Spring 2013 Volume 13, Issue 2

Spring 2013 Volume 13, Issue 2

Spring Branding It’s a Cowboy Tradition – pg. 4

Do Consumers Care Where Food Comes From?

– pg. 8

Food Page: Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust – pg. 30

The Ag Agenda

Our Food is Safer than Ever

Summertime is almost upon us. For most Americans, the warmer weather brings picnics in the park, BBQs and grilling out with family and friends. It also brings the increased chance for foodborne illness to occur if safe food preparation and handling is not given full attention.

By Bob Stallman

President American Farm Bureau Federation

Because food safety is such an impor-

tant issue to farmers, we’ve worked hard to ensure that the food that reaches your table is safe. Thanks to voluntary farmer-led initiatives, strict government monitoring and consumer food safety education, foodborne illness has dropped drastically in the last 100 years.

Not Just Lip Service According to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, our food See STALLMAN, page 6

The President’s Desk

Wolf Population Data Deserves Scrutiny

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s annual wolf population report released in mid-April, shows “at least” 321 confirmed packs and 1,674 individuals in Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Oregon and Washington

By Frank Priestley President Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

Overall numbers are down by about 100 animals compared to last year. Highlighted in the report are confirmation of breeding pairs and growing subpopulations in Oregon

and Washington. Further, the report claims there are no wolves in Utah. In addition, the report is riddled with inconsistencies and other strangeness that leads us to believe we aren’t getting the full story here folks.

For instance, as far back as 2002, wolves were confirmed in northern Utah, when a pack killed 15 sheep and lambs near Hardware Ranch in Cache County.

Livestock depredations have occurred throughout southeast Idaho and northern See PRIESTLEY, page 6

Inside Farm Bureau

Immigration Reform Is Needed For Agriculture

By Rick Keller CEO Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

2

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

Idaho and U.S. agriculture face a critical shortage of workers every year, as American citizens are largely unwilling to engage in these rigorous activities and guest worker programs are unable to respond to the marketplace. This situation makes our farms and ranches less competitive with foreign farmers and less reliable for the American consumer. Securing a reliable

and competent workforce for our nation’s farms, dairies, and ranches is essential to agriculture and the U.S. economy.

Farmers and ranchers have long experienced difficulty in obtaining workers who are willing and able to work on farms and in the fields. Jobs in agriculture are physically demanding, conducted in all seasons, and are often transitory.

To most U.S. residents seeking employment, these conditions are not attractive.

See KELLER, page 7

Volume 13, Issue 2

IFBF OFFICERS

President ................................... Frank Priestley, Franklin Vice President ..................................Mark Trupp, Driggs Executive Vice President .............................. Rick Keller

Contents Features

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bryan Searle ............................................................Shelley Scott Bird .......................................................... Pocatello Chris Dalley ....................................................... Blackfoot Dean Schwendiman ........................................... Newdale Danny Ferguson ........................................................Rigby Scott Steele ..................................................... Idaho Falls Gerald Marchant .................................................. Oakley Rick Pearson ................................................... Hagerman Mike Garner.............................................................. Declo Curt Krantz ............................................................ Parma Mike McEvoy..................................................... Middleton Tracy Walton ....................................................... Emmett Marjorie French .............................................. Princeton Bob Callihan . ...................................................... Potlatch Tom Daniel ............................................... Bonners Ferry Carol Guthrie ......................................................... Inkom Cody Chandler ..................................................... Weiser STAFF Dir. of Admin. Services ....................... Nancy Shiozawa Dir. of Organization............................... Dennis Brower Commodities & Marketing Assistant ........... Peg Pratt Member Services Assistant . ................... Peggy Moore Publice Relations Assistant ..................... Dixie Ashton Dist. I Regional Manager .......................... Justin Patten Dist. II Regional Manager ....................... Kendall Keller Dist. III Regional Manager .................. Charles Garner Dist. IV Regional Manager ................... Russ Hendricks Dist. V Regional Manager ...................... Bob Smathers Dir. of Governmental Affairs ....................... Kent Lauer Asst. Dir. of Governmental Affairs ... Dennis Tanikuni Range/Livestock Specialist..........................Wally Butler Director of Public Relations ............. John Thompson Video Services Manager ............................ Steve Ritter Broadcast Services Manager .................... Jake Putnam Office Manager, Boise ................... Julie Christoffersen Member Services Manager ........................ Joel Benson Printed by: Owyhee Publishing, Homedale, ID

Spring Branding - A Cowboy Tradition

PAGE 4 Country of Origin Labeling: Do Consumers Care Where Their Food Comes From?

PAGE 8

PAGE 24-25 Farm Facts

PAGE 28 A Taste of Idaho food page and recipes

Focus on Agriculture

PAGE 12

PAGE 30

Advice on Forestry from the University of Idaho

PAGE 18

Life on the Range

Marketbasket Survey

PAGE 34

IDAHO FARM BUREAU QUARTERLY USPS #022-899, is published quarterly by the IDAHO FARM BUREAU FEDERATION, 275 Tierra Vista Drive, Pocatello, ID 83201.

POSTMASTER send changes of address to: IDAHO FARM BUREAU QUARTERLY P.O. Box 4848, Pocatello, ID 83205-4848.

Periodicals postage paid at Pocatello, ID and additional mailing offices.

Subscription: $4 a year included in Farm Bureau dues.

MAGAZINE CONTACTS: Idaho Farm Bureau Federation EDITOR (208) 239-4292 • ADS (208) 239-4279 E-MAIL: dashton@idahofb.org www.idahofb.org

Cover: The Johnstone family of Homedale hold a branding party every spring. They continue to use traditional cowboy methods.

DEPARTMENTS The Ag Agenda: Bob Stallman............................................................. 2 The President’s Desk: Frank Priestley.............................................. 2 Inside Farm Bureau: Rick Keller......................................................... 2 Crossword Puzzle............................................................................... 21 Insurance Matters......................................................................... 22-23 Classifieds ............................................................................................ 42

Photo by Steve Ritter

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

3

Branding using the traditional methods of roping and tossing calves on the ground is still popular throughout Idaho.

Owyhee Ranchers Carry on Longstanding Tradition Article and photos by Steve Ritter Chris Johnstone believes in tradition.

Branding techniques have evolved over the years to make the process easier for the cowboy crew. But not at the Johnstone ranch near Homedale.

“It all started with my son”, said Chris’s father Alan Johnstone. “Years ago we used to run calves through a chute, with a calf table, and he was about 12 years old and he said dad, how in the heck am I going to learn how to rope if we keep using this table?”

It’s referred to locally as a Jordan Valley style branding. The annual spring ritual 4

wherein two cowboys rope each calf, head and heel, and helpers on foot toss the calves on the ground and hold them down. Other crew members take on the jobs of vaccinating, castrating, branding and sometimes horn removal.

“We were running in Jordan Valley at the time and he got to know a lot of the people up there” said Alan. “And of course we rope in the hills, but never did at home and now he’s grown up and has a lot of buddies from Jordan Valley and he helps them and then they come help us and it’s a real nice friendship that has developed between the families.”

Well over a century old tradition, the art of

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

roping a running cow or calf takes plenty of practice. Good ropers are the essential first step in the branding process.

So too, is the person working the vaccination gun. Bryn Johnstone joined the spring branding circuit 13 years ago after marriage to Chris. Her specialty for the last 12 years is vaccinating calves. She has to be careful with the sharp needles to place them precisely, to not bend or break them to make sure to stick the calves and not the other crew members. “Chris showed me how and I’ve been doing it for us and all of our friends,” she said.

When someone calls out “Hot Iron” everyone else on the crew had better be paying

Roping calves is the first step in a traditional branding process.

attention. A cherry-red branding iron adds a certain element of danger amid the chaos of a branding party.

Marv Perkins, a veteran cow hand handles this delicate procedure. He has to be careful and firm with the branding iron in order to make a clean brand. Although the years of cowboy life have slowed him down a little, the 62-year-old still enjoys a good ole Jordan Valley branding.

“I like seeing a lot of old and new friends at branding time,” he said. “The hard part is getting back on my feet each time.”

At this day’s branding Perkins administered the hot iron 75 times. It took about three hours of rough and tumble work for the crew of about a dozen.

Cowboy Chris Johnstone sees it all as a pretty simple way to have fun and see friends. “We just get our friends and neighbors together, rope a few calves, have a good time, drink some beer, and we’ll cook up a big meal after we’re done and have a good time.”

Having a good time is also an important part of the tradition, he said.

Branding, vaccinating and castrating calves using traditional methods is a rough and tumble process but also requires precision and caution due to sharp needles, hot branding irons, sharp knives, horses and ropes.

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

5

STALLMAN

Continued from page 2

food is safer than ever. The number of foodborne disease outbreaks in 2009-2010 declined 32 percent compared with the preceding five years. Some of the credit for this can be attributed to the Food Safety Modernization Act, which was signed into law in 2011. This law aims to cooperatively improve food safety by building on existing systems already in place in the private sector.

Before the FSMA was passed, approximately 72 million Americans fell sick due to a foodborne illness every year. Within a week after the FSMA was signed into law, those numbers were adjusted to 48 million. Significantly, foodborne illnesses now only touch 9.4 million people yearly.

Farmers take seriously their responsibility of

growing safe food and that’s not just lip service.

Farmers have the same desire as other consumers to have a safe, abundant and affordable food supply. And they also have an important economic interest because the demand for their products is determined by consumer confidence.

Shouting from the Rooftop Many people don’t realize that there are five federal agencies that administer at least 30 laws related to food safety. Through this intense federal oversight, the level of food safety testing has also dramatically increased. And, just as important, consumer education on food safety is on the uptick.

Even though contamination of food can occur at any stage in food production, a high level of foodborne illness is caused by foods improperly

prepared or mishandled at home or in restaurants. To counter this, Farm Bureaus across the country are educating consumers to enhance their food safety knowledge. And it’s working!

According to Dr. Richard Raymond, former undersecretary for food safety at the Agriculture Department, the CDC report is cause for celebration. “You should be able to stand on top of the building and say “hey look, (the agriculture) industry is doing a great job, consumers are doing a great job of listening to the safe handling and proper cooking messages and restaurants and other people that cook our food are doing a better job.””

So, go on and enjoy your burgers and chops, deviled eggs and fresh salad this summer knowing that your food is safer than ever. And, maybe even have a steak for me while you’re at it.

PRIESTLEY Continued from page 2 Utah since that time. In 2002, wolf number 253, a two-year-old male and member of Yellowstone Park’s Druid Pack, was caught in a coyote snare in Morgan County, Utah, east of Ogden. This wolf, doing nothing more than following his wild instincts, crossed a political boundary. He was transported back to Yellowstone Park, on the taxpayers’ dime, and was later killed by a hunter near Daniel, Wyoming.

In March of 2008, a pilot with experience flying in Alaska spotted five wolves, three blacks and two greys near Dutch John, Utah. KSL News reported that tracks were later found and the wolves answered a howl call. Yet these wolves weren’t evicted from Utah. Did the political boundary vanish in those six years?

A large herd of elk migrates out of southeast Idaho to Hardware Ranch in northern Utah every winter. Does anyone really believe there aren’t wolf packs following those elk? Do the facts that hunters have killed wolves and livestock depredations have occurred throughout the area prove there are wolves present? In spite of the appearance of solid evidence, the USFWS map that shows confirmed wolf pack territories, reveals no evidence of packs in southern Idaho, 6

northern Utah, or southwest Wyoming.

With all of this evidence of wolves spreading west into Oregon and Washington and occasional sightings in northern Utah, it seems curious that USFWS can’t confirm wolf packs south of the Snake River, in northern Utah, or in southwest Wyoming, which leads us to question the validity of the entire report.

We understand the complexity of counting wolves. Imagine flying over vast wilderness areas replete with deep canyons and dark timber. What percentage of existing wolves is it humanly possible to document? We assert that it’s a very small percentage and further, that there could be more wolves in Idaho alone than this report documents for the entire region. Yet the USFWS report makes no mention of the difficulties associated with obtaining accurate population estimates.

It’s time for USFWS to get serious about telling the truth about wolves. The hundreds of rural families that have suffered economic losses deserve the truth. USFWS, through the use of half-truths and vagueness, has done a masterful job in its public relations efforts. Since the mid-90’s their line on livestock depredation has been that wolves only cause a small proportion of all livestock losses. Somewhat true, but they

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

are additional or new losses that the livestock industry did not have to absorb before reintroduction. In addition, when given consideration to the fact that only a small proportion of livestock losses are actually documented, it doesn’t soften the blow by much. It’s been estimated that only one in nine livestock depredations by wolves are confirmed by USFWS. Yet once again, their report makes no mention of this.

A lot of people have romantic notions about the American West, its wide open spaces and wild animals. The stories that aren’t being told are about depopulation trends in rural counties and kids who won’t have the chance to go to college next fall because the family business is no longer profitable. And these businesses are not just livestock operations. They include all of the businesses that sustain our rural economy.

This agency’s inability to document wolf packs in areas that are politically inconvenient is a serious problem. The report includes the statement that wolf reintroduction has been an incredible success story for endangered species, but glaringly omits the fact that when wolves were reintroduced they didn’t have any idea how fast the population would grow or how far territories would expand.

KELLER

Continued from page 2 A number of studies document this fact, and farm worker representatives also acknowledged this in recent congressional testimony. Yet, for many prospective workers from other countries, these jobs present real economic opportunities.

In times of labor shortages farmers have relied on these foreign workers, who are admitted under a government sponsored temporary worker program known as H-2A, and on workers who appear to have legal status to be working in the United States. The demand for foreign workers is heightened due to not only a lack of a domestic workforce, but also the reverse migration of workers from the U.S. to Mexico, historic levels of immigration enforcement, and bipartisan congressional commitment to a credible work authorization system through mandatory EVerify. Those factors, combined with an increasingly rigid and burdensome H-2A program demonstrate the need for a new approach.

After months of negotiations, a bipartisan Senate group called the “Gang of Eight” unveiled sweeping legislation to overhaul the nation’s immigration system. Farm Bureau applauds the efforts of this group in authoring the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013.” A broad coalition of agricultural interests called the Agriculture Workforce Coalition, of which Farm Bureau is a member, has assisted in the negotiations. Adding muscle was the participation of the United Farm Workers Union (under the AFL-CIO umbrella).

Among the key agriculture-specific parts of the bill: The USDA would administer the new program and farmers wanting to hire non-U.S. citizens would register annually with the Farm Service Agency.

For the program’s first four years,

just over 112,000 annual agricultural guest worker visas would be issued.

Beginning in year five, the Secretary of Agriculture would be the one to actually set a cap.

Farm Bureau Members Pay Less For Choice Hotels!

Workers would be paid a standard wage based on the job they hold.

The new agricultural guest worker program would contain two options: “at will” and “contract based.”

The “at will” option will allow workers – who would be provided lodging or a housing stipend from authorized employers – to work a specific job under a three-year visa. The workers would be able to move jobs between authorized employers.

The “contract-based” option, also under a three year visa, would allow workers to enter the country for a specific job under contract. Again, housing would be provided by the employer.

Eligibility for a “Blue Card” would be extended to undocumented workers currently in the United States. Eligibility has requirements including a minimum number of days working between 2011 and 2012, payment of fines, ensuring back taxes are paid, a clean law enforcement record, and a minimum of five years waiting period before becoming eligible for a Green Card.

Agriculture needs a program that functions as efficiently as the current free market movement of migrant farm workers while providing the security of a contractual relationship in areas where there is little migration.

Having lost confidence in the H-2A structure as a framework for success, Farm Bureau is supporting the new approach outlined to ensure a legal, reliable, long-term workforce for all sectors of the industry. Only reform through legislation can solve the agricultural worker problem. Farm Bureau believes that comprehensive immigration reform must happen.

A $40 room will be closer to

$32 A $60 room will be closer to

$48 A $90 room will be closer to

$72 1.800.258.2847

Farm Bureau Discount Code

00209550

advanced reservations required

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

7

Do consumers care where their food comes from? Surveys and other evidence show that some consumers definitely seek out local products. However, the question of whether country of origin labels matter to consumers is uncertain.

Farm Bureau file photo

Country of Origin Labeling – Do Consumers Care Where their Food Comes From?

By John Thompson It started with the notion that American consumers should know where their food comes from. Tags on t-shirts, TV’s and toasters all show where they were made.

Now the same information is on tomatoes and T-Bone steaks.

Initially, Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) legislation was perceived as a great benefit not only to consumers but 8

to producers of meat, nuts, fruit and vegetables. However, mounting evidence suggests that consumers don’t really care and food producers aren’t necessarily benefitting.

Studies on consumer preferences reveal an interesting dichotomy. When shoppers are asked questions such as: “Is purchasing domestic or locally produced food important to you? Or “Is supporting local farms important to you,” the answers

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

are overwhelmingly in support of domestic food and labeled products. However, grocery store scanner data and online surveys show the major concerns of most consumers are price and perceived quality. Further, at least one consumer survey concluded that typical U.S. residents “are unaware of country of origin labeling and do not look for meat origin information.”

Mandatory country of origin labeling was first enacted in the 2002 Farm Bill. How-

ever, it wasn’t implemented until 2009. The law requires retailers to label unprocessed foods. It exempts processed food products and products sold by food service outlets.

It becomes more complicated for meat products such as hamburger because processing companies frequently blend beef trimmings from several different countries of origin.

It is also difficult for meat processing plants to maintain separation of animals and animal parts, through the slaughter and butchering process. For those and other reasons, COOL met considerable resistance from food processing companies and retailers.

In addition, other trading partner nations don’t want a distinction drawn between foreign and domestic meat and produce. Canada, Mexico, China and Costa Rica provide an important source of supply for many fruits and vegetables imported to the U.S. Canada and Mexico have challenged COOL before the World Trade Organization and the WTO has ruled mainly in favor of the challenge so far.

Record keeping and traceability also present big challenges for food processing companies and retailers. It’s not difficult to establish that COOL is controversial, cumbersome and has so far provided questionable results. But what consumers really think about it is much harder to establish.

The Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics used a multi-methods approach that included grocery transaction data, instore and online surveys and real-money experiments to examine consumer demand im-

pacts. The study revealed the following key findings: 1 – Demand for covered meat products has not changed with COOL. 2 – Typical U.S. residents are unaware of COOL and do not look for meat origin information. In an online survey, twothirds of respondents did not know if COOL a law. The majority of in-person participants stated they never look for origin information when shopping for fresh beef or pork products.

3 – Consumers revealed in an online assessment that valuations of meat products labeled “Product of North America” are approximately the same as “Product of the United States.”

According to the KSU study, “Consumers might not care where their food comes from.

Foods compete primarily on the basis of taste and price, and marketing efforts abide by this.

Consumers are most likely to choose domestic over imported foods (or the reverse) when they can distinguish price or sensory differences.”

“From my perspective people are looking for products that are identified as local,” she said. “Consumers who are looking to buy local are looking for a label that says Nampa, Idaho, or Rexburg on it. I think it’s important that people know country of origin but we work in Idaho so my experience comes from local markets.”

Clark added that over the last ten years, since Idaho Preferred labels first came out they have collected a lot of information on consumer preferences. She said people who prefer to shop for locally produced food are not necessarily in the upper income class.

“They are mainly middle class Americans who want to sup-

port the local economy because that in turn supports them,” she said.

In addition, Clark said producer members of the Idaho Preferred Program feel that using the Idaho label has increased sales and also shown that consumers are willing to pay up to 15 percent more for products bearing the Idaho Preferred logo.

“We survey our producer members and ask them if they feel using our logo has increased sales and the answers have been overwhelmingly supportive,” Clark said. “Over half of our producer members believe using the logo has increased their sales by as much as 60 percent.”

But how does the information from the KSU study mesh with longstanding food labels such as Washington Apples and Idaho potatoes that consumers relate to as premium products?

Although it’s not a direct correlation, evidence gathered by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture’s Idaho Preferred Program, in many ways contradicts the findings of the KSU survey.

Leah Clark, manager of the Idaho Preferred Program, says consumers do seek out locally produced food and are willing to pay a premium for it.

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

9

Ron and Mary Bitner were recently named Farm Family of the Year by the Nampa / Caldwell Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness Committee.

Photo by Jake Putnam

Canyon County Wine Producers Honored The Agribusiness Committee of Nampa / Caldwell Chamber of Commerce named Ron and Mary Bitner the 2013 Canyon County Farm Family of the year. Idaho Farm Bureau’s Jake Putnam sat down with the Bitners recently to discuss their business.

My name is Ron Bitner. I am an Idaho native and grew up in Midvale, Idaho. I Graduated from the University of Idaho and did my masters at Purdue University, then my 10

doctorate at Utah State University.

You have a PhD, is it in wine production?

No. I’ve been known as a bee biologist most of my life. That’s what brought me back here. But I started planting these vineyards in the Sunnyslope area back in 1981 after St. Chapel was built. So we’ve been growing grapes for 31 years. Mary and I started this operation about five years ago. It’s interesting, where we’re sitting now was an old tractor shed where I kept incubators

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

and my leaf cutter bees. As you can see, we have a very big view of the valley.

How did you meet Mary?

As a bee consultant I met my wife almost 20 years ago on the Boswell Ranch in central California. She was a secretary there and I brought her to Idaho 17 years ago just before we got married. She worked at the College of Idaho for eight years in Alumni relations and ventured out from the academic world to help start the bed

Bitner Vineyard is located in the Sunnyslope area in Canyon County.

Photo by Jake Putnam

and breakfast part of the operation. We’ve both been around farming all our lives.

Mary grew up on farms in southern California and worked for some big companies in California. Getting this award has really been awesome for us.

What’s going on in the vineyards this time of year?

Currently we’re out pruning our vineyards.

People don’t realize that we have more than 800 plants per acre. I also farm 70 acres for others, plus 15 acres here. Those 800 plants will be touched just five times dur-

ing the season and pruning in the spring is the first. We’ll come back later and do chute thinning, color thinning and finally harvest. But as you can see it’s a lot of hand labor. I tell people that they wouldn’t have that first glass of red wine without our workers. We’ve had the same crew working for us for 10 years and we’re proud of them. We want people to understand that migrant workers are important to Idaho agriculture as we go through the process and that’s what we we’re doing today.

Mary, what are your duties at Bitner Vine-

yards?

Aside from the tasting room I run the bed and breakfast and once we get going we’re open seven days a week. We get calls every now and then in the middle of the week for parties and catering and do that as well.

Along with the tastings I do all the bookings. It has been fun for us with the bed and breakfast and the wine tastings. Everyone that comes out says, ‘Wow, you have such a pretty view.’ It’s pretty hard to get depressed here because it’s a beautiful area.

See BITNER p. 20

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

11

Focus on Agriculture Farm Bill: ‘Lone Ranger’ of Federal Statutes

By Cyndie Sirekis A thriving agricultural economy benefits all Americans. Achieving this depends on a sound farm bill. Among the plethora of federal statutes that govern the nation, the farm bill stands out as a “lone ranger” that helps farmers and ranchers deal with the risks that threaten their ability to produce the food, fiber and fuel we all need. Likewise, as the first (and to date, only) agricultural organization to offer a comprehensive farm bill proposal this year, Farm Bureau stands out as sort of a lone ranger, too.

As the Agriculture committees in Congress began drafting a 2013 farm bill against a backdrop of decreasing government funding, Farm Bureau put forward a proposal that is financially responsible, provides a measure of equity across crop sectors and helps farmers deal with the weather and market risks they face.

Strengthening crop insurance and offering farmers a choice of program options to complete their “safety net” are key provisions Farm Bureau supports in the new bill. Farm Bureau also supports providing programs that encourage farmers to follow market signals rather than make planting decisions based on government payments.

12

Closely related to this, some may find it surprising that U.S. farmers already receive a higher percentage of their gross income from the marketplace rather than from government supports, compared to other nations. In fact, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, in the U.S., just 8 percent of gross farm income comes from government support, compared to 14 percent in Canada, 18 percent in the European Union, 52 percent in Japan and 53 percent in Korea.

Despite the popular saying, “reality bites,” Farm Bureau’s farm bill proposal recognizes the budgetary environment we’re facing as a nation, both today and tomorrow.

For some time, agriculture has been singled out by congressional leaders for budget cuts. Whether agriculture likes it or not, Congress has sent a clear message that the federal dollars that were there in the past are simply not going to be there tomorrow.

Farmers and ranchers have been listening and realize that they should not expect to receive the same level of government support that they did in the past—even as recently as three or four years ago.

The farm bill proposal introduced by Farm

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

Bureau was developed in recognition of this reality and makes every effort to try to use the limited resources that are available in the best way possible. Farm Bureau’s farm bill proposal is budget-responsible.

Yet it also seeks to protect the nation’s food producers by advocating for a meaningful safety net, one that provides risk management tools for a broad range of farmers, from row crop to fruit and vegetable growers.

An advantage here is that Farm Bureau is a general farm organization, stretching across all of agriculture. Congressional leaders know that Farm Bureau’s farm bill proposal meets the policy objectives outlined by its grassroots leaders—farmers and ranchers who raise an array of crops and livestock around the nation.

In order for farmers and ranchers—our nation’s food producers—to have the certainty they need for farm financing and planning, it’s imperative that Congress step up to the plate and enact a new farm bill before the current one expires in September.

Cyndie Sirekis is director of news services at the American Farm Bureau Federation.

The lifeblood of America.

They’re the humble heroes who rise before dawn and battle the elements. They put clothes on our backs and food on our tables. Their genuine values and tireless work ethic are an inspiration to us all. We appreciate all that America’s farmers do and invite you to join us in saying thanks at www.fbfs.com/SayThanksToAFarmer.

FB02-ID (3-12)

ID-Tribute(3-12).indd 1

3/12/12 3:54 PM

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

13

FSA Director Announces Retirement Boise--A long time Idaho agriculture advocate is retiring.

Dick Rush, former director of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture and current director of the U.S. Farm Service Agency is stepping down after a long and illustrious career.

“Personally we all have to make a decision on how long we have to work, and how much time we have left to do other things in life,” said Rush.

“It’s easy for me to retire. I’m at the point where I’ve done many things.”

The USDA Farm Service Agency is one of the few agriculture positions in Idaho that’s appointed by the President. Rush sent a letter back thanking for the opportunity to serve. Rush says few federal agencies are needed as the FSA is now.

“I think our agency in Idaho is needed and in good shape,” said Rush. “We have great people, I feel good about leaving at this time even though the federal government is a little confused right now in giving directions to agencies. At any rate I feel good about it. I’ve had many jobs but never retired so it’s going to be a different experience.”

Rush says he leaves office with opinions intact.

14

“My thoughts on agriculture?

We just had an amazing run at the FSA here in Idaho. In general we’ve had record farm income, record exports. Idaho agriculture is in the best shape I’ve seen and I’ve been around a long time. It’s been fun being a part of it. I didn’t have a lot to do with it, the USDA influence is modest but we do good. I’m proud that we were able to help so many young farmers get a start,” said Rush.

Rush says the FSA has evolved and in a constant state of change.

“We’re moving more and more into being a lending agency,” said Rush. “We make direct loans for farm operating and ownership, but more and more we are making guaranteed loans for beginning farmers.

It’s all part of the process of passing on the family farm from one generation to the next. I think the guaranteed lending is very important because we’re working with local banks and helping guarantee parts of loans. That’s new and needed to get young farmers and ranchers in the game.”

Rush says he plans on helping out on the family farm in Moscow, traveling with wife Nancy and spoiling their six grand kids.

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

Idaho FSA Director Dick Rush

Idaho Farm Bureau members can save a significant amount on their medications.

Take 5 minutes to get a price quote.

USE IDAHO FARM BUREAU CODE (IDFB) Toll-Free Phone 1.866.335.8064 www.thecanadianpharmacy.com

Step 1:

Call 1.866.335.8064 or go to www.thecanadianpharmacy.com

Step 2:

Tell them you are with the Idaho Farm Bureau (code IDFB) and that you need a price quote on your medication.

Step 3:

If this price is lower than what you currently pay, then The Canadian Pharmacy will help you get your prescription at the discounted price.

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

15

16

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

17

What Kind of Idaho Forest?

By Chris Schnepf Idaho is blessed with one of the largest number of tree species and forest types in the Rocky Mountains. American forestry has always focused on managing forests in ways that mimic how our forests grow and develop naturally. To that end, we have used systems of classifying ecological and forest types as a basis for developing management techniques suited to a given forest type. These systems operate on a variety of scales.

ate, Dry, and Humid Tropical), which are then are divided “divisions”, and finally into “provinces.” Idaho has three provinces that contain forests: • Northern Rocky Mountain Forest-Steppe - Coniferous Forest - Alpine Meadow Province (located in northern Idaho)

• Middle Rocky Mountain

Steppe - Coniferous Forest Alpine Meadow Province (located in central Idaho), and the • Southern Rocky Mountain Steppe--Open Woodland-Coniferous Forest--Alpine Meadow Province (located in SE Idaho) More information on these ecoregions and how they are used is available on the USFS

Broad Scale The broadest way to categorize forests is by ecological type.

For example, NatureServe, a non-profit organization that coordinates science to support conservation, lists twenty-two broad “ecological divisions” for North America, one of which contains most of Idaho’s forests (the “Rocky Mountain” division). Another broad ecological classification system growing in use in the forestry community is the “ecoregion” approach, which classifies North America into four “Domains” (Polar, Humid Temper18

Idaho’s forests can be classified into three ecological provinces.

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

ecoregion web site (http:// www.fs.fed.us/rm/ecoregions).

Maps of these provinces can be viewed on the National Atlas web site at: http://nationalatlas.gov/mld/ecoregp.html. (click on “Map Maker Sample - Ecoregions - Bailey” on the right side of the page). If you click on the “identify” button, there are links to descriptions of the provinces.

Forest Cover Types Within all of these regions, forests can be typed at finer scales. For example, forests are often described by cover type. Forest cover types are named for the tree species currently dominating a given area (other tree species are often present in lands in a given cover type – they are just not dominant). The USFS national Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program uses hundreds of different cover types to describe our forests. Their most recent report (Witt et al, 2012) listed the following top five forest cover type groups in Idaho: Douglas-fir forest cover type Fir/Spruce/Mountain Hemlock Group (includes: Engelmann Spruce, Engelmann Spruce/Subalpine Fir, Grand Fir, Subalpine Fir, and Mountain Hemlock forest cover types) Lodgepole Pine forest cover type Ponderosa Pine forest cover type Hemlock/Sitka Spruce Group (includes Western Hemlock and Western Red Cedar forest cover types) Aspen/Birch Group (includes: Aspen, Paper Birch, and Balsam Poplar forest cover types) Maps showing these forest cover types can also be viewed on the National Atlas web site at: http://nationalatlas.gov/mld/foresti. html. (click on “Map Maker Sample – forest cover types” on the right side of the page).

Classifying Forests Based on Climax Vegetation – Habitat Types

This stand could be classified as a ponderosa pine cover type or Douglas fir habitat type.

One of the downsides of describing forests by cover type is that they only refer to what is presently growing on the site.

Forest species composition changes over time in a process called succession. Forest cover types also change in response to different types of disturbances or forest management. One approach that takes a longer view is classifying forests according to the tree species that would dominate the site if left undisturbed for hundreds of years, known as climax tree species. Climax tree species are typically the most shade tolSee FORESTRY p. 35 Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

19

BITNER

Continued from page 11 Mary, is this different from your California job in Agriculture?

In California I worked for a company that farmed more than 120,000 acres, 80,000 of that was cotton. I worked as a bookkeeper in accounts receivable and it was a big job.

For example on any given week I’d see $3 million pass my desk just in bills from chemical companies. So being close to agriculture in California, I thought my gosh there’s just one king and that was the G. Boswell company. When I came here I told Ron ‘my goodness there are many kings in Canyon County, in many areas and everyone has a piece of land.’ That’s a beautiful thing to see.

This is a viticultural area. When you say wine country in Idaho, are you’re saying something new and different?

We’re unique. We have some of the highest vineyards in the U.S. We’re just under 2,700 feet in elevation. We’re also high desert and it has its good and bad points, water can be an issue but thus far we have plentiful water. Our biggest advantage over Napa or anywhere else is that we don’t have much mildew and bug pressure because of the short growing season.

In 2007 there was a group that pushed for an Idaho Viticultural designation which formally is the American Viticultural designation. It’s a government designation and one of just three in the U.S. right now.

It’s a tough process. We had to prove why this spot on earth is different from any other place on earth and we did it. We got that first Snake River Valley Appellation.

Ninety-five percent of those grapes have to come from this specific area and producers have to put ‘Snake River Valley’ on the bottle and that’s brought us good recognition worldwide.

What clinched the designation?

Again we had to show what was unique about our area so we took the old geological boundary of Lake Idaho that was several million years old. As it turns out, that old lake became the basis of our soils. Wine 20

is just soil and weather. You can take the same Cabernet and if it’s grown in California it’s going to taste and feel different. The French say it’s the expression of the soils and climate that make variety in a bottle of wine.

So, our unique taste can be traced back to Lake Idaho, to the ancient lake bottom that stretches some 8,500 square miles, but it also has to do with our more recent volcanic activity, the Bonneville floods that formed the sandy soils.

How does Idaho stack up in terms of wine production?

As a bee biologist for the past 40 years I’ve travelled extensively. I spent 10 years in Australia and I’ve been to a lot of great wine regions in the world. I recently went to Spain to the Rojas a few years ago and I wouldn’t trade this spot for anywhere on earth. As I said before, we’ve got a short growing season that actually works in our favor. I don’t know if the vineyards are in the right spot with steep slopes, but I do know that all the great wine growing regions are associated with water. It regulates the climate and that’s what we have here, is cold air always drifting away from us down to the Snake River. We don’t get hard frost until the end of October sometimes November when we lose the leaves while most of the valley is already frozen. By keeping the leaves on late we get fantastic red berry, fruit flavors in our wines. That’s why so many homegrown wines win the national and international awards. Plus, our acidity is very high which means the wines swell.

We’ve got wines that go back 10, 12 years that taste even better. So it’s a great spot on earth to grow grapes. I wouldn’t trade this spot for anywhere on earth, plus I grew up here.

It sounds like you are busy?

We’re trying to slow down a little bit. We got all these projects whether its bees or wine. In the coming weeks we have 7 weddings lined-up. I have to say that we’re having a blast and it’s all good.

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

Idaho, the wine state?

It’s good to bring that kind of recognition to Idaho, especially to Canyon County which is one of the greatest agricultural counties in the nation. We grow a hundred different crops out here and more than 50 percent depend on bees for pollination. That’s why I do so much work here. Fortunately grapes are wind pollinated so we can always have bread and wine. Everything else bees have a lot to do with it.

Mary, things are changing, are you seeing more agritourism?

We’re seeing many out of state people, from Utah, Washington and Oregon and that’s great for us. We should all be proud to see this industry grow, even more proud when connoisseurs say that Idaho has great wine.

What’s Idaho’s signature wine?

We debate that all the time. There’s no easy answer. St. Chapelle built its reputation on Riesling and it’s such a great grape. I grow five acres of Riesling and its very versatile wine for Idaho. It works well because you can make it sweet. We have growers that make an ice wine from it and it’s putting us in the world market. We have U of I researchers working on different varieties.

About 15 years ago, Senator Larry Craig helped get us some funding and researchers and we identified 60 different grape varieties that we can grow here. We grow a great merlot, Shiraz, cabernet blend, some Spanish varietals that the local Basque population loves.

You’re not going to answer that?

They’re all signature wines, all unique.

Is there any one thing we could do better?

We’re blessed in Idaho. We have the water and the land and it’s cheap. An acre in California will cost $100,000. So have all the grapes, the land and we’re trying to position ourselves to grow an industry here and every year is better than the last.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE:License Idaho Counties License Plate Designations #1 Idaho Counties Plate Designations #1

Idaho Counties License Plate Designations #1

Across 1. 4L

15. 5B

5. S

18. 1A

8. 2M

Across 4. 2A

15.

19.5B 4B

4. 2A7. 1C

19.

21.4B 2O

12.10.

9B 2L

6. 1L9. K

Down 20.

1P

15.11.

7B 1O

7. 1C13. 1G

2. 5C 21.

2O

16.12.

I 9B

9. K 14. 2F

3. W Down

17.15.

2P 7B

1. 4L6. 1L

13. 1G 14. 2F

10.5.2LS

18.

20.1A 1P

2M 11.8.1O

2. 5C ANSWERS ON PAGE 29 3. W

16. I 17. 2P

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

21

22

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

23

Life on the Range

The Borah High field trip was part of an effort by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to connect youth with nature. The FWS is a founding partner in the "Be Outside, Idaho!" initiative. Students learned about radio telemetry and searched for a sage-grouse collar hidden in the brush.

Borah High students learn about sage grouse, juniper invasion

By Steve Stuebner Thirty-five Borah High School juniors and seniors got up early -- really early (4 a.m.) -- on a hazy May morning to go on a field trip to learn about sage-grouse in the Owyhee Mountains. Science teacher Kris Stone said so many students wanted to go she had to turn some away. “They were all really eager to do some outdoors learning,” she said as kids gathered at Borah High.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service set up the tour to educate high school students about sage-grouse and other natural resource issues in the Owyhee Mountains, about an hour south of Boise. The first stop was a sage-grouse lek near the little Basque town of Oreana on the front side of the Owyhee Mountains.

As the school bus pulled up to a stop by the lek, at least 25 male sage-grouse were running around and strutting, with their bright 24

yellow breasts all puffed up, trying to put on a show for a female.

“This is called the Owyhee Canyonlands,” says Jason Pyron, who works on Candidate Species Conservation and Conservation Partnerships for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). “The birds come back here year after year to the same spot, called a lek, to put on a mating display and then mate with the hens.

“The most dominant males will hold the center of the lek, and the less dominant males work around the edges of the lek, and the hens that are ready to be bred will fly in and be bred by a small percentage of the males,” Pyron explained.

Students peered through binoculars and spotting scopes out the windows of the bus to see the males strutting in the sagebrush.

Everyone stayed inside the bus so as not to spook the sage- grouse or disrupt the mat-

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

ing activity.

Pyron explains that sage-grouse are found in 11 western states and two Canadian provinces, that they’re the largest of all grouse species in North America. Females lay 7-8 eggs each, and populations have been declining because of a myriad of factors, including the mosquito-borne West Nile virus.

However, the number of birds on the lek in the Owyhees this year seems to indicate that sage- grouse are faring a little better in Southwest Idaho. Lek counts by FWS scientists in this area show an upward trend.

“This year, what we’re seeing so far in the Owyhee area, are good numbers,” Pyron said.

While the students watched the mating display, Pyron gave them background information and answered questions. The students seemed to enjoy the experience – a

first for most of them.

“I thought it was really cool. I’ve never seen a sage grouse before,” said Paige Anderson, a sophomore at Borah High. “I liked how they puffed up their chest, I thought that was cool. I wish I could hear the sound they make.”

“They reminded me of really big roosters,” said Kendall Tookey, a Borah High junior.

“They kind of puffed up their chest and flapped their wings and their tails were up like that (using his hands to illustrate the erect tail feathers). And they kind of danced around, and it was really cool to watch.”

Most of the students had never seen sagegrouse before or observed a mating dance.

The whole point of the field trip was to give the students an opportunity to be outside and learn about nature.

The Idaho FWS funded a series of field trips for several Idaho high schools to educate students about sage-grouse, the shrubsteppe ecosystem where they live and other rangeland issues. The Portland Regional FWS office supplemented funding with additional grant money to help pay for transportation costs and educational materials. The spring 2011 Borah High field trip was one of several educational experiences in SW Idaho for older youth, including trips for Midvale, Cambridge, Council, Eagle, Rocky Mountain and Rimrock high schools.

The trips also were made possible by hands-on assistance and funding from the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission, the Governor’s Office of Species Conservation, the Southwest Idaho RC&D, the West-Central and Owyhee sage-grouse local working groups, BLM, and Idaho Department of Fish and Game. On some trips, students were able to help local private landowners with various tasks on their lands to improve habitat for the birds and other species.

“These tours are part of the connecting people with nature program -- to increase youth’s awareness of not only their outdoor situation here in Idaho, but also of sagegrouse and the sagebrush-steppe habitat, and its role in the landscape, economy and ecology,” Pyron said.

Male sage-grouse “displaying” during mating season. Photo by Gene Gray.

“Something that we’re missing more and more is the opportunity to connect the kids with what they’re learning in the classroom and apply it to real life for them. When they can put their hands on it, and see it with their eyes, it definitely gives them an opportunity to take it home with them,” Pyron emphasized.

The FWS helped to start the multi-partner “Be Outside, Idaho!” initiative, along with over 140 public and private entities, including Idaho Fish and Game, BLM, Idaho Department of Commerce, the Idaho Recreation and Tourism Initiative, Blue Cross of Idaho, the City of Boise, and The Wilderness Society. The campaign was inspired by Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, who raised the brewing concern that children are losing touch with nature because they spend too much time indoors playing with video games and electronic gadgets. His concerns inspired a national movement. Idaho is among several states leading efforts to reconnect youth with nature.

Pyron noted that field trips in rural parts of Idaho help educate students about the ranching industry, and what role ranchers play in helping wildlife.

“Private lands are essential to the survival of wildlife species throughout Idaho,” he said. “I think it’s important for the students to see how federal and state agencies are working with private landowners to improve wildlife habitat and fish species.”

The field trip moved on to Jerry Hoagland’s ranch on Reynolds Creek, where the kids learned about soil, water and other issues in the sagebrush steppe ecosystem..

One of the highlights of the trip for the students was learning to use radio telemetry at the Hoagland Ranch. Pyron hid a sage-grouse collar used to track the birds’ movements in the sagebrush, and then he challenged the Borah High students to use radio telemetry equipment to find the collar. When Pyron turned on the radio transceiver, the kids could hear the “beep, beep, beep” of the signal from the hidden radio collar. As the 25 students participated in the search party, one student named Tyler, turned the wand back and forth, listening for a stronger signal. “It’s that way!” the kids said excitedly as the signal got stronger and louder.

See GROUSE p.27

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

25

26

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

GROUSE Continued from page 25 It took them about 10 minutes or so, but they honed in on it.

“Hey guys, check right there in that bush,” said Tyler. One of the students pulled the collar out of the bush. “Yea, Tyler!”

At the ranch, the kids learned about the importance of soil, water and the problem of juniper trees invading shrub-steppe habitat. As Reynolds Creek roared in the background with fresh runoff from more than 180 percent of normal snowpack, Hoagland explained that water monitoring equipment was set up on the creek in 1960, creating more than 50 years of data on water quality and water quantity. “ It measures how water comes out of the sky, how much goes into the ground, how much plants take off, and how much runs off.

This is the longest study in the world of this kind of information,” Hoagland said.

“The increasing problem of juniper invasion is affecting healthy riparian areas, decreasing sage-grouse habitat and giving predators like crows, ravens, magpies and hawks more perching areas to prey on-sage grouse,” Hoagland said.

“Something needs to be done,” Hoagland added. “ When we started fighting fire to protect our property, the juniper expanded, and it’s like a wildfire now, the way the juniper is expanding.”

Hoagland would like to see more prescribed burning on BLM land to control the spread, but for now, ranchers and the BLM are cutting down junipers as a solution.

When juniper trees move into a riparian area and crowd out other vegetation, it can undermine the integrity of the soil along the stream banks, the rancher explained. Junipers soak up a lot of moisture, and their needles create a sterile environment around the trees, killing other plant species.

“We don’t want to see the loss of soil,” Hoagland said. “If you don’t have anything to hold that soil in the riparian area, you’re going to have erosion and pollution in the water, so you want to maintain these riparian areas in a healthy condition.”

Hoagland, a local Owyhee County leader, also serves as an Owyhee County Commissioner. He enjoys talking to the kids and helping them understand their landscape. The Borah High tour was the third group of school kids to visit his ranch this spring. “I kind of enjoy it,” Hoagland said. “They are very interested in what’s going on. It’s a worthwhile deal.”

Pyron added, “There’s a growing recognition that students are being disconnected with the landscapes around them, and we are working to increase their awareness outdoors. Obviously, the students are going to be the next generation looking after these landscapes in the future.”

“Learning about environmental stuff is always helpful,” adds Kendall Tookey of Borah High. “I just think this is a really cool experience and more people should come out and do it.”

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

27

Farm Facts

28

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

Crossword answers

from page 21

Top Farm Bureau Agents Rookie of the Month: Agent of the Month: Agency of the Month: Eric Wilkins Newell Agency

Darin Pfost Newell Agency

Palmer Agency

Across: 1. Lincoln, 4. Adams, 6. Latah, 7. Camas, 9. Kootenai, 13. Gem, 14.

Fremont, 15. Blaine, 18. Ada, 19. Bingham, 20. Payette, Owyhee.7. Camas, 9. Kootenai, 13. Gem, 14.

Across: 1. Lincoln, 4. Adams, 6. 21.

Latah, Down: 2. Clark, 3. Washington, 5. Shoshone, 8. Minidoka, 10. Lemhi, 11. Oneida, Fremont, 15.

Blaine, Ada, 19. Bingham, 20. Payette, 21. Owyhee.

12. Boundary, 15.

Bonner, 16. Idaho,18.

17. Power.

Down: 2. Clark, 3. Washington, 5. Shoshone, 8. Minidoka, 10. Lemhi, 11. Oneida, 12. Boundary, 15. Bonner, 16. Idaho, 17. Power.

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

29

A Taste of Idaho: Adding a Twist to Pie Crust Article and photos by Julie Christoffersen Don’t you love social media? I find reading the stories of farm and ranch wives interesting. I am always finding something that I can’t wait to try. Just the other day, I was reading a blog and found a yummy and different way to make a pie crust.

Have you heard of using cinnamon rolls as a pie crust? Why have I missed this all these years? What a great idea to add that extra sweet crunch to a pie while enjoying a “designer” crust.

So, for those of you like me, who have been in the dark, you now have a new pie for your holiday table. Of course your family will enjoy it anytime. The taste of sweet

cinnamon crust alone is divine. If you pair it with a sweet potato pie, you get an absolutely scrumptious dessert. Running out of the pie is the only problem you might have.

Historians have recorded pie crust as a vessel for food back to the ancient Egyptians during the New Stone Age beginning around 9500 B.C. Known as galettes, these pies were filled with honey and baked over hot coals. Over time, the bakers to the pharaohs “beefed up” the pies with nuts and fruits.

“Sing a Song of Sixpence…” many readers remember the nursery rhyme referring to a pie with blackbirds singing to the king.

Cinnamon roll pie crust 30

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

This type of pie or pye was often served at banquets as entertainment. The pies actually held the birds and often a dwarf would emerge and walk down the length of the table entertaining the guests. Those were very big pies!

As immigrants settled across the states, so did a variety of pie recipes. Today if I want to make a blueberry pie, I go buy blueberries. However, there was a time when blueberries were not available to everyone.

What pie was eaten was specific to a geographical area of the country. The south enjoyed a silky pie with sugar, buttermilk and eggs. Midwesterners enjoyed cheese and cream pies. Native Americans introduced the French to pecans who we thank

for our yummy pecan pie. In the North, delicious berry pies were eaten. However, the apple pie was becoming a favorite of Americans.

We all know the famous quote “As American as apple pie.” With the abundance of apple trees spreading across the country, apple pie quickly became America’s pie.

Apple is easy to dry and will store well during the winter; making it possible for early settlers to enjoy apple pie year round.

An interesting bit of trivia—Americans eat more pie on July 4th than any other day of the year. One out of four Americans say Apple pie is their favorite, followed by pumpkin, chocolate, lemon meringue and cherry.

To make this yummy Cinnamon Roll crust you need to use either a store bought or scratch pie crust. Do not use any dough with yeast in it; you don’t want the crust to rise. If you use the ready to go crust you save yourself time and a mess; I tend to have a big mess in my kitchen when I make dough from scratch.

You simply lay the crust on a lightly floured surface; brush it with real unsalted butter, and then sprinkle the cinnamon evenly.

Once that is done, snuggly roll the dough like a sleeping bag. You can cut the dough one of two ways, use a sharp serrated knife, or a piece of thread. Cut the dough into ½ inch rounds.

Here’s the cool part, layer the cinnamon

rolls evenly in the bottom and sides of a pie dish; it will require pressing the pieces together to cover the dish evenly. I use a glass 9-inch pie dish. I like the glass because I can see my pie crust while it is baking. However, I have read that a ceramic dish will bake a better pie. Make sure there are no gaps between the rolls. You don’t want your pie filling to ooze out of the crust. Once you make sure the rolls are pushed together tightly, brush the crust with the egg white mixture.

Of course you can use this crust with other pies. Be creative, try it with an apple pie or a pumpkin pie; it will enhance either one of these. And don’t forget to drink a tall glass of cold milk with your pie. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Pie with Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust Directions:

Pie Crust 1 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 1 large egg white plus 1 tsp water, beaten Sweet Potato Pie 1 ½ cups cooked, mashed and cooled sweet potato 1 cup packed light brown sugar ½ cup heavy cream ½ cup half and half 3 large eggs 1 tsp pure vanilla extract ¾ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp ground cloves ¼ tsp salt Marshmallows cut in half widthwise

In a large bowl, whisk together mashed (cooled) sweet potato, brown sugar, heavy cream, half and half, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Mix until smooth.

After brushing the pie crust with the egg white, pour the pie filling over the crust. Bake the pie for 55-60 minutes at 350 degrees, or when the filling has puffed up a little bit. Use a toothpick to make sure the pie is done. If the toothpick comes out clean your pie is ready.

Remove the pie from the oven and top with the marshmallows. Place the pie under the broiler until the marshmallows are golden brown. This will take about 1 minute. Cool the pie on a rack before serving.

Baked sweet potato pie.

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

31

Idaho Farm Bureau’s Ag Ambassadors meet with Senator Mike Crapo in Washington D.C.

Ag Ambassadors return from Washington

By Jake Putnam Five Idaho couples just returned from an important political mission in Washington D.C. Named as Ag Ambassadors and making the trip were Mark and Cheryl Harris of Soda Springs, Travis and Paige McAffee of Howe, Klade and Melissa Williams of Burley, Kirk and Allis Chandler of Weiser and Coleman and Carolyn Frank of Sagle.

The 2013 Idaho Farm Bureau Ag Ambassadors were tasked with lobbying Idaho’s Congressional delegation on Capitol Hill.

“Can you imagine farmers lobbying farm issues, having a say in the Farm Bill? It’s a no brainer. No other group I know gives member the opportunity to weigh in and it’s important to our organization and it was very effective,” said the Idaho Farm Bureau’s Dennis Brower.

Brower says it’s a teaching mechanism.

“We want to provide our members with 32

greater knowledge of the political process.

Of course our members are better members when they know the process. We put them through extensive grass-roots training at the county level, then show them firsthand how to impact the political process along the way.”

Brower thinks the Farm Bureau’s Ag Ambassador program is unique because it turns ordinary members into active, political assets.

“We can tell them how the political process works but until members see it firsthand we can’t do it justice,” said Brower. “We take them to the Hill and they learn fast.”

The Farm Bureau also has political internships at the Idaho Statehouse.

“It’s because we want our members to be stakeholders in our political mission. This hands-on training is more powerful than a book, seminar or web page,” adds Brower.

Idaho Farm Bureau members have an edge

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

when it comes to lobbying because they write the Farm Bureau policy book each year and know grassroots policy implementation inside and out. Ag Ambassadors hit the ground running in Washington according to Brower.

“Our farmers and ranchers know policy implementation. When we take those five couples to Capitol Hill they’re in the political trenches. They weigh in on the Farm Bill with our representatives, and everything they do affects our mission greatly,” said Brower.

Brower says the Ag Ambassador program is the ultimate member benefit and it’s available to anyone interested in making a difference. “Every county gets to submit an application, the county Farm Bureau board of directors chooses a couple and then that application is sent on to state and one couple is selected from each district,” said Brower.

County Happenings

March 25th was Idaho History week the week for the 2nd graders at Logos School in Moscow. The students studied a unit on farmers, ranchers and cowboys coming to Idaho and the impact they’ve had on our state. On March 26, the students dressed as farmers, ranchers, and cowboys as they sat in on presentations from the Idaho Farm Bureau’s Moving Agriculture to the Classroom program. GayLynn Clyde and Bob Smathers presented information on wheat, irrigation and several other agriculture topics. GayLynn Clyde is a small and large animal veterinarian with Washington State University and also farms with her husband just south of Moscow. The children were treated to a Chuckwagon lunch after the presentations. MAC presentations occurred in 8 Latah County Schools the week of March 25.

Students at Boville Elementary School learn about agriculture with help from the Idaho Farm Bureau’s MAC Program.

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

33

Marketbasket Survey Retail Food Prices Show Slight Increase

Shoppers paid slightly more for food at the grocery store at the beginning of 2013. Higher retail prices for meat items such as sliced deli ham, boneless chicken breasts and ground chuck, among other foods, resulted in a slight increase in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s first Semi-Annual Marketbasket Survey.

The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $51.54, up $1 or about 2 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2012. Of the 16 items surveyed, 11 increased and five decreased in average price compared to the prior quarter.

“Overall, food prices have remained remarkably stable over the past two or three quarters, particularly given the run-up in energy prices over this most recent quarter,” said John Anderson, AFBF’s deputy chief economist.

“Meat prices rose in price a bit more than most other items in the first quarter, but for the basket as a whole, price changes have been fairly modest,” Anderson explained. “Looking ahead, we expect food prices to rise by 3 to 4 percent during 2013, which is slightly higher than the average rate of inflation over the past 10 years.”

Items showing retail price increases included deli ham, up 50 cents to $5.39 per pound; flour, up 25 cents to $2.62 for a 5-pound bag; chicken breasts, 34

up 22 cents to $3.32 per pound; ground chuck, up 19 cents to $3.74 per pound; shredded cheddar cheese, up 16 cents to $4.47 per pound; bagged salad, up 12 cents to $2.71 per pound; sirloin tip roast, up 11 cents to $4.63 per pound; bacon, up 7 cents to $4.28 per pound; Russet potatoes, up 7 cents to $2.69 for a 5-pound bag; vegetable oil, up 6 cents to $2.92 for a 32-ounce bottle; and apples, up 3 cents to $1.63 per pound.

These items showed modest retail price decreases: whole milk, down 27 cents to $3.46 per gallon; white bread, down 20 cents to $1.65 for a 20-ounce loaf; orange juice, down 13 cents to $3.28 per half-gallon; toasted oat cereal, down 12 cents to $2.91 for a 9-ounce box; and eggs, down 6 cents to $1.84 per dozen.

The year-to-year direction of the marketbasket survey tracks closely with the federal government’s Consumer Price Index (http://www.bls.gov/cpi/) report for food at home. As retail grocery prices have increased gradually over time, the share of the average food dollar that America’s farm and ranch families receive has dropped.

“Through the mid-1970s, farmers received about one-third of consumer retail food expenditures for food eaten at home and away from home, on average. Since then, that figure has decreased steadily and is now about 16 percent, according to the Agriculture Department’s revised Food Dollar Series,”

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

Anderson said. Details about USDA’s new Food Dollar Series may be found online at http://www.ers.usda.gov/ publications/err-economicresearch-report/err114.aspx.

2012. In 2013, the marketbasket series was updated to include two semi-annual surveys of “everyday” food items, a summer cookout survey and the annual Thanksgiving survey.

Using the “food at home and away from home” percentage across-the-board, the farmer’s share of this $51.54 marketbasket would be $8.25.

According to USDA, Americans spend just under 10 percent of their disposable annual income on food, the lowest average of any country in the world. A total of 86 shoppers in 24 states participated in the latest survey, conducted in March.

AFBF, the nation’s largest general farm organization, conducted an informal quarterly marketbasket survey of retail food price trends from 1989 to

See SPOTLIGHT ON MILK AND EGGS, next page

AFBF MARKETBASKET SURVEY

SEMI-ANNUAL (April 2013)

16 ITEMS: B����� ����� O����� ����� A����� P������� C������ ������� S����� ���� ��� B���� G����� ����� S������ ��� ����� E��� M��� S������� ������ B���� F���� T������ ��� ������ V�������� ���

TOTAL $51.54 Up $1 or 2% from 4th quarter 2012.

Down 2% compared to a year ago.

Source/Graphic: American Farm Bureau Federation® newsroom.fb.org

UI Forestry

Continued from page 19

erant trees capable of growing on a site.

For example, a stand’s overstory might be dominant to ponderosa pine with lots of Douglas-fir and grand fir in the understory.

Such a site would be classified as a ponderosa pine cover type, but would be a grand fir habitat type, since that is the most shade tolerant species growing on site – with no disturbance, the site would eventually succeed to grand fir.

These systems are based on the idea that on a given site, the same successional pathways will repeat after disturbances and that climax forest plants and trees for a site are a meaningful index of soils, topography, precipitation, and other factors affecting the growth of trees and other organisms there. Habitat typing gives you more insight on what is capable of growing on a site, rather than just focusing on what is on the site presently, which may or may not be natural, due to fire exclusion, past harvesting practices, or introduced diseases.

For example, if a stand is a cedar or hemlock habitat type, you know that western white pine will likely grow well on the site even if you do not currently see any in the stand.

Other Forest Classification Systems Many Idaho forests rarely reach climax condition because fires and other factors keep setting those forests back to earlier

successional (“seral”) stages. In recent years, classification systems that explicitly embrace such disturbances and other factors are coming into more common use.

For example the LANDFIRE program (Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools) is an interagency effort that has generated hundreds of ecological system descriptions for North America based on current biophysical settings and historic disturbance regimes.

Some Idaho examples from a new USFS publication on managing fire risk (Jain et al 2012) include: Northern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic1 Montane Mixed Conifer Forest Middle Rocky Mountain Montane Douglas-fir Forest and Woodland Northern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna Northern Rocky Mountain Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest 1 Northern Rocky Mountain Foothill Conifer Wooded Steppe Applying Forest Type Descriptions For the most part, Idaho forests are managed by trying to mimic natural patterns of forest growth and development. A lot of the research that goes into forest manage-

ment techniques is based on experiments that are tied to specific forest types. Knowing how to describe your forest type is critical to helping you communicate with foresters about your forest and identify the best management options and techniques for your forested land.

For More Information http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_rb014. html. http://www.fs.fed.us/r m/pubs/r mrs_ gtr292.html.

Chris Schnepf is an area extension educator – forestry – for the University of Idaho in Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Benewah counties. He can be reached at cschnepf@uidaho.edu

1 “Mesic” means intermediate moisture conditions (i.e., neither decidedly wet nor dry). “Montane” means relating to mountains.

“Woodlands” are plant communities in which, in contrast to a typical forest, the trees are often small, characteristically short-boled relative to their crown depth, and forming only an open canopy with the intervening area being occupied by lower vegetation, commonly grass. Source: Society of American Foresters Dictionary of Forestry http://www.dictionaryofforestry.org.

Spotlight on Milk and Eggs 1 gallon regular milk, $3.46 1/2 gallon regular milk, $2.32 1/2 gallon organic milk, $3.90 1/2 gallon rBST-free milk, $2.92 1 dozen regular eggs, $1.84 1 dozen “cage-free” eggs, $3.39

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

35

AMERICAN FARM BUREAU FEDERATION NEWS

Farm Bureau Sends Farm Bill Proposal to Capitol Hill The American Farm Bureau Federation is sending a farm bill proposal to Capitol Hill today.

Approved this weekend by the AFBF Board of Directors, the proposal offers a diverse mix of risk management and safety net tools to benefit a wide range of farms and it saves $23 billion compared to the cost of continuing the current program.

ica’s agricultural system,” Stallman said. “Last year, Congress merely extended the old 2008 farm bill until Sept. 30 of this year. Now, while unfortunately we have less money to work with, it is vital that Congress complete a new five-year farm bill this year. Doing so is in the economic interest of our entire nation.”

The American Farm Bureau farm bill proposal helps reduce the nation’s budget deficit, provides an adequate economic safety net for the nation’s farmers and is based on several core policy principles, according to AFBF President Bob Stallman.

Stallman said the goal of the American Farm Bureau proposal is to provide a measure of fairness among regions and crops, while providing each commodity sector a workable safety net provision for farmers who grow that crop.

The Farm Bureau proposal:

“Farm policy should provide a strong and effective safety net and viable risk management programs for farmers that do not guarantee a profit but, instead, protect them from catastrophic occurrences,” Stallman said. “We also want to ensure that terms of our farm programs do not affect a farmer’s decision of which crop to plant.

The program must comply with our World Trade Organization agreements.”

Offers farmers a choice of program options.

Protects and strengthens the federal crop insurance program and does not reduce its funding.

Provides a commodity title that works to encourage farmers to follow market signals rather than making planting decisions in anticipation of government payments.

And, ensures equity across program commodities.

Farm Bureau supports a program that reduces complexity while allowing producers increased flexibility to plant in response to market demand.

“There is far less money this year than last with which to secure an adequate safety net for the many family-owned farms that make up the bulk of Amer-

Farm Bureau supports a safety net that allows farmers to purchase insurance products to further protect individual risk.

The program should be deliv-

Refrains from basing any program on cost of production.

36

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

ered by private crop insurance companies.

We support producers being allowed a choice of program options.

Specifically, the AFBF proposal calls for a three-legged safety net for program crop farmers that includes: a stacked income protection plan commonly called STAX; an improved crop insurance program; and target prices and marketing loans. Under the proposal, all program crop farmers would have access to the marketing loan and crop insurance provisions and they would then select between a target price program and STAX to round out their safety net option.

The AFBF proposal also supports extending provisions of the STAX program for apples, potatoes, tomatoes, grapes and sweet corn. Covering these five specialty crops will benefit fruit and vegetable producers in 44 states. Eventually, Farm Bureau would like to cover all crops under a STAX program in the

future.

“While we would have liked to have provided a STAX program for all commodity programs under the same terms as those provided to cotton last year in the Senate bill, funding is insufficient to do so,” Stallman explained.

Because of funding limits, AFBF is proposing modifications be made to STAX for all eligible commodities. Those modifications would: reduce the crop insurance premium subsidization to 70 percent from 80 percent; not offer the multiplier option; not offer a harvest price option; allow STAX to be based on yield or revenue at the discretion of the producer; and allow purchase only as a buy-up policy with a 10-25 percent deductible rather than also providing for a stand-alone policy. In addition, under the STAX program suggested by Farm Bureau, no payments would be made until the county average revenue or yield fell by 10 percent from the historic amount.

AMERICAN FARM BUREAU FEDERATION NEWS A target price program for all program commodities would be available except for cotton.

Due to terms of Brazil’s WTO cotton case against the United States, cotton farmers would likely not be eligible for a marketing loan at the current level or any target price.

For other crops, target price levels would be based on the marketing-year average price from the past five years (2007 through 2011) and those projected by the Congressional Budget Office for the next five

years (2012 through 2016). To establish the actual target prices and provide general equity across crop sectors, these 20072016 average prices are reduced by 25 percent for corn and soybeans, 15 percent for wheat and 10 percent for rice and peanuts.

Wheat has an adjustment of only 15 percent because it is produced mostly in the larger counties, making area yields less representative of individual producer experience and therefore less effective as a risk management tool.

The smaller 10 percent adjustment is applied to peanuts and rice as both crops lack insurance products that function as well as those available to the major grain and oilseed commodities.

AFBF suggests the same 10 percent loss threshold be used to determine appropriate target price levels for rice and peanuts. The target price will be based on 85 percent of planted acres, but not to exceed a producer’s historical base acreage.

This provides a safety net more accurately addressing the risks associated with current produc-

tion decisions and eliminates the present mismatch between payments and actual production or market conditions. Capping the payment acres at the historical base minimizes any potential distortion of a target price system.

The Senate Agriculture Committee will likely begin markup of a comprehensive, long-term farm bill this month, while the House Ag Committee is considering moving a bill after the Senate Ag Committee completes its mark up.

American Farm Bureau Picks 7th Leader Class The American Farm Bureau Federation has chosen a group of 10 young agricultural leaders to participate in the seventh class of the Partners in Agricultural Leadership honors program.

Participants selected for the 2013-14 program are: Jillian Beaty, Wisconsin; Jason Bunting, Illinois; Joy Davis, Texas; Shannon Douglass, California; Stacey Forshee, Kansas; Joshua Geigle, South Dakota; Katie Heger, North Dakota; Adam Hinton, Kentucky; Elizabeth Kohtz, Idaho; and Brandon Whitt, Tennessee.

The focus of Farm Bureau PAL program is to enhance participants’ leadership skills and aid them in discovering how they can best use their abilities for the benefit of agriculture. The program offers young farmers and ranchers the opportunity to continue building their skills after they have served as AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee members/officers or competed in national YF&R

events.

“Farm Bureau welcomes the 10 participants of the seventh PAL class and looks forward to the role they will play moving forward to strengthen American agriculture,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “The PAL program allows participants to continue on a leadership path within the Farm Bureau using their experiences from YF&R and other agricultural leadership roles.”

Through PAL, young leaders will be given the opportunity to develop their skills in problem solving, persuasion and consensus building while learning about critical agricultural and public policy issues.

Upon graduation from the PAL program, young agricultural leaders are prepared to represent agriculture in the media, on speaking circuits or in legislative activities.

“The young farmers and ranchers that complete the PAL program are equipped to serve as

Elizabeth Kohtz of Twin Falls County, pictured with husband, Steven & daughters, was selected to participate in the American Farm Bureau’s Partners in Agricultural Leadership program.

‘advocates for agriculture’ from their communities to Capitol Hill, telling the farmer’s story while raising awareness of agriculture-related issues,” said Stallman.

State Farm Bureaus submit one applicant per state for consideration for the PAL program.

Applicants must be “Sweet 16” finalists in the national YF&R Discussion Meet; top 10 finalists in the YF&R Achievement Award or Excellence in Agri-

culture Award competitions; former members of the AFBF YF&R committee or former state YF&R committee chairs.

The PAL program is made possible through sponsorships from the Monsanto Company, the Farm Credit System, Agri-Pulse Communications and AFBF. Visit http://www.fb.org/index. php?action=programs.pal for more information on the PAL program.

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

37

Idaho’s New Plan to Manage Elk for the next Decade

By Toby Boudreau Elk are important and a part of life to Idahoans. Some folks like to watch them, some like to hunt them, some just like to know they are in the mountains, and others like them to stay out of trouble by not causing damage to their fences, standing or stored crops.

Idaho’s farmers and ranchers are important to the future of elk and elk management; they provide habitat on private land, and share resources with elk on public land.

The new elk management plan, which is currently being written, will incorporate the public’s attitudes and desires to shape a comprehensive plan that will direct management for the next 10 years. Our last elk plan was approved by the Fish and Game Commission in 1998, and it’s time for a new plan. As many of you already know, elk populations have changed over the last 15 years in Idaho. We need your input to chart the best course forward for elk management in Idaho.

The elk plan revision process started last summer with a statewide survey of elk hunter opinions and attitudes about elk hunting and elk management. The results from this first survey can be found on our website: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/elkplanning.

The one resounding idea that came from elk hunters was that they value being able to hunt elk every year, even more than they value seeing bigger bulls and more elk on the mountain (seeing more elk and bigger bulls were still very important to elk hunters). We are using this survey information to help create our proposed future population objectives and hunt frameworks, and to shape elk management for at least the next decade.

We have seen increases in elk populations in some areas and declines in others since the last elk plan was implemented. One major change since then is that we are now dealing with wolves in a large portion of Idaho. They have changed elk numbers, elk behavior and are also negatively affecting ranchers and their livestock. Wolves are not the only predator on elk, black 38

bears and mountain lions also prey on elk.

Another change is that we now have elk in places where they were nonexistent or rare 15 years ago; and some of those elk are now causing problems. Elk habitat has also changed considerably with spread of noxious weeds, along with fires, or the lack of fires, that have affected the amount and quality of forage in parts of the state.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has worked with farmers and ranchers to help deal with crop and property damage from elk for years and will continue to do so. We are looking for new ideas to help deal with problem elk and reduce the negative impact of elk to producers. One of the new emerging issues are areas that have become safe havens for elk because elk are not accessible to hunters during the day, but at night elk leave those havens to cause problems on adjacent lands where in most cases hunting is allowed. Issues like this are becoming an important topic and our ability to influence those elk is limited.

Getting new ideas on how you, the farmers, ranchers and producers, think we should deal with these issues in the future would be very helpful.

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

A key component to this elk plan is reaching out to the public in as many ways as possible. We are still putting the elk plan together and are collecting public input, I encourage you to go to our website and review the current proposals for each of the 29 zones and statewide, along with a new survey on options for expanding elk hunting opportunity and more. We update our website regularly with new materials, public meeting dates, a current survey and elk information.

The Idaho Farm Bureau represents a very important stakeholder group in elk management: the farmers, landowners and producers of Idaho. We want to hear from you.

Please visit our website at http://fishgandgame.idaho.gov/elkplanning and give us your comments, or contact me with your comments and ideas.

Toby Boudreau is the deer and elk coordinator for the Idaho Fish and Game. He can be reached at toby.boudreau@idfg. idahjo.gov

SPOTLIGHT ON IDAHO FFA—Building Tomorrow’s Agricultural Leaders Idaho FFA Elects New State Leadership Idaho FFA wrapped up the 82nd Annual State FFA Leadership conference in Twin Falls on April 13 with the announcement of the 2013-14 State FFA Officer Team.

The new officers began their training in April and will spend the next year serving Idaho’s over 4,200 FFA members, promoting the FFA Organization and advocating for Idaho agriculture.

2013 - 2014 Idaho State FFA Officer Team

To learn more about Idaho FFA, please visit: www.idahoffa.org www.idffafoundation.org

(Pictured from left) Kyle Nesbitt, State Sentinel, Weiser FFA Chapter; McKenzie Forsberg, State Treasurer, Vallivue FFA Chapter; Daniel Heikkila, State Vice President, Meridian FFA Chapter; Brett Wilder, State President, Meridian FFA Chapter; Alyssa Stastny, State Secretary, Kimberly FFA Chapter; and Erin Shenk, State Reporter, Homedale FFA Chapter.

Idaho Farm Bureau proudly sponsors the Idaho FFA Extemporaneous Public Speaking Career Development Event

2013 Idaho FFA Extemporaneous Public Speaking Winners (Pictured from left) Justin Patten, Idaho Farm Bureau; Amanda Hale, Rigby FFA Chapter, 1st Place and headed to nationals in October; Colton Mink, Gooding FFA Chapter, 4th Place; Morgan Howard, Nezperce FFA Chapter, 2nd Place; and Janine Johnson, Meridian FFA Chapter, 3rd Place. The competition was held on April 11 during the Idaho State FFA Leadership Conference in Twin Falls.

The Extemporaneous Public Speaking Career Development Event challenges FFA members to prepare and deliver a factual speech on a specific agricultural issue in a logical manner – in a short amount of time. Participants draw one topic and have 30 minutes to prepare their four to six minute speeches. A panel of judges uses an additional five minutes to question the speaker on their assigned topic. Through this event, students develop a broad knowledge of current agricultural issues, as well as polish logical reasoning and effective communication skills that will allow them to excel in the classroom and beyond.

FFA—Premier Leadership, Personal Growth and Career Success through Agricultural Education

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

39

40

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013

41

Classifieds

Animals

Help Wanted

Registered Clydesdale Horses, all ages for sale. Registered. Bancroft, Id. 208-709-6034

Agricultural Collateral Inspection and Appraisals. Ag background required. Training course available. Call 800-488-7570 or visit www.amagappraisers.com.

ASCA registered Australian Shepherd pups.

Working line since 1968. Full satisfaction guaranteed. All four colors available. Boise, Id 208-484-9802 Good selection of horses available from weanlings to 5 year olds. Rawlings Quarters & Paints, Preston, ID. 208-852-0731 or 208220-9527 Kids Cool Hope, AQHA Black Stallion ready for breeding. ROM in halter, 6 generations of world champions, cow bred, beautiful head, excellent disposition. Breed fee: $500 + mare care. Rawlings Quarters & Paints, Preston, ID, 208-852-0731 or 208-220-9527.

Tunis-Finn rams for sale. Three years old.

One white, one black, one tan. Hagerman, Id. Please leave message. 208-837-6028 2 Border Collie Pups from generations of working stock, these short haired pups will be an asset to your ranch or in the trial world. Introduced to stock and are starting to work. All shots. Whelped 10/29/2012.

208-549-0572 2 - Black Polled yearling bulls. 1/2 Angus - 1/2 Limo (Lim - Flex) Moyie Springs, Id 208-267-8992

Farm Equipment 12 shares, 60 inches, water rights. Island Canal. Best Offer. Rigby, Id 208-745-6455 2005 CASE 650 series 2 dozer with cab and rippers. 975 hrs. Very good conditions. $55,000. Mtn. Home, Id 208-599-2016 Irrigation pump, 3 stage shortcouple, 20 HP motor, 500 GPM at 50 PSI. $3,200. Also 40 HP electric motor $400. Arco, Id 208525-5186 1999 Picket bean cutter. 8 row, 22 inch, 1 1/4 inch rod. Great condition. $15,000.

Filer, Id 208-308-3479 Balewagons: New Holland self-propelled or pull-type models/parts. Also interested in buying balewagons. Will consider any model.

Call Jim Wilhite at 208-880-2889 anytime

Household Antique oak seller’s kitchen cupboard with flour bin, sifter, porcelain top. Great condition.

1940’s Burl walnut 3 piece bedroom set, good condition. Burley, Id. 208-678-2036 or 208-431-2036 Antique piano. Pre-1900 era. Beautiful wood grain, carving, and detail. Ivory keys. Must see to appreciate! $500. OBO. Husband says Must sell! Message/text/call (208)734-2828.

Miscellaneous Cedar fence posts for sale. 7 foot long split posts. From old growth cedar so they will last a long time. Big stout posts for pasture fencing. Orofino, Id Call 208-816-1620 Complete package - Nearly new American Trail saddle, brest collar, upgrade cinch.

Leather saddle bags, new leather chinks, insulated horn bags. Halter, bridle, saddle pad, saddle stand. $900. Lewiston, Id. 208553-7559 Horse drawn buggy for single horse.

Antique, great condition. Leather seat. $700.

McCammon, Id 208-254-3331 Morbark model PS-8 portabele post peeler with 353 diesel engines plus electric motor.

Lewiston, Id. 208-743-5501 16-16 1/2” Circle Y show saddle, headstall, and breast collar. Light leather. Lots of silver.

Purchased new in 2000. Very little wear, well maintained. $1000. OBO. Message/text/ call (208)734-2828. Lots of other horse equipment also for sale.

Real Estate/Acreage Work hard, earn a good living with Clearwater County, Idaho, feed store. $575,000 with inventory for historic building, warehouse, rental properties. 35+ years selling feed, seed, tack, pet supplies. Owner retiring, will finance. Selling home w/acreage. Google Whipple’s Feed, Orofino, 208-476-4412.

Real Estate/Acreage

Services

22 Acres commercial development opportunity. Idaho Falls. Sunnyside and I-15. near Snake River Landing and new event center. More info call 208-351-4317.

I have two late model bale wagons. 45 cents per bale for new customers and $100 minimum. No job too big. 2 and 3 string, stacking. Caldwell, Id. 208-880-6137

4/2- 2400SF Custom home for sale. 2.5 acres-animals allowed. 40X40 shop/barn. No HOA/No CCRS. Driggs, Id 324,999 208351-4317.

Vehicles

Home for sale. 14 Leisure Ln., Terrace Lakes Resort, Garden Valley, Id. 4 bed, 3 bath, 2460 sq. feet. Detached workshop, detached 2 car garage. Turnkey ready. Overlooks first tee box of golf course. Spectacular view and location. $199,900. 208-376-6447.

Four city lots. Downey, Id. $4,500 obo. 208234-1397 Five acres prime, flat, commercial/industrial land + 5,000 sq. ft. steel building with 3-phase power. Older three-bedroom trailer.

Growing area south of Pocatello between two I-15 on ramps. Comps at $950,000. Sacrifice at $595,000. Photos/details available dean. nancy@gmail.com 208-705-2598.

Recreational Equipment 2001 Mallard Travel Trailer, 26 feet Fully Equipped. Full bath, tub/shower. Separate bedroom with queen. Roll out awning.

Used less than 5,000 miles, professionally maintained annually, and stored inside.

Excellent condition. $7299. Priest River, Id. 208-290-5399 2003 Coachman Santana 31.5 ft Class C Motorhome. 27k miles. Like new, air ride, $35,000. 1996 Jayco 5th wheel 25ft travel trailer. Everything works. Ready to travel. $4,500. American Falls, Id. 281-797-6955

1958 Edsel 4-door project car. All parts are there. $500. Lewiston, Id. 208-743-5501

Wanted Wanted: MGA parts/parts car. Also post hole digger & small ditcher for Ford 8N tractor.

Pocatello, Id 208-237-0119 Paying cash for German & Japanese war relics/souvenirs! Pistols, rifles, swords, daggers, flags, scopes, optical equipment, uniforms, helmets, machine guns (ATF rules apply) medals, flags, etc. 549-3841 (evenings) or 208-405-9338.

Old License Plates Wanted: Also key chain license plates, old signs, light fixtures. Will pay cash. Please email, call or write. Gary Peterson, 130 E Pecan, Genesee, Id 83832. gearlep@gmail.com. 208-285-1258 Paying cash for men’s vintage/old clothing from the 1950s and back. Includes denim (jeans, jackets, bibs), leather jackets, boots, suits, shirts, pants, and WW2 U.S. Clothing.

Condition can vary! Call 208-241-5366

Water 12 shares, 60 inches, water rights. Island Canal. Best Offer. Rigby, Id 208-745-6455

FREE CLASSIFIEDS Non commercial classified ads are free to Idaho Farm Bureau members.

Must include membership number for free ad. Forty (40) words maximum.

Non-member cost- 50 cents per word. You may advertise your own crops, livestock, used machinery, household items, vehicles, etc. Ads will not be accepted by phone. Ads run one time only and must be re-submitted in each subsequent issue. We reserve the right to refuse to run any ad. Please type or print clearly. Proof-read your ad.

Mail ad copy to: P.O. Box 4848, Pocatello, ID 83205-4848 or email Dixie at DASHTON@IDAHOFB.ORG Name: __________________________________________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________________________________________ City / State / Zip: __________________________________________________________________ Phone: _____________________________________ Membership No. ___________________ Ad Copy: ________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

42

Idaho Farm Bureau Quarterly / SPRING 2013