Proceedings, 1984

PROCEEDINGS keep:

AGRICULTURE

SUPPORT

FFA & VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE

57th NATIONAL FFA CONVENTION

Fifty-sevenyears.

Fifty-sevenNational

FFA

Conventions.

And

perhaps, this

was

thebiggest

and

bestconventioninthe organization's history.

Definitelyaconvention to

remember. 23,000

plus

FFA members and

guestsinattendance,

made

itthe largestyouth conventionin the

world

Pat

Summerall,

Eddie Albert, Art Linkletter, Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole, Secretary of Agriculture

John

Block

and Senator Robert Dole

all

addressed

the57th National

FFA

Convention.

Inspirational

speeches

delivered

from

theconvention stage, to

members demonstrating

their vocationalskills atthe

American

Royal,all

helped

to

make

thisconvention a magnificent occasion.

And

this,theconvention

PROCEEDINGS,

records

and

salutes

everyone

involvedinthe

1984

National

FFA

Convention.

(AGRICULTURE)

57th NationalFFA Convention PROCEEDINGS November8-10.1984

1984-85 National FFA ^Officers

The 19B4-85National

FFA

PresidentisSteveMeredith,fromthe WestHardin

FFA

ChapterinGlendale,Kentucky.Steveis19years old.Hisparents are Mr.andMrs.RalphMeredith.

Steve earnedhisAmerican Farmer degree with a Supervised OccupationalExperience Projectwhichconsisted of livestock, grain, hay andtobacco.

Steveisstudying agriculture atElizabethtownCommunityCollege andplans to earna degreeinAgriculturalEconomics.

Steveservedintwo chapterofficesbeforebeing electedState President oftheKentuckyAssociation.

SteveMeredith;Route1.Glendale.KY 42740.

The 1984-85National

FFA

SecretaryisMike Gayaldo, fromthe KelseyvillechapterinKelseyville, California.Mikeis20years old Hisparents areFrankandJeanne Gayaldo

HisSupervised Occupational ExperienceProject consists of

many

hoursworkingonthe family'spearfarm.He hasalso raised oat, h andbreedingand marketswine.

Mike hasasophomorestanding at Polytechnic State University.

SanLuisObispo,withanagriculturalmarketingmajor.

Mike has served asPresident of the California Associati as a chapter andregional officer.He has beeninvolved in public speaking, parliamentaryprocedureandjudging contests.

MichaelJ.Gayaldo;P.O.Box 966.Kelseyville,

CA

95451 well

The 1984-85NationalVicePresidentfromthe CentralRegionis MikeBarrett,from(heMead ChapterinMead, Nebraska. Mikeis 19years old.HeisthesonofRenaldandInez Barrett.

Mike hasraisedmarketsteers,com, soybeans and sorghum.His top qualitySupervised Occupational ExperienceProjectenabledhimto wintheStarChapterFarmer, District StarFarmer andtheDeKalb AgriculturalAchievement awards.

Mikeattends the University ofNebraska—Lincoln,where heis majoringinAgriculturalJournalism.

He hasservedas achapter officerandState PresidentinNebraska.

MikeBarrett;R.R. 1.Box5;Mead.

NE

68041

The 1984-85 VicePresidentfromtheSouthern RegionisNanci Mason, fromthe CollinschapterinCollins,Mississippi.Nanciis20 years old.Herparents are Mr.andMrs. R.B.Mason.

Nancihas shownregisteredSantaGertrudis cattle fornine years.

Shealsoworks as aveterinary assistant.

Nanciismajoringinpre-veterinarymedicine/biochemistryat MississippiState University.

Nancihasheldnumerousofficesinthe

FFA

including three yearsas astate officerinMississippi.

Nanciistheeighth national officer Mississippihasgiven to the organization.

NanciMason;P.O.Box 412;Collins.

MS

39428.

The 1984-85NationalVicePresidentfromtheEasternRegionis Graham Boyd, fromtheBathFFAChapter,inPinetown, North Carolina.Grahamis19years old.HeisthesonofMr.andMrs.

MalleiE.Boyd.

Grahammanagedhisfamily's16-acresofsawtimberandowneda small fruitand vegetableproduction business.Inaddition,healso workedfora nearbyfarm,gaining experienceinrowcrops.

Grahamisstudying agriculturaleducation at North Carolina University.

He has served as a chapterofficer, districtpresidentandstatevid president inNorthCarolina.

Graham Boyd: Route1,Box5.Pinetown,

NC

27865.

Vice President WnttrnRiglon BradBks

The 1984-85NationalVicePresidentintheWestern RegionisBrad Bass,fromtheMount Vernon

FFA

ChapterinWinnsboro.Texas.

Bradis20years old. His parents are Mr.andMrs.JoeB.Bass.

Bradowns 33 Jerseydairycows and has apartnershipinthefamily dairy farm.

BradattendsTexas TechUniversitywhere heismajoringin AgriculturalEducationand Accounting.

Brad has servedinthreechapter offices, district office, area office and asState PresidentinTexas.

BradBass;Route1.Box 116; Winnsboro,

TX

75494.

Distinguished Service

Citations

Thiscitationrecognizesthose organizations which exceptionally serve the FFA by contributingtime,

money

and personnel. This year thefollowing threeorganizationswere

shown

ourappreciation:

SunkistGrowers.Inc.,provided theFFA with national television coveragewhen theydedicated their1984 Rose Bowl Parade float to theFFASunkistGrowers hasbeenalinancialsupporterthrough theFFAFoundationtor15 years.

CenturyCommunicationsofSkokie,Illi- nois,developed the Agri Educatormag- azinewhichwasdistributed to voca- tional agriculture n provided public se ontheFFA anditsFoundationandha>

served as unpaid consultants toFFA

oftenprovided financial assistance to the FFA.Thecompanyhasbeentheprimary sponsorofthe NationalFFADairy Cattle JudgingContest tormanyyears.

National Officer

Candidates

Eachofthefollowingindividualswereselectedbytheir stateassociationsto vie forNationalFFAOffice.To beeligible torunfornational office,eachof thecandidatesmust have receivedtheAmerican Farmer degree. Onlysix of thesetalentedleaderswereselectedas a 1984-85NationalFFAOfficerbya ConventionNominating Committee

made

upof their peers.

Alabama:RobertW. Weaver.Hartselle:

Arkansas:LeahCherie Chaudoir,Mag- nolia:California; MichaelJosephGay- aldo.Kelseyville:Florida:Teresa L.

Loft,Selfner.IllinoisKar*n

Am

Chausse.Nokomis;Indiana:Rena Jo Ketter,Martinsville,Iowa:MarkA.Bee- mer,WebsterCity;Kansas: MikeTor- rey,Wamego.Kenlucky: SteveMere- dith,Glendale:Massachusetts;PaulJay Lauzon, Worcester; Mississippi; Nanci LeeMason.Collins;Missouri: Kurt Voss, Beaufort;Montana:Scott Allen Cavey, Missoula;Nebraska:Michael S.

Barrett,Mead;Nevada:DavidSnyder.

Yerington,

New

Jersey:Steven P.

Gruenberg. Lebanon.North Carolina:

GrahamBoyd. Pinetown; North Oakota:

JoanMarie Braaten, Kindred; Ohio: Date E.Minyo.Cumberland; Oklahoma:^Mil- lordHarold Jenkins. Gage;Oregon:Va- lencia Alvarado.Elkton;SouthDakota:

Chris AllenNelson,WhiteLake;Tennes- see:JosephLawrenceHuffine,Jones- boro. Texas: Brad Bass.Winnsboro;

Utah: KevinDonCummings,Fillmore;

Virginia:Cathy S. Hively.Broadway.

Washington; TD.Hostikka,Battle Ground. Wisconsin:Dale Beaty, Madi- son;Wyomoing:VivianR.Watkms.

Thermopolis

Special Meal Functions

Twospecialmealfunctionswereheld this yeai for thelirsttimeintheSouth Hall of H.RoeBartle.Thesefunctions werebothdesigned to provide an addi-

Eddie Albert asitsspeaker,sponsored byJohnDeere,The luncheonguests weretreated to an inspirationalspeech by FFA's Public ServiceAnnouncemenl celebrityand werealso introduced to newchapter leadership materials.

The secondnew(unctionwasaspecial leadershipdinner held Friday evening tor chapterandstateFFAofficers.Patriotic speaker. CharliePlumb addressedthis groupof leadersandoltered inspiration

EDITORS BOX Volume IV

FFACenler Information Staff a cialpublication of the NationalFFAOr- ganization.

FFA Information Staff:

CameronC.Dubes.Director ofInforma- tion;William Stagg. Audio-Visual Spe- cialist;DwightHorkheimer. Computer Specialist;Roni Horan.ProgramAssis- tant;and KarenCoble,Information

57th National FFA Convention PROCEEDINGS

Staff:

LauraNelson, Editor;LuAnne Wohler,Designer;Katrina Pinkerton, AssistantEditorandTimStroda, Photography

The57th NationalFFA ConventionPRO- CEEDINGSistheofficialprinted pro- ceedings for the NationalFFA Conven- tion,held annuallyinKansasCity, Missouri.Itispublished thelastday of

The FFAisthe national organization of students preparing for careersinpro- duction agricultureandagribusiness The FFAisincooperation with the U. S.

Departmentof Education,Washington, D.C.

National

FFA

Organization NationalFFA Center 5632Mount Vernon Memorial Highway P.0.Box 15160 Alexandria,VA 22309 (703)360-3600 Additional copies ol the 57th National FFA ConventionPROCEEDINGSare availablethrough the NationalFFA Sup- plyService.

The57th NationalFFAConventionPRO- CEEDINGSStalfisheadquarteredinthe FFANewsroomintheLittleTheatre of theMunicipalAuditorium

CAGRICULTURE>

November8-10,1984 57th NationalFFA ConventionPROCEEDINGS

National FFA Adult Leadership

National FFA Board of Directors

LarryD. Case. Chairman.NationalFFA Advisor,USDE. Washington,

DC

C.ColemanHarris,Secretary,NationalFFA Executive Secretary,USDE, Washington.

DC

DavidA.Miller,NationalFFA Treasurer,StateDepartmentotEducation,Bal- timore.

MD

FloydJ.Doering. State Supervisor, Agriculture Education,StateDepartment ofPublic Instruction,Madison,

Wl

Duane M.Nielsen.OeputyDirector,Division ofInnovationand Development.

USDE.

Washington,

DC

Lee Traver, State Supervisor, Bureauof AgricultureEducationOccupations, Albany.

NY

Les

Thompson,

ProgramSpecialist.AccountabilityBranchUSOE. Washing- tort,

DC

J.W. Warren,Chief,Services Section. Programs Branch, USDE, Washing- ton,

DC

DonaldE.Wilson,Program Manager. Agriculture Education,StateDepart- mentofEducation, Sacramento,

CA

Thame

McCormick,Chief,Programs Branch,

USDE.

Washington.

DC

National FFA Board of Directors' Consultants

Ronald A. Brown, Associate Professor, MississippiState University.Missis- sippiState.

MS

WaltSchuh, President,

NVATA.

Bow,

WA

Gilbert

A

Long. Head, DepartmentofAgriculture Education,UtahStateUni- versity.Logan.

UT

Dale Butcher,Past President,

NVATA,

WestLafayett.IN Myron Sonne. Vice President,

NVATA,

Letcher,

SO

Ross H. Smith. Vice President,

NVATA,

Athens,

AL

Gary

W.

Leske, Associate Professor,University ofMinnesota,St.Paul,

MN

WilliamE.Drake. Professor,Cornell University,Ithaca,

NY

National FFA Foundation Board of Trustees

Larry D.Case, President,NationalFFA Advisor,

USDE,

Washington,

DC

C.ColemanHarris.Secretary,NationalFFA Executive Secretary,

USDE,

Washington,

DC

DavidA. Miller,NationalFFA Treasurer,StateDepartmentofEducation,Bal- timore.

MD

RobertL.Bell.AssistantSupervisor,AgricultureEducation.South Dakota State University.Brookings,

SD

RonaldA.Brown, Associate Professor, MississippiState University,Missis- sippi Slate,

MS

Dale Butcher, Past President.

NVATA,

WestLafayette,IN FloydJ.Doenng,StateSupervisor, Agriculture Education, State Department otPublicInstruction.Madison,

Wl

CarlF.Gerhardt,Vice President and General Manager.Alfa-Laval.

Inc.—

Agn-Group, KansasCity.

MO

HilmerL.Jones, Vice President, North American Operations, Merck

& Com-

pany.Inc.,Rahway, NJ

Ron

Weininger,NationalFFA President, Marion, KS C.W. Reed,State Specialist,Agriculture Education,Montgomery,

AL

Walt Schuh, President.

NVATA,

Bow,

WA

LeeTraver,State Supervisor,BureauofAgricultureEducationOccupations, Albany,

NY

Les

Thompson,

ProgramSpecialist,Accountability Branch,USDE, Washing- ton,

DC

J.

W.

Warren, Vice President.Chief.ServicesSection,Programs Branch,

USDE,

Washington,

DC

National FFA Center Staff

LarryDCase, National FFA Advisor C,ColemanHarris,National FFAExecutive Secretary David

A

Miller,NationalFFA Treasurer Wilson

W-

Carnes. AdministrativeDirector Lennie

Gamage. Manager

ofInternationalPrograms RobertSeefeldt.FFAProgramSpecialist(Awards) Ted Amick.FFA ProgramSpecialist(Contests) Tony Hoyt, FFA ProgramSpecialist(Leadership)

Cameron

Dubes,Director ofInformation William Slagg. Audio-VisualSpecialist Paul Kidd,ActingDirector,FFA Supply Service Robert

W.

Cox. ExecutiveDirectorFFA Alumni Association Michael Wilson.ManagingEditorThe National

FUTURE FARMER

JohnM,Pitzer.SeniorEditor,The National

FUTURE FARMER

Glenn D. Luedke,Director of Advertising.The National

FUTURE FARMER

OottieM.Hinkle,Circulation FulfillmentManager,The National

FUTURE FARMER

JoAnn Gnmes,

ManagerofAccounting

National FFA Foundation Sponsoring Committee Staff

BermeStaller,ExecutiveDirector Kim Havens, Assistant ExecutiveDirector SteveGreene. Assistant ExecutiveDirector

Doug

Butler.AssistantExecutiveDirector

New ^National

FFA

Advisor

Larry D. Case

Intwenty-touryears Dr. Larry D.Case hasgone Irom an FFAchapter presider totheFFA's highest,non-memberof- fice—NationalFFAAdvisor Case,-10.accepted the positiono 6.1984tofillthevacancyleftbythe August31,1983retirement ofByronF Rawls.

Case assumesthe responsibilities ot SeniorEducationProgramSpecialist to Agriculture.Agrtbus' ResourcesOccupati partment ot Educati Advisor.Casecites tureenrollment tren showthe publichowwellvocationa riculture'FFAprogramsarepreparm students lor agricultural careers as he plans tostudyandact upon.

AsNationalFFAAdvisor,Caseservi chairmanof the NationalFFA Board Directors,president of the National he U. S. De- NationalFFA

FoundationBoardofTrusteesandwill provide leadership to vocational agncul- ture studentsandprofessionals inthe United Slatesanditsterritories.

School,where hewas an FFA member.

Hereceived a bachelor'sinagricultural educationin1966 andamaster's de- greeinvocationaleducationin1972 fromthe University ofMissouri-Colum- bia,where he completedhisdoctorate workineducationin1983.

Afterserving as a vo-ag instructor tor eightyears atNorthwestern. Orrickand LexingtonHighSchoolsinMissouri.

Case was nameddirector ofvocational education at LexingtonLa-Ray Area Vo- cationalSchoolin1974In1977 hewas namedexecutive treasurer of theMis- souriFFAAssociation beforepromotion toslateFFAadvisoranddirectorofag educationinJuly of 1978.

VIP Citations

The VIPCitationrecognizesindividuals

who

continuallyand faithfullyserve the FFA. This year thefiverecipients are:

EmeronP.Dettmann.a consultantin agriculturaleducation with theIowaDe- partment of Public Instruction lormore than 12 years.Heserved as Executive Secretary ot theIowa FFAAssociation forthreeyearsand was chairmanofthe NationalFFAMilk QualityandDairy FoodsContestfrom1976to1981.

RaymondD.Hagan,theMissouriFFA ExecutiveSecretary for the past29 years.Followingsevenyears of teaching vocational agriculture,hebecameDis-

trictSupervisor of Agriculture Education fortheDepartmentolElementaryand SecondaryEducation.Hedirected29 StateFFAofficerteamsincluding428 state officers.Haganislistedinthe

"Who's

Who

intheMidwest" andisthe author of"FFA at50inMissouri."

William C. Dudley. Supervisor ot Agri- cultureEducationinVirginia for33 yearsHeretiredin1980after45years ofworkinagriculturaleducationDudley conductedstate officer leadership train- ing for28yearsHe was chosen asthe Outstanding Citizen ofAppomattox County

EarlFKantner,ExecutiveSecretary of theOhioFFAAssociaflon for21 yeans.

Kantnerspent a total of34yearsinedu- cationandwasa vocational agriculture teacherandarea supervisor.Heisthe Executive Director ol theOhioFFA Foun- dation,Inc.andpast recipient otthe NationalFFADistinguished Service

EarlHKnebel, aprofessor of agricul- turaleducation atTexas

A&M

Univer- sity.Knebelhasbeeninvolvedineduca- tionandleadership training at the high schoolandcollegelevel.Hewas hon- oredbytheTexasFFAAssociationas wellas the AgriculturalExtension Serv- iceandPhi DeltaKappa.

Convention Speakers

On

Thursdayof the57th convention, the audience

was

inspiredby speeches from sports commentator Pat Summerall, sponsored by Cotter and

Com-

pany;actorand FFA

PSA

celebrity,EddieAlbert,sponsored by John Deere;

andentertainer Art Unkletter,sponsored byInternationalMineraland Chemi- calCorporation.

Friday alsobroughtseveralnotable speakerstotheMunicipal Auditoriumin- cludingtheHonorableElizabeth Dole,US.SecretaryofTransportation;the Honorable JohnBlock.US.Secretaryof Agriculture;the Honorable Robert Dole,Senatorfrom Kansas, and John Wain, apatrioticspeaker

Mamie

McCullough, the"ICan Lady." sponsored by the American Bankers Association,addressedtheconvention on Saturday followed by remarks from MickeyGilley,theAmerican Royals 1984entertainer.Saturday evening theFFA

members

wereinspiredbyBartConner,1984 Olympic Gymnastics Medalisttor hispersonal

comeback

storyConner'sappearance

was

spon- soredby McDonald's Corporation,the NationalSponsoroftheUnited States Gymnastics Federation

.^=KEEP=

(AGRICULTURE)

57lh NationalFFA Convention PROCEEDINGS November8-10.1984

FFA ^{Achievers Computers in} Agriculture

State Finalists

t^-?

Five individualswere inductedintothe FFANational Hall ofAchievement dur:

mg

the 57th National FFA ConventionInductionisthemost prestigious honortheFFA can bestow on anindividualNominees must be iormer voca- tional agriculturestudents and iormer FFA or

New

FarmersofAmerica

mem-

bers.One personisselectedeverythreeyearstorepresenteachofthe fol- lowingareas:leadership,agriculturalproduction, agribusiness,agricultural educationandone chosen-at-large. Thisisthesecond groupofFFA Achiev- erstobe inductedThe

new

FFA Achieversare:

mittee of the NationalFFA Founda- Sponsormg CommitteeHeperson- fundedprojects of theFFA and category

Secretary ol Agriculture.John RBlock istheFFAAchieverintheleadership

mragedthe strength- ilagricultureandthe FFAby supporting projectssuchas the nation-widestudy of agricultureinsec- ondaryeducationHehasaddressed many FFAgroups.

RichardWaybnght,ownerolMason DixonFarmsinGettysburg,istheFFA Achieverinthe agriculturalproduction categoryHehostedmanytours ol his dairylarm to internationalgroups and hasspokennationallyabout his innova- tivelarming operationwhere hepro-

methane gasWaybnght ally

/FFAa William Paul Gray,retiredexecutive sec- retaryoftheFFA,istheFFAAchieverin the agriculturaleducation category.As executive secretary,hemade anunprec- edented record olaccomplishmentsin FFA.During his tenure, the organization openedmembershiptofemalesand blackstudentsandexpandedactivities

The

new

ComputersinAgricultureaward program

was

introducedatthe 56th National-FFA Convention. The majorobjective of the

new

award pro-

gram

istorecognize FFA

members who

have

made

thegreatestprogressin utilizingcomputersinagricultureand agribusiness.

The followingstateaward winners attended aNationalSeminar on

Com-

putersinAgricultureinWashington. D.C. on August 14-18, 1984. Of these stateaward winners,fivewerechosen asnationalawardfinalistsbased on presentationsattheNationalSeminarThefivenational finalistswere:

National

Winner—

Kevin EGingerich,Kokomo,Indiana FirstRunner-Up— Debra OeeHaack, Oakfield,Wisconsin SecondRunner-Ufj

—

DottyBehne, Sherburn,Minnesota ThirdRunner-Uf)

—

Barry Allen Hines,Owensboro. Kentucky FourthRunner-Up—LonnieWebb.Lincoln,Arkansas

Alaska:Robert Powalski. Fairbanks abama:David Michael Martin tevallo;Arizona:KimGray. Gilbert. Col- orado: Scott EricJohnson.Platteville;

Conneticut:WilsonKorth.Falls Village.

Florida:Ronald Brame. Newberry.

Georgia:TimothyDHanell.Whigham.

Iowa: BrianJ.Gosch. WebsterCity.

Idaho:VernHSterner Bruneau.Illi- nois: CraigPerkmson.PiperCity.Kan- sas:MaxSchmidt. Goessei. Louisiana:

TammieMichele Miller, lota.Michigan:

DeanJTobeyCorunna.Missouri RandallLee Horme.Norborne.Montana:

ThomasR.Lecnner.Wimlred.North Dakota:DonnaKeidelMandan. Ne- braska:RonaldDGlmsmann. Ravenna.

New

Hampshire:br:cLavoie. Barring- ton.

New

Jersey:BillPerez.MaysLand- ing;

New

Mexico:SteveSteams.Carn- zozo. Ohio:JohnRobertMudd, Sunbury,Oklahoma:

Wynn

Richardson.

Amber; Oregon:Scott

M

Carlson, Boardman,Pennsylvania:LynnwoodE.

Nexter.Mechanicsburg;SouthCarolina:

CharlesE.Hill,Abbeville.SouthDakota:

ArlinHobbie, Flandreau, Texas: Paul Tannos.LeagueCity;Utah: LaDellC Swallow. Fillmore; Virginia:Randy Landes. Fort Defiance,Vermont:Fred V.

Peet,Middlebury;Washington: Amanda Ann Byrom,Randle;Wyoming: Oscar BlakeGernant, Greybull

dsupportn 1agriculture

;FFAa

eNa-

IFFA AlumniAssocia ClarkeANelson, senior vice president olCarnationCompany,istheFFA Achieverinthebusiness categoryNel- sonserved lour yearsontheexeculive

teacher,USDE program development GusR.Douglass.WestVirginiacom- missioner ol agriculture since 1964.is theFFAAchiever at-largeDouglass wa<

the hrstnationalFFA Alumnichairman, isontheFFA AlumniNationalCommit- teeonGovernment andisapast na- tionalFFApresident.

FFA TIMES

The57th NationalFFA Conventionwas the lourth year lor theollicialconven- tionnewspaper,theFFATIMES There

Official Delegates

Officialdelegatesto the nationalconventionareresponsibleforconducting the officialbusinessofthe organizationtoseethatitrunssmoothly,effi- cientlyandinthebestinterests ofall

members.

Alabama:JackBrewer.III.Saraland.

Norman Mason,Rogersville.Lamar White.Auburn. Alaska:DanGreen.Hi mer. JeffWesner.Palmer. Arizon;

Momc

G'en. 1Miller.

Roll.Arkansas:RexMartin,Camden.

Garland Martin.Jonesboro.California:

Darin Coert.Santa Paula,Wendy Roarty,QuartzHill.AndraeSwartz, GrassValley.Colorado:Lynn Kennedy.

Pierce,Doug Vondy. Woodrow; Con- necticut:Wilson Korth. Cornwall Bridge:

David Smith.Lebanon.Delaware: Lynn Sullen,Middletown,RayHarrington.

Wilmington; Florida: Lynnette Dallimore.

MyakkaCity:SteveKautman.Sarasota.

Georgia:MelameHarrell.Nicholls; Wil- liamHughes.Jr,Pembroke.Craig Padgett. Baxley;Hawaii:PeggyPuaKela, Pahala: KrisWakida,Hilo.Idaho:Todd Hammons,Meridian,David Harrington.

Melba. Illinois:

Tammy

Bailey.Louis- i.JeffreyGregory.Moweaqua;Jeff

gar;Iowa: Kevin Eblen, Creston;Owight Mogler, Alvord,Kansas:Michelle Be- noit,Mankato.DarylYarrow, ClayCen- ter;Kentucky:OouglasCoyle.Mackville, JohnKuegel,Owensboro,Louisiana:

Lee Fletcher,OakGrove,ToddMartin.

Calvin.Maine:MitchellChandler. Pres- QueIsle;ToddWmslow. PresgueIsle, Maryland:Margaret Flanigan.Rocky Ridge.Karen Hamilton, Oakland;Mas- sachusetts: Lisa Hixson.Brocton; Lori Trombly. Plamfield;Michigan:BartMar- shall.Allen,Tim Stem.Standish;Min- nesota: JeffMoon,Hayfieid.Wanda Tiede,LeCenter;Mississippi:DonPar- ker,Hattiesburg, Perry Whitaker, Jack- son,Missouri:MaxAlleger.Straflord, Robert Floyd. Leopald.JamesHum- phrey,MoundCity.Montana: Wanda Iverson.Whitelish;KendallSundheim, Fairview;Nebraska: DeanFolkers. Lin- coln.Kevin Yost,Lincoln;Nevada:Neil McQueary. RubyValley;Tyler Seal.

Elko.

New

Hampshire:Lisa Cloutier.

Dover,Greg Messenger,Rochester,

New

Jersey:KennethIngalls,Cream Ridge.DeborahPomroy,Stewartsville;

New

Mexico:KevinGraham, Des Moines:Missy McKmley,PieTown;

New

York: Stephanie Durkee.Ellenburg Depot,Anna Reed,Hubbardsville;North Carolina:Van Cooke.Ml. Airy;Lee Kirkman.CoveCity;Skipper Snider.

Lexington;North Dakota:Mary Mander- feld,Washburn;KyleTimms. Cando, Ohio:Cindy Iden,Bloomingburg,Doug Phillips,Kenton; Michelle Stevens, Wil- liamsport.Oklahoma:CindyBlair,No- ble;Lisa Oliver,Washington;Melissa Schulz, Elgin;Oregon: Daren Coppock, Adams;DaleDonaldson,Culver;Penn- sylvania: Laurie Ouran. Bulger; Carolyn Witmer,East Earl.Puerto Rico:Ana Maria Castro,Yauco, JuanJimenez, Utuado.RhodeIsland:EdwinLaPrise, NKingstown. JodySilva,HopeValley;

SouthCarolina:DebbieCnbb, Heming- way.TracyYarborough,Coward. South Dakota:Penme Blum,Chamberlain.

Theresa Schumacher.Pierre;Tennes- see: Scott Austin,Nashville;

Pam

Farmer, Sprmgville. LeeAnne West, Limestone; Texas: Kathy Bates,Nacog- doches.BillClark,Eldorado;LeeAnne Lawrence,SanAntonio, Harry McAlister, Electra,GregOdom,Oimmitt;Coby Shorter,III,Eagle Lake.MikeSims.

Piano. Utah: CraigJohnson,Delta;

KristySelman,Tremonton. Vermont:

Oouglas Holway, South Newfane:Fred Peet,Middlebury. Virginia:Joe Bow- man.Edinburg;JimmyCarpenter, Galax, David Wright.WeyersCave;Washing- ton: April Cargill,Kennewick.Gina Swanson, Snohomish, WestVirginia:

Kathy Peaslee,Kingwood; AnniePer- kins.Frankford:Wisconsin:RickDado, Amery; DaveSchaeler.Platteville;Gary Staszak,Bonduel;Wyoming:Curtis Hor- ton.Greybull; Kelly Stewart.Douglas

conventionAspecial registrationissue wasprepared forFFAAdvisors.Allof theissues of theFFA TIMES werepre- paredbyuniversityjournalism students workingintheconventionnewsroom underthe direction ofFFAInformation Intern.Karen Coble.

1984-85 FFA Theme

Theme

audio visual

Sponsored

by The Wrangler Brand.

National

FFA Theme Week

materials

Sponsored

by Estech,

57thconvention v

vocational agricultureandtheFFA.

Thethemeaudio-visualshown dun the convention."BeAllYou Can Dream."isavailable forchapterst

attheirchapterbanquetsItisalsoan idealrecruitment film for increasing vo- cationalagnculture/FFAmembership.

Numerousitems are available to pro- motethenew themeduring NationalFFA Week.February 16-23,1985.Allofthe items are availablethroughthe National FFA SupplyService foruse throughout

PublicServiceAnnouncementsfeaturing Eddie Albertwereairedallacross the nationin1984thanks to the efforts of over250vocational agriculture instruc- torswhoacted asFFAMediaRepresen- tativesBecauseofthesuccessof the firstPSA.Eddie Albert assistedinpro- ducing anotherPSAlor1985. ThisPSA premieredatthe57th NationalFFA Convention.

(AfiRICUUURE)

15, 25 & 35 Year Foundation Sponsors

15- Year Sponsors

Azle FFA Alumni Association/Azle Honorary FFA; BeaconMilling

Company.

Incorporated,

DEC

International/AlbrechtFoundation;Domain, Incorporated;

Dow

Chemical, U.S.A.; Fruehauf CorporationCharitableFund,Incorporated;

Golden Sun Feeds, Incorporated; Modine Manufacturing

Company.

Mr.and Mrs.AlfredH.Krebs;

Mr

andMrsCharles CRoberts;Mr.Samuel

W.

White,Jr.;NationalVocationalAgriculturalTeachers Association, Incorpo- rated,Sunkist Growers, Incorporated;T.R.Miller Mill

Company.

Incorpo- rated;TheCitizens

&

SouthernNationalBank;Vigortone Agriculture Prod- ucts.WallaceH

Jerome

Foundation, Incorporated

25- Year Sponsors

American Farm Bureau Federation; CessnaFluidPowerDivision;H. J.Baker

&

Brothers.Incorporated;Hesston Corporation

35- Year Sponsors

AmericanInstituteofCooperation; Carnation Company;E.I.du Pont de

Nemours

&

Company;

Eaton Corporation/HydraulicsDivision;GoldKist In- corporated; The HDLee

Company.

Incorporated

CAGRICULTURE>

November8-10,1984

57th NationalFFA Convention PROCEEDINGS

National FFA Officer Retiring Addresses

"New Order"

Onthis tenthdayotNovember. 209 yearsagoin1775theContinentalCon- gress of the13coloniesfounded what becametheU.S.MarineCorps. In1954 onthissame dayagreatmemorial was unvenedinArlington NationalCemetery nearWashington,

DC

tocommemorate thebirthday of the Corps.The memorial wasahugesculptured reproduction of sixmenraising theAmericanflag atthe summitofMl.Sunbachiduring thecli- maxofthe Battle of Guadalcanalin WorldWarII.Asthe flagwent up on IwoJimaitwas symbolicnot only of theachievementsofthemarinesor of thespiritot the United States, butit alsosymbolizedthe beginning of anew order tocome

—

for people, for nations andforglobal affairs Overthecourse of the past12months youhave given

me

the opportunity to view firsthand the diversity of America, the likenessesanddifferencesamong people,andthe complexity ofour

In

my

final.Heelingmomentsas

optionswhichconfront us.Autor,,u „ u faclurers provideuswith752different modelsofcars-126 aresubcompacts- not including colorandaccessory selec- tions that are availableInManhattan.

N.Y..onestore alone,merchandises over2500types of light bulbsCur- rently.72different syles of Levi's501 leans areonthe market.NIKEsells18 styles ol loggingshoesalone.There are nolesslhan20kinds ol music. Agricul- tureisnoexception. Consider (he unbelievablenumberofhouseplants grown commerciallyor the vast array of careersbased onagriculture.Invoca- tional agricultureand FFAthere are eight differentcoursesofstudy.29 Founda- tionproficiencyawards andten national contests.Unquestionably,ourgenera- tionhasthemostextensive range of personalandprofessional alternatives Oneyearago onthisfinalc nightIsharedwith thatassembly

my

in tention of building a road, a road of service thatwouldcarryFFAthrough another yearWhile travelling that road acourseofhumanexperiencesbeganti steer

my

thinkingandstir

my

heartl

nowrealizethateven thoughour op- tionsmaybe countless, the thingsin lifethaicount mostare those things which cannotbecounted.Althoughour listoflikes,luxuriesandlessons

my

be long,you havetaught

me

thatourmost vitaldecisions are the simpleoneswe make each day between good andbad.

positiveandnegative,nght and wrong.

happya

]like ti I

my

observations v A members, welivetnaBaskinRob- isworldEverywhere weturnthere edecisions to bemade becauseofthe

olution olallother challenges.

Count LeoTolstoy, author ofWar and Peace, described

my

thoughtsbest through his interpretation of theGolden Ruleinhisbook Confessionsof Faith

Ibelieve that thewillof

God

is thatevery

man

should love his fellowman,

and

acttoward othersas

he

desires that they should act toward him.

Ibelieve that the reason ol Hieis foreach of us simplyto

grow

in

Has your vocational agriculture department

enroll-

ment and FFA chapter's membership been as strong as you would

like?

Do

potential

vocational

agricul- ture

students/FFA members have a negative

attitude

towards career opportunities

in

agriculture?

If

these are common concerns of yours, then the new recruitment

film

"Be

All

You Can Dream"

is

just

right for

you!

It's

inexpensive and available

right

now

at

the Audio-Visual counter

in

the Municipal Au- ditorium foyer

ineither

16mm

film

or video tape

for-

mats! Pick up your copy todayl

Sponsored by:

Wrangler

love.

Ibelieve that growthinlovewill contribute

more

than

any

force toestablish the

Kingdom

of

God

onearth.

To replace a sociallileinwhich division,falsehood,

and

violence areallpowerful,witha

new

orderinwhich humanity, truth,

and

brotherhoodwill reign.

Ilearned tomakeacorsage out of or- chidsonKawai;viewedtheuseot spe- cialized golf courseequipment on Cape Cod;developeda taste for crawfishon the bayou;andwitnessed a celery har- vestonquicksand-like soil nearLake Michigan. In theRose Garden,Istood, awestruck,twofeelfromthePresident ottheUnited StatesInWilliamsburg,I marvelled at the intelligence otmen and

women

from15 nafions gathered to dis- cussruraldevelopmentInthe Port of Macao,halfaworldaway.Iweptinside atthe sight of poorly clothed children, undernourished andlivinginsubstand- ardhousingIntheCaucus

Room

on CapitolHillImetmorethan50 Con- gressmen andSenators attending a luncheon sponsoredbyoneofthe larg- estcorporationsinAmerica.

My

mostvivid recollections,however, arenot those otpomp,pageantry,or prestige, but they are visions of Ihe people I'vemetwhoare theneworder Remembrancesofyouwho have been discouragedwhile trying to get others involved,memoriesofyouwhoare committedtoachievement throughhard work, butwho always havetime for a friend,thoughts ofyouwho haveset youreyes onserving others, butbeen deniedsometimestearfullybyan elec- tion,andmental pictures ofyouwho while receiving thatgreenhanddegree possessedthat wild unrestrainable ex- citementand nervoustensionweallfeel when we know wearebeginningoneof hte'snewchapters.Youare thenewor- der.Friendswho meetuncertainties, complexitiesand numerouschoices with strong but simple beliefsand anability toadvance based onhigh idealsand principles.Youare theneworderwho willreign withhumanity, truthand brotherhoodasyourguides.

Fromvery earlyonIknewtherewas somethingspecialabout themembersof thisorganization-something uniquely dy-

Tily

hum

afterChristmasbreak during

my

fresh- manyearinhigh school.Likeusual.I

washaving difficultyrememberingthe yearhadchanged and hadmistakenly written1977manytimes.Theafter Christmas,backtoschool

mood

wasIn theairandthethermometer haddipped towellbelowfreezingevenonthe warmestot days.Ourfamilywasliving,

edit) ihaa c ithat a wouldsleepdownstairs for the winter.

Unloading pick-ups olwoodcargowas a

common

choreanddaily trips to the woodpilehadbecome monotonous.Set into acomfortable winter routineand stillthrilledwith theaftermath of the holiday season,Iwaslazilyenjoying whatlifewasoffering.January10,1978 changedallthat

dayNo snow hadfallenOutside there wasonly biting coldandcuttingwind

—

agoodnight lor sleep, blanketsand woodheat.Sometimealtermidnightit

beganOriginatingonthesecondfloor Iromasparkwhichslipped through

lacent to thewarmbricks.AtChristmas, we purchased andinstalled asmoke alarmwhichmayhavesavedourlives.

Longbetoreanyevidence ofsmokeor flameappearedinthelower story, the

>deafening s i,r-:.ti

wakingeveryonein rememberthinking the alarmwasamis- takeprobably triggered by the dying embersinourwoodstove.Panicked more bythesoundolrapid footsteps than the blaring detector,Iran to the window and sawthegroundclearlyillu- minated by the tlames directlyabove

me

Phonecalls,removingvaluables, water hoses,fire,engines,being put into the pickupandfinallytaken to a neighbors

After a restlesslew hoursofsleepI

wenttoschool.Stillreeking ofsmoke,I attended

my

classes acting asifnothing had happened.Itwasa lonelydayeven thoughIknewIhadnever received so muchattentionIn the halls, during classes, after school,itwaseasy to feel the stares otschoolmaies andthe

When my

brotherandsisterandIwere takenIromthescenethehouse wasstill standing.

Now

afteraneternaldaywe returned to the dark rubbleandash.A fewpipes, piano parts, abroken marble ramiemouse were amongthefewitems whichremained. Butwe werealive,safe and unharmed and mostofalltogether Thosethings that countmostinlife

Gifts,dollars,cards,wishes andprayers arrivedindroves.LocalFFAmembers gavefinancialandphysical support.A .Con- cerned advisors,and FFAtriendsi

widewantedto help.What wasa mater- ialisticdisasterwasalso a personally heartwarmingtriumph.

Inactionandapathywould have been easy for thosewhosharedwhatthey had.Thereweremanyolher activities they couldhave chosentobea part of thatsecond weekinJanuaryLifecould have gone onlorthose involvedwhether they lended ahandor notBut not for peoplelikeyou,FFAmembersForwhat greaterhumanityisthere than a willing- nesstograciously give of the fruits of yourlabors tothoseinneedWhat greater truthisthere than placing your-

5to completelyempathizewith feelings of despairand emptinessforsomeoneelse ifonlyitwaspossible.Whatgreater brotherhoodistherethan an association so strong thatyouwouldgladly shoul- der that despairandlhalemptinesslor someoneelseifonlyitwaspossible NeverbeforehaveIshared this experi- enceindetailwithanyoneTonight,I

presentittoyoufortworesonsFirst, to illustrate the actions of people at their very best.Andsecond, tocalltoyour attention lo those special qualitiesyou possess.Ifinsome way you were movedmerelybythe description of such an occurrenceorwondered what actionyouwould havetakeninsuch an instance,notwhetheror notyou would haveacted,youareundoubtedlya part oftheneworder—thosewhorecognize

AlthoughattimesIhave(ailed,Ihave attempted toliveandactby thosesame worthyguidelines thatyou havedemon- strated to

me

since

my

firstyear as an FFAmember.Inthatsamespiritofsim-

nofanfare.Theyaremerely thoughts shared byone FFAmemberconstantly striving toliveuptothehighstandards we pursueasmembersoftheFFA and ago.Icansimply offeryouonly myself,

my

passion lor leadershipandagricul- tureand

my

compassionforpeople.

Afterseven years of activemembership

my

lifewillbegin to takeona different kind ofneworder.Butnomatter the place,the time, or the situation,Iwill always carry with

me

the beliefs thatwe allpossess andthe qualitiesyou have eagerly shared withme.

Finally,Iwillnever forget thewordsof onevery specialFFAmember who wrote:"Ron,Ifeelgood about

me

whenI'mwithyou."Although thatis perhapsthe greatestcomplimentIever received,itseemsa greatparadoxbe- cause nomatterhowmuchIthoughtI

hadgiven,you always-gavemoreinre-

alwaysfeltgood aboutn

"If Only..."

You comeonto the stage, take adeep brealh,pickupthemicrophone, and what do you say?For yearsIhave dreamedof this verymoment, and now findwordssoinadequate to express

my

feelings asIdeliver

my

finalremarksas anFFAmember.

Manytimes this yearIasked,"What do you wantmorethan anything else?"Al- thoughtheresponsesvaried greatly, the desire tobesuccessfulwas,andisstill, the biggest desirewehaveWhile driv- ing toan activity with anFFAsupporter,

Iaskedhisformula forsuccessHeex- plainedhow he hadstartedworkingata young ageinIhefarmmachinerybusi- ness.Helaughed asherecalled the times hewoulddrive semi-trucksfilled withimplementstoaneighboring state, fearingevery state trooperbecausehe wasnot oldenoughtohavea driver's license.After graduationIromhigh school,hebegan workingasanaccoun- tant for amajorimplementcorporation At theageol24,hebecametheyoung- estemployeeinthisnationwidecompa- ny's history tomoveinto amanagement position,Oneyearlater,hebecamethe ownerof hisown farm machinerydeal- ership.Iwasexcited to hearhow he overcamethe hardshipsinhis quest.I expected a formal,drawn-outphiloso- phyforhissuccessInstead,itcon- sisted ofonly three words:"DO

YOUR

BEST."Hetoldme, "Whateveritis in—business, school,FFAoryourper- sonallife

—

tobe successful,youmust doyour best. That'sallanyonecan ask forandexpect

"

Asourtripprogressed,ibegantothink hadfi y bestIfoundmyself saying thosetwo wordsthatIhave heardmorethananyother this year

—

"ifonly...ifonlyIhadpreparedmore for

my

assignment ifonlyIhad beenmorededicated ifonlyIhada littleluck..."Thelistgoeson and on ThenImadean interesting observation.

Notoncewhenthismantold

me

ofhis failuresandhardshipshadheusedihe

Jusldo the best you can. lis not merely

enough

tosay,I'm earning

enough

lo live

and

support

my

family.Ido

my

work well.Thai'sallverywell.But you

must

do something more.

Seek

alwaystodo

some

good,

somewhere.

Everyonehasto seektheir

own way

to

make

themself

more

noble

and

realize their

own

true worth.You

must

give

some

timetoyour fellow man. Evenifit'salittlething, do somethingforthose

who

have

need

ofhelp,something lorwhich you get no pay, but theprivilegeof doingit.For

remember,

you don 7liveina worldallyour own. Your brothersare here,too.Justdo your /jesf.—Author

Unkown—

Earlierthisyear.

men^l

,theacti

;

my

best.I

penencedas a national officerfiveyears ago.Beforewefinishedourvisithe gave

me

somebrotherly advice,"It's fine tobehappy andcontent, but never besatisfiedwithwhatyou'vedone, whereyou've been,whereyou'regoing orwhoyou'vehelped."NEVER BE SAT- ISFIED!Soundsprettychallenging, doesn'tit?

Now

Iunderstandwhathe

SEES

<AGRICULTURE>

57lh NationalFFA ConventionPROCEEDINGS Novembef8-10,1984

iT'fcjntAlltheconveniencesweenjoy today arearesultof individualswho werenever satisfied withwhattheyhad done,wheretheyhadbeen,wherethey weregoing or

who

theyhadhelped Theysimply did their best tomakethis world a better placeinwhichtolive.

Ourdedicated agricultural^ surelylall into thiscategory.Ina world of Japa- nesestereos.German automobiles and countless other importedcommodilies oftenpreferredby American consumers, agricultureisthe industry thatcomesa longwayinmaintainingourbalance ol trade,providing |obs formorethan22 millionAmericans,while at thesame time providinguswith asupplyand qualityofloodunequaledinthisworld Itisthe last industryinwhichwecan say without a doubt,

"We

arenumber Ourhistorybooksarefilledwith individ- ualswho madesignificantcontribulions toourcountry.

My

mindisfilledwith FFA members andadvisorswhodeserve aplace inthosebooks underthetitle

"Courage."People likeMr.Andrews.

"

life

a paraplegicRe- alizinghecouldmakea positive contri- bution to others,hedid hisbestand wasneversabshedwith thethought of beinghandicapped.Inhiswords,"You are onlyas handicappedasyou make yourself ."Mr.Andrewsjuststarted his ninthyear as a vocational agriculturein- structorandFFAadvisor.

Themostrewarding part of this year hasbeenthepersonal contact with you.

themembers from Jamestown.North DakotaandSarasota, Florida to South- ington.ConnecticutandOlympia,Wash- ington.You havecontinued to provide inspiration forme.

Please allow

me

totellyouaboutone FutureFarmerIhavecometoknow rather well.Asagreenhand,thisyoung man waschallenged to setsomedefinite goals to achieveintheFFA.Inclass,he listedsixmajorobjectives toachieve.

Thefirstwastobeelectedgreenhand class president.Heran.thevoteswere countedand hewasn't elected.Alittle downhearted,heworked towardshis next goal:chapter president.

When

it

came timefor chapterelections,heex- pressed his desiie to lead the chapter.

Thevoteswerecast,counted,andagain

hev mid

stillplayanimportant partinthechap- ter,heran for vicepresidentandagain wasdefeated.He wasFinallyelected secretary.Attending theWashington ConferenceProgram,the stateandna-

ither leadership

hissenioryear of high school, he again ran forchapter president.Thegoalhe hadworkedtoras agreenhand would notbecomea reality for thisFuture Farmer. In fact,hedidnotserveinany officercapacity hissenior year. After threeyears without realizinganyol those goals setasagreenhand, hefi- nallyexperienced the"thrillol victory"

when hereceived his state farmer de- gree.Nextonthelistwasto serveas a state officer.He wentthrough inter- views, delivered his bestspeechtothe votingdelegatesandawaited the results.

Neverbeforehadthismemberfelta goalmoreinhisgrasp thannowI

know manyofyou haveexperienced thatsamefeeling.

When

youwanted something so much, you would have doneanything torit.At this particular time, that FutureFarmerwantedmore than anything to serve as a state officer Asthe lightsweredimmed andthecon- ventionmusicswelledinanticipation of the results, thenewpresidentwas named.Itwasn't he.Astheconvention workerscleared theauditorium, thatFFA memberstood, alone, thinkingabout his failuresintheFFA.Withhisjacketun- zipped,hefought to holdbackthe tears ofdisappointment.Hewasready to quit theFFA.Anindividualwalkeduptohim andsaid."Young man. youare a win- ner!You can doanythingyou wantto do.andbecome anybody you wantto becomeIF

ONLY

you wanttobadly enough,andIF

ONLY

youare willing to workhardenough."

With thosewordsofencouragement, that

member

received theAmerican Farmerdegree; hisfifthgoal o

1lot achieved.Onefinalgoalr

tional officer.But this FFA'er figured thathischancesofbeing electedwere

"againstallodds."Onlyonetimeinre' centFFAhistoryhadanyone been elected tonational officewhodid not serve,first,as astate officer.Hede- cidednot to attempt hisfinalgoal,be- cause heknewhow muchithurt tofail

ilhad been said tohima year earlier,"IF

ONLY

you wanttobadlyenough andIF

ONLY

you are willing toworkhardenough..

."

Hepictured himsellinretirementyears saying,"IfonlyIhadtriedto reach that finalgoal.. ifonlyIwould have had

'onlyIhadn't

Witht: Bthoughtsinr nalchancelo serve the FFA.

through Ihenominatingcommitteeproc- essandonSaturdaymorningsatinthe reserved section lor national officer can- didates.As everyonewaited lor the namingofthenewnational olficers,he rememberedthose six goalshehadset liveyears earlier.Herememberedhowit hurlwhenhe wasn't elected class or chapter president.Herecalledwanting somuchtowearihe iacket lhai said

"ASSOCIATION" onthebackofit.He realizedthaithehighest officehehad heldinhischapterwasthatofsecre- tary—somethreeyears earlier, his last time to holdanofficeinthe FFA.Infive yearshe had accomplishedonlytwo goals thathehadsetas agreenhand AsIheybegan announcingtheselection olnewleaders,he thought, "If onlyI

hadputothersfirst...IFONLY."

Thenhebeganthinkinginlermsof the future"Nextlime.Iwillworkharder

next time.Iwillput othersfirst next lime.Iwilldo

my

best..."

ThisFFAmember wasfortunate.For yousee,hewasgiven Iheopportunity tochangeIheIF

ONLYS

intoNEXT

TIMES—

toliveforothersand dohis best—asyour National Secretary. Yes, BillCarawaywaslhalgreenhandwho desired lobe class presidentandwhose highestandlastofficeintheFFA had beenin1980.ItwasIwho would have givenanything tohave beena stateoffi- cer.ItwasI,whothisyear,wasgiven theopportunity to turnanIF

ONLY

into aNEXT TIME

Ishared this story withyoufortworea-

!Youc

doanythingyou wanttodo and become anybody you wanttobecomeIF

ONLY

you wanitobadlyenough andIF

ONLY

youare willing toworkhardenough.

Secondly, thereisnoshameinnot achievingyour goalsTheshame comes innotattempting toachievethem.

Eachofushave ourrolesand even thoughweenioythemthereisa time whenthey arecompletedBecauseol youthisyear ol servicehasbeenmore meaningfulandfulfilling.Ithas been said thatheisrichwho hasa friend

—

I

guessI'llberichforeverthenbecause oftheunselfish giving offriendship ThisyearIhave hadfive"best" friends.

Friendswho competedyetcooperated.

sell"andfriendswholivedbyPhilip- pians 23 whichreads,

"With humility of

mind

leteach of you regard

one

another as

more

important than himself.

"

Ron, Rhonda, Chuck.Melody andCarol beensatisfiedwithwhatthey'vedoneor whothey'vehelped."

AsIprepared Iheselinalthoughts,I

wonderedhowcanIeverrepay theFFA forgiving

me

somanyopportunities.

From

my

memoriescametheanswer.In a ruralNebraskacommunity.Ihadthe privilege to present a class ol green-

thenewjacketsfromtheshippingbox

don't pay back

—

^youjustpass Ihem on Itistime for

me

lopass the leadership ontomore competent andqualified shoulders.Doyour bestandnever be satisfiedandnever giveuplorthe future oltheFFAnowrestsonyour shoulders.

Ireceived acardatthebeginning ot the year thatprovidedri

eFFA tperson today.BuiIwant forsharing this

w

IF

ONLY

you puttruthabove your

own

desires

And

value thoseas friends

who

feelthe

same

IF

ONLY

you take prideinthings

thatyou'veachieved

And when

you'rewrong,standup

and

take the

blame

...

IF

ONLY

you can understand your limitations

And

notwaste timeon tasks

beyond

your scope But take the futureas a brand

new

challenge

Thatyou can

meet

withconfidence

and

hope.

IF

ONL

Y you canlisten tothose

who would

adviseyou

And

thenjudgeforyourselfwhatis

right

IF

ONL

Y you can keepintouch withallaboutyou

And

settledifferenceswithouta

tight

IF

ONLY

you find delightinsimple pleasures

And

see the rainbow-not the fallingrain IF

ONLY you

can lose-and never

give

up

trying Believing thai there's nothing

done

IF

ONLY

you can lirmlystickby

your convictions

And

notletothers set goalsfor

you

IF

ONL

Y you can be as practical as

need be And

still

remember— sometimes

dreams

do

come

true IF

ONLY

you canlivethelifethat

you believein

And

trustyour

judgment and

maturity

Thenyou'llhe not just

happy and

But the worthwhile person you

were meant

to

be!—copied—

IF

ONLY

...

BillCaraway, 1709 Glenarm.Clovis

NM

88101.(505)763-5461

'1 Only Claim

Rhonda Scheulen 1983-84NationalFFACentralf- VicePresident

Mostofyoucanrememberthepopular television seriesM'A*S*H.theweekly showthat ledusthrough the daily rou- tine atthe4077thhospital unitinthe KoreanWar.Irecentlyhadthe opportu- nity toonceagainviewthefinalepisode ol that series.AsIwatched,Irealized what hadmadetheshow sopopular with the audience.Ithad suchcontrol ol laugh,andaltimesitmadeus cryIt helped us to see theworldthrough the eyes ol those characters.

We

experi- encedtheirjoys,theirtriumphs, their challengesandtheirsorrows.They taughtusto appreciatethefreedomthat weenjoyinthe UnitedStatesand showedushowfriendscan helpyou througheventhemostdifficulttimes.

Thetearsbeganto swellin

my

eyes as thosefamouscharacters said Iheirlast good-byesIknewatthatpoint that the things thatIhadadmiredmostinthe things thatIadmiredmostinyou.

Manytimes this yearyou have made

me

laugh,andattimesyouhavelet

me

cry.

You havehelped

me

tosee theworld throughyoureyesandallowed

me

to shareinyourjoys,yourtriumphs,your challengesand your sorrowsYouhave taught

me

thetruevalue ol thefreedom weenjoyandtheimportanceof friend- shipsinourlives.Although there are manythings thathavemadethisyear great,Iwanttoshare withyouthemost specialmemoriesIhaveand,indoing so, create foryou

my

finalepisode of M-A*S-H.

During the pastsevenyears.Ihave learned thatFutureFarmersare truly the mostMOTIVATED youngpeoplein all theworld.Ourorganizationisoften praised as a builder ofenthusiasm and optimisminitsmembers,butyouhave shown

me

thatenthusiasm,

mismalone are notenough

inyourselvesandyourpurpose andare willing todedicate thetimeandeffort neededtoget the iobdoneOr.Heartsill Wilsonsaiditbestinthispoem.

Blessedisthe

man,

indeed.

Who

in this lifecanfind;

A

purpose that canfillhis days.

And

goalstofillhismind!

The worldis filledwithUtile

men.

Content with

where

they are;

Not

knowing

joyssuccesscan bring

No

will togo thatfar!

Would

you be one,

who

daresto work.

When

challengedby thetask;

Torise toheights you've never

Oristhattoo

much

toask?

Thisisyour

day—

a worldtowin.

Greatpurposetoachieve, Accept the challenge ol your

goals.

And

inyourself,believe!

Youwillbe proud of what you've done.

When

at the closeot day;

You look back on your battles won,

Content,you

came

thisway!

worth nothingilitIsnotbackedby hard work. Thatiswhatmakes youso spe- cial.Younotonlyhave the motivation to setyour goals but Ihe motivation to makethose goals areality

We

hear a great deal today aboul the changinganduncertainfarmeconomy andIhave seen the effects that uncer- taintyhashadonmanyfarmersand agnbusinessmenacross this greatcoun- try.Perhapsthatisanother reasonwhy

1believesostronglyinyou.Despite the challenges thatlieahead,you havede- claredyour beliefinthe luture olAGRI- CULTURE,our nation'snumber onein- dustryAlthoughIwasraisedona halftheknowledgeofagriculture thai someolyoupossess.However,

my

prideintheAmericanlarmerandagri- businessmancould notbe stronger!

Irealizewhaltremendous courageisre- quired to investalllhatyouowninIhe land,buildingsandequipment neededto run a successful farming operation.I

knowthatevengreatercourageii

Ibya

land,buildingsandequipmenta tionedofftothehighest bidder.Ittakes patienceandyears olhardworkjustto getestablishedinagriculture,yefyou have selected this as your held ot study Bywearing that blueandgold jacket, youare telling the world thaiyourecog- nize theimportanceofsupplyingfood andfiber toabusyworldandare willing to facewhateverchallengesmight ap- proach you.

IoftenwishthateachpersoninIhis world couldspend oneday with

my Mom

andDad onthe(armInthatone day. theywouldexperience hard work, longhours, frustration, fatigueandat theendofIhe day. true satisfaction.

They wouldbegin tofeelthatsamebe- lie!inagriculture thatyou soproudly possess!

Themost prominent memoriesIhave of

my

yearsintheFFAwillalways be your willingness to

SHARE

yourliveswilh me.From LooseCreek,Missouri to WhiteLake,North Carolina toDurango, Coloradoyouhave greeted

me

with

smile oronemore speechs inside.Thosetimeswerelew,butv, they didoccur,oneofyou wouldcc along withan extra smile ormaybe hugtosend

my

wayIwillalways r memberIhehomes whereIwasso rough Michigan. North Dakota,Wash- ingtonandmanyother statesIdrew

my

energyonthose tripsfromyour en- BeloreI|OinedtheFFAseven years ago,

Iwasguilty of thinkingthatifyoudid nothavemoneyorgoodlooks,you didn'thaveanything

How

wrongItruly was!Yourconstantencouragementhas taught

me

lhalwealthisnotmeasured bydollarsandbeautyisnotmeasured byappearance. Al thismoment.Ileel asthoughI

am

oneofthe richest peo- plein alltheworld, yet

my

bankac- countisratherlowIleelrichbecauseI

beforeyou anddeliver thisaddress.I

can feelyourstrength,your encourage- ment and yourconfidenceinme.Whal richer feelingcouldIasklor?God has giveneacholusspecial talentsand our useIhose talents.Although

my

termin officemustend. the influence thatyou havehadon

my

lifebysharingyour friendshipwith

me

willneverend FutureFarmers,ithas been

my HONOR

toserveyoulorthe pasl twelvemonths.

Uponreceivinganawardafterthefinal seasonofM"A*S*H,Alan Alda stated thathe did not claim lohavebeenthe bestactorontelevisionor the best co-

3best v .

Hes

inaneffort to enter!

trophy orawardIwillever receivewill equal thehonor youhave given

me

sim- plyby believingin

my

ability to enter- tain."AsIstand beforeyou now.Ido officerinFFAhistory,Ihavenotbeen themostorganized or themostprofes- sional.I

am

not the best at delivering speechesor writingletters.Ionlyclaim tohave tried

my

besi tofulfillthe duties of this office

m

thewayinwhichyouso deserve.NoIrophy orawardIwillever receivewillequal thehonor you have given

me

simplybybelievingin

my

abil- ityandallowing

me

toserve you.

Icannotleavewithoutfirstoffenng somespecialthanks losomevery spe- cialpeople.Iwanttothank

my

family forallowing

me

toexplore theworld whentherewas always worktobedone alhome.Iespeciallywanttothank

my Mom

and Oadfor believinginagricul- tureandraising theirfamilyona farm.I thank the FatimaFFAChapter. Area XI andtheMissouri Association for their continuous support.MrHagan,Or.

MissouriIthankyouforyourlaithin

my

abilityandyour friendshipIthank allolIhe state officers thatIhave servedandworkedwith lor puttingup with

me

andhelping

me

togrow.Isend specialthanks lo the1982-83StateOffi- cer learninMissouri.Youbelievedin bunt

my

confidence soIcould believein myself.1thankeveryone at the National FFACenter formaking

me

feelsoat Creek.Tothe fiveothersithas been

my

privilege toserve with this year,I)ust wantyoutoknowthatIloveeachol youforbeing yourselves.Melody, thanks foiyoursmile.Carolthanks for your strengthRon. youare a great partnerandatremendousleader.

Chuck, youwillmakea great engineerI willnever forgetyourabilitytomake

me

Bill,thanks foralwaysbeing therewhen andlor justbeing

my

tnend.Ourlives may gotheirseparatewaysafterthis week, butIwillcarry

memones

ofyou with

me

in

my

heart forever.Toallthe people lhatIhaverustmentionedandto FutureFarmerseverywhere,Idedicate

Itisa satisfying feeling Justto

know

thatyou're

my

friend Thatno matter what's the trouble Thaton youIcan

depend

For theworldcan

be

fullof

sadness.

And

life'spathhas

some

stones.

And

a person'sbestcomfort Isthe few real friends he's known.

Ittakes

more

thanwordsto tellit, Ican't

make

you realize Allthe

good

thatyou

have done

venton center a

Iyyu

(AGRICULTURE)

November8-10.1984

57th NationalFfA Convention PROCEEDINGS

ButIwillalwayskeep attempting.

And

keeptrying totheend, For

my

litehas

been much

better SinceI've

had

you as afriend.

Throughall

my

travelsthispast year,

I've tried todo

my

best;

I

was

neverperfect, Butfrom your responseIwould

nothave guessed.

You allowed

me

tobe myself

As

Ifollowed

one

special aim, Tobe your friend aboveallelse.

ThisiswhatIonlyclaim!

iFarmers, tMotivatedyoung

IIhas been

my

Honofloserve you.

Thisconcludes

my

tmal episode of

M'A'S'H

May Godblessyou youal-

"The Greatest Gift"

Itsomeone weretoash youtochoose, rightnow.the greatestgiftyou hadeve beengiven

—

whatwouldbeyourre- sponse7Yourfirstbike'Yourfirstcar' Thehigh school ring your boyfriend or girllnend justgave you⁹Maybe^itwould beyourfirstcat!or agiftofmoneythat youlustreceivedMaybe someofyou wouldsayit'syour ability to iudgelive- stock oryourknackforarranging flow- ers ormaybeeven your beautiful sing- ingvoice.

Allofthese are great giftsGiftsfor which youshould be thankfuland proud. Butyouallhavereceived gifts

ing toWinstonChurchill,"the worst systemofgovernment onearthexcept forevery othersystemofgovernment

This country holds opportunity for everyoneregardless ofbackground and Iromeverynook andcranny of this greatcountryIhavehearditpro- weareallproudtobeAmericans

We

areproudtobeinvolvedinAmerican agriculture,fhe greatest,mostpowerlul, mostvilalindustryinthiscountry and, yes.eventhisworld.

The Americanagriculturalisthas never ledsomanywithsolew actuallyin- volvedinon-larmproductionAllIhis npiuv- menltoother sectorswhichprocess, transport,financesell,supplyanddeal with the agriculturalgoodslhatare sold.

Infad.Americanagriculture wilh only 2 to3percent olour population actually (armingisour nation'snumber oneem- ployerAgricultureemploys 23percent olAmericanpeopleinthese relatedin- dustries]Americansonlyspend 127 percent of their disposableincome on foodcomparedtoiheSovietswho have lospend 33.7percent!

TheAmericanagriculturalistisleeding gram andfoodstuffs across the globe TheAmericanfarmernowleeds nearly 80peopleandhimsell'Theproductivity ofAmericanagricultureisunparalleled

Thesegilts,ihegiltsofbeinganAmeri- canandbeing involvedinAmericanag- riculturearegreatgiltsindeed butitiere arestillgreater gills yet

Each oneofushasbeengivenmany talents,very special gifts indeed, but howmanyolushaveoftenwishedfor the talents ol thosearound us? Wished foryourbest friend s ability to give oral reasons or your chapter president's

"giftof gab'' oryourchaplersweet- heart'sgoodlooksIknowIhave often wishedlorsomeoneelse's giftsIguess it'sthe old Ihe grassisgreeneronthe

tthefencesyndro Cham

abilitiesor other positionsatonepoint or anotherBufeacholushave been given our particular talents lor a special reasonandaspecialpurpose.

Consider wifh

me

loramomentthis

ilabie

"ieie iCur

cutlerwho wasnothappywith hislotin lifeHe wishedoften lobesomethinghe awealthymerchantrodeby onhorse- backwith servantsandwealthand power,TheChinese stonecutter longed verymuchtobe themerchantwithall of themerchant'spossessions.

Thestonecutter got his wish, forina moment he had beentransferred into thewealthymerchanlwithmuch money and powerOne dayas hewasriding ficebeing carriedonIhebacksolother men and everyone hadlobow and grovel at thisman'sfeeland hethought how much morepowerlul thisman musthave.

Thestonecutterwho had beentrans- formedintothemerchanlthenwished verymuchtobe themanothigh office andinjuslamomenthiswishwasful- filled.

He wasnowbeingearned onthebacks ofmen.fearedbyall,powerlul. with people kneelinginhis pathHowever,

D the earth,being cursedandhatedbyall.

Cloudscame andblocked his rays to th earthandhethoughl thai the clouds weremuch morepowerful than heNov hewishedtobe thecloudsandagain hiswishwasgranted.

toffII tlight causedHoodsa

powerful th wishedtob fulfilled.

might,hecould not gel to budge.He thoughthow much morepowerful Ihe stonewas andhewishedlobethe slone.Hiswishwasgrantedso he stoodunmoving and impervioustothe wind, the clouds, the sun, Ihe highoffi- cialandthemerchantButoneday.at hisbase,helellhimselfbeingchanged andhelookeddownatwho waswield- ing thispoweroverhimThere chipping

The poorstonecutter ucnt ertulofall

Thetalents thaiwe haveallbeengiven for apurposeare very greal giftsin- deed, but thereremains onegreatergirt still.Thegreatestgillofall,through years ofFFA andespecially this year, fhisgreatestgilthas beenrevealed to

me

invery specialways.

Through

my

parents,

my

friends,

my

FFAadvisors,

my

livefellow National Officersand fhroughoulthisgreat land, you. theFFAmembers andsupporters haveshownitto

me

FromDeBerry, TexastoAlton Bay.

New

Hampshire;

from Bobo.Mississippi toRobinson, Kansas,fromKimberely.Nevada and Olto.WyomingtoSmithville.WestVir- own andunique very specialways,as thisbeautifulpoemsays You are

my

friends,notonlyfor

whatyouare.buttorwhatI

am when

I

am

with you.

You are

my

friends,notonlyfor what you have

made

of yourselves,butforwhat you are

making

foryou are

my

friends lorthepart ol

me

thatyou bring out.

and

passing overallIhe foolish

and

frivilous

and weak

things thatyou can'thelpdimly seeing there,

and

fordrawing outinto tbelight allthebeautifulradiant belongings that no

one

else

had

looked guitefar

enough

to find.

You are

my

friends for ignoring the possibilitiesof the tool

and

weaklingin

me and

forlaying firmhold of the

good

inme.

You are

my

friendsforclosing your earslotheharsh discords inme,

and

toraddingtothe

music

in

me

by worshipful listening.

You are

my

friends

because

you are helpingto

make

^{ot the} timber ot

my

life—not a tavern

—

buta temple

— and

of Ihewords of

my

every

day—

not areproach but a song.

You are

my

friends

because

you have

done more

thanany creed could have

done

to

make me

happy.

You have

done

itwithouta word, without a touch, without asign.

You have

done

itfirstby being yourselves.

Afteraft.perhapsthis iswhat being a friend really

means.

means|ustasyou have shown me-the greatestgiflofall.

TheBiblein1Corinthians probablyil-

Noteveryone hasthepowertowork strangetonguesorexplainwhatissaid, setyourhearts,then,onthemoreim- portant gifts

Imaybe able tospeakthelanguagesot love,

my

speechisnomotethan a noisygongor a clangingbell Imay havethegiltolinspiredpreaching andImay haveallknowledge andun- failhneeededtomove mountainsbutifI

havenolove.I

am

nothing!Imaygive awayeverythingIhaveand evengiveup

my

bodylobeburnedbutilIhaveno

When

Iwasachild

my

speech, feelings, andthinkingswereallthose ol a child

Now

thatI

am

growing.Ihavenomore use for childishwaysWhatweseenow islikeadim imageinamirrorthenwe isonly partialthenitwillbecomplete.

ascompleteasGod's knowledgeof

me

Meanwhile,these three giftsremain, faith,hope,andloveandthe greatest giftofallislove

lhatI'vegrownb greatorgamzatioi

iBible s .the greal-

Thespoken

word

the

sped

arrow lime

wasted

an opportunitylost thechancetosay."Ilove you."

Idon'twanltomissthechancenowIc say,"Iloveyou"toeachandeveryont ofyou andlhankyouforshowing

me

lhatIhegreatestgiltofall— nomatter

(AGRICULTURE")

"Without A Doubt'

ChuckDuggar

1983-84NationalFFA Southern Region VicePresident

vdays morning(beingIromFloridaI

m

sureit leftabiggerimpressionthanilother- wisewould)Icanrememberhaving to show

my

convention registration card lo IheCourtesyCorpsmemberalIhedoor inthe rear ol the arenaWhal happened nextIshallnever forget

My

ad- visor.MrRobert Wiltse said, "Well, son. thisisit:Whal do youthink' And

ItOf V loughiI

November

mornm

Jusl alewmonthsbeforeIhad wanted nopartofFFA.bulasIstood Ihere stunnedby theawesomesight olnearly 20.000 FFAers

my

mindwas changedI

hadnever quitebeensure thatFFAwas soldoniheFutureFarmersolAmerica But at lhatmoment,asIlookedaround andsawallthose blueandgold rackets Iknew WithoutA Doubl thail

was worth

my

timeIwascompletely soldandtotallyconvincedlhatIhe FF/

placesFromthai point.Ihadnodoul aboulwhalIshould gel involvedin

FFA

epastr

lorhomeSaturday night WithoutA Doubt"thaitheywanlto

/ofvedwith theFFAAheadof membersliemanyopportunities anyexperiencesThoseopportu- andexperiences giveallFFA ersIhechancetoprepare for the :altimewerefertoas the future

nplyv

a look to the(uture.because everyone inthisauditoriumand everyonewho have a vesled interest

m

whalwillhap- pen and whattheywillbedoinginthe future

We

alsohavemany concerns aboul Ihe future for agricultureandIhe luture lorAmericaWherewillyoube as we approachthe21stCentury'Where willtheFFAas anorgamzalion be' AsFulureFarmersofAmerica,welook source ofourpresent as well as ourlu- ture livelihoodsTheindustry faces

countryAgriculture provides jobs lor millionAmericansmorethananyolhe industryFarmassets loialed Si092 billionalthefirstof1982thatisequa

iuch as they could iust20yearsago

continue tohappeneitherYou andI

;

youngpeoplemust do somethinglo n sure thatAmerica andtheindustry of

you asked1Becauseihe canmakestartstoday¹ becomingan inspiredr hred-upFFAmemberar

sofIheFFA V 3programsa vinced lhaleventhougheveryonewants differentthings,everyone hassomedel- * milion ofsuccess and everyonewanlsto besuccessfuliniheirown wayThomas Stanley definedsuccessinIhisway

He

has achieved success

who

has ,

livedwell,laughed often

and

loved

much; who

has gained the respect ofintelligent

men, and

theloveoflittlechildren;

who

hasfilledhisniche

and

accomplished histask;

who

left theworld better thanhe found it,whether by

an improved

poppy,a perfect

poem,

ora rescued soul;

who

has never lacked appreciation of the earth'sbeauty,or tailedto expressit,

who

always looked forthebestinothers,

and

given the best he had;

whose

life

was an

inspiration;

whose memory

a benediction.

Sov

sryoui nots theFFAc_..

reachingilThe FFAorganization otters youmanythingsIIisuployounowto capitalizeonyour options Ourchallengeistoconfmuethesuccess of agricultureHoweverthaibegins witheachmemberasking What doI

wanttodo' Whal doIwanltoaccom- plishintheFFA' Theexcitingthing swerlolhatQueslion.IheFFAprovides

k |urjg- plish thingshe or shi whetherithastodo'

mg

orleadershipplants or pigs.

nowadays even computers andthe latest management andmarketing techniques Thechallengesliebelore usandIhean-

but the greatest things tra everaccomplishedare the things thatai onetime or anotherseemedimpossible Clint Albin.the1983StarAgribusiness- manofAmericawouldhave toldyou whenhewasinthe ninthgrade lhatit winnerIIwasimpossiblewhenhewas a 14-year-oldninth grader, bulwhat youhave to seeisthe effortthe seven years olhardworkittook lomake him

In1947.Norman Cousins askedAlbert Einstein,oneof thiscenlury's grealesl thinkers,whathehadlearnedEinstein saidhewouldgive hisfirstthoughl ofti

apern

!statements Never be afraidto

make

mistakes

if

you

can learn from them.

Never be

afraidtoasksilly questions Don't allow yourselftobe

intimidated or paralyzed by the experts.

Ifwe usethese ihree simple ideas,we canno doubl accomplishwhateverwe can locus our

mmds

lodo8ul prob-

try 'Guci.

be theanswerloeveryproblem whether greatorsmallItsnotenough|uslto believeinGodyou haveto trusthim daily

m

both thegood andihebadA personI'm very close toandIhave shared a particular Bible scripture sev-

ifewyears

eyoung personpos-

helped

me

manyli

Very simple, buta

fortune loworkwithfive saygoodbyetomorrowHowever,aswe dopartwaysIdo soknowingthateach ofyou havemoldeda special part ol

my

lifebywhatI'veseeninyourexample Ron.youveshown

me

whatitmeansto beaprofessionalBill,youveshown

reryt