Restoring history — AgMinute for May 13, 2013

The University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Science recently unveiled its restored John Deere Model AW tractor, as part of a celebration of the history of agriculture.

Pavilion's promise - Idaho AgMinute for Nov. 1, 2012

Farm industry representatives from across Idaho gathered in Julia Davis Park Oct. 30 to dedicate the first sandstone blocks laid in a $400,000 ag pavilion designed to tell the story of Idaho agriculture.

For more on agriculture's contributions to the West, read "Western Innovators."

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AgMinute for Aug. 22, 2012

Using the USDA's dietary guidelines, Idaho has created a visual nutrition guide that shows people how they can eat healthy and local at the same time. My Idaho Plate is an adaptation of the USDA's colorful My Plate, which was unveiled last year.

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AgMinute for June 22, 2012

A new program at Idaho's largest farmers' market is trying to take the local food theme to a higher level. The program will educate the Capital City Public Market's 10,000 weekly visitors on the sustainable practices of the market's 57 producers.

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Podcast: Digging it in Spokane, how to deal with high diesel prices, and Idaho exports

In this podcast, editors and reporters discuss an innovative museum exhibit that gets down and dirty with soil, how farmers can mitigate rising fuel costs and an update on how exports are reshaping Idaho's farm economy.

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To listen, click here.

'Useless' is in the eye of the degree holder

The biggest buzz online today among agriculture folks is about the Yahoo Education story saying 3 of 5 of the most useless college degrees are in agriculture fields.

City kids to visit valley farm

From the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation:

Thirty-five Oakland middle school students will leave behind their urban surroundings for a day to explore an exciting new world of Central Valley agriculture on April 15.

The students are sixth- and seventh-graders from Roosevelt Middle School and Roots Academy in Oakland. They were selected because of their involvement with REAL Choices, a local youth intervention program. The field trip is a community-focused project organized and funded by Class 40 of the California Agricultural Leadership Program (CALP).

The children will travel by bus from Oakland to Hilmar Cheese Company, the world’s largest single-site cheese and whey products manufacturing facility. They will take part in a one-and-a-half-hour educational tour of the facility, including the cheesemaking process and hands-on exhibits. The company produces more than 1.9 million pounds of cheese and processes more than 2 million gallons of milk each day.

The students will then travel to the family-owned Clauss Dairy Farms in Hilmar to take a tour of a working dairy. They will meet dairy farmers, see cows up close and view the milking process. Clauss Dairy Farms has 3,500 dairy cows and is one of the suppliers to Hilmar Cheese Company.

“This field trip is an incredible and special opportunity to expose inner-city children to things they’ve never seen before in person, such as cows being milked, cheese being made and crops being grown,” said Dan Sutton, one of the CALP Class 40 fellows. “It’s also a chance for us in agriculture to better understand how these children tackle the challenges and issues they face.”

Farm bureau to hold scholarship dinner

From the Shasta County Farm Bureau:

The Shasta County Farm Bureau proudly represents over 1200 farming and ranching families, businesses and agricultural supporters in Shasta County. The non profit organization is once again hosting their annual “fun” raising dinner. The dinner dance will be held on April 1, 2011 in Fusaro Hall.

The purpose of the dinner is to celebrate the future of agriculture by recognizing students that have excelled academically as well as served their community through leadership and volunteerism. $4,000.00 in scholarships will be presented to very deserving Shasta County Students. The 2011 Distinguished Service Award and 2011 Elizabeth Albaugh Memorial Outstanding Woman in Agriculture Award will also be presented to two outstanding community members that have contributed many years of service to bettering their industry and their community.

Be sure to join the fun with the live and silent auctions, gun drawing and desert auction. All funds will be used to support countywide agricultural education programs, and improve the Shasta County Farm Bureau. Items that are currently available are: Wilcox Ranch Fishing Trip, Romantic Wine tasting for 2, BBQ Barrel, 1 ton of Grass Hay, Hat Creek Herford Ranch Camp Ground Camping Trip, baskets, books and art work. More items are coming…please contact us for more details.

This night of fun and festivities would not be possible without our sponsors: Platinum Level-, Hat Creek Construction, Sierra Pacific Industries, State Fund Gold Level – Shasta Livestock & Western Video Market, Lassen Canyon Nursery, Wooten’s Golden Queens, Northern Lights Energy/Muse Trucking, WM Beaty & Associates, Shasta Farm and Equipment, Giles Insurance Services, Stayer’s Quality Queens, North Valley Bank, The Law Offices of Gifford and Harr & the Urrecelqui Family, Miller Equipment, Tri Counties Bank, Palo Cedro Silver Level – LoCoco Insurance, Northern California Farm Credit, Cross Petroleum, Plumas Bank, Ed Staub & Sons, VESTRA Resources Bronze Level –Wilcox Ranch, Cottonwood Creek Sand & Gravel, McArthur Farm Supply, HP Livestock & Hat Creek Grown, Cottonwood Vet Clinic, Valley Rentals & Materials, Goose Valley Farming, LLC, Elwood Ranch, Historic Hawes Farms, Redding Rodeo Association, Spanish Oaks Ranch, Leon Landis Livestock, Umpqua Bank, Palo Cedro Feed, Nor Cal Trees, Bank of Commerce – Redding, Pfeiffer Ranch, Eagleville, Ca., Carrel’s Office Machines Sponsorship opportunities are available.

Tickets are $25.00 each and are available at the Shasta County Farm Bureau Office.

For further information, please contact our office at 530/547-7170 or Julie Wold at 530/228-5412 or via e-mail juliecwold@gmail.com.

Ag career day points the way

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California State University-Chico's College of Agriculture held its eighth annual career fair for students today, and 35 vendors participated -- up from 27 a year ago, fair coordinator Susie Funk said.

"It seems like more jobs are coming available and more internships," she said. "We have several new companies this year that have never been here."

Students walked around the pavilion at the university farm and talked to representatives of seed companies, nut growers, poultry farms, the USDA's veterinary services office and other industry representatives.

"I think it's great," said student Jessica Cook, 21, of Santa Rosa. "It gives us an opportunity (to meet prospective employers). It kind of forces us to go out, too."

For more details about the event, check CapitalPress.com soon.

Chico State's sheep and goat day draws hundreds

From the California State University-Chico College of Agriculture:

California State University, Chico College of Agriculture hosted Sheep and Goat Educational Day and Sale on Feb. 12 at the University Farm.
The day included educational workshops, a trade show and a sale of lambs and goats.

“More than 550 guests attended the Sheep and Goat Educational Day, making it one of the largest in attendance the event has had,” said Celina Johnson, an assistant professor of animal science.

The educational workshops included nutrition, reproduction, project kid and lamb selection, lamb and meat goat showmanship, lamb and meat goat fitting and a California State Fair Quality Assurance Program. Participants were able to attend up to four workshops.

CSU, Chico Stock Dog Association demonstrated herding sheep with their dogs.

After the workshops were over, attendees were given the opportunity to purchase lambs and goats for their own fair projects. The sale featured 10 meat goat wethers and 60 club lambs, including 10 lambs raised by the CSU, Chico Sheep and Goat Unit. The lambs’ sale price averaged $330 and the goats’ price averaged $280.

Chico State to host ag career day

From the California State University-Chico College of Agriculture:

California State University, Chico College of Agriculture will host the 8th annual Career and Internship Fair for students and alumni on Feb. 16 at the University Farm Pavilion. The Career and Internship Fair begins at 10 a.m. and lasts until 2 p.m. Thirty-five companies will be on hand to recruit students, including Monsanto, Agri Beef, Pathway to PCA, Dow AgroScience, Rabobank, E & J Gallo, Driscoll’s and Harris Moran Seed Company.

Whether students are looking for a summer job or a career path, the Career and Internship Fair has been a proven success in connecting student jobseekers with potential employers from a broad range of agricultural occupations. Simmie Stayer, a senior majoring in animal science, learned about JBS Five Rivers Cattle Feeding Company at the Career and Internship Fair in 2010 and ended up spending her summer and part of the fall semester interning at the company’s Colorado feed yard. “The internship helped me figure out what I want to do in my career,” Stayer said. “I’m looking forward to going back to JBS Five Rivers as a management trainee when I graduate.”

Part of the continued success of the Career and Internship Fair is due to the preparation and capability of the CSU, Chico students who attend. Joshua Green, research assistant with Monsanto, said his company has had success in finding summer interns at the Career and Internship Fair. “The Chico State students have been among the greatest interns we’ve had the pleasure to work with,” Green said. “We’ve found them to be bright, capable, hard working and able to pick up new tasks quickly.”

For more information about the Agriculture Career and Internship Fair and the registered companies visit www.csuchico.edu/ag/resources/career-fair.shtml or contact Susie Funk at 530-898-4262.

Hog-callers turn into swinemasters at California fair

Chase Ruiz, 5, of Dixon, a first-year hogcalling contest, won his age division to the delight of emcee Donnie Huffman of Vacaville, president of the Friends of Dixon May Fair. (Photo by Marilyn Sexton)

From Kathy Keatley Garvey at UC-Davis:

DIXON, Calif.--Hogcallers turned into “swinemasters” at the eighth annual Dixon May Fair Hogcalling Contest as they tried to coax 250-pound porkers into four-squeal drive and hamward bound.

“Boss Hog” Nick Stacey of Dixon won the adult division for the fifth year with a series of oinks and “soo-eys” while the 2009 high school champion Annaley Herzog, 16, of Vacaville teamed with Rachel Fink, 16, to win the 14-17 age division by doing a rap song about much-desired Billy Currington tickets.

Chase Ruiz, 5, of Dixon won his age category, 5 and under. He brought home the bacon with loud snorts. Lindsay Tryba, 11, of Dixon, a member of the Roving Clovers 4-H Club, Dixon, swept the 6-to-13 age category by pleading “I need some bacon with my eggs.”

“It was fantastic and a swine time at the fair,” said emcee Donnie Huffman of Vacaville, president of the Friends of Dixon May Fair, which sponsors the annual event. “We had great participants and we held it in our new swine pavilion.”

Hogcallers had one minute to call the hogs, using only their voice. First-place winners in the upper age categories received two tickets to the Billy Currington concert at the fair. Winners in the under 5 and 6 to 13 age groups received carnival tickets, compliments of Butler Amusements.

Contestants yelled everything from “Soo-ey!” to “Here, piggy, piggy” to specific food references in attempts to coax them over. Judging was on hog response, audience response, creativity and originality.

Judges were Mary Harris of Vacaville, vice president of the Dixon May Fair Board of Directors; Hendrick Crowell of Fairfield, member and past president of the fair board; Richard Byrum of Fairfield, president of Butler Amusements; and JoAn Giannoni of Dixon, secretary of Friends of Dixon May Fair.

None of the hogs pulled any hamstrings, Huffman said, but one hog wanted to root in the sawdust and take a nap.

Stacey, whose daughter used to raise pigs, wore a shirt lettered with “Boss Hog” on the front. The back indicated the years he’s won the competition.

Herzog, accompanied by Fink, rapped out why they wanted tickets to the Currington concert.

Herzog, a contestant in the Dixon May Fair’s Royalty Court and a member of the Tremont 4-H Club, Dixon, with horse and poultry projects, wrote and delivered a rap song:

“Here piggy, pig
Come over here
Please hurry up
The prize is near
I want some Billy Currington tickets
All for me
So, come over her
Please, please, please.”

She later reported that the Currington concert was “awesome” and that she’ll be back to the hogcalling next year to defend her title.

When Roving Clovers 4-H Club member Katie Luedke, 15, of Dixon called the hogs, on cue her friend and fellow Roving Clovers 4-H’er Stephanie Marshall, 16, of Vacaville squealed, jumped the fence, entered the ring and hugged her, much to the audience’s delight.

When it was her turn to call, Marshall, wearing her 4-H uniform, got the “pig idea” and went whole hog, coaxing two hogs over to her at the same time.

Champion Chase Ruiz, in his first time hogcalling, said he learned how to hogcall from his brother, a contestant from previous years.

Three members of the Gary and Lisa Short family of Dixon called the hogs. Dad Gary won second; son, Eli, 10, won third in the 6-13 age division, while son Caleb, 12, also participated but didn’t land in the winners’ division.

Providing the hogs were Garrett Pryor, 10, and his sister, Allison Pryor, 12, of Dixon and their friend, Cody Meitrott, 10, all members of the Maine Prairie 4-H Club. Garrett’s hog is named Jimmy (after Jimmy Dean of hot pork sausage fame); Cody named his hog, Bacon, and Alison named hers Lefty.

The winners:

Adults: 1st, Nick Stacey of Dixon; 2nd, Gary Short, Dixon; and 3rd, Silvin Forcier of Dixon.

14-17 or in high school: 1st: Annaley Herzog, 16 and Rachel Fink, 16, both of Vacaville; 2nd: Katie Luedke of Dixon; and 3rd, Stephanie Marshall, 16, Vacaville.

6 through 13: 1st, Lindsay Tryba, 11, Dixon; 2nd, K-La Duncan, 11, Dixon; 3rd, Eli Short, 10, Dixon; and 4th, Josh Marshall, 7, Vacaville.

5 and under: 1st, Chase Ruiz, 5, Dixon; 2nd, Dallan Roebemy, 5, Dixon; 3rd, Natasha Patterson, 3, Benicia; and 4th, Parker Franceschi, 5, Dixon.

Huffman, a former 4-H club swine leader, entertained the crowd with pig jokes, including

“How do you take a pig to the hospital?”
In an hambulance.

“Do you know the name of a famous ice cream company?”
Hog ‘n Dazs (Haagen-Dazs)

“What do you call a pig that studies karate?”
Pork chop.

Why should you never tell a pig a secret?
Because he might squeal.

Ant seminar to be webcast live today

From Kathy Keatley Garvey in UC-Davis' Department of Entomology:

DAVIS--Ant specialist Andrea Lucky, who will receive her doctorate in entomology in June from the University of California, Davis, will discuss “Systematics, Biogeography and Conservation of Ants in Australasia and the Pacific” at a seminar set Wednesday, May 12 in 122 Briggs Hall, UC Davis.

Her talk, from 12:10 to 1 p.m., involves her research in the evolutionary history of ants in the geological complex region of Australasia, Melanesia and the islands of the Western Pacific.

“I use a combination of traditional morphological taxonomy and molecular phylogenetics to interpret how, when and where individual lineages diversified within this complex landscape,” she said. “In addition to my work on the biogeography of ants, I am also involved in biodiversity assessment and conservation using ants in Papua New Guinea.”

Her talk will be Webcast live (see link on home page of Department of Entomology at http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/home.cfm) and then archived at http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/news/webcastlinks.html.

Lucky completed her undergraduate degree at Brown University in Providence, RI, where she majored in biology with an emphasis on ecology and evolutionary biology.

After receiving her bachelor’s degree, she traveled to Ecuador as a Fulbright Fellow, where she worked with insects in the Amazon.

Lucky entered the doctorate program in the UC Davis Department of Entomology in 2004 and completed her degree in the lab of Phil Ward.

After receiving her Ph.D., she will move on to a postdoctoral scholarship at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, where she will work with Rob Dunn on a project examining geographic variation in ants and the processes they mediate.

Lucky’s talk is her exit seminar and also is part of the department’s spring seminar series, launched March 31. The series, coordinated by assistant professor Neal Williams, ends May 26.

The remaining schedule for the seminars:

May 19: “Walnut Twig Beetle and Thousand Cankers Disease: Characterizing an Emergent Threat to Forest and Agroecosystems in North America” by Steve Seybold, chemical ecologist and forest entomologist, Chemical Ecology of Forest Insects, USDA Forest Service, and Department of Entomology affiliate

May 26: “Butterflies and Moths in Central Europe: Natural History, Climate Change and Voltinism” by Florian Altermatt, postdoctoral researcher, UC Davis Department of Environmental Science and Policy

Ag educator lost in farm tragedy

I want to offer condolences to the family of Max Corbett and the current and former agriculture students and staff at Tulare Union and Tulare Western high schools in Tulare, Calif.

Corbett, the farm manager for the Tulare Joint Union High School District Farm, was killed by a bull on that farm over the weekend. It's a sad reminder of the dangers of working on a farm setting around large, powerful equipment and large, powerful and unpredictable livestock.

I never met Mr. Corbett, at least not that I recall, but I was editor of the Porterville Recorder for a time in neighboring Porterville, Calif., about 10 years ago. The Tulare County economy is still driven by agriculture, as is California's, but like so much of California, a lot of the understanding and appreciation for agriculture is lost in the cities surrounded by all that precious farmland. Teachers like Corbett play a vital role in maintaining interest in agriculture for young people along the rapidly growing Highway 99 corridor through the heart of California's farm country.

You can read accounts of the tragedy from the Associated Press, Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register and Fresno Bee.

Students publish newspaper, plan magazine

Wheeler High senior Jessica Miller, right, waits for a response to a phone call to a source as her reporting team members sophomore Kevin Miller, left, and freshman Levi Sharp, accompany her in the main office. Photo by Brook Griffith/Condon High School

Special to the Capital Press
FOSSIL, Ore. -- Students at two Eastern Oregon high schools are getting in the publishing business.

Earlier this spring, students at Condon High School produced the first student newspaper at the school in about 20 years. Currently, students at Wheeler High School in Fossil are in the process of producing a photo magazine.

Both publications were part of the outcome of a writer-in-residence program under the direction of visiting photojournalist Cheryl Hatch.

Volume 1 of Devil High Times was printed in March 2008 and filled with articles and photos produced by the students at Condon High School. Devil High Times focused on the pros and cons of the life of students in Condon and the events that happen around the town.

Tyler Pike, a sophomore at Condon High, was an editor for the newspaper. Pike enjoyed having the opportunity to be a part of the experience.

"It was a fun thing to do and was a break from the ordinary," Pike said. He said he developed an interest in journalism and wants to attend the University of Oregon to study photojournalism.

He likes the idea of having a steady newspaper at his school.

"Yes, I would like there to be a newspaper for the school, it would help the kids with their writing skills and give them something to read."

Brook Griffith, who served as photo editor for the student paper, is a junior at Condon High School and took the classes taught by the writer in residence, Cheryl Hatch.

"I liked having Cheryl for a writer in residence because I got to use her cool camera," Griffith said.

Griffith said she enjoys photography and plans on improving her skills by taking some college courses. She used her skills to get an article printed in The Times Journal, a local paper based in Condon, about Ryan Standiford’s success in the javelin as the 1A State Champion for 2007 and his aspirations to defend his title this year. A photo she took of Standiford accompanied the article in the Times Journal.

"I’m not real interested in the writing aspect, but definitely the photography," Griffith said. She would like to try sports photography.

The finished student-produced newspaper boasted 12 pages with 13 articles and 23 color photographs

The "Soul of Fossil" magazine, by Wheeler High Students, is still in progress and publication is expected in early May. The magazine will be a photo journal.

"There is still work to be turned in and it is still in the developmental stage," Hatch said.

Senior associate editor Lisa Wade is working to make sure everything is turned in on time. For ideas on the photo journal she thinks the area's landscape, events in the community and the daily life of the students would make good pictures to include in the magazine.

Sophomore photo editor Sammone Palazo said the magazine is starting to come together. Her job is to pick and edit photos.

Junior photo editor Anna Longstreet said the group got a slow start but hopes that "the final product represents what high school students can do."

Kylie Hankins, Michael Boehlke, Karera Carrell, Justin Phillips, Macaulay Hankins and Meagan Moore contributed to this report.

Click here to read Gary West's column about the workshop from the May 2, 2008, edition of Capital Press.

Students generate newspaper, photo projects as part of writer-in-resident program

Chyanne Stanley, freshman, interviews Megan Greenfield (left) on Monday, April 21, in Wheeler High School's general room during an all-day high school journalism workshop. Photo by Dillon Nelson.

Editor’s note: Twenty-two students from Wheeler High School in Fossil, Ore., and four from Condon High School in Condon, Ore., participated in a journalism workshop Monday, April 21, in Fossil. The workshop was conducted as part of a writer-in-residence program sponsored by Fishtrap Inc., an Eastern Oregon organization promoting "clear thinking and good writing in and about the West." The students participating in the workshop -- under the direction of Cheryl Hatch, the writer in residence, and Gary L. West, associate editor for the Capital Press -- were assigned to write stories about the writer-in-residence program in their communities.

Special to the Capital Press

FOSSIL, Ore. — This year the students of Condon and Wheeler high schools in Eastern Oregon had the opportunity to work with writer in residence Cheryl Hatch, a photojournalist based in Corvallis, Ore.

Hatch collaborated with Condon High School language arts teacher Mike Keown in Condon and with English teacher Angi Humphreys in Fossil, Ore.

Keown believes that the opportunity that the writer-in-residence program provides for students is worthwhile.

"It allows the students to have exposure to experience and topics that they wouldn’t receive in the regular curriculum," Humphreys said.

In 2007, poet Peter Sears joined the students of Condon and Wheeler high schools.
Humphreys is on the Knight Writers board that brought Sears and Hatch to the schools. Humphreys has been teaching at Wheeler for 12 years.

"I would be extremely disappointed if it were not a continued tradition," said Jon McMurray, who teaches history and Spanish at Wheeler High School and coaches the Knights baseball team, which is comprised of student athletes from the two schools and schools in Spray and Arlington.

One student who was interested in photography was Kylie Hankins of Wheeler High School. Hankins wished the program would have included more on how to develop film.

Student Tyler Pike was interested in learning more about writing through the program.

"It’s something new to do, and introduces kids to new forms of writing," said Pike of Condon High School.

For some students the program doesn’t last long enough

Megan Greenfield states, "It would be nice to have more time to work on projects and not so many classes a week," said Megan Greenfield.

Overall most of the students said the program has been educational and they have learned a lot.

"It was magical," said Kirk Fatland of Condon High School.

The writer-in-residence program was created a few years ago when Fishtrap Inc., a writers’ community in Wallowa County, asked if the cities of Condon and Fossil would be interested in bringing a rural writer-in-residence program to the two communities.

Chris Lewallen, 55, of Condon, has been the local co-coordinator for the writer-in-residence program for the past two years. The first year she worked with Adele Barnett, the founder of LB Arts, and this year she worked with Dorothy Schott, who housed Hatch on her ranch in Condon during that city's part of the program.

It is Lewallen’s job to help arrange housing for the writer, monitor the program and help to keep it running as smoothly as possible.

Kelli Kayser, Cole MacInnes, Murphy Palazo, Samonne Palazo, Chyanne Stanley, Kevin Miller, Jessica Miller and Levi Sharp contributed to this story.

The following students participated in the workshop:
Wheeler High School — Megan Greenfield, Brody D’Elia, Harold Stevens, Lisa Wade, Mitch Griffith, Anna Longstreet, Kylie Hankins, Michael Boehlke, Karera Carrell, Samonne Palazo, Dillon Nelson, Chyanne Stanley, Justin Phillips, Macaulay Hankins, Meagan Moore, Kevin Miller, Jessica Miller, Levi Sharp, Cole MacInnes, Murphy Palazo, Annie Wade and Emmalee Keys.
Condon High School — Kelli Kayser, Brook Griffith, Tyler Pike and Kirk Fatland.

Photojournalist teaches students to write with light

Sophomore Justin Phillips, right, interviews photojournalist Cheryl Hatch on Monday, April 21, during an all-day journalism workshop at Wheeler High School in Fossil, Ore. The workshop was conducted under the direction of Hatch and Gary L. West, associate editor of the Capital Press. Other student participants in the workshop can be seen in the background. Photo by Macaulay Hankins

Story by Megan Greenfield, Harold Stevens, and Brody D’Elia
Special to the Capital Press

FOSSIL, Ore. -- Cheryl Hatch, is a photojournalist from Corvallis, Ore.

Hatch is currently the writer in residence in Fossil, Ore., and is working with high school students to teach them about photojournalism. She recently finished a similar writer-in-residence stint in Condon, Ore., where she worked with the students to produce a newspaper.

The writer-in-residence program is funded by an organization called Fishtrap, located in Wallowa, Ore. The purpose of the program is to bring writers from different backgrounds into small communities and give students an opportunity to expand themselves and their knowledge of writing and photography.

The Wheeler High School librarian, Pam Hankins, noted that the program provides an opportunity for people with special talent, such as Hatch, to share that talent with others.

"I think that this is an out-of-the-ordinary experience and I hope people can appreciate it," Hankins said.

Kylie Hankins, a senior at Wheeler High School and Hankins' granddaughter, said Hatch helped her become more interested in photography.

Hatch was brought into Fossil on short notice. The original writer scheduled to participate in the program backed out at the last minute, but Hatch was found to fill in.

She was born in Germany; her father was a career Army officer, which led her to a life of constant moving. After high school she ended up in Saudi Arabia for a while. When asked where she grew up, she answered, "everywhere, there is no good answer to that question."

Hatch started taking photographs after buying her first camera a Post Exchange on an U.S. Army base.

Hatch is a photojournalist, meaning someone who tells news stories through photographs. She said she enjoys what she does, but found it difficult to switch from being a war photographer to being a more of an everyday news photographer. She said she has never worked on a project like writers in residence, but she has enjoyed working with the students and seeing new parts of Oregon that she had never been to before.

She said she has loved being a part of a small community and meeting new people. She has never been a part of a small community, nor has she ever really even been a part of any community due to moving around a lot as a child, so it was special to her to be made welcome in Fossil by the students.

While in Condon and Fossil, she has done things she had never dreamed of doing or would have ever had the chance to do if it weren’t for being brought into the communities.
She was invited to a couple different cattle brandings and helped build corrals.

The writer-in-residence program has been a success in her eyes, but if she could do it again she would like to do a few things differently.

She wishes there was more one-on-one time and "more time to build skills." She would have also liked it if she could have been in the schools for a longer period of time so she didn’t feel so rushed in producing a product. She said it was hard to come into Fossil and produce a photo project without knowing if the students had any skills in photography and produce a product in four weeks.

Small-town football player wins Super Bowl and hearts of Oregonians

Oregon was far from the Super Bowl XLII in Arizona, and even more distant from where the New York Giants play their home games.

Yet, a lot of Oregon — especially rural Oregon — was cheering for Kevin Boss, a rookie tight end playing with the Giants.

Boss, a native of the small town of Philomath, Ore., had attended Division II Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Ore. He had been selected as a fifth-round draft pick, and earned a starting position with the team after his teammate — and mentor — Jeremy Shockey was injured.

You could almost hear the collective roar across the state when Boss made a key 45-yard catch from quarterback Eli Manning on the first play in the fourth quarter. It helped set up the Giants to get their first touchdown, and helped create the momentum that led the Giants to pull off an upset and defeat the New England Patriots who had a perfect record for all season.

In December, the New York Post had done a story about Boss. Talking about Shockey, Boss was quoted, “We’re both from small towns, we’re obviously a long way from a small town right now.”

However, Boss was never far from the minds of people who live in the Oregon small towns that developed a relationship with him over the years. Classmates, teammates, former teachers, friends, even people who might have occasionally just passed him on campus were eager to talk to the media about how much they respect and support Boss. From the comfort of their homes, to loud pubs, people cheered him on.

When Boss returns to Oregon, he’ll be treated as a hero in small towns and big cities. It didn’t matter if he didn’t catch a touchdown pass. Or that he wasn’t the most valuable player. Heck, even if he didn’t catch that 45-yard pass, people still would treat him royally when he returns.

He had shown that someone from an Oregon small town could train hard, persevere, and make it to the most important football game in the country. More importantly, he had proven a person can do this while still retaining the reputation of being respectable, a role model and someone who may one day serve as a mentor for other kids who are perhaps picking up a football for the first time.

This all seemed a great reminder of another small town Oregon hero who made headlines in the baseball world when his team won the World Series this past fall.

Jacoby Ellsbury, a rookie outfielder with the Boston Red Sox, is from Madras, Ore. The graduate from Oregon State University earned media attention for getting four hits in a World Series game, the first time in 61 years that a rookie had done this.

Both Ellsbury and Boss are more than a couple of lucky guys that got breaks when, during their rookie years, they ended up taking the place of others during the last key games of teams destined for victory.

They both contributed significantly to their teams, and earned kudos for being role models during a time when professional sports continues to be under so much scrutiny for the conduct of other athletes. They’ve opened the doors for more talented athletes from the rural West to be taken seriously, but also shown what real heroes can be for sports fans in the future.

High-tech school report on farm chemicals

I came across a video today that was done as part of a high school project at High Tech High School charter school in San Diego. Given it's title, "Earth Watch — Agriculture Chemicals," I expected it to contain a pro-environment (i.e. anti-agriculture) message. But I was impressed that the student(s) who produced the video report put together a video that recognizes there are benefits to using agriculture chemical, like fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, as well as dangers if they are misused.

The information contained in the report may not contain information unknown to people working day-to-day in the ag industry, but I thought it was worth sharing anyway. If nothing else, is shows how the process of doing a school report has changed. Apparently writing a report isn't enough anymore and school reports have gone multimedia, at least at this Souther California charter school. Note the long list of credits at the end of the report (although I challenge anyone to actually read them and decipher what they say in this YouTube format).

When I watch such things, I always wonder what my dad's reaction to it would be. My father owns an agriculture aviation operation that applies agriculture fertilizers and chemicals by air. I'm sure he would have field day with the part of the report where the narrator is talking about pesticides over video images of an airplane using a spreader to apply some sort of granular material, which I'm assuming is fertilizer. Maybe it's a good thing Dad isn't part of the YouTube generation.