Nevada FB Annual Meeting--Welcome BBQ & Day 2

NVFB President Hank Combs

Hank Combs of RC Farms and Recycling in Las Vegas, Nevada is the Nevada Farm Bureau President, and after formal election at the end of the annual meeting, he will continue to remain our PResident for another year.  Hank does a great job and has a lot of work coming up--winter is a busy time for Farm Bureau (why?  Well, what better time for farmer's to get together than the cold season when the crops are dormant--it may not work for everyone, but that is when the majority of Farm Bureau's big events are held.  In December he heads to Washington D.C. to meet with the Presidents of the rest of the States' Fram Bureaus, in January it is on to the Annual American Farm Bureau Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, and then February brings the Farm Bureau's National Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida. A lot of time and effort goes into serving in the Farm Burea, but there is a lot of pay-off as you see the results of the work you do trying to educate about and preserve such an important industry.

Welcome to Winnemucca from Humboldt FB County President, Arlow Nielsen

Welcome to Winnemucca from their Mayor, Di An Putnam

Lincoln County Members (I am not prejudice, just from there, too, so they are the lucky group that got my camera's flash)

Jule Wadsworth, Secretary/Treasurer, JoAnn and Bevan Lister, Co. President, and Paul Mathews, State Vice President.

Welcome to Nevada Farm Bureau Policy.....

Voting Delegate Session

Doug Busselman is our Executive Vice-President at Nevada Farm Bureau and our key lobbyist.  He is always on top of what is happening in Nevada legislation in regards to agriculture or what should be happening and helping to keep us in-tune so that we will have the policy in place to protect or promote our needs.

Our current policy is shown on the screen during the delegate session with any proposed changes, so that we are able to read and discuss it as a delegation.  County Farm Bureau's are given voting delegates based on the number of voting membership that their county has.  A month or two before state meeting we are assigned several areas of policy for each county to very closely look at and see if there are changes to be made.  The proposals are then brought together at the Open Resolutions meeting which is usually held by video conference several weeks before the state meeting.  By the time we meet for state meeting it has all come together for the voting delegation to meet and decide on.

President Combs, and Vice President Paul Mathews, run the delegate session.  Which progressed very quickly and efficiently at this meeting.  Changes are discussed and voted on then added or excluded, while Doug types them all up in order to put them all together in our policy book.  You can find current policy on our webpage at nvfb.org

And, I figured I had better show the other side, too, the delegates!  Don't let them fool you, if the right policy subject comes up, they can be a VERY lively group!

Lincoln County Delegates, Jule W. Bevan and JoAnn L.

Did I Mention the Food??



Matt Scramlin, of AFBF, was in town for our state meeting from his home in Virginia.
Here he is visiting with State FFA Officer Kadee Buckmaster, and Craig and Marlene Shier of Humboldt County.  Marlene is the Vice Chair for the Women's Leadership Committee and was instrumental in helping put on the meeting in her home county.



One thing about Farm Bureau Meetings is that you never go without good food.  As the people who produce the food, we know what is good and we always have plenty of--Oh, and if you have never had the Tri-Tip that Winnemucca's FFA Chapter can cook, well, you are missing out!  They sponsored our Welcome BBQ the first night, and with the help of the NV FFA State Officers, did an excellent job of serving it, too!

YF&R Members at the State Meeting.  The State FFA offers us a great opportunity for recruitment and so we try to involve them each year in our annual meeting and Discussion Meet.  Here are Three current officers, Jordan, Aly, and

The Silent Auction....

Each year a silent auction is held and county's are asked to bring donations for the auction--a couple of items that represent their county or agriculture or just fun stuff they know others will be interested in.  Over the course of the meeting people browse the selection, placing bids, trying to bid items up for others, and sometimes getting quite competitive.  At the end of the meeting the bids are closed and the winners are announced.  The money raised is divided between the Women's Leadership Committee, The Heritage Foundation and the YF&R.  So thanks for all who support it!!  And, I must say that I am really enjoying my chokecherry jelly and hot pads!

Just a couple more odds and ends......

I took a couple pic's just to show the people and what was going on--the final one is President Combs with our newest addition at the Farm Bureau office in Sparks, Zach Allen, who does all of our media coordination and technical stuff like the website and the journal, etc.  This was his first meeting with us and we are so glad he survived to start getting ready for the next!



Thank a Farmer/Rancher for Thanksgiving Feasts.....

Thanksgiving Dinner at My Home....

Well, Remember I told you in my post about the annual meeting in Winnemucca that I had gotten my potatoes there?  Here's the proof!  I had to show my kids the bag and the map and show them how I had traveled from the far right, closer to the bottom, all the way up and over to the star.  They thought it was pretty cool. (So did I ;) )  Anyway, they made for some GREAT mashed potatoes!   So, thanks to Winnemucca Farms and all of the nations potato producers, potatoes are a staple of life that I just can't even imagine life without--we normally eat Sunday dinner with my grandparents and my uncles family, and if there is one thing that is the highlight of dinner, it is the mashed potatoes and gravy.  We had a lot of things going on this fall and had to miss it several times in a row, which just about did my six-year old under, he missed Grandma's mashed potatoes. 

So, I decided I would take a few pic's of some of the things on our table this year and express my thanks for the bountiful harvest that we have in this nation due to the hard-working agriculturists that are the backbone of the country!

Dinner Rolls.....

I don't know about your family, but my family is very big on dinner rolls, with butter and jam, dipped in gravy, stuffed as a sandwich, whatever.  We like our breads and carbohydrates--I usually stick to whole wheat, but when it comes to dinner rolls we have to have basic white, soft and yummy!  I made about 9 dozen this year for Thanksgiving.  My kids thought I was crazy for making so many--I guess they aren't counting how many they eat!  So, to all the wheat growers in our nation, and those dairies producing the cream for that sweet cream butter--thank you for helping make my Thanksgiving Wonderful!  I enjoyed learning more about Winnemucca Farms' wheat production, also--I make about 12-16 loaves of multi-grain whole wheat bread every two weeks, so wheat is a very important part of my storage room.

My FIRST Turkey!

Well, I have to say that I kind of shock myself in this category--I love to cook, BUT I have never had to cook a whole turkey before--always had mom or grandma or my mom-in-law there, but not this year, so my sis-in-law and I muddled through it--from the pic, I'd say we did okay--from the taste, I'd say we ought to start our own catering business!  Okay, so I am maybe a little out of control, but it was pretty great.  Thanks to all those poultry producers our there--this 24 lb bird came from the Butterball plant in Utah, close to my sis-in-law's.  They wanted to get the 48 lber--YIPES--where in the world would we have cooked it?  And to think there are people out there adopting them, instead of letting them come to their full-potential on a Thanksgiving table--I know if I was a turkey, I definitely wouldn't mind it if I ended up looking this good! ;)

Cheesy Broccoli Bake

Okay, so this was a new one that I found and loved--and at the request of many, I will be adding the recipe to my personal blog over the next few days--so, if you are interested, let me know!  (Broccoli, Red Peppers, Cheddar and Cream Cheese, Fried Onions, More thanks go out to the veggie producers out there that keep us filled up on vitamins and flavor!)

SWEET CORN!

Straight from my garden to my freezer, with only a little parching and cutting off in between.  So, this time I get to thank ME for the hours of planting, watering, and weeding, not to mention the work of harvesting and freezing 30 quart bags of corn this year--should have been double that, but we had a hard time not eating it straight off the cob until we had about made ourselves sick and we finally decided to freeze some for later!!

A Few Past Salads....

Fruit and vegetables and pasta and more thanks to all of those great things that American farmers put on our table that just make Thanksgiving dinner so memorable and worth all the work for one meal a year!

Sweet Potato Better Than Pie?

This is one of those dishes that should be served as dessert--it is filled with butter and sugar and topped with pecans and coconut, and so good that you would never dream you might be eating a vegetable in there!  Our cousin has requested now that I make this every time he comes to visit, and I really do think that he skipped the pie because he ate so much of this!!

Well, I honestly can't believe that I didn't take any pictures of the pie!  Pecan, Coconut Cream, Hawaiian Cream, Chocolate Cream, Pumpkin, Key Lime, and Cheesecake all graced the dessert table--what would life be like without our dairy products and our SUGAR!?!?!?!  I also toured a pecan farm last year at national YF&R which really opened my eyes up to where nuts come from on a production-basis.  From sea to shining sea, our nation is covered with a bountiful harvest thanks to the American Farmer and Rancher!  I am thankful for their dedication and hard work in making this industry one that provides so much for our nation and others!

Hope you all had a FABULOUS THANKSGIVING, too!

Nevada FB Annual Meeting--Day 1 THE TOUR!

Winnemucca Farms Inc., Winnemucca, NV

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

Day One of the Nevada Farm Bureau's Annual Meeting began with a Tour of Agriculture in Humboldt, County, which meant a trip to Winnemucca Farms, the 2nd Largest Potato Producers in the United States.  (Did you know that Nevada produced so many potatoes?)  The land is very, very sandy here, and of course, the wind was blowing pretty bad this day, so you can see the haze across the valley, but the sandy soils mean great potatoes--which those of you, like me, who have tried to grow them in much heavier soils would envy.

This is just one of their on-site storage facilities that is currently holding seed-potatoes for the coming year.  They do grow a lot of their own potato seed, in fact, the have about 1700 acres in production in Orvada that is mainly for seed, but still buy some, too, and so what kind of potatoes they produce often depends on the availability of seed.

Our tour was conducted by this guy-and I cannot recall his name, so you'll have to forgive me that, but he is the current manager of the operation.  The picture to the left is of the air-cooling system for the storage barns, on the wall to the left are several large fans pushing air into the building.  Temperatures have to be controlled, because the potato heaps begin to produce their own heat and can cause temperatures of up to 100 degrees in a day, even when outside temps are twenty below.

Winnemucca Farms has about 20,000 acres in production right now, in three locations, this site is their largest, with around 15,000.  The have 112 irrigation pivots, ran off of 53 wells, with around 35,000 acre feet of water.  That also means that there is close to 75 miles of water pipeline running through their land.

Bob Combs, President of RC Farms in Las Vegas, wanted to take this picture for me so that I had proof I was actually there--Otherwise, I am usually always behind the camera.  This computer screen shows their irrigation set up--at anytime they can click on any one of the 'pivots' on the screen and pull up a control panel for that pivot, they can also see what direction the pivot is facing, whether it is running, how much pressure it is using, etc.  Pretty amazing!!

It wasn't horribly cold, but that wind sure could blow!  It was worth standing in to learn about the farm.  Unfortunately, we were not able to go into the processing plant because the manager was in China for meetings with the company that owns Winnemucca Farms, RD Offut.  Their processing plant does a lot of things like hash browns and french fries that are frozen and sold.  They sale a large amount of potatoes to Frito Lay for Chips, to Wal-Mart, and to a dehydrating plant in Winnemucca that turns them into flakes--their largest buyer is a producer of fish feed in Asia.

Our Youngest, Young Farmer and Rancher on the tour was not really thrilled about the wind or the tour--maybe someday!

I have to say that it is pretty impressive to see this much equipment on one farm--okay, one VERY large farm.  Oh, wait, did I forget to mention that they (Meaning owners, RD Offut) have the largest ownership of John Deere dealerships in the US?  Well, amongst quite a few other large and profitable businesses.  So, when their farms have issues, they go to John Deere for solutions, and when John Deere comes out with new tractors--well, guess who gets to try them out?  I didn't get a picture of the shop-but from the size of it it looks like they have their own mechanics shop and tire dealership to keep them running, too.

So, Winnemucca Farms not only produces lots and lots of potatoes, but they also have Alfalfa, Timothy, and Wheat on the premises.  Some of us might think this bag was stuffed full of silage--well, we would be wrong, it is full of 15,000 bushels of wheat kernels.  This is their first year storing in the bags, so they say it is a huge learning process for them that they are taking one step at a time, but due to shutdowns in transports on the Columbia River, they decided to look for new options in selling and storing their wheat and this is what they found.  There are 650,000 bushels of wheat on the premises in bags, and another 250,000 in a storage unit in Winnemucca.  They plant winter and harvest the end of summer, and say their biggest problem is getting the over 7,000 acres of wheat cut with higher than 7% moisture content.  In one week the content plummets and that is too short of time for them to get it all harvested.  (By the way, if you think in pounds and not bushels, think of 60 lbs per bushel--that's a little bit of wheat! Don't have a calculator handy, okay, I'll tell you--54,000,000 pounds.)

So, while I have to say I was a bit disappointed by missing the processing plant (Hey, I got up at 4 am and drove over 6 hours to get there in time for it!)--I really, really enjoyed the chance to go on the tour and learn so much.  I am definitely proud of Nevada Ag and it's potatoes, wheat and hay--all this time and I never knew until we started planning this meeting a year ago and looked into the potato farm as a potential tour.  A few weeks ago on my way to Las Vegas we stopped at the Chevron in Alamo and above the Frito Lay chip stand was a sign with someone from Winnemucca farms, and information proudly telling that Frito Lay gets their potatoes form them!  I think we could use a few more of those signs throughout the state and help Nevadans see and appreciate Nevada Ag a little more.

Oh, and in case you haven't ate any Frito Lay chips lately, I did buy two bags of Winnemucca Farms potatoes from Wal-Mart before I headed home--I'll let you know how our mashed potatoes turn out for Thanksgiving Dinner!

A Little Glimpse of Lincoln County

So, life has been crazy for awhile, and to be honest, my YF&R duties have been low to the bottom of the totem pole.  But, as I am trying to get back on track and get prepared for state convention, I am working to get the blog update and have useful or informative links on it.  If anyone is interested in sharing what is happening in their end of the state, or what their involvement in Agriculture is, I would love to share it on here--just send me an email and let me know and we'll work it out. 

The other day I had the chance to pull out my camera, and though I am an amateur photographer, I love, love , love taking pictures, and one of my favorite subjects happens to be the beautiful Meadow Valley of Lincoln County, that I call home.  My family helped settle this valley in the late eighteen hundreds, and has been here ever since.  The pictures are some that I took over the past week--amazing how incredibly beautiful the valley is for this time of year, how lush and green it is, considering the unusual and wonderful amounts of moisture we have received.  I hope you enjoy some of them as much as I do.  This is the land that I love, and agriculture is such a huge part of that--the cows in the background of some are my Grandpa's herd of Black Angus. He started his angus breeding program here in the late fifties, and will be turning 82 in January. Out feeding cows every morning, baling hay in the middle of the night or whenever the dew is right, calving during below zero temperatures of winter, he does what he loves though he says every day that he is not sure if he can keep it up--I don't think he could live without it.  He goes hand in hand with this land. 

 The spring is our community swimming hole, and with water temperatures in the high 70's to low 80's, it is often used year round by some who are braver than others.  My kids were still swimming there just a couple of weeks ago .  At one time the spring was the community's drinking water, along with being  alarge source of irrigation water as it is piped through the valley.  In the picture with the horse, you can see the steam rising from the stream of water that flows from one of these pipes about a quarter of a mile away. 

 As a former FFA/4-H Range 'Geek', I love grasses and plants.  Intermediate Wheat, Great Basin Wheat, Crested Wheat, are all found around are area.  Indian Rice grass happens to be my favorite, but I had been wanting to snap a picture of this intermediate in the morning sunlight as we pass it each day on the way to school and back. Golden wheat fields are somewhat an icon of american agriculture.

Across the road from the spring in Panaca is somewhat marshy, and used mainly for pasture, the Yerba Mansa isn't a really beneficial plant to have around, but it is really pretty this time of year as it starts to turn red.

 This picture was more of a quick shot just to show how incredibly green the country is at the end of October.  This is also shows more of the irrigation lines from the spring, being used throughout the valley.

One of the Mathews cornfields with a view of the trees and what we call 'Court Rock' in the center of town, and the cedar covered hills beyond.

The drastic contrast that is often foun in Nevada, lush green bottoms with dry, deserts around the edges.  Lincoln County's main agriculture production is hay and cattle. 

This hay would have been really high in protein after the last couple months of very mild temperatures, not too hot and not too cold, but it has been to wet to cut and the last few days have started to bring heavy frost, so it will most likely end up being grazed over the winter, instead of being cut and baled.  Sometimes with hay production you just can't seem to win--too wet, too dry, not long enough of a season, just get it down and it rains, you just get a deal to sell and then the stackyards get poured on the day before it's supposed to go.  Every once in awhile you might get it grown, cut, dried, baled, and sold without a problem from the weather, but that's only if the swather runs, the baler doesn't die, and then you still have to or three more times to try and do it agian that year.  Makes you tired just thinking about it, doesn't it.  Ah, but it sure smells good when it's just been cut. ;)

This pivot is in what we call our 'front yard.'  We joked with my grandpa when he put it in that if we could get a rainbird on the end of it we wouldn't have to water our front lawn.  It's a little bit further than that from our house, but it goes on from field to field through the valley, giving us a pretty wonderful view from the front of our house.  The trees and shops that you can see through the bottom corner of the pivot are where the main corrals and shops are for the farm.  My great-great grandpa first bought that piece of land when it was nothing but sagebrush.

Some fun and interesting farm facts.....

I found this Ag in the classroom link and thought that it was really neat and fun.  It has timeline facts about farming life in the US, such as when electricity came to the first farms and etc.  So, if you have a minute, or you might find it handy for using as teaching or sharing tools, here it is!  I am also going to add the ag in the classroom webpage to our blog's links!
http://www.agclassroom.org/gan/timeline/index.htm

NEVADA FARM BUREAU STATE MEETING INFO!

2010 Nevada Farm Bureau Annual Meeting Agenda

Winnemucca Convention Center, 50 W Winnemucca Blvd, Winnemucca, NV 89445 775-623-5071

Thursday, November 18, 2010

10:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Registration, Submit Silent Auction Items to Marlene Shier (Co FB’s please bring 4 items) – West Hall Corridor

12:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. US Foods Potato Plant – Caravan to plant at One Potato Rd (Tour Departs from Wmca. Convention Center @ 12:00pm)

Chamber of Commerce “Walking Tour of Winnemucca” – Maps provided

Vendors/Exhibitors may set up displays - West Hall Corridor

4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m COUNTRY Financial – “Passing the Farm to the Next Generation,” Plans & Strategies - Wmca. Mtn.

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Silent Auction / WLC Video Contest –– Main Pine-Sonoma Rooms

Silent Auction Proceeds Benefit Heritage Foundation, Women’s Leadership, YF&R Committee

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Evening Social – “Women In Mining” Bartenders, Washoe County Farm Bureau Host - West Hall Corridor

Entertainment: (Tentative) - Main Pine-Sonoma Rooms (Possible Jam Session After Dinner?)

7:00 p.m. Lowry FFA Welcome Barbeque – West Hall – Main Pine-Sonoma Rooms

KICKOFF ADDRESS – Troy & Stacy Hadrick, “Discovering Your Influential Power” – Main Pine-Sonoma Rooms
Friday, November 19, 2010

7:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. Women’s Breakfast Buffet & Committee Meeting – All ladies invited - Mt. Tobin Room

7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. Registered Attendees Coffee & Donuts; Vendors/Exhibitors may set up displays – West Hall Corridor

8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Registration, Submit Silent Auction Items to Marlene Shier – West Hall Corridor

8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. Open Resolutions: County Farm Bureau Vice Presidents Meet – Wmca. Mountain Room

9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Friday Workshop I – Everyone Meets together: - Main Pine-Sonoma Rooms

. Advocates for Agriculture Troy & Stacy Hadrick, “How to Face the Real Enemy of Agriculture”

9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Break – Visit Vendor Information Displays - West Hall Corridor

10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Friday Workshop II – Everyone Meets together: - Main Pine-Sonoma Rooms

Matt Scramlin AFBF, and NVFB Team - “November ELECTION 2010 – Taking Charge”
10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Break – Visit Vendor/Exhibitor Information Displays - West Hall Corridor

11:00 a.m. – Noon Gn’l Session – Welcome - NVFB President, WLC/YF&R, Heritage Foundation, AITC, Ag Council Reports – Main Pine-Sonoma Rooms

Noon - 1:00 pm Lunch – Hosted by COUNTRY Financial, Update from COUNTRY Financial – Main Pine-Sonoma Rooms
1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Break – Visit Vendor/Exhibitor Information Displays- West Hall Corridor

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Voting Delegate Session – County Farm Bureau Voting Delegates – Wmca. Mountain/Mt Tobin Rooms
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Afternoon Snacks – Visit Vendor/Exhibitor Information Displays - West Hall Corridor

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Silent Auction / WLC Video Contest – Main Pine-Sonoma Rooms
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. YF&R Discussion Meet – Preliminary Rounds – Wmca. Mountain/Mt Tobin Rooms

5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Evening Social – “Women In Mining”Bartenders, Washoe County Farm Bureau Host - Main Pine-Sonoma Rooms

6:30 p.m. AWARDS Dinner – Main Pine-Sonoma Rooms

Awards Recognizing Volunteers, County Programs, WLC Awards & Video Winners - Main Pine-Sonoma Rooms

YF&R Discussion Meet Finals - Main Pine-Sonoma Rooms Stage

YF&R Social Activity - Immediately Following – All YF&R & Young @ Heart invited, Spare Time Bowling Alley
Saturday, November 20, 2010

7:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. YF&R Committee Breakfast Buffet & Committee Meeting – Mt. Tobin Room

7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. Registered Attendees Coffee & Donuts – West Hall Corridor

8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. District Caucus/Nomination Committee - Lady/Gentleman from ea County - Wmca. Mountain Room

8:45 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. Two Saturday Workshops – Attend one each hour

. TBA, AFBF, Leadership Team - “Farm Bureau Bingo” - Wmca. Mountain Room

Matt Scramlin, AFBF Leadership Team - “YF&R in Your County FB” - Mt. Tobin Room

9:15 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Break – Visit Vendor/Exhibitor Information Displays - West Hall Corridor

9:30 a.m. SILENT AUCTION ENDS

9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Repeat Two Saturday Workshops - Attend one each hour

10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Break
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Voting Delegate Session - Wmca. Mountain/Mt Tobin Rooms

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Lunch – Main Pine-Sonoma Rooms SILENT AUCTION Distribution of Items

1:00 p.m. Time Certain: NVFB 2010 OFFICER ELECTIONS, Draw for Incentive Prize! - Wmca. Mountain/Mt Tobin Rooms

1:30 – Finished Voting Delegate Session- Wmca. Mountain/Mt Tobin Rooms


HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS: room rates listed are for one bed, double occupancy and DO NOT include a 12% room tax
– You MUST ask for “Nevada Farm Bureau Group”, reserve by 5:00pm NOV 10 for Special Rates; inquire about 2 beds then.
BW Gold Cntry Holiday Inn Exp Mdl T/Quality Inn Super 8 Days Inn Winnemucca Inn Winners Hotel/Casino

921 W Wmca Blvd 1987 W Wmca Blvd 1130 W Wmca Blvd 1157 W Wmca Blvd 511 W Wmca Blvd 741 W Wmca Blvd 185 W Wmca Blvd

Wmca, NV 89445 Wmca, NV 89445 Wmca, NV 89445 Wmca, NV 89445 Wmca, NV 89445 Wmca, NV 89445 Wmca, NV 89445

(877) 574-2464 (800) 345-8082 (866) 969-8065 (800) 800-8000 (800) 548-0531 (800) 733-5466 (800) 648-4770

(775) 623-6999 (775) 623-3684 (775) 623-2588 (775) 623-1818 (775) 623-3661 (775) 623-3636 (775) 623-2511

$118.00/night $150.00 /night $40.00/night $80.00/night $80.00 /night $99.00/night $45.00/night

Near Raley’s Near McDonalds Near Raley’s Near Raley’s 4 Blk/W Conv Ctr Near Raley’s Near Conv Cntr








2010 Nevada Farm Bureau Annual Meeting

November 18-20, 2010

Winnemucca Convention Center, Winnemucca, NV

Registration: Date Received: ____________________



Name(s):____________________________________________________________________________

 For which county are you serving as a voting delegate? _______________________________



Functions You Plan To Participate In: Cost Per Person Number of Persons


Thursday, November 18, 2010


Kickoff Barbecue (Prepared by Lowry FFA)


(Featured Speakers Troy & Stacy Hadrick) $ 25.00 ________________



Friday, November 19, 2010

Daily Registration (Covers Breaks & Continental Breakfast)

$ 25.00 ________________


COUNTRY Financial Lunch No Charge



Awards Banquet, Social & Dinner $ 30.00 ________________

Saturday, November 20, 2008



Daily Registration (Covers Breaks & Continental Breakfast)

$ 25.00 ________________

Lunch $ 15.00 ________________



(Early Bird Package Rate:)

Form & Payment Received at Nevada Farm Bureau by 5:00pm, Nov. 8, 2010…


Total For All Meals & Events = $ 85 per person X # ________ ________________

(Regular Total Package Rate:)


After November 8th – Total For All = $125 per person X # ________ ________________



Your Total Payment $___________________________



Check Number: ________________________________

Send Completed form and Payment to Nevada Farm Bureau, 2165 Green Vista Dr. Suite 205, Sparks, NV 89431. You can also fax back the form to (775) 674-4004 but must have payment into the office by 5:00 pm, Nov. 8, 2010 for extra Trip tickets.

Getting Ready for Discussion Meet 2010-2011

So, it is time to start prepping for the 2010 Nevada State Farm Bureau Meeting, and one of the biggest parts of this meeting for YF&R members is the DISCUSSION MEET!  But, I know that a lot of you are probably wondering what exactly the Discussion Meet actually is and WHY you should get involved in it.

Well, let me give you a few EASY incentives:

$500 for 1st Place

$250 for 2nd Place

$100 for 3rd Place

Hmmmm, still need another?  How about this:

An all-expense paid trip to compete at Nationals if you win at state:

Atlanta, Georgia--Jan. 9-12, 2011

(for non-collegiate winner)

Orlando, Florida--Feb 5-7, 2011

(for a collegiate level winner)

Oh, and there are a few prizes to be won at nationals, too, like:

Scholarships for Collegiate winners

Ram Pick-up Trucks for Non-collegiate

So, now that you know about those incentives, let me tell you about the rest!  In 2006 a good friend of mine told me that she thought I should compete in a Farm Bureau competition that she had be involved in the year before--which she had ended up winning at the state level and gone on to compete nationally in Branson, Missouri.  The week before state meeting, Heather Center, the current YF&R chair, brought me the Discussion meet questions for that contest and finished convincing me to give it a try.  At the NVFB State meeting that fall in Tonopah, I competed, placing first from the small group that we had that day.  This took me on to Nationals in Salt Lake City, where I followed in Heather's footsteps, competing through to the Sweet Sixteen, before being eliminated.  Through the Discussion Meet, I was introduced to Farm Bureau, to the YF&R program, and four years later I am doing all I can to keep the program alive in Nevada and introduce it to others who feel the same way about agriculture as I do.  Read on for more.

Discussion Meet 2008--Yerington, Nevada

The Discussion Meet gives us an opportunity to discuss important agriculture topics in a Board meeting setting.  There are anywhere from 4 to 6 competitors in an event that lasts almosts 30 minutes.  There is a room monitor, 3 judges, a timer, and a moderator, at the table with the contestants to oversee the running of the event.  The discussion meet in Yerington was the largest in years, with eight people, and as such was a pretty exciting thing for us.  We had to do two rounds in order to narrow down to the final four competition.

Charlie Mann went on to place first in the contest. With Lee Mathews taking 2nd, as he had the year before in Mesquite.

Charlie Mann Competes at Collegiate Contest--Sacramento, 2009

Jimmy Lotspeich Competes at Collegiate Contest-- Tulsa, 2010

Both Jimmy and Charlie were former State FFA Officers who came to our state meetings and got involved and have continued their involvement in YF&R since. 

YF&R Discussion Meet helps develop leadership skills, especially in a group, or board meeting setting.  It gives people an opportunity to work on their public speaking skills, as well as the chance to discuss hot topics with people from similiar agricultural lifestyles across our country--helping us all to learn a little more of what it is like for others throughout the different fields of agriculture, and making us better able to push for legislation and support in areas that will maintain our needs as producers.

So, here are the questions that will be used at the state meeting, with one change--there have usually only been FOUR questions, and so it is a given that each topic will be used at nationals in the four-round event, but now there is a fifth, so there are no guarantees as to which question will be drawn at each round.  The important thing is to understand a few important aspects of each question and to be willing to listen, learn, question, and cooperate in order to discuss the topic efficiently with those you will be competing against.

2011 Discussion Meet Questions

1- Farm Bureau is the leading voice for agriculture but not the only voice. How do we encourage other agricultural groups to work together for the common good of our industry?


2- Government has always been involved in agriculture. Is the current level of government involvement a net hindrance or a net benefit to agriculture?


3- How will food movements such as “foodie” and “locavore,” which are focused primarily in urban centers, influence national agricultural production and federal programs?


4- Has technology become essential for American farmers? Should Farm Bureau influence and encourage all generations of farmers, ranchers and agriculturalists to embrace technological opportunities?


5- Given recent challenges, such as volatile food prices and limited world food supplies, do American consumers adequately appreciate the importance of US-produced food? Will American consumers consider American agriculture important to our security in the future?

If you are interested in being involved in this contest, the following helps and information are good places to start to gain more knowledge in the areas of these 5 questions:

1. FARM BUREAU IS THE LEADING VOICE FOR AGRICULTURE BUT NOT THE ONLY VOICE. HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE OTHER AGRICULTURAL GROUPS TO WORK TOGETHER FOR THE COMMON GOOD OF OUR INDUSTRY?


· Advocates for Ag

o http://www.blogger.com/goog_1885938088

o http://www.advocatesforag.blogspot.com/

· Feedstuffs Foodlink

o http://feedstuffsfoodlink.com/ME2/Default.asp

· Conversations on Care

o http://www.conversationsoncare.com/about-us.aspx

· Your Agriculture

o http://www.fb.org/index.php?fuseaction=yourag.home



· “To underestimate ag is a big mistake”, by Steve Kopperud, Feedstuffs, April 2009

o http://www.maninnature.com/Management/Farming/Farm1e2.pdf

2. GOVERNMENT HAS ALWAYS BEEN INVOLVED IN AGRICULTURE. IS THE CURRENT LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT A NET HINDRANCE OR A NET BENEFIT TO AGRICULTURE?

· Farm Policy Facts

o http://www.farmpolicyfacts.org/

· “Federal Funding in Rural America Goes Far Beyond Agriculture” USDA-ERS , Amber Waves, March 2009

o http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/March09/Findings/RuralFederalFunding.htm
· “The Post-Buyout Experience: Peanut and Tobacco Sectors Adapt to Policy Reform” USDA-ERS November 2009

o http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib60/

3. HOW WILL FOOD MOVEMENTS SUCH AS “FOODIE” AND “LOCAVORE” WHICH ARE FOCUSED PRIMARILY IN URBAN CENTERS, INFLUENCE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AND FEDERAL PROGRAMS?

· “2010 foodservice trends highlight local, healthy food”, The Packer, December 21, 2009

o http://thepacker.com/2010-foodservice-trends-highlight-local--healthy-food/Article.aspx?articleid=969685&authorid=351&feedid=215&src=search

· Community Gardens- Texas A & M University

o http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/Kinder/commun.html

· “Sustainability, Local Sourcing and Nutrition Top List of Hottest Menu Trends for 2010”, NRA press release

o http://www.restaurant.org/pressroom/pressrelease.cfm?ID=1866

· “Consumers choose locally grown and environmentally friendly apples”, Univ. of Illinois, November 2009

o http://www.ace.illinois.edu/pdfs/mazzocco_jfdr.pdf


4. HAS TECHNOLOGY BECOME ESSENTIAL FOR AMERICAN FARMERS?

· Precision Paybacks? Farm Futures magazine, October 2009

o http://magissues.farmprogress.com/FFU/FF10Oct09/ffu10.pdf

· “Where Tech is headed”, Farm Journal Farm Machinery Guide

o http://www.agweb.com/FarmJournal/machinery/Default.aspx

· “Broadband Internet’s Value for Rural America”, USDA,ERS August 2009

o http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err78/



· “Internet Access and Internet Purchasing Patterns of Farm Households”, Agricultural and Economic Resource Review, October 2009

o http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/55545/2/mishra%20-%20current.pdf



5. GIVEN RECENT CHALLENGES, DO AMERICAN CONSUMERS ADEQUATELY APPRECIATE THE IMPORTANCE OF U.S.-PRODUCED FOOD?

· “The Omnivore’s Delusion: Against the Agri-intellectuals” by Blake Hurst, The American, July 2009

o http://american.com/archive/2009/july/the-omnivore2019s-delusion-against-the-agri-intellectuals

· The Hand That Feeds Us

o http://www.thehandthatfeedsus.org/index.cfm

· America’s Heartland

o http://www.americasheartland.org/

· Center for Food Integrity

o http://www.foodintegrity.org/index.php


This year’s Nevada Contest will be at our NVFB State Annual Meeting, Winnemucca Convention Center, preliminaries beginning around 4:00pm Friday, November 19, 2010. There will be a YF&R Social following, and a YF&R sponsored breakfast at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 20.

We’re looking forward to a great DM contest in November.

FYI- In addition to the Discussion Meet Contest we also have the “Achievement Award” and the “Excellence in Agriculture” Award. These are open to YF&R individuals or married couples, 18-35. While both contests emphasize leadership at all life and experience levels the first also emphasizes production agriculture skills with a majority of income subject to normal production risks; the “Excellence” award focuses on contributions to agriculture organizations and allied agricultural industries. The applications for these awards are available now for prospective contestants to use as guidelines in getting ready to compete now or in the future. Deadlines to submit applications for either of these awards in any year have been set for pre-submission review on or about September 15th and final draft submission by November 1st of any given year.

Email me if you are interested or want to know more!!!!!