Ag Day booth keeps CP staff busy

The State Fair kept some of us busy on the weekend: Saturday was Ag Day and a few of us volunteered to work the Capital Press booth.

Working the booth from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. can be an interesting time of evening. We can watch people stagger out of the pavilion after watching the bullriding events. We saw the long line-ups of people at nearby food booths. And we found ourselves bombarded by important questions like where can people catch taxis, where’s the nearest automated teller and where are the nearest toilets.

It’s nice to have a purpose in life, a reason to feel needed and useful in this day and age.

In our booth, we raised money for our important Newspaper in Education program, which helps get our newspapers into high schools so the next generation can learn about agriculture.

We did different things to raise money: We had a game for kids to pick a floating duck for $1 and win a surprise prize. We sold t-shirts, cookbooks and model trucks. We gave away free bumper stickers and posters. Heck, we would have offered to sing if people would have paid us to do so — or pay us even more to then stop singing.

During the day our staff, as well as guests like spouses and family members that we encouraged to help us, worked the booth and met a lot of great people.

It was wonderful to talk to the little kids, as well helped them play our game or sometimes as we just listened to them as they excitedly told us about what they saw and did that day. Some carried stuffed animals they, or their parents, had won.

“I call this one Fish Stripes,” said one young lad, clutching a big blue fish with red stripes. “Because he has stripes.”

I thought to myself that his parents probably appreciated a nice easy name like that to remember for the future.

His sister also had her prize, a soft teddy bear with sparkly fur.

“What’s his name?” I asked.

“Sparkles,” she replied, matter-of-factly.

Of course.

There were subscribers who told us how much they loved our newspaper, and let us know if they wanted to renew or buy an ad. Some searched our cookbooks for former recipes they’d seen in the newspaper, while letting us know how much they appreciated a good bread pudding recipe.

One young woman who bought one of our t-shirts had just come the barns where she had shown sheep, and the next day she would be showing Jersey cattle. She didn’t have much time, but definitely wanted to get one of our shirts during her break.

Our most popular item? Our bumper stickers that state: “Have you fed your kid today? Hug a farmer.” The people who wanted these stickers the most? Young guys from farms. Usually they grinned and asked if they could have one, or possibly two stickers, for their half-ton trucks. It was either for both bumpers, or for more than one truck.

One can tell these guys were anticipating a lot of hugs in the future. Well-deserved, of course.

Thanks to everyone who visited our booth on Sept. 1, and especially for supporting our NIE program. If you missed your chance to buy one of our t-shirts or cookbooks, let us know. Contact us (1-800-882-6789) and we’ll gladly sell you these products to get more newspapers into classrooms this fall.

Technorati tags: Agriculture

Is this the text book definition of political waffling?

Have you heard the latest on Idaho Sen. Larry Craig? Now he's thinking about not resigning.

Agriculture, Idaho and the West will certainly suffer from losing the clout Craig used to have in the Senate, but if he rescinds his resignation, his effectiveness will be shot.

If he want to be a Senator, he should resign as announced, deal with his legal troubles and run for Senate in 2008. If Idahoans are ready to forgive him, they can elect him anew, after this scandal has subsided. But he is of no use to Idaho, agriculture or the West now. He didn't even show up for the Senate's return to work today, and it's not known if he's going to return to Washington at all for work this week.

sheep and fairs

If you're the one of those people who likes to raise livestock, take them to fairs and haul them around the show ring for a little blue ribbon and five minutes of glory, then you will understand this little ramble. It is tough to explain why people do this when they could be relaxing at home- especially when the temperature is over the century mark.

My fair friends have been described as a "little sheep family that travels from fair to fair." That's pretty accurate. Sometimes there are more of us at a fair sometimes less. It's kind of like a PTA meeting. If you don't show up you're sure to get talked about. We all met in Lancaster at the Antelope Valley Fair for one of the last shows of the season over Labor Day weekend. You never know if it is your last fair for the year or not because someone will always try to talk you into going to one more. The AV fair is one of the newest fairgrounds in the state, built about four years ago. The fair decided they needed to have an open sheep show on the last weekend of the fair and sure enough, some of us showed up, even though temperatures were hovering around the 110 degree mark. We quickly discovered why we would come back to this fair- an air conditioned show barn. We didn't want to leave when it was over.

This was a first for us in California. Not that we need air conditioning at Del Mar or Ventura fairs, but it sure would have been nice when we were hauling the sheep into the ring at state fair.

Sheep shows are now more of an all-day affair. You can't really just show your own sheep and then sit in the stands and watch the rest of the show. That's because even though there is a group of us exhibitors, there are way more sheep than people in the barn. And, the number one rule of the barn is: if you want help showing your sheep- an you will unless you've convinced your children to come with you- you need to help other people. That makes for a long day if there are 7 or 8 breeds showing that day and you are helping with all of them. I had the challenge this summer of finding someone to show my sheep at the Puyallup Fair since I couldn't be there. That is where going to previous shows really helps- you know the regulars and don't feel too bad about asking, knowing you will repay them somewhere down the road. Thanks Jake! I heard you and your crew of helpers did a great job- that sheep never won when I was holding it all summer!!

What a difference a year makes

I'm not expert on the commodities markets, nor am I an agriculture economist, so I don't know what the net outcome will be of this year's rapidly rising wheat prices, but wheat rancher have to be happy about the ongoing rise of grain prices.

The futures market for wheat reached the trading limit of a 30-cent upward price swing in the first 5 minutes of trading today and closed above $8 a bushel for the first time ever (see story here).

That's about twice what wheat was trading at at this time last year. So if we use Idaho's wheat forecast as a guide, that would mean a difference of about $324 per acre if the 81 bushels per acre forecast holds up.

That's just rough cyphering, as my grandfather might say if he were still around. And that's not to say that farmers would see all that money either. But it will be a boost to wheat growers who have been struggling under the yoke of very low prices in recent years.

Given global shortages of grain, it's not looking like wheat has yet hit its peak for the year.

Denial of Water Issues may Lead to Future Problems

Government approved loans are getting softer on water requirements.

Joyce Strong, a qualifying broker out of Weiser, Idaho said in California "only 2.5 gallons per minute of water well supply is required for government approved loans in several counties including Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties."

Lowered water requirements make it easier for developers to sanction new construction in dryer areas where normally many banks would require 5.0 gallons a minute well water supply. Homeowners need to do their homework before purchasing a home making such a purchase with such low requirements.

"2.5 gallons is sufficient to take a shower or do laundry, but keeping a lawn green for instance is out of the question." said Strong. Lowered water requirements ultimately could affect the value of the home, increase population density and decrease quality of life standards.

"Often this information does not get sufficient media showcasing because talking about this serious issue [how water is becoming scarce] is a bi-partisan no-no.

Craig's most honest statement: He's a distraction

When Idaho Sen. Larry Craig announced this morning he will resign his position at the end of September, it was an unfortunate end to a politician who had worked mainly in the best interest of the West and agriculture for the past three terms and been in the public service for 33 years.

“I have little control of what people choose to believe,” Craig told a swarm of media as he was surrounded by his family, Idaho’s head of the GOP, Gov. Otter, and a public crowd of supporters as well as protesters.

Craig added he was resigning “with sadness and deep regret” and he apologized “to the people of our great state” that he wouldn’t be able to complete his whole term representing those who elected him.

For many people, it might not be just what they believe, but how they accept his overall handling of the situation in terms of openness and timeliness with his family, his political party and the public.

The public demands and deserves a lot more from its high-profile elected officials.

Craig’s political career spiraled into turmoil this week when is was disclosed he had pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge in a sex sting done June 11 by police in the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport men’s room.

When the police released the audio recording of the arresting officer as he confronted Craig after the incident and accused Craig of attempting to solicit gay sex, many believed Craig’s fate was sealed as an exasperated officer bluntly tells the senator that he believes Craig is lying to him and that it was “disgraceful” and “embarrassing.”

Months later, the situation has grown to be more than just embarrassing. It has become political suicide.

“Clearly my name is important to me and my family is very important also. Having said that, to pursue my legal options as I consider to serve Idaho would be an unwanted distraction,’’ he told the press conference.

“These are serious times. The people of Idaho deserve a senator who can devote 100 percent of his time and his effort to the critical issues of our state and the nation.”

This was perhaps the most honest statement heard by the senator in the last week.

He — and the whole sordid mess — have become a big distraction when the nation should be talking about other problems. It’s been two years since Hurricane Katrina, yet many people are homeless, helpless and hopeless. Each day newspaper headlines carry stories of how many more brave American soldiers and Iraqi citizens have perished in a war where no end seems in sight. People in different parts of the nation are attempting to cope with floods, fires and severe drought. We should also be curious who will be appointed to key roles surrounding the president and offering him advice during the rest of his term.

As for agriculture, it loses one of its strongest representatives on issues such as grazing on public lands, forest fires, AgJOBS, the Farm Bill, and so many more relevant to the West.

The Craig case will not disappear soon. Asked if he still denies these accusations, he told a CNN reporter Saturday morning that his legal department would announce more later Saturday, and that he would continue to be “fighting this like hell,” despite the guilty plea he gave against the disorderly conduct.

Shortly after the press conference, President George W. Bush phoned Sen. Craig. The president said it was a difficult decision but wished Craig well, and said it was the right decision that was made to resign. Right for his Idaho constituents, the Republican party, and his family.

“I apologize for what I have caused. I am deeply sorry,” Craig said in his meeting with the press today.

Apologizing might not be enough, as the West and especially the agricultural community scrambles to figure out the ramifications of what it means to lose an influential politician in Washington.

From the Western perspective, it seems like there was a lot more flushed down the toilet that day.

Technorati tags: Agriculture
Craig
Senator Larry Craig
politics
Republicans
Idaho