

passengers, or ride

on pavement.

Never

ride alone.

Always

super- children,

and

don'tletthose

under

14ridefull-size

machines.

The FourTrax 250 and Big Red

are full-size

machines.

For more

safety information see

your Honda

dealer, orcallthe Specialty"VehicleInstitute of

America (SVIA)

at1-800-447-47C"

FOLLOW

THE

LEADER

r.OrwriteAmericanH-inda.BtpL

Mure ^farmer

Published byCheFulurrfarmers(('America

Volume

34

Number

5

June-July. 1986

ISSN

0027-9315

A Word With The ^Editor

H

Andrew

Markwart

Andrew Markwart

hasbeen

named

associate editorofTheNationalFL TL

RE FA RMER

and his major assignment will be writing featurearticlesforthe434,643

FFA members

nationwide.

A

native of Yale, Michigan,

Markwart

graduatedfrom MichiganStateUniversityin 1985 with a double major in Agricultural

Communications

and

Communication

Arts.

While in college, he

worked

ina

number

of

communication

positionsincludingjobswith theMichigan Departmentof Agricultureand the Michigan

Farm

Bureau.

More

recently, he

worked

intheinformationdepartmentof the National

FFA

Organization and served as editor of the

FFA

Times at the 1985 national

FFA

Convention.

Markwart

hasanagricultural background whichwillserve

him

^wellin his

new

^position.

He

wasraisedonadairyanddiversifiedcrop farmandalso

worked

with neighboringfresh produceenterprises. Inhighschool, hewasa

member

of the

Capac FFA

Chapter, serving as a chapter officer and participating in various leadership contests.

You

will be seeinghis bylinea lot infuture issues.

In This Issue

Agriculture: IsIta Risky Business?

The

Star Agnbusinessman and industryexpertstell it like itis.

Kenya

Takean African safari withthe

Work

Experience

Abroad

Program Brand

'Km

for Safety

FFA'stractor safetycampaign is rollingalong.

The

Multi-Talented

Cob)

^Shorter

Find out what's behind FFA's nationalsecretary.

Floriculturein Washington, D.C.

Agriculturehas found a

home

ⁱⁿ ournation's capital.

Youth No

Barrier toSuccess

At 17,

Todd Horob

hopes todoublethe3,500+ cattle he traded lastyear.

Alumni,

Young

Farmers Bolster

FFA

at West Point

These two associations offer theirhelp to the local

FFA

chapter.

In Every Issue

News

In Brief 4

Looking

Ahead

6

Ylailbag 7

10

Agriculture'sSilver Lining -,-

Cheaperland and equipmentpricescould spell opportunityfor

new

farmers. 1

L

14 16 17

Hi-Tech:

Down

onthe

Farm

See

how

biotechnology ischangingthe way we produce foodand liber.

18

America Salutes the

FFA

A

12-hour,celebrity-filled musiceventwill honorthe

FFA. 22

24 26 28

Chapter

Scoop

25

FFA

In Action 30

The

Joke Page 34

The

Cover: Cover Photo by

Andrew Markwart

Howard

County, Maryland.

Vo-Tech

students Melvin

Margerun

and Melanie Partoncheckthisyear'sgreenhouseinventory withAdvisorJoseph

Dymek.

MagazineStaff

Editor-in-Chief.Wilson

W

Carries SeniorEditor.JohnM. Pitzer AssociateEditor,AndrewMarkwart PublishingAssistant.JoColley Director of Advertising.GlennD

Luedke

Advertising Assistant.JoyceBerryman Circulation FulfillmentManager.

DottieM Hinkle Assistants.

AdaGeorge, JanetMagill.

Dottie Welzel.YvonneByrnes, Helen Daugherty Georgia Williams. Harriett Fidd

National Officers

National President. RickMaiir.Route1,Bo*

109.Wilson.KS67490.NationalSecretary.

CobyShorter,III.1204SeaholmStreet.Eagle Lake.TX77434. National Vice Presidents. Kip Godwin, Route3.Box298-A. Whiteville.NC

28472.RobertWeaver,Route1.Box221A.

Hartselle.AL35640,KevinCoffman. Route1, Holliday.MO65258,CindyBlair,Route1.Box 306. Noble,OK73068

BoardofDirectors

Chairman.LarryCase,Membersof theBoard.

Robert Crawley. FloydDoermg.DuaneNielsen, JerryPaxton.Lee Traver LesThompson.

RoscoVaughn.JW. Warren

National Staff

National Advisor. ChiefExecutiveOfficer.Larry Case; ExecutiveSecretary.ColemanHams, National Treasurer,DavidA Miller;

Administrative Director.Wilson

W

Carnes, ManagerolInternationalPrograms. Lennie GamageFFA ProgramSpecialistiAwards).

RobertSeeteldt FFA ProgramSpecialist

lContests).Ted Amick,FFA ProgramSpecialist (Leadership!.TonyHoyl Director of Information.William Stagg. Director ofFFA SupplyService.DennisShafer;Executive DirectorFFAAlumniAssociation.RobertW

Cox.ManagerofAccounting.JoAnnGrimes.

ManagerofACCESS.DwightHorkheimer

AdvertisingOffices TheNationalFUTURE FAR POBox15160 Alexandria.VA22309 TheBrassedCompany 5150Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles.CA90036 Lampert & Associates PO Box 325

WesternSprings.IL60558 Peter C.Kelly.Inc 725 SouthAdamsRoad Birmingham. Ml 48011 RobertFlahiveCompany

22 Battery Street SanFrancisco,CA94111

213-802-2571

312-482-3993

313-642-1228

415-398-4444

TheNationalFUTUREFARMER{ISSN 0027-9315)ispublishedbimonthly bytheFutureFarmersofAmerica.5632MountVernon Highway.Alexandria. Virginia22309-0160

ADDRESS CHANGES:Sendbotholdandnewaddressto CirculationDepartment,The NationalFUTURE FARMER.P.O.Box15160. Alexandria, Virginia22309-0160CORRESPONDENCE:Address

allcorrespondenceto.TheNationalFUTURE FARMER.PO.Box15160.Alexandria. Virginia22309-0160Officeslocatedatthe NationalFFACenter,approximatelyeightmilessouthof Alexandria.

Virginia SUBSCRIPTION:S250per yearinUSand possessions (FFAmembersS125paid with dues). Singlecopy50C,fiveormore35Ceach Foreignsubscriptions S250plus 5200exti postage Copyright 1986 bytheFutureFarmersofAmerica.

-The

FFA

APPALOOSA!

THEBREED THATCOMBINESITALL

•Color*Versatility

•Disposition

POBoxB403 Moscow,Idaho 83843

(208)882-5578

Suff oiks Superior!

1

Sheepmanknow Suffolksspell "profit" Top meat producersTopbreeders Becomea part oftheever-growingSuffolk fraternity For moredetails, write NationalSuffolkSheep Associalion Box 324-F Columbia MO

65205

Big Jim™ ^Halters

I ScientificMarvel Controls I TheMeanest Animals ⁱ Halter breakscattle,sheep,

goatsetc ⁱⁿ halfthe time |^~

,\ Call or write for freecatalog I

Vw^{ofunique&excitingproducts} _J

BigJimHalterCo.(512)249-2480 1

Rt 3,Box3138, Boerne,TX 780061

GUARANTEED

10 YEARS!

Theknife forhunting, fishingandallaround use Mirrorpolished^

sharpstainless „ steelblade_M

Rugged ^{HcaMv K}

96

SIZE CLOSED 3--SI96 4"-S296 5--S3.96 SturdyLaatharBelt

Cunll25.1.

$>1

SWEWllILLREPLACE ATHO CHARGE!I khandleIFBROKEHWITHIN1

KNIVES&WESHIPFREE*ORDER TODAYMidwest KnrtVCo Oapt(

9043 SWesternAveCticagoIII60620 Manotters ontyi°ffis3OUR49thVEAR

30

DAY MONEY BACK OFFER

TheOnly

ONE-MAN

PORTABLE

SAWMILLOfItsKind InTheWorld!

Ifyouneed good,high-qualitylumber, don'tlet inflatedlumberpricesstopyourimportantbuild- ing proiects.TheFoley-Belsawgoesrighttothe treesandturnsoutsmooth,true-cutlumber..

.

even beginnersget excellentresults. Justone man(nocrewneeded)caneasily cutenoughon weekendstosave hundredsofdollarsoverhigh lumberyardprices. Forpowerusetractor

PTO

orotherlow

HP

dieselor electricunit.Factory- direct selling keepsprice low, and convenient timepaymentsmaybearranged.

Send forFREE BOOK!Justmail coupon belowfor

"HowToSawLumber"bookletand completefacts onthe One-ManSawmill.There isNO Obligation andNOSalesmanWill Callonyou.DoItTODAY!

Foley-BelsawCo.

/

jj.mm

30640 FieldBuilding

M2&&M

KansasCity,Mo.64111 1

Please sendall facts anddetails in .

your IREE BOOR -How To Saw _\ Lumber". I understand there is So \ , ObligationandthatNoSalesmanwill |

i callan me. I

H

City-State Zip.

Stain ^Brief

FARM AID Scholarships

Announced

Thanks

to theefforts ofWillie Nelson and

FARM AID,

ten college freshmen from familyfarm backgroundswill

havetheir tuitionsupplemented in 1986 bya$300,000 scholarship

endowment made

tothe

FFA.

The endowment

will yieldan annual grant ofapproximately$30,000to be distributed in theform of three-year scholarships of $3,000 each to

FFA

members who

demonstratefinancial need. Applicants mustbeenrollingina program ofagriculturalstudies, preferably leading to careersinag production anda possible return to the family farm.

The

grants are being

made

available throughthe National

FFA

Foundation,

making FARM AID

a three-starsponsor. Allapplicationswill be reviewed and evaluated bythe National FFA's Scholarship

Committee

along with regular scholarshipapplications.

Computers In Ag Seminar Open To All The

1986National

FFA Computers

in AgricultureSeminarisopen toall

FFA

members

and chapteradvisors.

The

seminar, scheduled forthe week of August 10-16in Washington, D.C., is

designedtorecognizeallstate

Computers

in Agricultureaward winners along withthetop five nationalwinners.

This year'sseminar willfeature

"hands-on"computeractivitieswith specialworkshopscoveringthe

Ag Ed

Network, classroom-computer based activities, roboticsand basic electronics, computergenerated speech and speech recognition, desktoppublishing, computergenerated

FFA

chapter newslettersand agriculturalcomputer applicationsoftomorrow. Those interested in participatingshould contact Dwight Horkheimeratthe National

FFA

Center,5632 Mt.

Vernon

Memorial Highwav, Alexandria,

VA,

22309.

Hands Across America Endorsed

The

Governing

Committee

of the National

FFA

Boardof Directors officially endorsedthe

Hands

Across Americaeventthat took place

May

25.

The

challenge of

Hands

Across America,toraise

money

for the homeless and hungry inAmerica, was extended tostateassociationsand local chaptersin aletter from National

FFA

Advisor Dr. Larry Case. Dr. Case challenged

FFA members

tojoin the

human

chainof linked handsand to

promotelocalfund-raisingeffortsas part oftheir

community

service.

FFA Welcomes Hungarians

Six Hungarianstudents arrived April 7 inthe U.S. on thefirst halfofa

new Work

Experience

Abroad

exchange program. Thisfirst-everexchange betweenthe

FFA

and

Hungary

was

made

possiblethrough partial funding fromthe United States Information

Agency

(USIA).

Accompanying

the Hungarian studentswas Laszlo Nemeth, deputy directorgeneralof International

Relationsin Hungary's Ministry of Agriculture.

The

Hungarians'Washington, D.C., orientationtourtook themthrough the

USIA,

the Departmentof Agriculture and the Hungarian Embassy, where they mettheiragriculture attache. First SecretaryofAgricultural Affairs Dr.

ImreTakacs.

The

studentswill beworking on farmsand ingreenhousesin Wisconsin.

Michigan, Illinois, Massachusettsand Floridaforafullyear.

Agriscience Program Sponsored

A new

Agriscience Emphasis

Program

has beensponsored by Chesebrough- Ponds, Inc.,as a special projectofthe National

FFA

Foundation.

The

program willaward outstanding teachers

FFA

advisors

who

emphasize science as a part oftheirvo-ag

program. Therewill be plaquesand cashawardspresented onthe state, regionaland national levels.

Computer Meeting Big Success

A

meetingtodiscuss the futureof computereducationin vocational agriculturewas held in Chicago,

Illinois, April 25-26. Representatives from

FFA,

vo-agteachers, teacher educators, statesupervisors, the computerindustryand computer publicationsjoined to offer direction on implementing computertechnology invo-ag classrooms.

The Computers

in

Ag

program,

ACCESS

and the

Ag

Ed

Network

werediscussed extensively.

Recruitment Package Sponsored

A

packageto help

FFA

advisors recruitstudents has been sponsored by

Monsanto

Agricultural Chemicals Corporation.

The

package ^will include career brochuresand the film"Be All

You Can

Dream."

among

other materials.

The\ationalFUTURE

FARMER

:

£%*!>

s— ',

IRRESISTIBLE FORCE

Join the Army National Guard, and

you'll

work part-time helping out people here

in

your

i 1 1 i

mim\ own hometown.

LiiiiJ ^^£

^You'll

^{protect your country}

in

a national emergency,

too,

using some of the most intimidating defense technology

in

the world.

Wondering what's

initfor

you? Plenty. You can earn a good paycheck. Money

for college.

And the

satisfaction

of knowing you can do anything you want.

If

you do

it

with

Irresistible

Force.

Army National Guard.

Call

800-638-7600*

•In Hawaii:737-5255; PuertoRico:721-4550:Guam:477-9957;Virgin Islands(St.Croixl:773-6438;NewJersey:800-452-5794.InAlaska, consultyourlocaldirectory.

r ^nu nrl

| NAME

ADDRESS

1 CITY/STATE/ZIP

USCITI7FN DYES^IISO | 1 AREA CODE PHONE

1 OCCUPATION BIRTHDATE

1 SOCIALSECURITYNUMBER

j STUDENT rjHIGHSCHOOL COLLEGEPRIORMILITARYSERVICEDYES 3NO ¹

1 BRANCH. RANK

| mail to

Army

NationalGuard

THEINFORMATIONVOU VOLUVTAR.-PC."-,;e•,;>.D'»Ju«O0»>SOCIAL 1 WiLl.BELiSEDfOHnecRu'NGP-jHBOSESONL''nXjnSOCIALSECunT

1 USEDTOANAL'ZERESPONSE^xO^T'-'SO*l^t«0ot«iOij5C-i03

AFM.'MOS 1

PO. Box6000.Clifton.NJ07015

SECURITY

~

^,s

™

NUMBERu,s

A1NFTT"066NP|

w-

^Trends

^ing

Agriculture

m

^-m

-_

Lookin g Ahead

Remote Sensing From The Air

Computer-generatedcolor

maps

of cropfieldstakenfrom theaircan highlight moisture, chemicaland

fertilizerproblemareas. Thiscan help producers pinpointtreatment, saving themtimeand monev.

The

Earth Resource Data Corp'

(ERDC)

of Overland Park, Kansas,offersa service that utilizessensors

mounted

ⁱⁿ

airplanes to detect field problems.

"Field-by-fieldcolor printout

maps

generated from videocamerasand computersisolate problemareasbefore theycanbedetected byvisual

inspection."says Dale Kuhn.vice president. Marketingat

ERDC. "A

farmercan usethe

map

and godirectly to the trouble spot

making

adjustments inwater, chemicals orfertilizer.

Rubber Dams

There isan alternative tosteel gates for water controlwhich offers lower maintenanceand lessdisruption of water flowat alowercost. It isthe rubberdam,firstdeveloped in 1956 and

now

a

common

sightin several countries, especiallyJapan.

The dams

are sealed rubber tubesthat inflate to hold back rushingwater.

When

the waterleveldrops back

down,

youjust deflate the dam.

Rapid Farming

Isfaster better? It is.accordingto the RapidFarming System Booklet recently published by CaseIH.

The

bookletdescribes

how

producerscan

effectivelyincrease productivity levels

by operatingtractorsat5-to

7-mph

travelspeeds.

The

keyis tomatch high- horsepowered tractors with the correct equipment andtravel speed. Copiesof the booklet

may

be obtained by contacting: Public Relations. Case IH 700State St.. Racine.

WI

53404.

Get Your Ears Lowered

It's timeto get ourears lowered; not by haircuts,but by breedingcornvarieties that

grow

ears closer to the ground.

The

reason,accordingto Dick

Renk

of the

Renk

Seed

Company,

isthat today'stallcorn hybrids, with their high earheights, are proneto wind damage,

making them

hardto harvest.

Thosetallearshavea high centerof gravityand don't tolerate windas well as earswhichare closer to the ground.

Corn

breeders have had

some

success inloweringthe earand maintaininga tall plant by crossing a tall hybrid

—

which has

dominance

in thetraitfor plant height

—

^witha shorterhybrid that hasalower earheight.

Yellowjacket Traps

Keepingyellowjackets and their threateningstingersfrom swarming around backyard picnic tables

may someday

be easier todo. U.S.

Department of Agriculture

entomologist Jefferey R. Aldrichhas developed achemicallybaited trap to catch them.

The

traps lure themost

menacingtypes of yellowjacketsby usinga blend ofartificial, nontoxic chemicals similar toanatural insect

pheromone. orattractant.

The

traps,

hungat shoulderheight,

work

best in the spring,late

summer

and fall.

Grocery Getters

A new

servicein theSan Francisco areacalled "GroceryGetters"is

revivinganold practice for new reasons.

The

service purchasesand deliversgroceriesfrom anystore inany given marketarea topeople

who

are toobusy toshopthemselves.

The

service,which greatlyappealstosuch consumersegmentsas affluent

professionals, retirees,working

women

and new mothers, chargesS10 ^for buvingand deliveringorders up to S50.

$15forupto $100 and$20 fororders over$100.

Seedicide Acres?

A

chemicalthat kills

dormant

weed seedsinthe soilcould reducethe need

forotherherbicides,accordingto U.S.

Department ofAgriculturescientists.

Farm

fieldsandgardens harbortensof millionsofweed seedsanacreinthe topsix inchesofsoil.

About

5 to 10 percent of the seedsemergeeachyear, with

some

remaining

dormant

for 100 years. Applied inthesoil, thechemical, methyl isothiocyanate

(MIT)

couldact asa"seedicide" bykilling

dormant

seeds.

MIT

degrades rapidlyin thesoil, usuallywithin afew days,and

ultimately turns intonontoxic

compounds.

If

You Mow Lawns...

Mowing

safety shouldconcernthe

more

than 100 million people

who

spend nearly a billion hours ayear cuttingabout 30 millionacresofgrass with their

more

than 50 million mowers.

How many

safe

mowing

practicescanyouspotin this"good example" photo? Hereare

some

hints:

Dressright. Cleardebris. Keep

mower

inshape. Avoidcrowds.

Go

forward.

For

more

informationon

mowing

safety,send forafreebooklettitled

Safety

Know-How

bvwriting to

John

Deere, Dept.574. 1400 3rd Avenue, Moline. Illinois. 61265.

A Fishy Future

Aquaculture.the cultivation ofwater products suchasfishand shellfish, appearsto havea bright future, said an

official with the Departmentof^Wildlife and FisheriesSciencesat Texas

A&M

Universityat a recent^fish farming conference. Percapitafish

consumption,forexample, isexpected to increasefrom the current 33 pounds toabout ⁴⁷pounds bytheyear2000 andtoabout 55 poundsby 2010. U.S.

aquaculture production should takea

quantum

leap of

some

400percent, with crawfishand catfish leading the way.

Red

drum, orredfish. also appearstohavea lot of potential as a farm-produced^fish.

TheMotionalFt TlRE

FARMER

MjjUba g

JapaneseImpression

Ienjoyedthearticle intheApril-May issueaboutthetripthe nationalofficers

tooktoJapan("Japan,ina

Word,"

page

28).

ThislastJulyIspent30daysinJapan asan exchange student and I

was

^im- pressed withthe

same

things.

You

dida very

good

jobto

sum

uptheimpressions and feelings that

Japan

gives you.

Kent Glover Cisne, Illinois Setting theRecord Straight

In the

February-March

issueanitem in

"FFA

in Action" dealt with the Jackson Heights

FFA BOAC

tour.

I'll

commend

Jackson Heights

on

a job well done but ^I wish they had

worded

^their item slightly differently.

Jackson Heights is a separate school district

from

Holton. Holton High School hasits

own FFA

chapter.

/. /.. Hilliams Mayetta, Kansas Real Life

Farmer

I'm a

Greenhand who

hasjust gone through losing our farm last year. 1

started vocationalagriculture because I

enjoy farming and

know

I will need

money

and

good management

skills to ever

become

afarmer.

Isee articlesabout related fieldsand

good

^sides of agriculture, but

what

aboutthefarmersgoingout of business?

1

would

liketo see

some

articlesabout thereallifefarmerandwhat'shappening tofamily farms.

Erica Ewers Quincy, Michigan Local Coverage?

I

am

a third-year

FFA member

and currently chapter reporter ofthe

Enum-

claw

FFA

Chapter.I'vefoundthe

maga-

zine quite interesting with well written articles init.

Most

ofyourarticles

come

from the central states.

How

about something

from

our neckofthe

woods?

Mike

Krainick

Enumclaw,

Washington

We

try tocover the whole country,but ourstaffisnot ableto traveleverywhere during the year.

We

have to rely

on

reporters

and members

tosend us the newsoftheirchapters.

—

^Ed.

Hurrayfor

FFA!

I just received

my

first issue of The National

FUTURE FARMER

and 1

am

very impressed. Thisis

my

firstyear in

FFA and

I'vehad problemswith

my

project.Ifitwasn'tforthemagazineand

my

agteachers, I

would

havegiven up!

FFA

^{isthe bestthing} that everhap- penedto me.

Megan Doekery

Dillshurg, Pennsylvania

I'd like to say

how much

I enjoy reading the magazine.

With

all the

troublesinfarming,it'snice to

know

the

young

farmers

coming

up have some- thing to read and learnabout farming.

You

aredoingagreat job!

DeAnna Hermreck

Thief River ^Falls, Minnesota Praises

Forthelast three years, I havebeena

member

^of the Eueders-Avoca

FFA

Chapter in Texas. I have received our

fine magazine regularly and enjoyed everyarticlebecause^itgives to

FFA

and

its

meaning

a

new

quality. It brings to

life not only the specialized fields in vocationalagriculture, but alsothe hu-

man

side oftheorganization. It

makes me

feel proud to bea

member.

.lames Holder

Leesville, Louisiana

Send

lettersornotes withname,address

and

chapterto:

MA

II.

BAG,

VieNational Fl"Tl

"RE FA RMER,

^P.0.

Box

15160, Alexandria,

VA

^2231)9. All letters are subject to editing.

All shapes, all sizes,

and ^all genuine

America's Favorite Knives!

A "Buck

Knife"to

many people

is

our famous Folding Hunter. To

others,it's

one

^of

our

^great

fixed-blade sheath

knives.

To

allof

them, Buck

^isthe knifethat

holds an edge!

Yet

alotoffolksdon'trealizejust

how many ^knives we

handcraft.

There's one

for

almost any purpose you can imagine:

hunting,fishing,shop,

woodcarving, emergen-

cies,

"gentlemen's"

knives,giftknives, presentation knives,

custom

^knives,

and many more.

Allwith

these

^traits

in

common:

^{greatsteelintheblade,}

^proud craftsmanship

in the

making, and

alifetime

guarantee

to

back

^itup.

No wonder Buck

^is

^now, more than

ever,

America's

favorite!

Formoreinformationaboutknives,andyourfreefull-colorcatalog, write

BUCK KNIVES

^{Dept.NFF-686,P.O.Box1267,ElCajon,}

^CA

⁹²⁰²²

June-July, 1986

The ^{Vision of} Mike Jackson

With hard work and leadership, this former National FFA Officer turned a

dream into his own marketing and training agribusiness firm

By

Michael Wilson

To ^Mike

^{Jackson,owning and}

^manag-

inghis

own company

wasjustaspark ofan ideasix years ago.

With hard

work

and determination, Jackson, apast national officer, set out to

make

the

dream

becomereality.Today,

hisbusinessisthrivingandthechallenge of managing his agricultural firm is

something he worksat on a dailybasis.

Jackson isfounder,

owner

and presi- dent of Agri BusinessGroup.Inc.,afive- year-old, million-dollar.salestrainingand marketingfirminIndianapolis. Indiana.

Jacksonservedas anationalofficer in

1975-76,

when

hebegandevelopingagri- business contacts that would serve him well later on. It wasn't until he entered law school, after his 1979 graduation from PurdueUniversityin

Ag

Economics, that hisvision begantaking shape.

'The

company

evolvedfromconsulting projects I was doing ⁱⁿ

tandem

with various professors at Purdue." he says.

"Contactwithseveralagribusiness

com-

panies, associations and

FFA

chapters during

my

tenure as an officer also helped.

"Frankly, itjust started bubbling up quickly." saysJackson,

who

grew up on a farm near Tipton, Indiana. ^"1 began traveling a fair bit to see clients. It

became

apparent very quickly that this could

become

something

more

thanpart time."

It did. In fact, Jackson's

company

becameafull-fledgedbusinessinJanuary, 1980. There have been long hours and otherchallengesalongthe way, particu- larly since Jackson had little business experience

compared

to most people

who

venture outon theirown.

And

unlike

many

successstories.Jack- son'scareergoalshad alwaysbeenopen- ended.

"There's a great

myth

out here that people have to have a life-long plan in orderto beasuccess in life." he says. "I

had no master plan to start a business.

particularly

when

I was going through highschooland college. But I did have

many

differentopportunitiesand Iculti- vated those opportunitiesso thatIhada chancetoexploreanyof

them when

they surfaced.

"That'swhatgoal-settingisallabout."

he adds. "Set outinanydirectionandbe prepared fortheopportunitiesthat you

may

have at any one time.

When

the opportunity first surfaced to start a business, thatis

when

Isaid,'Okay,we're goingto

make

this intosomething.'"

8

Jackson's business operates on those

same

^flexiblegoal-settingprinciples. "In salestraining,we're trying tohelpclients understandthat ultimately, the market- place is king and that

when

^it changes,

we

must respond," he explains.

"We

can't artificiallybe lockedinto a direction which runscountertothe opportunities ofthe

moment."

Agri BusinessGroup'sforteisdevelop- ing training programs, consulting with clientsaboutbusiness goalsandtheskills their people need to accomplish them.

For example,

ABG

might help people

MikeJackson

manage

a machinery dealership, help sales people develop a market plan, or help a

manager

supervise employees

more

effectively. Another part ofJack- son's business is market research and

strategy.

ABG

^is also involved in business analysis. Ata client's request,Jackson's trained professionals will look deeply into financial, marketingand personnel angles ofa businessand helpdevelopa better operating plan.

"We

bring an outside, critically-objectivelookattheir business," saysJackson.

Marketingcommunicationsisanother element ofJackson'scompany.Agri Busi- ness Group, in cooperation with Spec- trum

Communications,

Kansas City, Missouri, generates public relations, newsletters,newsreleasesandothersales

promotionactivitiesforclients.

An

agricultural speakers network rounds outtheoperation. Agri Business

Group

^linesupprofessional,motivational orspecialized speakersformeetingsand seminarsforclients.

Class Entrepreneur

Jackson is a classic example of the successful,independententrepreneur.But long hours and tough decisions have opened his eyes to the real world of

settingup one's

own

company.

"A

lot ofpeople think theywanttobe inbusiness forthemselves," hesays."But

my

experience has

shown

that most of thosepeopleare ill-informedaboutwhat

it's really like."

Jacksonsaysoperatinganagribusines firm is a lot like farming, without the seasonalaspect.

"You

do need the

same good

characteristics of a farmer." he says.

"You

need total

commitment

to what you're doing.

You

need to

work

hardand

work

smart.

And

you mustbe able torecognizethatyoustillhaveother people involved. You're ultimately ac- countabletoyour customers and^clients.

Everydecisionvou

make

carries a trade- off.

'

"Theskillofdecision-makingiscritical,

because you can't

do

everything." he stresses.

"You

must

make

choices."

Rewards

But beinganentrepreneurisnot with- outfinancial, professional and spiritual rewards. "There is a tremendous, gut- wrenching sense of self-satisfaction, of

knowing

you've perhaps beaten

some

odds." saysJackson,"andknowingyou've probably done something that

many

people haven't done before."

Being in business for yourself

means

that every person

who

works in the business

knows

that what theydo hasa direct impact on the success of the company."Ifitissuccessful,itissuccessful because of you," he says.

Another

good

feeling

comes

from buildingandgrowing."There'ssomething veryspecialabout takingapieceofclay and

making

it into something that was onlya vision before." saysJackson.

FFA

Plays

A

Role

Keeping so

many

irons in the fire

demands

dedicated, highly-motivated staffmembers. Not surprisingly, several employees have had

FFA

experience.

It'snosecretan

FFA

backgroundcounts highly inJackson's

book when

it

comes

to workingat hiscompany.

"1learnedso

many

thingsfrom

FFA."

hesays."Public speaking, decision-mak- ing,groupleadership,timemanagement, forexample.1learned

how

to

do

alotof different things at one time, something that happenshereona dailybasis. And.

the basic background in understanding agriculture iscritical."

FFA

played a significant role in the developmentofJackson'sbusiness.

And

he expects that role to continue in the future.

"Were

it notfortheexperiencesI

had throughthe

FFA

specifically.Idon't think I would have had the vision, the confidence,orfrankly,theskills,to

make

agoofthisthing."he concludes. •••

The SalionalFl77RE

FARMER

farm these be up

toit.

99

more w running a

ope my ^son

^is

^going

^to

program at BJ

far,

I'm sure

he'll

do just

fine.

99

It's

a ^fact. Graduates of the Bob Jones University School of Applied Studies are working as farmers. And as automotive service mechanics.

And in a whole host of great career jobs, such as carpentry, cosmetology,

aircraft mechanics, and building and equipment maintenance managers.

You can put yourself in this great career picture, too. By entering the School of Applied Studies at Bob Jones University, you'll learn skills of a trade in a Christian setting with people who value the things of

God. And ^you'll be ready for a hands- on career.

Start fulfilling your dreams today.

Call Bob Jones University toll-free for

more exciting information on the

School of Applied Studies or any of our 70 major programs.

Call 1-800-BJ-AND-ME

Stands without apologyforthe"oil religion"andthe absolute authorityof theBible.

i 1986BohJonesUniversity.Greenville,SC29614

% ^F»

31 ^{BOB JONES The} Opportunity Place ^University

^. . .

God's S pecial Place for You.

Scott Cochran. Star Agribusi-

nessman

ofAmerica, monitors theschematicroutingboardfor WhitworthFeedMills.

The

board indicates the location of feed ingredients that are

moving

through the computer-auto- matedbatching system.

Agriculture— ^{Is it} a Risky Business?

By Andrew

Markwart

Many ^{FFA members}

^{are askingthe}

question. "Is agribusiness a smart fieldtogointotoday?Isthisadead-end industry?" Those

who

areconsideringa

career in agribusiness alreadyare

won-

deringwhattheycan

do

to getanedgeon the competition.

FFA's

top businessmembers,theStar

Tim

Price,centralregionStarAgribusinessman,overhaulsapowershift transmission.

Agribusinessmen. were asked to share theirinsightsofthecurrentsituationand their forecasts for the future of agri- businessalong with educationandindus- tryauthorities.

To

best understand what ourexperts have tooffer, it is important to havea clear definition of agribusiness whichis

noeasytask.Definingagribusinessislike riding a horse across a Texas cattle ranch; it'shardtotellwhereitstartsand whereitstopsandthere'splentyof

room

to get lost inbetween.

Many

wouldinclude thewholeagricul- turalindustry,includingfarmproduction and ranching in theirdefinition. This is

correct,sincefarmingandranchingare certainlybusinesses,butforpurposes of afinerfocus,thisarticle willconcentrate on thebusiness firmssurroundingagri- culturalproduction.

The

Climate

Drastic changes in the midwest farm

economy

have impacted greatly on the businessesthere.Thosethathavesurvived thewaveofbankruptciesandforeclosures

common

to states like Iowa and Okla-

homa,

havehadto "tightentheirbelts"to thepointwhereremainingin businessis

the measureof success.

Laterthisyear. Western Region Star Agribusinessman PaulBurrellisreturning to his family's

John

Deere dealershipin The\ationalFlTlREFA

RMER

Fairview,

Oklahoma,

after graduation from

Oklahoma

StateUniversitywitha bachelor ofsciencedegreeinagricultural economics. Paul has no illusions as to whatthenearfuture holds."Inthe 1970's farmerswouldbe waitingin lineatyour door to buy

new

tractors." says Paul.

"Now

you're going to have to go ask

them

to buy it; and the competition is

goingto be alot tougher."

It is the farm bankruptcies _that are takingthetollon

new

implementdealers.

When

the farmer declares bankruptcy, his machineryissold at auctionand the implementdealerusually receivesonlya portion ofwhat was

owed

tohim.

What

isa bargain tothe buyer isa beating to the dealer. Also, with all of the

good

quality,used machinerybeingpurchased,

new

equipmentsaleshave fallen off.

Knowing

the tough situation thatex-

ists,

why would

anyone wantto returnto

it?"Iwasbroughtupinthebusinessand

1

know

every aspect ofit,"says Paul. ^"1 feellikeI

know

^itgood

enough

thatIcan run it efficiently right now.

One

might say there

may

be

more

disadvantages than rewards, but ¹ feel confident that the fat years will return. It's just a challengeright

now

torunitinthesebad timesand to survive."

On The

Other

Hand

There are areas in the country that have not been hit nearly ashard bythe

economy

and business isgrowing.

Whitworth Feed Mills, in Lavonia.

Georgia, iswhereStarAgribusinessman ofAmerica Scott

Cochran

^is finding a growthperiod.Scottisthemill

manager

andisresponsible for12employees.That

isquite abitofresponsibility foranyone, especially foraguy

who

^isonly2¹ years old.WhitworthMillsisabouttoconstruct an$800,000 fully-automated additionto theirplant,and^itwillbeScott'srespons-

ibilityto runit.

Valerie Parks,eastern region Star Agri- businessman.

The

reasonfor the feedmill'sprosperit v

isitsescalatedbusiness with thechicken industry.

The

chickenindustryisprosper- ing because Americans are changing their diets and eating

more

fish and poultry trying stay healthier and lose weight. (It's ironic that Scott boasts of Georgiapoultry being abletogain

more

weight on less feed.) Itshould be noted, however,thatthisdoesnot

mean

thatall

ofGeorgiaandtheSouth

may

beexperi- June-July. 1986

encing growing economies. There are large chicken producers near Scott's business that

makes

his areagrow.

Valerie Parks, eastern region Star Agribusinessman, has ajob waiting for her

when

shegraduatesfromOhioState University this year. She will use her degree in agricultural communications as an account executive in radio and advertisingsales attheAgri-Broadcasting

Network

in

Columbus,

Ohio.

The

job didn't exactly fall into her lap. She has workedasanintern,part-timeemployee, sound board technician,andearly

morn-

ingair personality for

ABN.

Sheisastrongbelieverinthe internship system. "Internships are outstanding,"

Valeriesays."Theygiveyou an opportun-

ityto

make

surethat'swhat you wantto do,andifitis,

you

cancontinuegetting internships inthoseareas."

Internships are actuallypart-timejobs that offer valuable experience in your careerarea whileyouattendschool.

Tim

Price, central region Star Agribusiness- man, hasfoundthatanexperience-filled, part-time job can be an education in itself.

Experience

Of A

Lifetime

When

you

make

your living as a mechanic, hands-on,practicalexperience

is a must.

Tim

started working in his father'simplementdealershipin

Bloom-

ington, Wisconsin, in the eighth grade and"every yearthe responsibilitygot to be

more

until I got tothepoint where ^I could deal with just about anything,"

saysTim.

Tim

hasalso

assumed some

salesand

management

duties since he started working full time in a partnership with his fatherand brotherafter high school graduation. Their operating philosophy

isto

become

flexiblemanagers byfamili- arizingthemselves withallareasofsales andservice."Ifacustomercallsthe parts departmentwithaservice-orientedprob- lem,then

we

don'thavetocall

somebody

out of the shop," says Tim.

"We

can usually help

them

out rather than take

somebody

offofa job."

Common

Insights

These Star Agribusinessmen all face differentchallanges astheypursuetheir respective careers, but they all share a very

common

point-of-view about the future of agribusinessand what skills it

takes to

make

it.

Everyoneofthembelieves that agricul- ture will turn around economically and prosperonceagain, buttheroad^willnot beeasy.

Tim

looksforstability in hisarea

somewhere

inthe fall of 1987, afterthe new governmentsupportprogramshave had theireffect on the marketplace.

He

believes the "strong will survive."

The

others are just as hopeful, but not as specific.

They

alsoagreethat a strong, diverse education is imperative if you are to succeed inbusinessand that it'stoolate towait untilcollege to get serious.

Roger Bruene. placement officer for theCollege of Agricultureat Iowa State University,couldn't agree withthe Star Agribusinessmen more."The producers arebecoming

more

sophisticatedintheir business operations." says Bruene.

Good

customer relationsisimportantto Paul Burrell. western region Star Agri- businessman.

"Anyone who

comes in contact with

them

ⁱⁿ any way, the people that are workingwith

them

with the inputsand product buyers, are going to have to havetheequal kind of sophistication in termsoftheir

own

education."

The

Right Skills

Computer

skillswillhave to be incor- porated in thateducation, accordingto Bruene. ^"1 think it's going to be an assumption thateveryoneisgoing to be expected to have computer skills under their belt,and they

may

^{get that in} high schoolorelementary orjunior high,"he says."Theydon'tneed tobea program-

mer

as long as they're just comfortable working with a computer."

Scott

Cochran

echosthe point.

"When we

wereonthe

FFA

businessandindustry tour(thispastJanuary),everythingevery- where was computerized. Every office

we

wentinto,therewasa

CRT

(terminal) sitting on everybody's desk. That is

somethingthat's got to betaught." says Scott.

Each ofthe Star Agribusinessmen is

usingcomputertechnologyintheiroccu- pation invarious ways. ScottCochran's feed mill has beenfullyautomatedsince 1980. PaulBurrell usestwo computersin the

John

Deeredealership;oneforinven- tory control and the other orders parts automatically from Deere's main ware- house.

Tim

Priceislookingaheadtothe

same

type ofsystem at his dealership.

On-the-air

program

material isfed pre- cisely to the second in Valerie Parks' radio studio.

Computer

interaction has

become

part of agribusiness.

The

Star Agribusinessmenagree that college isbecoming

more

important be- causeof thecomplexityofthe business, buttherearegoodopportunitieswithout the degree and the learning process should neverstop. Brueneconfirms this (Continuedon Page21)

11

Cheaper land and rent prices coupled with lower machinery and crop production costs may be the silver lining some young farmers need to get started

Tiiwks

^{to the farm and national}

media,talesofthefarmcrisisand its

broken dreams have reached the eyes and ears of practically every household

in America.

Indeed,for

many

establishedfarmers, currentfarm problems

do

paint astorms' picture for future days. But if you're considering the prospect of a future on the farm, take a closer look at what's happening before you give up on your dream.

"The farmcrisisisatthebottom now,"

says former Secretary of Agriculture

John

Block."Inflationisdown,produc- tion costs are

down,

interest rates are down. Honestly, 1 don't

know

a better time to pursue agriculture. It's

much

better tostart

now

and rideitup.thanto start

when

agriculture was at its peak, and go backwards."

The

factis,the

same

darktrends that

make

upthe"farmcrisis"

may

alsobe a light at theend of the tunnel for

some new

andpotentialyoungfarmers.Cheaper landandrent prices,andlowermachinery and crop production costs

may

be the silverlining

some young

farmers needto get started.

"Most

of us would rather not say it.

butthefactis,oneperson'smisfortuneis

anotherperson'sopportunity,"says one

12

28-year-old midwestern farmer.

Heavy

farmforeclosures havebrought a lot of farmland onto the market, helping hold

down

depressedprices. Inaddition, fore- closures have brought a flood ofgood, usedmachinerytoauctionat sales.

Some

implementssellata thirdofnormalcost.

Lastyear,farmlandvaluesdropped 1

2

percent nationwide. Although declines have slowed some,

many

farm states in themidwest,where most

FFA members

live, have experienced price declines of 50 percentormore.

Loyd

Busdeiker, 25, of Warrenton, Missouri,isaformer

FFA member who

receivedhis

Amercan Farmer

fouryears ago.

He

grewup onagrainandlivestock family farm, where he

now

carves his future.

"There are fewer full-time farmers around here now," he admits.

"A

lot of peoplesaw what was happeninginagri- culture.

When

it

became

obvious^thatit waseasier to get ajobintowninstead of

work

on the farms like their dads did.

they left.

"In

some

respects,that'sbeengoodfor us. We're renting

some

of those farms now,"hesays."Infact,

we

could probably rent as

many

acres as

we

wanted to around here."

Loyd

and his father

now

farm 1.200 acres.

They

rent eight farms, (including

family farms)

many

ofwhich have been rented since

Loyd

betian farming in 1979.

"Most

ofthose people wanted us to run theirfarms, because they

knew we

would do agoodjob." says Loyd.

Cheaper Rent

In most areas ofthe country, lower land values

mean

lower farm rental costs,explains

Tim

Wenzel,seniorlending officer atthe FirstState

Bank

ofWaseca, Minnesota."Lower farmrealestate prices help bring

down

rent,

making

the farm easier to cash flow." he says. "Cheaper rentsarehelping

some

youngerfarmers in this area get into the business part- time."

For example. Wenzelsaystwoofhis

farmer customers rented farmland for S80peracrethisyear,

compared

to S135 per acre last year.

On

a 250-acre farm, that adds uptoasavings of $13,500.

InIowa,rentshavedeclined26percent since 1982,spurred

downward

by farm- land valuedeclines of40to 50percent.

"Cheaperland isdefinitely an advan- tage to

young

farmers." Wenzelsays. "I believefarmersdon't needto

own

every acreof land that they farm."

Declining net farm income has also put

downward

pressure on rent costs.

Most

^{landowners recognize that rents} must be reduced so

good

farmers can

The\alionalFl TlREFA

RMER