What do Harley's, the Apollo 13, and YF&R have in common??

What do Harley's, the Apollo 13, and YF&R have in common??

Well, you are about to find out--Welcome to the first part of my report on the YF&R National Conference in Orlando, Florida!  That's where Harley Davidson, Apollo 13 and the Young Farmer's and Rancher's of the American Farm Bureau come together.

First of all, we have to get to Orlando....this is how it went:

We left on the 3rd, after taking one kid to the doctor, getting the rest finished with school, packed and loaded, we headed for Utah to drop them off at their Aunt and Uncle's.  It was cold in Nevada it was colder in Utah.  On the way to the SLC airport the next morning at 5 am our time, the temperature began to drop even more--at -11 it was too cold for my camera to wake up and take the picture, so this was the coldest that I got a picture.  YAY!!!  WE ARE GOING TO FLORIDA!

After flying from SLC to Atlanta and then on to Orlando.  After a 40 minute shuttle we were finally there, at 9:00 pm, exhausted and ready to fall into bed, just one more long trek across the resort, around the lake, and FINALLY, we were there.  This picture shows the resort, where the convention center is, our rooms were far across the lake and back behind a few other buildings on the side the picture was taken from, so at least we got a lot of walking in!  And though it looks cloudy, it was about 78 with high humidity, so it was really nice weather.

But, on to the conference!!!

The National YF&R Conference started out bright and early on Saturday, February 5th, 2011 at the Coronado Springs Resort inside of Disney World, Florida.  And, that is where the Harley's come in.  Our keynote address entitled, "Make Some Noise: Open the Throttle and Dominate" came from Ken Schmidt, the former director of communications of Harley-Davidson.  He spear-headed the movement that took Harley-Davidson from the brink of bankruptcy and death to the top of the motorcycle industry. 

I have to say that I loved this address.  It was not something that you would think would relate so closely to agriculture, oh but it did, to the changing world and the way we need to present our industry to the world, and also how to get build membership and retain it. 

Ken pointed out key points to getting people's attention, having energy and enthusiasm about what we are doing and who are are.  He told us that no one is engaged to listen, they have to be engaged through something else (energy, enthusiasm, etc.) in order to want to listen.  Another key point that he made was that we need to get them talking about themselves, learn about them and really listen and then they will know that you actually care about them and they will be more willing to like you and listen to you in return.

Harley was days away from declaring bankruptcy in the mid '80's.  They had slipped to a place that no one thought they could recover from, and Ken gained invaluable insight from the tools they used to rebuild and come back on top.  They received input from their customers and potential customers and acted on it--they listened, they learned, they were excited about their product and gave everyone the chance to test-drive it and become excited about, asking for feedback and then putting the feedback to work for the customer.  Harley-Davidson is now run debt-free and selling bikes at twice what their competitors do because of the reputation and name they have built for themselves by knowing how to reach those out there that they might not have otherwise.

Another workshop I attended was this, "Speak Up, Speak Out" by AFBF Staff members, Jill Casten and Kyle Perry.  Jill came to Reno in December and did our State Board Training.  This workshop was more about learning to speak out about the concerns we face in agriculture and doing in the way that the general audience can better understand. In a lot of ways it focused on public speaking, learning ahead of time who our audience will be and preparing ahead to make it fit their level of knowledge about our topic and how to present to keep them interested.  They focused on a tool called 'mind-mapping' that maps out 3-5 main topics of the topic you are discussing and having subpoints, statistics and examples for each of the main points to better control the flow of the information and keep it from becoming more than your audience's attention can handle.  Most of all, they told us to 'tell them what we are going to tell them--tell them--and then tell them what we told them."  And then challenge them to do something with what you taught them.

On to the Spacier side of things......APOLLO 13

Okay, so here's where the Apollo 13 comes into it all--Our Closing Keynote Address on Saturday afternoon was Captain Jim Lovell, the astronaut who calmly and carefully commanded the Apollo 13 mission, even when all hope was lost of their survival, and was able to bring it back to earth with the help of 'teamwork and decisive leadership' from all involved.  I must say that it kind of blew my mind away to think about being out there in space, thousands of miles from the earth (I know it sounds ridiculous, but I am claustrophobic and the thought of being surrounded by all that darkness and space--well, I don't think I would do very well with that).  He said that it is pretty hard to fathom when you look back at the earth and you can cover it with your thumb.  He told the story of the Apollo 13, how it should have been a very routine trip, his third to the moon, one that the general public hardly had any interest in at this point.  But, unfortunately, some minor complications caused some major problems.  Captain Lovell is recognized as a national hero and has received many honors, including the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  We were so close to the Kennedy Space Center, though we didn't get there, that this really hit even closer to home.  What an amazing story.  In fact his address was called: "A Successful Failure: What Apollo 13 Teaches Us About Leadership, Action, and Excellence."

(Are you starting to see why I love these conferences so much?  And this was only day 1!!)

So, to sum it up here are a few more pics from our first day (Grant and I came one day early and spent part of it at Disney's Magic Kingdom, then met up with the Nevada delegation and had dinner at the Yachtsman's Steakhouse at the Disney's Yacht house Resort (?) ) Below is the first morning--warm, pleasant, but you could see the moisture floating in the air.

The NEvada Delegation.  The Farm Bureau's National Leadership Conference Precedes the YF&R's conference by two days and we overlapped with them for one.  This happens every other year as teh NLC conference is only held every two years.

So back to front and left to right:

Hank Combs (NV Pres), Doug Busselman (NV Exec VP) Jamie Perkins (NV YF&R Chair) Grant Perkins, Paul Mathews (NV VP) Pete Olsen III.

Bevan Lister (LC, NV Pres) Hannah Hardy, Alyssa O'Toole, Stacie Shcwandt (NV DM Winner) ShaRee Mathews, Lee Mathews.

(Not pictured: JoAnn Lister, Theresa Mathews, Michelle Olsen, Stephanie Licht (NV YF&R Coord) )

Orlando or BUST!!!!

You know, when I was a kid, I remember seeing those signs on the wagons in pictures of pioneers, headed across the plains that said: 'Oregon or Bust' or even on some crazy vehicle traveling down the road, and thinking to myself, what does that really mean? Now, as I have one day left to pack six people for six days and travel 4 hours to drop off kids, another 3 to the airport, and then across the US to sunny Florida,  I think I understand.  I'll get there or BUST in the process of trying, and I am trying, I am really looking forward to this trip.  Of course, major snow storms have shut down thousands of flights today and tomorrow, but hopefully, the impact to southern travel will continue to be fine (like I said, or BUST!)

 Anyway, the last couple of years have taught me something important about National YF&R Conferences--you do not go to them for a vacation (sniff, sniff, since I will be in Florida, I am definitely having twinges about all the things I would like to do, places I would like to see), but you also never leave them without so much more than you came with. 

 So, I am looking forward to this trip.  And, not just because we are staying at the Disney Coronado Springs Resort and there is a slight chance I might convince my hubby to hang out at DisneyWorld with me for a few hours on the only day we have that is partially free!  Every other year the National YF&R Conference overlaps the final day of the National Leadership Conference for Farm Bureau leaders from all of the states, so there are more workshops, more people, and even more to learn.  We jump (okay, we crawl, exhaustedly out of bed, cursing the alarm clock) out of bed each morning and hit the ground running.  We usually go all day, though between meals and snacks, we are refueled enough to come home a little bit heavier, too, in order to keep us going.  In the evenings we are beat, but full of new ideas, new friendships, and new goals for our state YF&R program.  We come home needing a vacation.  But, it will then be time to form reports and thank yous to the Board for the budget to send us and to let them know what we did that was really worth the money spent. 

 I can honestly say that the last few years I have gained leaps and bounds of better understanding how to promote and educate about agriculture, how to use technology do so, to tell the story of agriculture that I know and see around me.  I have learned about agriculture in various forms and states that I never dreamt of--I mean, really, I did not know that peanuts were a row crop, more like a bean than most nuts that grow from trees--thanks to Georgia Farm Bureau for educating me on that one!  One thing that is a huge highlight of the trip is the final day of tours, getting to see Ag production in the state that we are visiting.  It is so cool.  I know, how old am I, but I am very serious and very much looking forward to this year's tours.  I will hopefully be bringing back plenty of pic's to share and maybe even some video.  SO, I hope you are looking forward to my report (which will be up as soon as I have sufficiently recovered, got the kids back to normal schedules, and have the laundry started ;) ).

Oh, here is the schedule in case you want to know more about what we do there:
http://fb.org/programs/young/2010-11/2011-Leadership_Conference.pdf

Big Support for Nebraska Ag against HSUS from their Governor.....

Well, there was no way I couldn't share this--what an awesome story this is, from Nebraska Farm Bureau's Young Farmer and Rancher Conference.  In the fight to defend our nation's agriculture against the war being waged by the Humane Society of the United States to supposedly 'protect' the animals that our nations farmer's and rancher's are raising.  Though they have won battles in California's poultry industry with things like Prop 2, in 2008 and Arizona's hog farmers (few thought they were) with Prop 204 before that.  Legislation passed by a general public with very little understanding behind the reasoning for the animal confinement to smaller crates, etc., with the help of the hefty wallet of the HSUS, a lobbying agency backed by many vegan and anmial rights groups.  While there may be humane society's operating at local levels who care for the mistreated pets, and even livestock of their areas, DO NOT confuse them with HSUS and their alterior motives.

In fact, if you are on facebook--check out the 'Humanewatch' page and learn more!! http://www.facebook.com/HumaneWatch#!/HumaneWatch

And one last WAY TO GO GOVERNOR HEINEMAN!!  Thanks for your support of your state's Agriculture, it would be so nice to have more out there like you!

Gov. Heineman Tells YF&Rs "We'll Kick HSUS' Butt!"

.by Nebraska Farm Bureau on Friday, January 21, 2011 at 11:57am.

Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman reiterated his opposition to HSUS today in remarks at the Nebraska Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Conference in Lincoln and said if HSUS attempts to force legislation in Nebraska, it will get its butt kicked.

“You (HSUS) come to Nebraska and you’re going to have the fight of your life. If you think you can intimidate Nebraskans, you’re kidding yourself. I’ll organize the whole state if that’s what it takes.” Heineman said he would work nonstop if HSUS pushes a ballot initiative, to be sure all the state’s citizens understand HSUS’ agenda and what it would mean in a state where livestock is the leading industry. “And then I’ll go to every state in the nation,” he said: “You have to be willing to stand up for your principles” he told the young agricultural leaders at the conference.
“We’re a state of 1.8 million people. We know each other pretty well in this state and that’s an advantage we have. Lincoln and Omaha (the state’s largest cities) will look to you (farmers and ranchers) for leadership” regarding HSUS’s actions, the governor said.

“Money doesn’t always win elections. People win elections . We’ve got to have people at the grassroots. It will be important for you to use social media to connect with all Nebraskans,” he said, along with talking about HSUS in every conversation after church and in the coffee shop.

HSUS will not find a single elected official in Nebraska willing to stand up in support of HSUS, he said, down to the NRD level. “They’re tough, but we’re tougher.
“I went to Ranger School and I’ve faced lots of tougher opponents. If they want to engage in guerrilla warfare, I’ll teach ‘em a lesson. I’ll do everything I can to stop them.”
The YF&Rs expressed their appreciation to Gov. Heineman for his leadership on the HSUS issue.

Nevada Farm Bureau Picks up Honors at National Conference!

Fringe Beneftis of YF&R & Farm Bureau.....

Okay, well, you do have to work at it to earn these things, but they are quite a prize!! Congrats to all the YF&R Competitors at National AFBF this year and Good Luck to all those Collegiate Discussion Meet Winners who will be competing in Orlando next month--We'll see you there!!!

Young Farmers and Ranchers Take Top Honors

ATLANTA, January 10, 2011 – Winners of the Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award, Discussion Meet and Excellence in Agriculture competitions were announced today at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 92nd Annual Meeting. Young farmers and ranchers from around the country competed for the awards by demonstrating knowledge of and achievement in agriculture, as well as commitment to promoting the agriculture industry.

Paul and Monica Minzenmayer of Texas won the Achievement Award. They are the winners of a 2011 Dodge Ram pickup truck, courtesy of Dodge Ram. The Minzenmayers also received paid registration to attend the 2011 AFBF YF&R Leadership Conference, Feb. 5-7, in Orlando, Fla.

Runners-up in the Achievement Award contest include Matt DeBlock of Illinois, Steven and Richelle Bach of Kentucky, Brent and Susan Leggett of North Carolina and Brian Flowers of Tennessee. The runners-up each received a Case IH Farmall tractor, courtesy of Case IH.
The Achievement Award recognizes young farmers and ranchers who have excelled in their farming or ranching operations and exhibited superior leadership abilities. Participants are evaluated on a combination of their agricultural operation’s growth and financial progress, Farm Bureau leadership and leadership outside of Farm Bureau.
Colin Johnson of Iowa won the Discussion Meet. He will take home a 2011 Dodge Ram pickup, courtesy of Dodge, plus free registration to the 2011 AFBF YF&R Leadership Conference in February.

The three runners-up in the Discussion Meet are Daniel Martin of Mississippi, Charlee Doom of New York and Loni H. Rikard of South Carolina. Each runner-up received a $6,000 Savings Bond and a STIHL Farm Boss chainsaw, both courtesy of STIHL.
The Discussion Meet simulates a committee meeting in which active discussion and participation are expected. Participants are evaluated on their ability to exchange ideas and information on a predetermined topic.
Chris and Jennie Simms of Virginia won the Excellence in Agriculture Award. They received a 2011 Dodge Ram pickup, courtesy of Dodge, and free registration to the YF&R Leadership Conference.
The three runners-up in the Excellence in Agriculture competition are Brian and Dacia Brown of Illinois, Ken and Malissa Schentzel of Minnesota and Shawn and Vanessa Duren of Tennessee. Each runner up received a $6,000 Savings Bond and a STIHL Farm Boss chainsaw, courtesy of STIHL.
The Excellence in Agriculture Award recognizes young farmers and ranchers who do not derive the majority of their income from an agricultural operation, but who actively contribute and grow through their involvement in agriculture, their leadership ability and participation in Farm Bureau and other organizations.

Spirit of the American West....

Okay, so there are millions of Americans that have a romanticized view of the American West, one that involves the mustang as the epitome of grace and beauty.  Oh, how misled these poor people can be.  Have you seen some of the mangy, scrawny horses running around this state?  Now, don't get me wrong.  I was raised in the west, we have always loved spotting mustangs as much as elk and deer and other wildlife.  It can definitely be a treat, even picturesque to see them in the wild.  I grew up to the stories of my dad and grandpa chasing wild horses.  My grandpa lost the tip of his middle finger while trying to end a dispute with a friend as to the age of the mustang they had caught in one of the many mustang 'traps' that were set up along the springs in the surrounding hills.  Some of these even became favorite pets.  My husband's family always talks about his dad's favorite horse as being a mustang he and his brothers had caught, broke and loved for years to come. 

So, why I am on this subject anyway?  Well, I have been trying to come up with an idea of what to take to Orlando, for the National YF&R Conference for our Silent Auction.  Every year, each state is asked to donate two items that would be auctioned off, the proceeds going to the Heritage Foundation to benefit Agricultural Literacy programs.  So, I have been trying to decide what to take.  My mom is able to get some pretty great framed pictures at wholesale prices, and some of them are western scenes, more specifically, some of them are depictions of 'wild horses'.  So, I thought that these would definitely be something that could 'represent' Nevada in the auction--though, at the same time, I am not sure that I want to glorify them and make that the representation of Nevada.  I would much rather educate about them, and the damage that results from their mismanagement to the rangeland of the west.  The pictures here are some that I took in 2009 after some great rains had brought to life the vegetation in the summer, after a very dry spring. 

The result was beautiful.  The lupine, the globemallow, phlox, all kinds of wildflowers, were out in full force.  They blanketed the land in carpets of orange and purple.  But, that also meant that there was nothing left of the good quality grasses and legumes.  The horses have done severe damage in these ares.  These areas are all outside of the fence line that surrounds our family's rangeland.  I wish I could have taken a picture or two that depicted how strong the contrast really was.  On the inside, these plants show up occasionally, bu the grasses were stronger and more plentiful. 

On the outside, the only sign of grass was cheat grass, maybe some foxtail.  The horses run rampant outside of the fence lines.  They have destroyed precious feed.  On the inside, my grandpa's management practices, along with some of the BLM's, have supported the growth of the grasses, forbs and legumes, to the best of their ability amidst the years of drought.  I have seen the crested wheat (a medium tall grass) reach heights of almost tall grass status when the rains fall in the right season, turning the land almost into meadows. 

The Indian Rice Grass, Gamma Grass, and Wheat Grasses are hard to find outside of the fence lines.  In just a short drive that day, we saw two separate herds of mustangs, of about 6-9 head per herd.  The icon of the American West, is destroying one of the American West's most important resources.  So, when people oooh and aaah over the mustang, I tend to struggle, though, as a horse lover, I still enjoy the occasional sighting--occasional being the key word.  Management would be the other key word.  I guess it all goes back to the joke that we need to let the Nevada Division of Wildlife manage the horses and the BLM manage the wildlife. ;)
So, I will still probably use the pictures for the auction, they can still be representatice of Nevada, as long as we are working to educate and inform and progress teh issue, hopefully someday, it will be at a manageable level, that we can actually be proud of here in the west.

Lupine and Globemallow cover the ground, due to overpopulation of mustangs, the land has been over-grazed and there are no desirable grasses or feed left in this area.  Fires have passed through here, and without proper management, or reseeding, the results is a somewhat pretty, but very unproductive and useless land.

Do You Have What It Takes??

Agriculture is an industry that is often like a roller-coaster ride.  When I was a kid, I loved, loved, loved amusement parks.  Roller-coasters about did me under, though.  Which means, I would force myself to get on them, put my head down in my lap, and SCREAMMMMMM the whole ride.  As I got a bit older, the fear edged in while I stood in line, and disappeared after the first major drop and then it was all fun from there.  Maybe I was a bit of an adrenaline junkie. ;)  As a mom, I am not so eager to risk my life, and am a little more fond of stability.  Of course, as I watch the world around me, the ups and downs of farming and ranching I sometimes wonder how it is that those framers and ranchers are able to hang in there, year after year, roller coaster ride after roller coaster ride.  And don't get me wrong, they don't all hang in there.  But, I think that the majority of them ride the ride until they can no longer afford the ticket.  They usually don't give up until they have given everything. 

I guess I have been thinking about this a lot lately because my Grandpa is turning 82 next week.  We live on his cattle ranch, and from the time I was a little kid, he has been one of my heroes.  He is a true cowboy of the American west.  He was riding the range from the time he was about 10 years old.  He shot his first deer at 12 years-old while herding cows around Barclay, Nevada and took it into camp that night to share with the other cowboys.  He spent his summers driving cows and catching mustangs.  As a young man he had a lucrative business herding milk cows from town to pasture each morning and then back again each evening.  He worked off of the ranch as much as he could to become independent enough to ranch full-time, around which time he started his pure-bred herd, in the 50's.  At the time he also acquired 20 sections of rangeland on the Eastern edge of Lincoln County.  Over the years, through excellent management practices, he increased his allotment from 360 to 490 head of cattle. This past year, he has cut back his breeding program, no longer using artificial insemination because of the time and effort that goes into it.  Just recently he told me that he plans to sell off half of his herd this year.  15 years ago, I could barely keep up with him as I spent the summers trying.  When we headed in for lunch, I would be dozing off while he was still driving.  When it was time to head back to the fields, I was thinking, oh, please, just a short nap? ;)  The past couple of weeks, as the snow came and the temperatures plummeted, I would think of him often and worry about him trying to get the cows fed and the calves healthy while his hired-hand is gone more days than not with family problems, and while his best friend's wife suffered a sever stroke, taking his best friend away, and leaving my Grandpa to watch for his small herd, too.  I worried daily when the rains came steadily for a week about the calves that were coming.  Praying constantly that they wouldn't be overly stressed from it all.  They made it through and did well.  So far, the cold isn't stopping them either.  (Yes, he does all of his calving from end of November to end of January).  My uncle is there as much as he can be between his full-time jobs and voluntary positions, his son helps when he's not in school.  I am constantly offering to do more, but he never wants to burden anyone else, especially since I have my kids to take care of.  So, while the roller coaster ride may be slowing down, he will continue to ride the ride.  I don't think that he knows any other way.  The farmers in Florida who have lost thousands of acres of sweet corn and green beans to freezes in 2010 are so much the same.  Those farmers who face drought, flood, inflation, deflation, hail, pests, and whatever else may hit them, are also the same.  There is something in them that keeps them going--a dedication to the lifestyle, a love of the land, of their produce, and knowledge of the important role they play in supporting not only themselves, but our nation and even world.  Is it in the genes, is it inborn?  Is it something that they gain along the way?  Why would someone face those ups and downs year after year.  I remember memorizing the FFA creed years ago, and one thought sticks out 'I believe that to live and work on a good farm, or to be involved in other agricultural pursuits is pleasant as well as challenging, for I know the joys and discomforts of agricultural life and hold an inborn fondness for those associations, which even in hours of discouragement, I cannot deny.'

Okay, so one last thing I wanted to share.  Recently I was told the story a a sheep and potato farmer from Australia that is the epitome of having what it takes and not giving up, though it comes in the form of his winning an incredible ultra-marathon, the ability to do so came from the years and years of having what it takes to keep his family farm going.  Here's the story:

An Unlikely Competitor

Cliff Young.  Every year, Australia hosts 543.7-mile (875-kilometer) endurance racing from Sydney to Melbourne. It is considered among the world's most grueling ultra-marathons. The race takes five days to complete and is normally only attempted by world-class athletes who train specially for the event. These athletes are typically less than 30 years old and backed by large companies such as Nike.

In 1983, a man named Cliff Young showed up at the start of this race. Cliff was 61 years old and wore overalls and work boots. To every one's shock, Cliff wasn't a spectator. He picked up his race number and joined the other runners.
The press and other athletes became curious and questioned Cliff. They told him, "You're crazy, there's no way you can finish this race." To which he replied, "Yes I can. See, I grew up on a farm where we couldn't afford horses or tractors, and the whole time I was growing up, whenever the storms would roll in, I'd have to go out and round up the sheep. We had 2,000 sheep on 2,000 acres. Sometimes I would have to run those sheep for two or three days. It took a long time, but I'd always catch them. I believe I can run this race."
When the race started, the pros quickly left Cliff behind. The crowds and television audience were entertained because Cliff didn't even run properly; he appeared to shuffle. Many even feared for the old farmer's safety.
The Tortoise and the Hare
All of the professional athletes knew that it took about 5 days to finish the race. In order to compete, one had to run about 18 hours a day and sleep the remaining 6 hours. The thing is, Cliff Young didn't know that!
When the morning of the second day came, everyone was in for another surprise. Not only was Cliff still in the race, he had continued jogging all night.
Eventually Cliff was asked about his tactics for the rest of the race. To every one's disbelief, he claimed he would run straight through to the finish without sleeping.
Cliff kept running. Each night he came a little closer to the leading pack. By the final night, he had surpassed all of the young, world-class athletes. He was the first competitor to cross the finish line and he set a new course record.
When Cliff was awarded the winning prize of $10,000, he said he didn't know there was a prize and insisted that he did not enter for the money. He ended up giving all of his winnings to several other runners, an act that endeared him to all of Australia.
Continued Inspiration

In the following year, Cliff entered the same race and took 7th place. Not even a displaced hip during the race stopped him.

Cliff came to prominence again in 1997, aged 76, when he attempted to raise money for homeless children by running around Australia's border. He completed 6,520 kilometers of the 16,000-kilometer run before he had to pull out because his only crew member became ill. Cliff Young passed away in 2003 at age 81.
Today, the "Young-shuffle" has been adopted by ultra-marathon runners because it is considered more energy-efficient. At least three champions of the Sydney to Melbourne race have used the shuffle to win the race. Furthermore, during the Sydney to Melbourne race, modern competitors do not sleep. Winning the race requires runners to go all night as well as all day, just like Cliff Young.

(You can do a  search for videos and more info on Cliff Young, this article came from: http://www.elitefeet.com/the-legend-of-cliff-young )