The 66th National FFA Convention

(1)

ROCEEDINGS

November

^11-13,

1993

Minnesota

members

KimbertyPeterson_of

Mountain

Lake

and

CarlAarke

ofHawley

spenta brief

moment

astwo_{of the}461 delegates

who

votedon issues affecting the National

FFA

Organization.

(2)

mm

LEADERSHIP ^AMERICA

Show

51

ChapterAwards 27

Chorus 28

Committee Reports 56

Auditing 56

Awards& Degrees 56

Communications &^PublicRelations 57

Contests 58

InternationalDevelopment 59

Leadership& Personal Development 60 Marketing& Merchandising 61 MembershipDevelopment 63

NationalFFAConvention 65

Nominating 66

PartnerDevelopment 67

Programof Activities 68

StudentPublications 69

ComputersinAgriculture 18

Contests 15

CourtesyCorps ³¹

Delegates 53

Distinguished ServiceCitations 47 Extemporaneous SpeakingContest 12

FFAAchievers 49

FoundationRecognition 46

HonoraryAmericanFFADegrees 44

New

NationalOfficers 71

OfficerCandidates 25

ParliamentaryProcedureContest 15 PreparedPublicSpeakingContest 13

ProficiencyAwards 16

RetiringAddresses 32

TravisPark 32

Kevin White 34

DennisDegner 35

ToddHingson 39

JohnKleiboeker 40

Rick Perkins 42

SafetyAwards 27

StarsOver America 10

Talent 30

VIPCitations 50

Letter From the Editor

—

Translating theenergy, the smiles, theexcitementof the biggestcon- ventioninhistory into these72pages

was

achallengingtask,but

one

that

we approached

with enthusiasm.

You

see,

everyone who worked on

this reportholds

FFA

closeto their hearts.

Each

personlisted

below

iseither a former

member,

part of the national

FFA

staff,or a professional

who

clears hisorherscheduletobein

Kansas

Cityevery yearforthebig event.

We know how

specialtheconvention experienceistoboth

newly

initiated

freshmen and

seven-year veterans earningtheir

American FFA

Degrees, because

many

us

have been

there ourselves.

Inthesepages

you

willfindtheofficialrecordofthe66thNational

FFA

Convention.

We hope you

recognize

some

faces,

and

thatthephotos bring

back memories

of

some

special

days

in

your FFA

career.

Maybe one

ofthe retiringaddressesmotivated

you

to set

new

goals,orperhaps

you were

inspired

by

thestoriesoftheproficiency

winners and

decided

someday you want

tosharethe spotlight

on

stage.

More

than

any

other event, the nationalconvention highlightedFFA's

commitment

to developingpre-

mier

leadership,personal

growth and

careersuccessin

young

people.

If

you were one

ofthe 32,111people

who

joinedintheannualcelebra- tion,

we hope you

tooktheexperience

home and

shareditwithothers.If

you've notyet

made

thejourneyto

Kansas

City,

we hope

thesepages give

you

asenseoftheintenseactivitythatcan

happen

onlyatconvention,

and

that

you

canbepart ofitinyearstocome.

Enjoy,

Lynn Hamilton

Proceedings

Volume

LXVI

November

11-13,1993

The

66th National

FFA Convention PROCEEDINGS

is

published

by

theNational

FFA

Organization as arecord of its

annual convention held

in

Kansas

City,

Mo., November

11-13,1993.

PROCEEDINGS Staff

Editor LynnHamilton

AssociateEditors Thelma Markwart Sue AnnStuever JenniferWest

ArtDirector LindaFlint

PhotographyEditor MollyWilson

Desk TopPublishing ShellyRichardson

EditorialAssistant MarionFay

Photographers SamHarrel LightfootPhotography LawinnaMcGary

KellyRogers OrlinWagner MichaelWilson

NationalFFA Communications ResourcesTeam

WilliamF.Stagg DirectorTeam Leader

Communications Consultants JenniferConway RoniHoran Gary Staszak

SpecialThanksto:

Saundra Campbell GayleFortenberry MaryBethStagg

PreparedandpublishedbytheNational

FFA

Organizationincooperationwith theU.S.DepartmentofEducationasaservicetostateandlocalagricultural educationagencies.

©

FFA

Organization

TheNational

FFA

Organizationaffirmsitsbelief in thevalueofallhumanbeingsandseeksdiversity initsmembership,leadershipandstaff.

mm

(3)

V

If

A ^Brief ^Moment ⁱⁿ ^Time

The team from theSpringdale,Arkansas,

FFA

Chaptershows its thrillatbeing

announced

as thewinnerinthe National

FFA

Poidtry Contest. Springdalemember,Brian Lloyd, (secondfromright)

was

rankedas thehighest individual.

With ^palms

^{moist with}perspiration

and

a high

supply

of

nervous

energy, 18-yearold

Amy

LaSalle of

Merced,

Calif.,stepped

forward

to recitehersix-toeight-minutespeechentitled, El CieloEstaCayendo. Forabrief

moment,

theanxiety

seemed

unbearable.

Apprehension soon gave way

toexcitement

when

her

name was

called as the

winner

oftheNationalPreparedPublic

Speaking

Contest.

LikeLaSalle,it

was

timeforeach

member

to

show

the

world what

it

meant

to

be

a part of the

FFA. Some came

tocompete,

some

toentertain

and

otherssimplytoenjoythe sights

and sounds

ofthe

66thNational

FFA

Convention.

The

eyesof

Kansas

City

were on

every

member

ofthesea ofblue

corduroy

that

descended upon

itinearly

November.

Kansas

City's spotlightfocused

on FFA's wave

of

young

people,

who

overflowedintothecitystreets withenergy

and

enthusiasm.

Fora brief

moment,

time

seemed

tostandstillas agriculturaleducation

and

the

FFA showcased

their brightest

and

best.

Under Bright Lights in the Big City

For

some FFA members,

thescenesoutsidethe (Continuedonpage5)

(4)

Ir

3

This

FFA member

paid the pricewith longhoursof disciplinedstudyandpracticetocompetein theNational Nursery/LandscapeContest.Although onher

own

here,she

was

part_{of a}teamrepresentingher chapter

and

state.

By

thelookontheir faces, ridingaschoolbusisn'tso bad,andit

mightevenbekind_offun.

Bound

forKansasCity, theseGreenville, Texas,

FFA members

hadplenty_oftimetoplantheirconvention activities. They could

map

outwhich workshops to attendand choosewhichspeakerstohear.Theride

home

leftplenty_oftimeto

compare

and

learnfromeachother'sexperiences.

TheseDelaware

FFA members

share apeaceful

moment

outside theKansasCityairport beforemeetinghead-on withthehustle andbustle of32,111conventionattendees.

U"

\.S V^

mm

(5)

U"

CarlosGancedoofBoys Ranch,Texas,met comedian

and

cowboypoet Baxter Black

up

closeandpersonal.

Black entertained everyone in the

Municipal

Auditorium during theFriday afternoonsession,

and

told of hisadventuresas reporter of the Las Cruets,N.M.,

FFA

Chapter.

Municipal

Auditorium were

as

memorable

as those within.

The

traffic,sirens,skyscrapers

and urban

life styles

were

rare sightsfor

some members making

theirfirst

voyage

outsidetheir

home

town.It

was somewhat

ofa culturalshockfornative

Kansas

Citians,too,

who

relinquishedtheir city totheall-

American

sea of blue.

Members found

themselves

making

their

own

decisions

and

being responsiblefor their

own

actions

—

^deciding

^what

^{to eat,}

^which

^activities^to

attend

and how

toget

from

heretothere.

They made

greatdepositsin their

banks

of

knowledge,

indepen-

dence and

experience.

All ofthis

was

a

preview

forthehotlights

and

big

sounds

ofcountry

music

star

Lee Greenwood, who was sponsored by Commerce Bank

of

Kansas

City.

Members were

equallydazzled

by

the

warm

greet- ings of theGibson/Miller Band.

Making

It

to the Big Time

FFA members knew

they

were

inthe bigtimethe

moment

theysteppedoffthe

bus

in

Kansas

Citywith bulgingsuitcasesinhand.

Many worked hard

toget

\

(Continuedon page6)

Friendships

grow

beyondyour

own FFA

chapter. Patrice Carter_{of the} Chicago

High

Schoolfor AgriculturalSciences,III.,

and Amy

^Ericson,Sycamore

High

School,III.,take a

moment

tosharea laughandasmileduringthebusyconvention.

(6)

V v

p

From

the kickoff ofconvention with Reflections

Wednesday

evening, Kevin White, national

FFA

secretary,

and

the rest of the ^officer team encouraged

members

tothinkaboutthemselves,aswell as their place in the

FFA,

theUnitedStatesandtheworld.Eachdayof theconvention highlighted one of these topics,andeach

was

emphasized by neon signssuchas the

"USA"

pictured above.

Wliilethis

member

gota special treat beingon stage with LeeGreenwood,

FFA members

inside

and

outof theauditoriumwereinspiredbythesinger's patriotic performance, includinghishit

"God

Bless theU.S.A."

atthe close ofReflections

Wednesday

night.

Fhe backs _of

FFA

jackets confirmed that every part of the United States urns representedatthenational

FFA

convention,

and

that

members

are truly a part of somethinglargerthan themselves.

(Continuedfrompage5)

there;

some

spentcountlesshours preparingfor competition.

Long days and

sleeplessnights

were

the

norm

as

many

band, chorus

and

talent

members

laboredformusicalexcellence.

Many even

paid their

own way.

But,it

was worth

it.

The

Municipal

Auditorium was

burstingatthe seams.

True

toits

chosen

theme,theconvention celebrated"LeadershipforAmerica."

From

Reflections

on Wednesday

eveningtothefallofthe gavel

on

Saturdayafternoon,

members were

challengedtobuild the character

needed

toservetheir family,

community and

nationin

whatever

capacity they

were

called.

They were encouraged by

guest speaker

Emory

Austin,co-sponsored

by

United

Telephone — Midwest,

toletthe

FFA mold

their talents

and

abilities.

Surrounded by

theconstant

buzz

of delegates, nationalofficers,advisors

and

chaperones,

members

couldn'thelpbutjoin inthe flurry ofactivities

and grow from

the experience.

Though surrounded by

£^

WR

(7)

thousands

of strangers,

members found

afeelingof

warmth,

comfort

and

asenseofbelongingwith others

who

shared their

commitment

toagriculture

and

leadership.

Sharing FFA

^'s

^Big ^Adventure

Agricultural professionals

rewarded

that

commitment by

raisingover $5millionforthe

FFA and

agriculturaleducationin1993.

A

bigger-than- evercareer

show,

which

included230 exhibitors,highlighted the

many

diverse careersavailableto

young

peoplewilling totake

on

the chal- lengesofaprogressive industry.

FFA

chalked

up

a

15,888-member

increasein1993,soit

was no

surprise that theconventiongrew, too.

Attendance

hit

an

all-timehighof 32,111,

and

there

were

plenty ofactivitiesforthe

crowd

toenjoy.

Speakers recounted storiesabout

how

the

FFA had

helped them,

from

thepersonal strength of

Coby

Shortertothewitof BaxterBlack.Shorter

was sponsored by Western

Retail

Implement and Hardware

Association, whilethe travelfor Black

was provided by

PassportTravel.

Other

speakersincluded

Miss

America Kimberly

ClariceAiken,

CHEVY TRUCKS;

actress

and comedienne

Geri Jewell;

American

School

Counselor

Association PresidentDr. Jackie Allen; U.S.

Department

of EducationAssistantSecretary Dr.

Augusta Kappner;

and John Thompson, sponsored by

Cargill.

To make

the

most

oftheirtime,

members

racedto participateinas

many

oftheleadership

workshops,

generalsessions,retiringaddresses,dances,the

American

Royal

and

educationaltours as possible.

Since

no one

could possiblysee

and do

itall,

some

chapters

developed

amilitary-styleplanofactionto divide

and conquer

alloftheconventionexperi- ences.

They

returned

from

theirmissionsto

compare

adventures

and

sharetheirfindings.

A View of the Big Picture FFA members expanded

their

world view through

visitswithinternational

exchange

students,

V

U.S. Secretary_ofAgriculture

Mike Espy

told

FFA

members, "Everywhereyoulookyou cansee

some

phaseof agriculture.Everyoneisaffectedbyagriculture." Withdiscussions

and

debateabout tradein full siuing,

Espy

went on to tell

FFA members

thatas trade barriersarelowered,^"Worldtrade will offer amultitudeof career opportunities.

You

will have

more

opportunity than

any

student

anywhere

intheworld."

guestspeakers

and FFA members who spoke

of globalconcerns.

Agricultural issues are similar the

world

over, said

one

international guest.

One

^that

seems

particularly evidentisthe lack of agriculturalliteracy.

"The

average

German

doesn't

know what

afarmerdoes,"

said

Bernhard

Kleyboldt,a

German who

has

been working on

a

farm

in

Kansas through an

interna-

(Continuedonpage8)

f.

<^

(8)

BernhardKleyboldt_of

Germany

showsoff ahat

worn

byfarmers

and

othersinBavaria,the southern regionof

Germany.

Kleyboldtworks onafarmⁱⁿKansas

and

willspendanother eightmonthsintheUnitedStatesduringhisone-year internationalprogramthroughthe

FFA.

Kleyboldt

came

totheU.S.toseewhathe couldapplyfrom Americanagricultureto thefarms he

manages

in

Germany.

His proudest accomplishment so far isdriving a combine, sincemostfarmers don't

own

combinesin

Germany. "My

^{next goal}^is^todrive asemi-truck," hesaid. "Ionlyseetheminthemovies.It

was

a cultureshock

when

Igot hereand

saw

them."

(Continuedfrompage7)

tional

FFA program.

Current

world

issuestookcenter stage as a prize-

winning

speechaddressedtheimpactofthe

North American

Free

Trade Agreement

with

Mexico and Canada; and

Secretary ofAgriculture

Mike Espy

relayedtheimportanceofbreaking

down

trade barriers

between

nations.

CNN

^reporter

John Holliman reminded

the

group

of

how world

events affecttheUnitedStates

and

agriculture.

Members

realized thatagricultureremainsthe

common,

deeply

anchored

root ofallnations.

Leaving with a Big Impression

Everyone was shaped by

theirexperiences.

Everyone

tooktherisktoleave the familiarity of

home,

tolearn

something new,

to

make

a

new

friend

and

tocelebrate abelief inagriculture.

Under

theblue corduroy, theyleftfor

home

withchests filledwith pride

and

dreams.

And

forabrief

moment dreamed

of

how one day

theycouldrace across the stage as the

FFA

National

Horse

Profi- ciency

award winner

orthe

new

national

FFA

president.

Teachers returnedtotheirclassrooms

brimming

with

new

ideas.

FFA members

returned

home

with the vision thatthey

belonged

to

something

larger than themselves. For

weeks and months

to

come,

thestoriesof thatmagical

week

in

Kansas

City

would be

retoldto

members

at

home.

This

new

inspiration

would be

asourceofstrengthforallto

make

thedifficultdecisionsto

grow

personally

and

to

improve

theirchapters,

communities and

world.

wn

(9)

Agriscience Teacher of the Year

National Winner:

ChristyMecey-Smith Glendale,Ariz.

National Finalists:

ARIZONA:^ChristyMecey-Smith, Glendale

GEORGIA:

R.BlaneMarable,Bishop ILLINOIS: JohnR. Rentfrow,Shelbyville

WEST

VIRGINIA:LarryW.Watson, Mannington

Offeringexcitinglearningexperiencesforher studentshasearned Christy

Mecey-Smith

the nationalAgriscience

Teacher

ofthe

Year award.

Mecey-Smith

has incorporated

an

agriscience biotechnology

program

intoherschool's agribusi ness

and

veterinary sciencecurriculum.

The new program

notonly concentrates

on

plant tissue culture,butalsobiotechnologyapplications, genetics,animal physiology

and embryo

transfer.

"Ibelieve a teacher

must

providepositive experiencesto

back up

thosechallenges," said

Mecey-Smith,

"so thatstudentswill

want

to continue challenging themselves."

Her

students

conduct

researchprojects, visitbiotechnology corporations

and work

inagriscience internships.

Mecey-Smith was honored on

stage

Thursday

afternoon,

and was

presentedwith$1,500

and

aplaque.

Christy

Mecey-Smith

(right), a fifth-year agriculture instructor, accepts the AgriscienceTeacherof theYear

award

fromnationalofficer

Todd

Hingson.

Mecey-

Smith teachesinGlendale, Ariz.

Agriscience Student Recognition Program

Monsanto Company

When

JulieBerryread

an

articleinher

Adams,

N.Y.,

newspaper

that claimedlightning triggersplantgrowth, she

wondered

abouttheother positiveeffectslightning

might have on

soil

and

plants.

"When

Ireadthe

newspaper

article,itreallycreated a spark," reflected Berry,

now

astudentatCornellUniversity.

Her

spark,

known

as

"The

Electric Greenhouse," earnedthe

South

Jefferson

FFA Chapter member an

$8,500 scholarshipforherselectionasthenational

winner

intheAgriscienceStudent Recognition

Program.

Berry'sstudy

examined whether

ornotpassingair

through

ahigh-voltage current,created

by

graphiteelectrodestosimulatelightning

and

a fan

and

sprinkler

system

tosimulate

wind and

rain,

would

increasenitratelevels in thesoil.

Jill

McCrea

of the

King

City

FFA Chapter

inMaysville,Mo.,

was named

the national

runner-up and

received$6,500inscholarshipawards.

Her

project consisted ofusinglichensto

determine

thesourcesofairbornepollution

and

if

theycould

be used

indetecting lead pollution.

National Winner:

JulieR.Berry Adams,

New

York

Runner-Up:

JillS.McCrea

Maysville,Mo.

National Finalists:

CALIFORNIA:Sharon Stephenson,Glennville IOWA:AndreaB.Clark,Algona

MAINE:JodyR.Smith,Caribou MISSOURI:JillS.McCrea, Maysville

NEW YORK:

JulieR. Berry,

Adams

TEXAS:CarrieCarmen, Prosper VIRGINIA:ChristieHyre,Winchester

WASHINGTON:

MindyMcCoy,Sumner r-j

(10)

Stars Over America

Film sponsored by Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and Universal Dairy Equipment, Inc. Cash awards funded by executive sponsors of the National FFA Foundation, Inc.

The

^Stars

Over America Pageant Thursday

eveningspotlighted the careers of eightoutstand- ing

members who have

reachedthepinnacleof

FFA

achievement. Theirstoriesofsuccess

were

sharedwiththeconventionaudiencewiththe aid ofa film that profiled the eight^stars.

Family members and

advisorsthenjoined the stars

on

stageforthe

announcement

oftheresults.

The American

Star

Farmer and

the

American

StarinAgribusinesseach received$2,000,

and

the nationalfinalists

were

presentedwith$1,000.

Alleightstarsreceivedplaques

and an

invita- tiontoparticipateina10-daytour of

European

agriculture.

JeffCole,20 Asbury,

Mo.

Liberal

FFA

Chapter

AmericanStarinAgribusiness

Cole

owns

andoperatesalawn carebusinessandhasexpanded hisservicesto include

landscapingand

snow

removal.

He employsthreepeoplefull-time

andplanstobuildagreenhouseto betterservehiscustomers.

Daniel Keck,22

St.Lawrence,S.D.

Miller

FFA

Chapter American StarFarmer

Keek's operationisdiversified, with86dairy

cows

and 130 beefcows. Tofeedhis expandinglivestockherds,he raiseshay,cornandoatson his1,380-acre farm.

Accountinganddairy

management

computer programshelphim

make

informedfinancialdecisions.

Talk about

proud

parents! Gloria

and

Dennis Keck_ofSt.

Lawrence,

S.D., couldn't be

more

pleased with their son,Dan,

who was named American

StarFarmer.

10

mm

(11)

Star in Agribusiness Finalists

Randy

Arestad,23 Ferndale, Wash.

Ferndale

FFA

Chapter

ScottBruce,20

Red

Oak, Iowa Red

Oak FFA

Chapter

Greg Ramsey,

20

Jones,Okla.

Jones

FFA

Chapter

Arestad

owns

NorthStarSand andGravel, abusiness he startedasahighschool freshman.Heprovides hauling serviceswith histwo

dump

trucks,aswellas excavation workwith hisbulldozerand backhoe.

Brucehasworkedinhis family'sconstructionbusiness sincehe

was

nineyearsoldand

is

now

a partner.He has experienceinevery aspect^of thebusiness,fromconcrete worktomanagingthe company'srecords.

Ramsey

isa partownerofhis family'scompany,Blue& Gold Sausage.Hehelps

manage

the

company

which

makes

andsells

sausageforfundraiserstomore than 500

FFA

chaptersand othernon-profitgroups.

Star Farmer Finalists

KermitKetterling,21 Wishek,

N.D.

Wishek

FFA

Chapter

Floyd Nelson, 21 Ashburn,Ga.

Turner

County FFA

Chapter

BrianTiedeman,21 Hickman, Neb.

Norris

FFA

Chapter

Ketterlingraises 2,700acresof hardredspringwheatwith his father. He uses

minimum

and

no-till

management

practices toconservethesoil,andhis cropsconsistently yieldhigher thanlocalaverages.

Nelsonisaseventh-generation farmer,andraises300 acresof cropsincludingpeanuts,rye, oats,soybeans andwater- melons.He

owns

aherdof38 Limousinbrood

cows

and planstostartmanaginghis father'soperationinafew years.

Tiedemanfarmsinpartnership with his parents,andmarkets 1,500hogs eachyear.He grows650 acresofcropsand attendsseminarstostay currentonmarketsand

new management

techniques.

J

(12)

National Extemporaneous Speaking Contest

minutes

topreparetheir talks,

extemporaneous

speakingcontestants presentedspeechestoapanelof judges.

Though

preparation time

was

short,these

FFA members showed

as

much composure and

styleasifthey

had

practicedtheir speechesfordays.

Each drew from

a^listof topics

and

spenttheirhalf

hour

readyingtheinformation they

had

researched.After the speakers' four-tosix-minutepresentations,judges asked

them

questionsaboutthetopics.

From

thepoolof43contestants

who

started thecompetition,fourfinalists

were

chosentovieforthenational

award Thursday

afternoon.

Neely Young

ofthe

Katy FFA Chapter

inTexas

emerged

the

winner

with her speech,

"The

Roleof

Secondary

Agriculture

Programs

in

Developing an Awareness

ofInternationalAgricultureRelations."

Young

earneda$300prize;thesecond-place

winner

took

home

$275; third place, $250;

and

fourthplace,$225.

National Winning Speech:

The Role _of Secondary Agriculture Programs in

Developing an Awareness of International Agriculture Relations

As we embrace

the

hands

of time,

we come

tothe realization thattimeitself

standsstillfor

no

one.

We

^all

know

too wellthatassogoesthe ticking ofthe clockso

must come

theelementof change.

Even though we sometimes

use theoldexpression,

"some

thingsnever change,"

we

realizethat

change

is

inevitableforusas individuals

and most

certainly

our

nation.

As we

recalltimeintheUnitedStates,

we

seetimes

when change was

our general focus

and when

vision ac-

counted

foreverything.

Throughout

the courseofhistory,thevoices of

America have

criedfor

change mainly due

tothe

economic

conditionsin

which

theylived.

As we

lookatthe

winds

ofchange,the

same winds

that

blow

across the face of

our

nation,these

winds

canbest

be

describedas

winds

ofchange.

Certainly,

when we

look

on

agriculturaltrade

and

itsimportanceinglobal interdependence,

we

see that

we have had

ashiftin

wind

direction.

We

^realize

that

change

hasdirectly affected agriculture

and

itsissues. Certainly,

when

dealing withthe

promotion

of agriculturaltrade

and

itsimportancein globalinterdependence,

we

realizethat

we have

to

promote

thistradetothe generalpublic.

And who

betterto start with thanthe

youth

oftoday

who

willbe

the leaders of

tomorrow.

That^is

where

I

believe the role ofsecondaryagricultural

programs comes

in intermsofdevelop- ing

awareness

ofagricultural

programs and

theimportanceinglobalinterdepen- dence.

Thereare three

main

reasons,Ithink, thatsecondaryagriculturewillplaya central roleinpromoting. Firstofall,I

think

we need

toincrease the

awareness

of agriculturaltrade.

We need

tohelp thegeneralpublic

and

thatcertainly includesthe students;

we need

to re- educate

them and

help

them

rediscover agricultureinitsnaturalbasis.

We need

totell

them

thefacts

and

the issuesso thatthey're

aware

of

what

^isactually occurring

around them and

the

world economy. And we need

to stressthe importanceofagriculturaltrade.

As William

Kostsaid,

an economic

specialist, "the agricultureintheUnited Statesplaysa central roleinglobal interdependence

and

itisinourbest interestas a

world power

tocontinue thatrole

and pursue more open

agricul- turalmarkets."

And

after

we've made

thegeneralpublic

and

thestudents

aware

of agricultural trade,

we need

to educate

them on

theissues.

And through

the agriculturalclassroom,

we

canteach

them

the issues

on

aone-to-one basis.

We

can allow

them

theopportu- nitytoask questions

and

receive

answers

in

ways

in

which

theycan

comprehend and

understand.

We

^can

teach

them

abouttrade

and

exports.

National Winner:

NeelyYoung

Katy,Texas

Second Place:

KevinBarenberg Morrow,Ark.

Third Place:

TracyLynne Stone Ashland,Ohio

Fourth Place:

RyanSoukup GrandIsland,Neb.

Allow them

to

become more

current

on

the issuessuchas

NAFTA and GATT

so theywill

understand what

isoccurring inthemedia.

We need

to

make them aware

oftheimportanceof exports. Let

them know

thatagriculturalproduction

on

the

farm

isincreasinginproductivity 2percentper year

and consumer demand

isonlyincreasingatabout1 percent.

So

inordertodealwiththefarmer's production,agriculturalexportsplaya centralrole inmarketingitsproducts.

And

^if

we do

not

have

exports

he

will

have

toreducehisacreage.

And once

theyunderstandtrade

and

theimpor- tance of exports,then

who

betterto

promote

the future of agriculturethan individuals

who

will

be

theleadersin the

work

force.

The

individuals

who

are gettingin

on

the increase

and

the

new

technology.

We

^{can allow}

^them

^the

opportunityto

promote

our

programs

through general discussion with

one

another.

We

^{can allow}

^them

the opportunityto

become more aware

of the jobopportunitiesintechnological

advances

thatwillbeavailablethrough opportunities that

we have

through exportprograms.

And we

canalsohelp

them

understandthereasonthat

we need

to

have

opportunitiesto

expand

for globalmarketsinthe future,

and

after they understand, theywillbeableto promote.

And when

they can promote, agriculturewillprogress.

Secondary

agriculture

programs

are

12

WR

(13)

the

key

toourfuture.

These

individuals areintheseclassrooms

on

a daily basis

and day

to

day

they

become more

current

on

theissues.

As we who

stand heretoday,

approaching

the

end

of

youth and

thethresholdofadulthood, doorswill

open and

doorswillclose for eachofus. Certainly,times

have

changed and we

inagriculture

know

thatinordertostayinpace

we must change

along withit.

Through change and

ideas,

new

^issues

^and new

concerns evolve

and

certainly

we have

seenthat occurintermsof internationaltrade

and

itsglobalinterdependence.

We,

asagriculturists,

must

stay

informed and

intune

on

thecurrent issues thataffectagriculture

and we need

toteach the students, the future of

tomorrow,

tobrace themselvesforthe

upcoming weather

reports of

winds

of change.

j

National Prepared

Public Speaking Contest

was pounding

asshestepped

toward

the

microphone

atcenterstage. She'dwaited

allyearfor this

moment.

^It

had been

alongyear, involvingregional

and

statecontests

and

hoursof practice.All ofthepatience

and

rehearsalpaidoff

when Amy emerged

the national

winner

ofthe prepared public speakingcontest,with her

composi-

tion,"ElCieloEsta

Cayendo."

Preliminary

rounds

elimatedallbut fourof the45 speakers

who

startedoutinthenationalcompetition.

The

finalistspresentedtheir six-toeight-

minute

speechestojudges

and responded

to five

minutes

of questions.

Amy

^took

home

$300forherefforts;

second

place

won

$275;third,$250

and

fourth, $225.

National Winner

Amy

LaSalle Merced,Calif.

"ElCieloEstaCayendo"

Second Place:

WilliamCollins Pamplin, Va.

Water: Cooperation, RegulationorDevastation?

(WhichoftheThree?)

Third Place:

RobertStevenson Hobson,Mont.

"AmericanAgricultureandtheThirdWorld"

Fourth Place:

SelenaSimpson

Hartville,Mo.

"TheSignoftheTimes"

Amy

^LaSalle^relishes^the

^moment

^as

Todd Hingson

recognizes herforwinning theNationalPreparedPublicSpeakingcontest. LaSalle, a California native, spokeabouttheNorth

American

FreeTradeAgreement.

National Winning Speech:

El Cielo Esta Cayendo

"Elcielo estacayendo," ortheEnglish translation,

"The

skyisfalling!"ex- claimed

Chicken

Little inthe children's story

by

the

same

^title.

He added,

"I

must go

tellthequeen!"

and was

sure the

world was

ending,allbecausea fallingacornstruck thetopofhishead.

He

panicked

and

felt

compelled

totell

his

queen

ofthiscalamity.

Chicken

Little'shysteria

was

infectious,

and

beforethe story

was

over,severalother animals believedthismisinformation.

Adultsrealizethisisjustasillychild's story

and

has

no

parallel to reality

—

^or

does

it?

In

August

of 1992,Mexico,

Canada

(Continuedonpage 14)

(14)

Prepared Public Speaking

(Continuedfrompage 13)

and

theUnitedStatesreacheda preliminary accord

on

thetermsofthe

North American

Free

Trade Agreement

or

NAFTA.

Immediately,like

Chicken

Little,

Mexican and

U.S.producers

were alarmed and

thoughtthesky

was

^falling.

Hysteriahas

permeated

bothagricultural industries.

Many

agriculturists

on

both sides of the

Mexican-United

States borderarefilledwith anxiety overthe possibleeffectsofthistradeagreement.

Istheskyfallingforthesefarmers?

As FFA members,

will

we have

a

market

for ouragriculturalproducts here or abroad?

To answer

thosequestions,let'stake a closerlookat

what

the

North American

Free

Trade Agreement means

tothose involved. Ratification of

NAFTA

will createthe largestfreetrade

zone

inthe world. This

North American

joint ventureissaidto

have

the potential

market

of360millionpeople

and

six trilliondollarsinannual production.

NAFTA,

overaperiodof time,willlift alltraderestrictions

between Canada, Mexico and

theUnitedStates. This

means

all

goods

traded

between

these partnerswillnot

be

subjecttotariffsor quotas.

The

repercussionsofthis

agreement

willinfluence

many

indus-

tries;

however,

I

am

goingtofocus

my

comments on

theeffectsitwill

have on

agriculture.

Agricultural trade issues

between Canada and

theUnitedStates

have been

fullyaddressedinthe U.S.-Canada Free

Trade Agreement, and

the

market between Canada and Mexico

islimited.

Therefore, the

immediate

concerncenters

on

the agriculturaltrading situation

between

theUnitedStates

and

Mexico.

Implementing NAFTA

willoffer

new

opportunities

and untapped

agricultural marketsfor

Mexico and

theU.S.,but withtariff-freecommodities, each^faces

new

competition.

Many

people

may

envisionthe stereotypical

Mexican

farmerwithhis serape

and

sombrero.

How

can

he compete

withthe sophisticated, high- tech

American

farmer?

American

agriculturecannotaffordto

be

so

smug.

Actually,thesedays,chancesare

good

that the lettuce

and

tomatoespiledhigh

on your good

old

American BLT

are

from Mexico

or

somewhere

else.

The

U.S.

consumer

eatsalargequantityof

imported

fruits

and

produce.

Winter

here

means

thelower

hemisphere

isina

warm growing

season.

Mexico

provides

one

outofevery foursalads,

made from imported

fruits

and

vegetables,eaten

by

the U.S.

consumer.

Therefore,

Mexico

is

quickly

becoming

the

"North American

SaladBowl." This

market

shareis

expectedto risewiththesigningof

NAFTA. At

the

end

of

NAFTA's

15-year transitionperiod,allimporttaxes

on

seasonalfruits

and

vegetableswill

be

abolished.

Produce coming from

the southwill

be

lessexpensiveforthe

American

public,butcostlytoU.S.

row

crop producers.

The

future

means

they

must compete

againstcheaperlabor

from

theirsouthernneighbors. Agricul- turistsinCalifornia,Florida

and

Texas are particularlyconcerned withthis scenario,

due

tothequantityof sensitive seasonalfruits

and

vegetables

grown

in theseareas. Itlooksas

though

the UnitedStatesagriculturalproducersare goingto

have

plentyto

worry

about

—

^or

willthey?

Ironically,becauseofthe

North American

Free

Trade Agreement, many Mexican

agriculturistsare

nervous

also.

Theircountryishardlythefood-

producing powerhouse

that

some

NAFTA opponents make

itoutto be.

There

are a

few updated

farming operationsin

Mexico

withirrigation

and

mechanization.

However,

themajority ofthe

Mexican

farmsare^stilltilled

by mules and

oxen,withouta

means

to irrigate.

These Mexican growers

are afraid

NAFTA

will

make

theircountry

even

lessefficientthanitis

now.

Mexican

farmersareconcerned because theyonlyprovide 65 percentofallthe food

needed

tofeedtheirpopulationof 87millionpeople.

Mexican

agriculturists feartheywilllose

even more

oftheir

market

sharetoU.S.

commodities

like beef,pork,corn,wheat,beans

and

milk.

American pork and

graincanbesold cheaper than Mexican-raised productsin theircountry. This should

mean

windfallsalesforthe U.S.corn

and

grain belt states,

abundant

providersofthese foodstuffs.

Mexico

will

want

toaddress theseconcerns beforefinalratificationis

made

withitspartners.

Transportation playsavitalrole inthe marketing

and

processingof agricultural products.

When

a

head

oflettuceis

pickedinthefieldthenit

must

be transported quicklyto

market

beforeit

losesquality.

Moving

food

from

the fieldtothe

consumer

requires

good equipment and

roadways.

Improving

thecountry's infrastructurehas not

been

part ofMexico's modernizationefforts.

This

hampers

itsability to

be

competitive as afoodsupplier.

The

gradualunification of

North American

agriculture

seems

inevitable.

However,

alongwiththe

problems

will

be

increasedopportunitiesfor

Mexican and American

farmersalike.

Simply

put, thereis

tremendous Mexican demand

for

many overproduced

U.S.agriculture goods.

The

highlyresourceful U.S.

agriculturistcanputthese

market phenomena

to

work

toourcountry's bestinterests.

Foxy Woxy,

thevillaininthe

Chicken

Littlestory,preventedLittle

from

ever tellingthe

queen

aboutthefallingsky.

Thiscaused

everyone

to livein

an

informationvoid.

FFA members

if

we

areto live inaglobal

community

then

we must be

informed

and

bepreparedto

meet

themarketingchallenges of

tomorrow. Q

14

WR

(15)

National FFA Contests

The many

hoursofstudy

and

practicepaidoff forparticipantsintheNational

FFA

skills

and

judgingcontests.

These members had

already experiencedthe satisfaction of

winning

their statecontests,

and were

readyto pitthemselvesagainst the bestin the nation.

From

identifyingflowerspeciestotroubleshootingengines, the contest

teams were

readyforthe challenge.

The

contests

were

held

throughout

the

Kansas

Cityarea

Thursday and

Friday.

Results

were announced

ata

banquet

provided

by

eachcontest'ssponsors,

and

the top

teams were

recognized during Saturday morning's conventionsession.

All

winning teams and

individualsreceived plaques,

and some

ofthe contest sponsors

provided

scholarshipstothefirstplace

teams and

highindividuals.

Those

contestswere:agriculturalmechanics,agriculturalsales,dairy judging,

farm

business

management,

floriculture,forestry, livestock,

marketing

planproject,

meats

technol-

ogy and

evaluation,nursery /landscape, parliamentary

procedure and

poultry.

FORESTRY

Sponsored

by

Champion

International Corporation

and STIHL

Inc.

FirstPlaceTeam:Mt. HollyFFAChapter, Mt. Holly, Ark.

HighIndividual:Gary Bowers,Elizabethton,Tenn.

AGRICULTURAL MECHANICS

Sponsored

byFirestone

Ag

TireDivision

and

Bridgestone/Firestone Trust

Fund

FirstPlaceTeam: Manor FFAChapter,Manor, Texas

HighIndividual:BradDieringer,Manor,Texas

AGRICULTURAL SALES

Sponsored

by

Asgrow Seed Company

FirstPlaceTeam:WellsFFAChapter, Wells,Nev.

HighIndividual:JenniferGriswold,Wells,Nev.

DAIRY

Sponsored

by AssociatedMilkProducers, Incorporated

and Babson

Bros.

Co./SURGE

FirstPlaceTeam:Clover LeafFFAChapter, Lodi,Ohio

HighIndividual:LyleRuprecht,Lodi,Ohio

DAIRY FOODS

Sponsored

by PatzSales, Inc.;National DairyPromotion

and

ResearchBoard;

and

Mid-America Dairymen,Inc.

FirstPlaceTeam:SkylineFFAChapter, Urbana,Mo.

HighIndividual:JasonDriskill,Urbana,Mo.

FARM BUSINESS

MANAGEMENT

Sponsored

by John Deere

FirstPlaceTeam:LeRoy-Ostrander

FFA

Chapter,LeRoy,Minn.

High Individual:JamesSutherland, LeRoy,Minn.

FLORICULTURE

Sponsored

by Geo.J. Ball, Inc.;Grace Sierra;

Sun Company; and

AmericanFloral

Endowment

FirstPlaceTeam:HeronLake-Okabena- LakefieldFFAChapter,Lakefield,Minn.

HighIndividual:AnneHartman,Lakefield,Minn.

LIVESTOCK

Sponsored

byPurinaMills, Inc.

FirstPlaceTeam:CouncilGroveFFAChapter, CouncilGrove,Kan.

HighIndividual:SpencerSchrader, CouncilGrove.

Kan.

MARKETING PLAN PROJECT

Sponsored

by Rhone-Poulenc

Ag Company

FirstPlaceTeam: Walla WallaFFAChapter, WallaWalla,Wash.

MEATS TECHNOLOGY AND EVALUATION

Sponsored

by

Hormel Foods Company;

Oscar

Mayer Foods

Corporation;

and

Excel Corporation

FirstPlaceTeam:HanfordandClovisFFAChapters, HanfordandClovis,Calif.

HighIndividual: LinoMendes,Hanford.Calif.

NURSERY/LANDSCAPE

Sponsored

by AmericanAssociationof Nurserymen; Wholesale Nursery Growersof America, Incorporated;Kubota Tractor Corporation;

and

The

CHIPCO"

/Specialty Products

Group

ofRhone-Poulenc

Ag Company

FirstPlaceTeam:ChathamCentralFFAChapter,Bear Creek, N.C.

HighIndividual: EugeneKidd,BearCreek, N.C.

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

Sponsored

by Ciba

and

the United

Soybean

Board

FirstPlaceTeam:Troy FFAChapterjroy, Mo.

Runner-upTeam:RitzvilleFFAChapter, Ritzville.

Wash.

POULTRY

Sponsored

by TysonFoods,Inc.;Sanofi AnimalHealth, Inc.;

and

AmericanProteins, Inc.

FirstPlaceTeam:SpringdaleFFAChapter, Springdale,Ark.

High Individual:BrianLloyd,Springdale,Ark.

An FFA member

combinesbothelbowgrease

and

precisionasheparticipatesintheAgricultural Mechanicsskillscontest.ThecompetitiontookplaceintheshopatFortOsage Vo-TechSchool.

(16)

Proficiency Awards

The

1993 NationalProficiency

Awards

Pageant

was

notableforseveral reasons.

Keeping

withtradition,

members were

recognizedforoutstandingagricultural experience

programs

in29specific areas.

However,

forthefirstyear,thefourfinalists ineacharea

were

selected "atlarge"

from

statewinners,instead ofbeingchosen

on

a regionalbasis.

The awards

presentations

were

split

between

theFriday

morning and

Friday eveningsessions,another

change from

previousyears.

What

didn't

change was

the anxietypresentintheairasthefinalistswaitedforthe resultsoftheir

Thursday

afternooninterviews.

Those who

heardtheir

names

announced

asnational

winners

received$500, aplaque,acashconventiontravel

award and an

invitationtoparticipateinthe1994

European

Travel Seminar.

Other

finaliststook

home

$250, aplaque

and

acashconventiontravelaward.

The

National

FFA Foundation

sponsorsineacharea

provided

fundsfortheawards.

National winners'

names appear

inboldfacedtype.

AGRICULTURAL ELECTRIFICATION

Sponsored by

theNational

Food and Energy

Council, Incorporated

and

the National

FFA Foundation General Fund

FLORIDA:J.J.Neel,Grand Ridge

GEORGIA:

Jason Howard,Newborn

NORTH CAROLINA:

BrianA.Baucom,Marshville VIRGINIA: MarkA.Coleman, SouthHill

AGRICULTURAL MECHANICS

MINNESOTA:

KyleMerkel,SpringValley

MONTANA:

TravisMcCool, ClydePark

AGRICULTURAL PROCESSING

Midland Company; Ag

ProcessingInc.;

and Supersweet Feed (AGP, LP.) ALABAMA:

PhillipCrowe,ValleyHead OHIO:JonMyers,Carey

PENNSYLVANIA:

MarkKornman,Linesville

WISCONSIN:

JasonE.Nilssen,ClearLake

AGRICULTURAL SALES AND/OR SERVICE

Ag

Products, Inc.;Northrup King

Company; and ZENECA Ag

Products

Group

CALIFORNIA: RandyMilligan,LakeIsabella

FLORIDA:DwayneMcQuillen,LakePlacid VIRGINIA:WilliamFarrar,SouthHill

WISCONSIN:

CraigDaniels,Montello

^'^^k _POULTRY _PRODUCTION _Ife^

— _MA _W

r ^{^A^ WH»} ^v ^{f^}

v.

DavidS.Moline

ofManson,

Iowa, enjoystheexhilaration of victoryon themainconvention stage.MolinewastheNationalPoultry Proficiency

Award

winner.

BEEF PRODUCTION

and

Pitman-

Moore,

Inc.

MISSOURI:JoePatrick,Sarcoxie

TENNESSEE:

RobertL.Pearman,Arthur

WASHINGTON:

ReedR.Wiswall, Pasco

WISCONSIN:

SheaGeffert.Reedsburg

CEREAL GRAIN PRODUCTION

Sponsored by

Kellogg

Company and Unocal 76

INDIANA:JustinDay,Middletown

KANSAS:

JeffBafhurst,Abilene

NEBRASKA:

MikeKoenig,Spencer OHIO:JohnSchudel,Metamora

DAIRY PRODUCTION

Sponsored by

AlfaLaval AgriInc.;

American Breeders

Service;

and

Calf

Manna® and Suckle®

mfg.

by Manna Pro

Corporation

CALIFORNIA:AdrianSilva,Turlock ILLINOIS:LucasClanton,MulberryGrove IOWA:CraigHarbaugh, Guttenberg

MINNESOTA:

Dennis Fronning,BattleLake

DIVERSIFIED CROP PRODUCTION

Sponsored by

Cargill

INDIANA:RobertChurchill,LakeVillage

KENTUCKY:

RyanWhite,Sturgis

OHIO:StephanieGompf,Cardington

WYOMING:

RichardRussell, Basin

16

mm

(17)

DIVERSIFIED LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

Company and

Livestock Marketing Association IDAHO:BrandiBott,Rupert

INDIANA:BenjiOrtman, Greensburg

KENTUCKY:

CraigBerry,Olmstead

NEBRASKA:

^BarryBenson,

Newman

Grove

FEED GRAIN PRODUCTION

TEXAS:

JamesPelzel, PilotPoint

WISCONSIN:

Matt Kuelz,Milton

FIBER CROP PRODUCTION

NORTH CAROLINA:

CaleLee,

Dunn TENNESSEE:

HenryJones,Finley

TEXAS:

JohnD.McFerrin, HaleCenter

FLORICULTURE

Ranch; American

Floral

Endowment;

and

Professional Plant

Growers

Association

FLORIDA:LouisTrivett,DeLand

NORTH CAROLINA:

LeeC.Bowen, Newport OHIO:Jennifer Lohrey,

Camden

TENNESSEE:

DonaldS.Hutson,ChurchHill

FORAGE PRODUCTION

Company

INDIANA:BradA. Hieber,

New

Haven LOUISIANA:Jeffery T.O'Neal,

Oak

Grove MISSISSIPPI:JasonLea,Sontag

WISCONSIN:

JoeSpeich,Reedsburg

FOREST MANAGEMENT

and

theNational

FFA Foundation General Fund

ALABAMA:

Wesley McCollum,Lineville

FLORIDA:JohnC. Davis,Cantonment

NORTH CAROLINA:

CharlesE.Keck,

Gibsonville

OREGON:

MelvinJ.Lardy,Buxton

FRUIT AND/OR VEGETABLE PRODUCTION

Sponsored by

Briggs

&

Stratton Corporation Foundation, Incorporated

MINNESOTA:

JoshuaErickson,Montevideo

NEW JERSEY:

DanielDilks,Bridgeton

OKLAHOMA:

JamesEsbenshade,Colbert

WISCONSIN:

PaulMcDowell, Montello

ijmmmmmm

jL .mm

Mm-

StmW

f

W^mmmM

m%

^*

AmyH.

Major,

Hickman,

Ky.,couldhardlybelieveit

when

she

was named

thenationalwinner

inOutdoorRecreation.

HOME AND/OR FARMSTEAD IMPROVEMENT

Sponsored by

theNational

FFA Foundation General Fund ALABAMA:

KentGipson,Collinsville ILLINOIS:RobertE.Brown, LeRoy

MONTANA:

RussellL.Evertz, Joliet

WISCONSIN:

RyanK.Engel,Reedsburg

HORSE PROFICIENCY

Sponsored by

EquicareDivisionof

Zoecon

Corporation

and

Justin

Boot Company

INDIANA:ChrisRottler,Loogootee IOWA: RyanStrand, Toddville

KANSAS:

TysonBuchman,^AltaVista

MINNESOTA:

MattFahey,BellePlaine

NURSERY OPERATIONS

and

ChryslerCorporation

— Dodge

Trucks INDIANA:Cherise Vance,

Waynetown

LOUISIANA:GehronP.Treme,DeRidder MISSISSIPPI:PhilipCarter,Pascagoula MISSOURI:JasonMossotti,Troy

OIL CROP PRODUCTION

Sponsored by

the

Chicago Board

of

Trade and FMC Foundation

FLORIDA:WilliamC.McDaniel,Grand Ridge INDIANA:EricL.Miller,Burlington IOWA:CoryDeJong,Montezuma

VIRGINIA:VictorW.SimmonsJr.,SouthHill

OUTDOOR RECREATION

Schrade

Cutlery;

and

O.F.

Mossberg and

Sons, Inc.

KENTUCKY: Amy

H.Major,Hickman

MINNESOTA:

Glenn Bundy,Spicer

MONTANA:

^PhillipBowers,Livingston

NORTH CAROLINA:

Patrick S.Wallace,Troy

PLACEMENT IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

and Pitman-Moore,

Inc.

IOWA: KaseyG.Kash,Charlotte MICHIGAN: ChadBenjamin, Webberville

NORTH CAROLINA:

ArnoD.Peterson, Roseboro

SOUTH DAKOTA:

Daniel Davis,Parker

POULTRY PRODUCTION

&

Wire

Company;

Schering-Plough Animal

Health;

and Chore-Time Equipment

of

CTB

Incorporated

and Hudson

Foods, Inc.

IOWA:DavidS.Moline,

Manson MINNESOTA:

Carol Kruse,Wabasso

NORTH CAROLINA:

JonathanB.Crumpler,

Salemburg

TENNESSEE:

Jay Rymer.OldFort

SHEEP PRODUCTION

Sponsored by

the

American Sheep

IndustryAssociation;

Kent

Feeds, ^Inc.;

and Evergreen

Mills

KANSAS:

AaronD.Abeldt,Hope

MARYLAND:

Robert0.Dinsmore, Jefferson MISSOURI:WesleyP.Carter,Norborne

MONTANA:

MathewR.Eckstein,Absarokee (Continued on page 18)

(18)

Proficiency Awards

^(Continued^from^{page 17)}

SOIL AND WATER MANAGEMENT

ALABAMA:

DwaynePhillips, Delta

KENTUCKY:

Scott Turpin,Richmond MISSOURI:MichaelAllen,Carthage VIRGINIA:

Wayne

Garber,Mt.Sidney

SPECIALTY CROP PRODUCTION

CENEX FOUNDATION and

Wilbur- Ellis

Company

NORTH CAROLINA:

TerryWilliams, Autryville

OHIO:JamesOgden,Hillsboro

TENNESSEE:

JasonA. Wright,Petersburg VIRGINIA:MarkB,Warren,SouthHill

TURF AND LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT

& Sons Company

INDIANA:

Chad

Thixton,Salem

MINNESOTA:

DarlKorthals,Pipestone

TENNESSEE:

JoeE.Hobbs,Bartlett

WISCONSIN:

DarrenMindham, Boscobel

SPECIALTY ANIMAL PRODUCTION

Sponsored by

PurinaMills, Inc.

;

American

Dairy

Goat

Association

and Country General

Stores

GEORGIA:

IsraelMelton,Ambrose MISSOURI:MelanieL.Nelson,Macon

TENNESSEE:

AnthonyCarver, Rogersville UTAH: BenIsaac, Payson

SWINE PRODUCTION

Sponsored by

PfizerInc. North

American Animal

HealthDivision IOWA:CoryD. Fehr,West Bend MISSOURI:HossD.Matthews,Norborne

OKLAHOMA:

RyanD. Sites,MountainView

WISCONSIN:

Kevin Lindow, Chili

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT

MINNESOTA:

JonFinnegan,Litchfield

OKLAHOMA:

ScottD.King,Morrison VIRGINIA: StephenM. Smith,Lacrosse

Computers in Agriculture

Foundation General Fund

National Winner:

LeeMerrick Bruneau, Idaho

Runner-up:

ShilohJennings StrawberryPoint,Iowa

National Finalists:

FLORIDA:KevinMims,Bushnell IDAHO:LeeMerrick,Bruneau

IOWA:ShilohJennings, Strawberry Point

NORTH DAKOTA:

RossLaframboise,Towner OHIO:KellyNewlon,

New

Lexington

OKLAHOMA:

KristyFord,Springer VIRGINIA:

Adam

Shiflett,Grottoes

WISCONSIN:

MariaLynnLulich,Mason

LeeMerrick(left)acceptsthe national

Computers

in Agriculture

award from

nationalofficerTravis Park.

The

Bruneau, Idaho,

FFA member

meritedaplaque

and

$750.

Computers

are asnecessaryfortoday's agriculture astractors

and

trade agree- ments,

and

the

Computers

inAgriculture

Award Program

recognizes

members who have

incorporatedthisimportant

advancement

intechnology.

Lee Merrick

was named

national

winner

ofthe

program

based

on

theinnovative application of

computers

inhisagricultural business.

He

usesspreadsheetsto

manage

his

greenhouse

operation

by

recordingexpenditures

and

income, planting dates

and growing

information.His records provideusefulinformationforplanning futurebusinessdecisions.

National runner-up Shiloh Jennings

developed

a user-friendly

program

tohelp dairyfarmers balancefeedrations.

He promotes

theuseof

computers

as a usefultool

on

today'sfamily dairyfarms.

The

eight

Computers

inAgriculturefinalists

were judged

based

on

their

know-

ledge

and

useofcomputers,

and

the benefits oftheirprojectsto

FFA and

agriculture.

Each

finalistreceived a$250 cashaward, with

an

additional$500forthe

winner and

$250forrunner-up. |—

I

wn

(19)

American FFA ^Degrees

Recognition program sponsored by American Cyanamid Company,

Agricultural Division; Farm Credit System; Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.; Case ^IH; and Na-Churs Plant Food Company

It

was

a

proud moment

forthe 1,276

American FFA Degree

recipients astheyeach crossedthestageFriday afternoontoreceivetheirkeys

and

certificates.

Proud

parents

and

advisorscheeredastheirstudents receivedthe organization'shighestdegree.

Earlierintheday,the recipients

were

treatedtoaluncheon, courtesyofNational

FFA Foundation

sponsors.

ALABAMA:

^ScottL. Butler,Cullman; MichaelS.

Carroll, Ider;MarkChandler,Fyffe;John M.

Clement, Athens; DavidJ.Gardner,Fruitdale;

JasonGist, Russellville;MattHaney,Athens;

JonathanB.Hester,SprucePine;RhondaM.

HoodStrickland,Chancellor;

Wayne

C. Lyles, Fyffe;BradMalone, Athens;MarkA.McClemore, Danville;JeremyK.McCormick,Danville;Jason Motley, Chancellor; Elizabeth M. Rush, Lineville;

ToddSeeley,Russellville;KimberlyD. Sorrells.

Hartford;ChrisD.Speck, Russellville;Kevin Stone,Russellville;JonathanVandiver, Tuscumbia;BrentWaters, Enterprise;Scott Woodall, Scottsboro

ARIZONA:

Aaron E. Ball,Tucson;RobertA.

ChiariniJr., Peoria;BrandonEichelberger, Peoria;GaryHill,Eagar;JeremyKerr,Buckeye;

JohnLarance, Glendale; Kevin Mathis,Peoria;

RobertOrona,Springerville;ValerieOsborn, Tacna;JonPasquinelli,Yuma:DougPitschJr.,

Tacna;TerraM.Rush,Wellton;EricSawyer, Arlington;MicahJ.Turner,Buckeye;Leroy Walker, Eagar;BobK.Wood,Buckeye;Rosalie V.Zimmerman,Kingman;AugustaM.

Zimmerman, Kingman

ARKANSAS:

^Larry A.Brewer, Fayetteville;

Jarrod G. Daniels,Paragould;DavidA. Dickey, CalicoRock; MattFlynt,Lonoke;TerryW.

Griffin, Paragould;CharlesH.Lee,Delight

;

RandyLingenfelter,Jonesboro;StevenD.

Mitchell. Pineville;WhitneyRatchford, Leslie:

JenniferL.Rhodes, Delight;KevinScarborough, Jonesboro;Jimmy L.Stanford. Rogers;Andy

Treat,Marshall

CALIFORNIA:MatthewActis,Tollhouse;

ColleenM. Aguiar,Livingston;Andrew

Argentieri,SantaMaria;BryanAshurst, Westmorland;NoahBarnes, Esparto;CheJ.

Barnes, Esparto; RichardBell,Gustine;Michael P.Bennett,Santa Rosa; TareeM. Bode, Sanger;

Greg Snyder

and

JeremySterzinger, both_ofSycamore,III.,received their

American FFA

DegreesinFriday'sceremony.Sterzinger earnedthedegreewithhisplacement

inproductionat

DeKalb

Genetics

and

a localhogfarm. Snyders'

SAE

involved swineproduction

and

agriculturalmechanics.

BarbaraA.Borklund. RowlandHeights:

ChristopherM. Cable.Julian;ShaneCalabro.

Gonzales;EdDaRocha, LeGrand;LoriDavis, Lemoore;Ted Dexheimer,Alpine;LarryDinis, Madera;

Wendy

Y.Dobbs, Lancaster;CorinnaL.

Durling, Fallbrook;CatherineL. East, Fallbrook;

Angela Edwards, Nipomo;DaynaL. English.

Nipomo; Joshua Fernandes,Tulare;JeffreyM.

Flores,Gustine; EricaFreire,ArroyoGrande:

Steven George,Calipatria;BrianaGeorge, Calipatria; KellieGomes,Tulare;Angela Gomes,Madera;JohnW.Gordon,Lemoore;

LorindaS.Graham, AppleValley;JohnK.

GreberJr.,ElkGrove; AlexGutierrez,Kingsburg;

JohnHack, Turlock; TravisD.Hagen,Chico;

TrishaL.Hall,AguaDulce;SusieHansen, Chowchilla;CoryL.Heckermann, Hemet;

Dawn

Howe,Janesville;Mathew Hunt,Visalia:

CourtneyHunt,Fullerton;Richard Hurtgen, Oakdale; CindyHutchison, Bodfish; Bridgette John,Shandon; JaimeK.Johnson,Chowchilla;

BrandonJones,Lemoore;Christina Kloster, Fresno;Michael Kroes,Tipton; LoriLaning, Corona;

Wendy

L. Lantsberger,Kernville;

Enrique Lares,Fullerton;ScottD.Layne, Turlock;AaronLeft,Fullerton; EricLimas, Tipton;MichaelJ.Limas,Tipton;CarlosA.

Lopez,Selma;ChristinaLopez.Fullerton;

RachelLopez,Fullerton:Joe Machado.^Tulare:

Kimberly M. Marcario, Colton;RoseMarecek.

Fullerton;Kevin McKinzie,Holtville;DebraD.

Mead,Chino;BryanJ.Mello,Hanford;Ramiro Mercado,Chowchilla;AnthonyMerten,Holtville;

SusanJ.Michl,SantaPaula;RandyMilligan, LakeIsabella;HarryNelsonJr., Holtville;Larry C.NicholsJr.,Eureka;Devin G.Nunes,Pixley;

WilliamD.NunesJr.,Gustine; TylerJ. Payne, Wildomar;John PerezJr.,Holtville: RyanD.

Petersen,Geyserville;LillyJ.Pimentel, Hanford;

WilliamT. Ponto,Vista:Lynn Porter,Petaluma;

KevinPotter,PasoRobles;RayS.ProckJr.,

Denair; Alfredo Quintero,Fullerton; EricJ.

Rawls,Los Banos;StephenN.Ray,Lemoore;

KaeleneReid,Hemet; JonathanD. Rickert,Fall RiverMills;TimRighetti,SantaMaria;Darren Ross,Imperial;LeonarSalcedo,Fullerton;

(Continued on page 20)

The 66th National FFA Convention - ROCEEDINGS