NEWS A Texas Team Ag Ed Publication
January 2015
The Way I See It Jack Winterrowd, Cedar Park
“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” - Vince Lombardi Well, if that statement doesn’t open your eyes, I don’t know what will! How many people claim that quote as true? More importantly, how many ag teachers would agree with that statement? I have known a few people who saw things that way and over time, I have disassociated myself from them because there is no room for improvement with that mindset. I think that statement goes against everything we are trying to do in education. It implies that failure is not allowed. Please don’t misunderstand me; I hate to lose just as much as the next guy and I work hard to succeed in everything I do. I am disappointed when I lose something that I worked very hard to achieve but at the end of the day I have to live with my mistakes and failures. But why are we so obsessed with winning? This time of year, many ag teachers are gearing up for stock shows, judging contests and all the other competitive events that consume our days and nights. When I began teaching, one of my students was very involved with showing Hereford heifers. His family raised cattle and they viewed show ring success as an indication of their success as cattle ranchers. I showed cattle in FFA and 4-H so I felt comfortable supervising his extensive show program. But these folks were
serious about stock shows. My first year he won his class at all the majors with an outstanding heifer but she never won breed champion. The next year they set a goal to win everything, everywhere they went. The dad searched the country for the heifer that would get that done. Money was no object. Now keep in mind that this was in 1979 – no internet, no cell phone pictures, no online sales, no video – so he literally traveled to view herds in several states until he found “the one”. I will never forget the day she arrived at their barn. When she stepped off the trailer from Missouri, the dad’s expression radically changed. She didn’t have any horns! At that time, Hereford heifers were shown with horns that were trained to curve and were polished on show day. There was NO WAY that a dehorned heifer would win shows! A quick, angry phone call to the breeder confirmed
that she was indeed the heifer he had picked out but that the herd manager had mistakenly dehorned her and there was really nothing that could be done. When show season unfolded, she did exactly what they wanted her to do. She won everything, everywhere she went. It was fun to be in the winner’s circle with my student and that breed changing female. When we pulled up to a show, people’s faces fell because they knew they were going to get beat. She was that good. And guess what? The next year, a significant number of Hereford show heifers were dehorned! She started a trend and today the they are all shown dehorned. I liked it because I didn’t have to spend hours sanding and polishing horns and the kids liked it because they didn’t have to dodge a stabbing
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VATAT News
The Way I See It Continued weapon on the front of a bossy cow beast. The point is that people imitate success. We want to know to get an edge on something. What is the latest, new feed additive? What is the hot topic for speeches? Should a kid use a black show stick or one with a fancy handle? Which camp do we send our kids to so they can learn to show a particular way that is recognized by a specific judge? Which leads me to another quote that gives me heartburn. “Winning takes precedence over all. There’s no gray area. No almosts.” – Kobe Bryant What are we willing to do to win? How far is too far? What are we really teaching young people when we set out to win at all costs? Those are significant questions that entire books are written about. I wonder about them time and time again. We live in a very competitive society. With cable or satellite TV you can basically watch something competitive 24 – 7. We start our kids in competitive sports when they are old enough to run fast enough to avoid getting hit. By the time they come to my classroom as freshmen, they know what it means to win. Too many of them also know firsthand what it means to lose. One of the wonders of our occupation is we can take a kid who sees a loser in every mirror and turn them into a winner. FFA and ag education offer so many opportunities for young people that everyone has a chance to succeed! Early in my career I developed a mental list of things I would personally like to win and another longer list of things I would like my students to win. Included on this list are district, area and state officers, LDE and CDE winning teams, stock show wins, FFA chapter awards and honors, scholarships and the list goes on. I can happily point to examples in each of those categories where we have experienced success. One of my proudest is another Cinderella type story. The picture on the cover is one that I treasure and feel great pride for many reasons. The Landrace gilt in the picture was purchased on-line when on-line pig sales were first becoming the “in thing”. The breeder had three littermates and she was the smallest and least expensive. We bought her from a single picture and a phone call to a man whom I had never met. I met him in Rockdale at 3 a.m. when he hauled her from Illinois to Texas. She was small and scrawny and not impressive at all. Our thought soon became, “well at least she didn’t cost a lot.” But she grew quickly and got better every day of her life and she ended up on top at San Antonio. I got to put another check mark on my bucket list and a young man won a scholarship that he needed to win. It was a hard-fought win that had a huge fun component involved. The best part of the fun was sharing it with all the people in the picture who helped the win occur. “Winning is only half of it. Having fun is the other half.” - Bum Phillips Sadly, some young people are so connected to the games on their phones and other electronic devices
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that they can’t see how what we have to offer can possibly be fun. The level of fun involved is the first question some kids will ask today. Our challenge is to instill an attitude of potential success with a healthy measure of fun added into the mix. When we head home from any FFA event, the first question out of my mouth is “what did you learn?” and the second is, “did you have fun?” When we find ways to show our students they can achieve AND succeed then we are truly doing our jobs. So, are you in it to win it? I wrap this one up with a quote from a man whose professional success and personal viewpoints I greatly admire. “Winning isn’t everything but wanting it is.” - Arnold Palmer And that’s the way I see it.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE VATAT......................................1-3 Texas FFA........................................4 Foundation.............................6 Young Farmers.......................10-11
VATAT News
84th Texas Legislature Convenes January 13th Young Selected for Lifetime Achievement Award Barney McClure, VATAT Executive Director
Ashley Dunkerley, Communications Coordinator
The new legislative session that begins in mid January, should be of great interest to all Texans; especially school employees. The 140 days that follow will be shaped by the vision of a new crop of elected officials filled with drama and insider politics. With the exception of two Railroad Commissioners, all other state-wide offices will be held by people who are new to their particular post. Glenn Hegar, former Waller FFA member, was elected Comptroller, and former agriculture teacher, Sid Miller, moves into the Agriculture Commissioner’s seat. The faces in the Texas House continue to change, with 25 freshman members coupled with 36 sophomore members out of the 150 seats. Members with agricultural education experience include Trent Ashby, Kyle Kacal, DeWayne Burns, Andrew Murr, Gary VanDeaver and the current Chairman of the House Education Committee, Jimmie Don Aycock. Expect to see at least nine new House committee chairmen, as many chairmen have moved on to other positions. VATAT supported many of the candidates through endorsements and contributions from our PAC fund. Some of the candidates proudly paid homage to our support in their campaign literature. I know many of you became involved in the election process and that will pay dividends during the session. Part of my job involves being your eyes and ears at the Capitol during the legislative process. While no one expects the current education initiative to change much, the focus may shift to the Appropriations Committee and how to finance public education. The courts have deemed the way we finance education unconstitutional, and the fight will be on to figure out a way to satisfy the constitutional mandate. Unlike some years, the state is operating at a surplus, with numerous groups lining up to tap into that rainy day fund. During the next six months, I will do my best to keep you informed on the happenings in Austin. From time to time, I will call on you to contact your legislator. Please take the time to get to know them. Most are approachable and appreciate hearing from constituents. A call from a voting member from their district means more than a call from a lobbyist. Since I have been in Austin, I have come to believe that when the Legislature is in session it is one of the most interesting and entertaining shows on earth. I appreciate the opportunity to serve your interests during the process.
Gerald Young is one of only six individuals nationwide who was selected for the 2014 National Association of Agricultural Educators Lifetime Achievement Award. He was recognized for his many contributions to the profession of agricultural education at the NAAE annual convention in Nashville, November 18-22, 2014. NAAE is the professional association for agricultural educators. Its mission is “professionals providing agricultural education for the global community through visionary leadership, advocacy and service.” Young began his service to Texas agricultural education in 1960 as a high school agriculture teacher. In January of 2002, he became the Executive Director of the Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas, where he served until 2011. During his time as Executive Director, he also served as the Texas FFA Association Treasurer, Texas FFA Foundation Treasurer and on the Texas FFA Association board of directors. As the Executive Director of VATAT, Young worked with legislators and other career and technical education leaders to write, introduce and pass House Bill 3485, which allows agriculture science courses to count as a fourth science credit, speech credit and math and fine arts requirement. He collaborated with career and technical education leaders to maintain CTE funding during five legislative sessions and served as a lobbyist for the Texas Career and Technology Council for all CTE organizations in Texas. Additionally, Young worked with VATAT staff and board of directors to organize, fund and manage the annual professional development conference. Young was instrumental in providing professional development opportunities and resources to instructors to keep Texas agricultural education programs on the cutting edge and meet the demands of employers, colleges and students. He has been a member of NAAE and VATAT for more than 30 years. The VATAT greatly appreciates everything Mr. Young has done for agriculture education and congratulates him on this honor.
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VATAT News
UPDATE 2014 State Leadership Career Development Events Report Tom Maynard, Texas FFA Executive Director Results of the State Leadership Career Development Events hosted by Sam Houston State University are posted on judgingcard.com. There you will find the final results along with heat results. Congratulations to all who remained committed to excellence in leadership skill development and fielded teams this fall. Thank you to the faculty and students at Sam Houston State University for the fine work that they do and have done continuously since these types of events were first hosted in Huntsville in 1931, with the exception of a break from 1942-47 created by World War II. Also, thank you to all who volunteered to judge these events. Overall entries were down slightly from fall, 2013. Considering that there were numerous programs that began the year without a certified teacher, one should not find that surprising. 5,637 entries (compared to 5805 in 2013) participated in 57 districts across the state, which included: Greenhand Creed: 664 Greenhand Quiz: 585 Greenhand Chapter Conducting: 250 Greenhand Skill Demonstration: 250 Senior Creed: 733 Senior Quiz: 669 Senior Chapter Conducting: 260 Senior Skills: 334 Agricultural Issues Forum: 173 Public Relations: 343* Job Interview: 496 FFA Broadcasting: 647 Agricultural Advocacy: 233*
The Public Relations and Agricultural Advocacy participation levels are all-time high marks. The overall participation number is slightly below that of 2013, but is still the second-highest of all time and well above the tenyear average of 4,886. Overall, 881 of 1038 local chapters participated at the district level, which is 84.87% of all chapters. We first began tracking district-level participation in fall, 2000. That year, 698 of 971 chapters participated for a participate rate of 71.88%. There were 3,729 total entries in 2000. We have come a long way since then in terms of overall engagement.
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It is worth noting that based on the data submitted to our office, the following FFA districts had 100% of chapters participating: Littlefield, Area I District 5, Area III Big Country, Area IV Wichita, Area IV District 5, Area V
Area I had the highest percent of chapters participating with 93.41%, followed by Area IV with 92.00%.
LCDE Survey
Kaleigh Burnett is now our lead staff member for competitive events and is doing an outstanding job. In the next few weeks, she will be sending out a survey to solicit, gather and compile your feedback, while it is still relatively fresh on everyone’s minds. This will facilitate the work of the advisory committee later in the year. Please be ready to respond and to add your feedback, which is valuable in making additional improvements to our competitive event system. Thank you for your leadership and the outstanding participation and student outcomes achieved through our Leadership Career Development Events. As an agricultural education professional, I hope that you are proud of this body of work. I am certainly proud of it and of the work you do.
VATAT News
INVESTING IN THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS Tomorrow’s leaders are in your classrooms today. And the seeds you sow will cultivate the next generation of Texas agriculture. Let Texas Farm Bureau be a part of that. Visit www.texasfarmbureau.org to learn more about TFB’s scholarship program. 5
VATAT News
UPDATE Ethical Leadership …. A Great Journey Tori Jones, Ethical Leadership Fellow and Aaron Alejandro, Texas FFA Foundation Executive Director Today Texas FFA members have access to more leadership development opportunities than ever before; programs such as Ford Leadership Scholars (FLS), Foundation Ambassadors and Ethical Leadership Fellows (ELF). Not to mention officers serving at the district, area and state level. These leadership opportunities develop lifelong skills to improve our homes, communities and businesses. Desire to achieve and serve is a core value, one that when capitalized can lead folks to excellence. Here is the story told from one of our Foundation Ambassadors and current Ethical Leadership Fellows – Ms. Tori Jones. Be inspired and share her stories with others looking to improve leadership skills through the FFA.
Tori’s Journey
There is uncertainty in the dreams we have. What I thought the FFA was going to offer me and what really happened were a bit different. My only reference point when I started FFA was stock shows; I wanted to show a lamb. My agriculture teacher saw some potential in my desire to get involved and encouraged me to run for district office my freshman year. I thought to myself, “Why not?” As a freshman in a competitive district – yes, I was a bit discouraged when I didn’t make it. But, I was told not to let one set back keep me from reaching for the stars. After attending the Texas FFA Convention, I was even more committed to getting involved. Mid-year my ag teacher told our class about a new opportunity - the Texas FFA Foundation Ambassador program. I jumped at the opportunity. I applied and was excited when I saw my name on the list of those who had made it. The Ambassador program taught me a lot about servant leadership and telling our Texas FFA story. I learned about the people, sponsors and stakeholder that sincerely stand ready to help us make our dreams come true. It’s not just about writing a check it is about helping us live a legacy. They shared their love for the Texas FFA and it inspired me to want to give back just like them. The next year I was selected as a team leader for the Ambassador program – I was so excited to serve in this
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capacity. That summer I had made a trip to Virginia to visit my family and wasn’t scheduled to return until the Saturday before convention. After a mix up in scheduling I learned I would not return to Texas before the FFA convention. I was devastated. I called my dad the second I found out and sobbed my case to please change my airplane ticket so I could be back in time to serve at convention. He gave me a choice, and I had to make one of my toughest decisions. The cost of changing my plane ticket would mean I would not be able to show lambs my senior year. I wanted to serve; so I chose to give up my lamb in order to help my fellow Ambassadors tell our Texas FFA story. Looking back, it’s crazy to think a 17-year-old was able to make a decision like that without a second thought. Mr. Aaron Alejandro told us, “When your values are clear, your choices are easy.” I wanted to give back and serving as an Ambassador and team leader was my chance. The Ambassador program introduced me to a stronger network of FFA members and other programs like the Ethical Leadership Fellows. When I heard about the program, I jumped at the opportunity. Being an Ethical Leaderships Fellow has matured my leadership skills and my ability to share this information with others. We get to visit with FFA members about making ethical leadership choices and use the practices we received at the Soderquist Center for Ethical Leadership. The fact the Foundation is the sponsor for the program makes it even more meaningful for me. The Texas FFA, Foundation, fellow members, teachers and sponsors helped shape me into who I am. Now they are standing behind me supporting me in my new journey as a collegiate member serving high school members. The ELF program is about ethical leadership and the core values associated with making great leadership choices. It’s a blessing to be able to work with students during our presentations and hear them state back to us, “When your values are clear, your choices are easy.” It’s great to see the golden nuggets that were planted into us, take movement in the next generation. Texas FFA members have no idea what opportunity lies ahead of you, but one thing is for sure - as long as they remember their core values and ethics, no choice can ever be too difficult.
VATAT News
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VATAT News
Working Together
For today’s students
The TEXAS ARMY NATIONAL GUARD is a proud partner of the FFA, and works with districts across the state to offer classes and services designed to help students become happy, successful citizens. n Project H.E.A.R. teaches students how to safely avoid, prevent and report bullying. n Career Directions is an all-in-one guide designed to help students set goals and plan their future careers. n And More! Classes include fitness, financial planning and paying for college. For information on how your district can partner with the National Guard, contact your school’s recruiter, or call (512) 782-5076.
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VATAT News
UPDATE Notes From the Executive Secretary Don Beene, Texas Young Farmers Executive Secretary A group of individuals just returned after visiting Louisville, KY for the 48th National Institute. Each December the National Young Farmer Educational Association holds a three-day institute studying agriculture in various states. Last year the event was held in San Antonio, TX. This year attendees traveled to Louisville, KY. Tours included the Corvette Factory and Museum, University of Kentucky Cattle Operations, Phillip Morris Tobacco Processing Warehouse, Keeleand Race Track, Churchill Downs Museum, Triple Oaks Farm, Big Ass Fan Plant and Four Roses Distillery. Next year the Institute will be held in Charleston, SC. This is an extremely educational trip that allows the group to experience many different aspects of agriculture in the United States. You can find photos from the trip on the following page. Next month I will be highlighting this year’s Texas Young Farmer’s Convention which will be held in Bryan, TX January 9-11.
Notes From Your President - Kenneth Brown The New Year brings many things with it; a fresh start, resolutions that may or may not ever be filled and a remembrance of the last year and those even before it. This year brings exciting change for me.
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I assume my role as President of the State Association of Young Farmers of Texas. These are awfully big shoes I have to fill. I have had the honor of knowing and working with four of your past presidents. Those individuals played a huge part in the success of the NYFEA National Institute in San Antonio. I will continue to lean on these people as my term continues. From my past columns you know I believe in networking and plan to continue doing it. I see changes coming for the organization. Those changes come from the membership. The members drive the board in the direction they want it to go. The Bryan chapter is very well represented and has excellent leaders. These people have their business together. The proposed changes to the constitution come from that chapter; Terry Hausenfluck presented the ideas to the board. Although change may come slowly it prevents mistakes from being made. I encourage all chapters to become more active and vocal with the state association. Remember that our strength comes not from above but within. As I close out this short letter I ask for you to continue to be involved in your local chapters. This organization is run by you and me, just common people with a desire for knowledge and will to help others. With a little luck, hard work and most importantly God’s blessing, I will be able to meet the need and desires of our members.
VATAT News
National Young Farmer Educational Association’s National Institute
Pictured below are the attendees of the National Young Farmer Educational Institute December 10-13 in Louisville, KY: (left to right) Jenna Fields, Stephanie White, Mineral Wells Chapter; Allen and Connie Koopmann, Schulenburg Chapter; Robert Bland, Ethel, Charlie and Charles Rochester, Gonzales Chapter; Bill Ward, Clint Ward, Jessica Meals, Limestone County Chapter; Kenny and Janet Bulger, Fairfield Chapter; Don and Sharon Beene, Executive Secretary for the Texas Young Farmers.
Dr. David L. Harmon, is working with cattle studying rumination of their feed. He is photographed explaining to Don Beene the feeds they are using in the trials. This facility is located at Animal Science Lab at the University of Kentucky. Looking closely you can see the hole in the animal’s side where they may look inside the rumen of the cattle.
We visited Phillip Morris Tobacco Grading and Sorting. Here you see Janet Bulger inspecting the leaf and where the bale is broken apart so it can be searched for foreign material in the tobacco.
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VATAT News
VATAT
614 East 12th Street Austin, Texas 78701
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Upcoming Events January
February
March
1st & 2nd Team Ag Ed Office Closed
1st National FFA Scholarship Deadline
1st Spring Membership Deadline
9th - 11th Texas Young Farmers Convention
12th San Antonio Livestock Show
14th Star of Texas Fair
12th Texas FFA Board of Directors Meeting
21st - 28th National FFA Week
3rd Houston Livestock Show 30th Texas FFA Board of Directors Meeting
24th Day at the Capitol
13th Texas FFA Foundation Board of Directors Meeting
31st Texas FFA Foundation Board of Directors Meeting
16th Fort Worth Stock Show
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Officers Jack Winterrowd, President
Ray Pieniazek, Vice President
Shane Crafton, Secretary/Treasurer
Staff Barney McClure, Executive Director
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Ashley Dunkerley, Communications
Karen Jones, Membership Services