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Spotlight On Youth - June 19, 2019

Bellmont winner competing at Indiana State FFA Convention

DECATUR, Ind. — On March 9, members of the Bellmont FFA competed in District 6 Leadership Contests. Placing first was Andrew Fuelling in Extemporaneous Public Speaking, which qualifies him to compete at Purdue University, at the Indiana State FFA Convention this week.

Those placing second were Brooklyn Wurm in Traditional Scrapbook, Olivia Conrad in Ag Sales Presentation and Plant & Soil Demonstration, Ethan Short and Jeremiah Lengerich in Ag Mechanics & Technology Demonstration, and Andrew Fuelling in Ag & Farm Business Management Demonstration.

Those receiving third place were Katie Melcher and Gabby Birch in Multimedia Scrapbook, and the group of Jeremiah Lengerich, Abbey Rumschlag, Mia Singleton, and Ella Kintz in the Quiz Bowl Competition.

Not placing in the top three in their events, but receiving high honors, were Claire Fuelling in Freshman Creed, and Mia Singleton in Freshman Essay and Freshman Prepared Public Speaking.

 

AGCO Parts awards five scholarships to Illinois students

BATAVIA, Ill. — AGCO Parts, a division of AGCO Corp., awarded five scholarships worth $6,500 at the 14th Annual Touch-A-Tractor event held by the Kane County Farm Bureau (KCFB).

The five recipients are all Illinois resident students pursuing an agriculture-related field of study. This is the second year it was able to fund five scholarships, including the largest scholarship, the AGCO Platinum scholarship worth $2,500.

AGCO Parts employees raised the scholarship funds from monthly employee donations in exchange for the privilege of wearing jeans to work. The following students are this year’s recipients:

The AGCO Parts Platinum Scholarship for $2,500 went to Erin Kettelkamp of Elburn, Ill. She currently attends the University of Illinois, majoring in veterinary medicine.

Two AGCO Parts Division Scholarships for $1,000 each went to Ethan Hoffman of Malta, who will attend Kishwaukee College in the fall, studying agriculture business and technology; and Andrew Gould of Elburn, who attends the University of Illinois, majoring in technical systems management.

Two AGCO Global Women’s Network Scholarships for $1,000 each were awarded to Kristen Hoffman of Kingston, who currently attends Iowa State University, majoring in agribusiness; and Catherine Bend of Earlville, who currently attends the University of Wisconsin, majoring in agricultural business.

Indiana schools shine at national archery tournament

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Indiana schools took two of the three team titles at the 2019 National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) Eastern Nationals in Louisville on May 9-11, where more than 15,000 students participated.

Indiana schools and students brought home awards not only in Bullseye, but also in the NASP/IBO 3D Challenge, Centershot Bullseye, and Centershot 3D tournaments. To date, this is the strongest finish Indiana has accomplished at any NASP National Tournament.

Castle High School of Newburgh won the High School Division for the second consecutive year, shooting a tournament-series-record 3,480 out of a possible 3,600. For their efforts, each of the 24 students on the Castle team will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship to continue their education after high school.

Castle’s Ashlie Garrison received the highest individual awards among females, shooting 298 out of a possible 300 to claim the Top Overall Female award, as well as being named the Top High School Female Academic Archer. She will compete for cash scholarships at the NASP Open/Champion NASP Tournament in Nashville, Tenn., July 25-27, along with many other archers from Indiana schools.

Hayden Elementary School of Hayden won the Elementary School Division, shooting 3,229 out the possible 3,600. Each of the students on the Hayden team will receive a $500 scholarship.

The highest scholarship available at the tournament is $20,000, an amount to be awarded to one female and one male archer. Overall, NASP will award $113,000 in scholarships this year.

 NASP is a joint venture between school corporations throughout Indiana and the Department of Natural Resources. Tournament competition is open only to schools having received the archery training provided by the DNR Division of Law Enforcement and including the archery program as a part of their curriculum.

Continental contributes $50,000 for school athletic complex

ST. MARYS, Ohio — Continental’s industrial products plant has donated $50,000 over a five-year period to the St. Marys Community Foundation and the Rough Riders Philanthropic Organization to build a new athletic complex and stadium for St. Marys Memorial High School.

The funds will help the St. Marys Community Foundation and the Rough Riders Philanthropic Organization raise funds to support the building of a new stadium and athletic complex at the school. “This will be one of the nicest stadiums in our area and we are so grateful to Continental,” said St. Marys Community Foundation Honorary Co-Chair Galen Cisco.

Continental’s St. Marys plant has been in operation for almost 80 years. The facility manufactures a variety of rubber products for automotive, agricultural, and industrial applications.

 Farmers will advance sustainable ag with NCR-SARE grants

 

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE) program is pleased to announce the projects recommended for funding for three grant programs that help advance sustainable innovation to American agriculture.

Forty-eight grant projects were selected to receive a total of more than $663,000 through the NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grant program, to explore sustainable solutions to problems through on-farm research, demonstration, and education projects. Those in the Farm World region selected to receive funding are:

IOWA: Keri Byrum of Cedar Falls Hops Co. in Cedar Falls, $8,821; Jim Frey of Jim Frey Fish Hatchery in West Union; and Jan Libbey of One Step at a Time Gardens in Kanawha, $27,000.

ILLINOIS: Charles Martin of Willow Creek Farm in Oneida, $8,088; Jeff Miller of Prairie Wind Family Farm in Grayslake, $7,859; Maggie Wachter of Second Nature Honey in Urbana, $26,370; and Kevin Wolz of Midwest Agroforestry Solutions in Urbana, $8,940.

INDIANA: Nick Carter of Mud Creek Farm in Indianapolis, $8,233; Kaitlin Hossom of Second Planet Farmstead in Nashville, $8,943; John Jamerson of Legacy Taste of the Garden in Princeton, $26,827; Lauren McCalister of Three Flock Farm in Ellettsville, $5,445; and Mikael Thompson of Thompson's Prairie Honey in Greenfield, $7,965.

MICHIGAN: Melissa Boersema of Sklarczyk Seed Farm in Johannesburg, $27,000; Abby Johnson of Ox Heights in Rogers City, $8,649; Lance Kraai of New City Neighbors in Grand Rapids, $8,867; and Leah Sienkowski of Dreamgoats in Grand Rapids, $8,650.

OHIO: Sasha Miller of Purplebrown Farmstead in Hudson, $7,240; Lori Nethero of Buckeye Valley Beef Cooperative in Bethel, $25,530; and Nadia Ruffin of Quiwi Produce in Cincinnati, $9,000.

For the 2019 Youth Educator Grant Program, NCR-SARE awarded $42,000 to 11 projects. Those selected to receive funding include: Stephanie Dunn of Star Farm Chicago in Chicago, Ill., $3,910; Joshua Craig of the School Town of Munster in Munster, Ind., $3,954; MaryEllen St.Angelo of Teter Organic Farm in Noblesville, Ind., $4,000; and Hannah Scott of The Ohio State University College in Piketon, Ohio, $3,946.

For the 2019 Partnership Grant Program, NCR-SARE awarded almost $566,000 to 15 projects to foster cooperation between agriculture professionals and small groups of farmers and ranchers to catalyze on-farm research, demonstration, and education activities related to sustainable agriculture. Those selected to receive funding include:

IOWA: Suzan Erem of Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT) in West Branch, $33,365; and Bridget Holcomb of Women, Food, and Agriculture Network in Ames, $39,832.

ILLINOIS: Catie Gregg of Prairie Rivers Network in Champaign, $29,740; and Teresa Steckler of the University of Illinois in Simpson, $39,955.

OHIO: Andrew Kirk of the OSU-Ashtabula ARS in Kingsville, $39,977; and Hongmei Li-Byarlay of Central State University in Wilberforce, $40,000.

USGC board names LeGrand as next president and CEO

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC) board of directors has named Council Director in Mexico Ryan LeGrand as its next president and CEO, effective mid-June.

LeGrand joined the organization in Mexico in 2015 and had served as the director of the Council’s Mexico City office since 2016. In this capacity, he has overseen the expansion of the Council’s programming in that country to include ethanol promotion, and worked to steady relations with the U.S. and Mexican feed and livestock industries during the negotiations of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Early in his career, he worked a year in the USGC Washington office as a manager of international operations. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University in international business.

Conterra grows with new relationship manager in NW Ohio

DES MOINES, Iowa — In a step to expand agriculture financial services to producers from coast to coast, Conterra Agricultural Capital has brought on a new relationship manager. Jackie Mosier has been hired as vice president relationship manager, serving customers in Illinois and the Great Lakes region.

Mosier spent more than a decade with the Farm Credit System, where she worked in multiple capacities. Immediately prior to joining the Conterra Ag team, she worked as a senior financial analyst for Rabo Agrifinance, focusing on dairy, poultry, and grain operations. In addition, she raises certified Angus cattle outside Haviland, Ohio, with her husband and two daughters. She also operates a grain storage facility sales business.

The addition of Mosier to the team of ag lending specialists will help Conterra provide ag loan servicing, alternative lending, and asset management to farmers, ranchers, and members of the agribusiness community in a new geography.

CME Group declares quarterly dividend for shareholders

 

CHICAGO, Ill. — CME Group, Inc., the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, has declared a second-quarter dividend of 75 cents per share, payable June 25 to shareholders of record as of June 10, 2019.

CME enables clients to trade futures, options, cash, and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data – empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture opportunities.

BQA program develops, distributes extensive national manual

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — An official manual for the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program that is both detailed and extensive is being distributed nationwide throughout the cattle industry. The manual and the BQA program are both managed by the producer education team at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc., a contractor to the beef checkoff.

The 124-page manual addresses topics such as food safety, animal well-being, worker safety, and environmental stewardship. It provides specific information to help producers approach management decisions in a way that acknowledges a responsibility to the animals, consumers, the environment, and the larger beef industry.

A helpful resource for cattle producers and others in the industry, it is the foundation for training and certification programs offered nationally and by many states. To view the new manual or become BQA-certified, visit BQA.org

6/20/2019