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December 18, 2015 CapitalPress.com 15 Limagrain wheat breeder heading for Asia Far West president looks Capital Press Limagrain Cereal Seeds is looking for a new Pacific Northwest wheat breeder. Jean-Bruno Beaufume will leave in July to be head of research for Limagrain Asia in Bangkok, Thailand. He will work on maize and other field crops and has been a senior wheat breeder for Limagrain in Waitsburg, Wash., since 2011. Jim Peterson, research director for Limagrain Ce- real Seeds, says the compa- ny has begun recruiting for the position. “I expect we will attract a very strong set of candi- dates, in part because of the excellent program (Beau- fume) has built, in part that LCS is now a well-known entity all across the coun- try,” Peterson said. Peterson credited Beau- fume with bringing the company’s PNW program to maturity quickly and pro- viding a strong base of ger- mplasm for future varieties. Beaufume developed strong relationships with breeders, researchers, growers and the seed industry in the re- gion, Peterson said, includ- ing collaborations with the University of Idaho and Or- egon State University. Beaufume hopes to help make the transition to the new breeder a smooth one. “We built a program that’s going to develop new varieties on a regular basis,” he said. “I think the pro- gram now is on track to de- liver every year a very good set of new varieties.” He said it was easy to move from his native France to the PNW. “We have been very for- tunate to work with a great community of farmers and industry people that are very open-minded, very progres- sive,” he said. “It has been an excellent chance to bring a few new ideas into the re- gion. Everybody was very supportive.” Beaufume said the posi- tion in Asia will offer him more management oppor- tunities. His work in Asia isn’t likely to affect PNW growers in the short term, he said, although there may be long-term impacts to ger- mplasm. to boost association By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Limagrain Cereal Seeds senior wheat breeder Jean-Bruno Beau- fume speaks to farmers during a joint field day with the University of Idaho in 2014 in Genesee, Idaho. Beaufume will handle maize and field crop research for the company in Bangkok, Thailand. KENNEWICK, Wash. — The next president of the Far West Agribusiness Association says he hopes to boost the or- ganization’s name recognition. Mark Midtlyng takes over as president Jan. 1. The pres- idency is a one-year term. He spoke with the Capital Press during the association’s win- ter conference in Kennewick, Wash. He also wants to increase the number of members, which will allow the association to speak more effectively when confronting legislative issues in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Nevada or Utah. “(When) there is something that we see as a hindrance to the agricultural sector, we would like to be able to walk in and they’re going to say, ‘Here comes the FWAA, and we’re going to stand up and listen to them, because they have really good ideas and know how to handle the situation,’” he said. “That’s the level we want to get to in the next three to five years. Nothing happens overnight, but we would like to start making things hap- pen.” A commit- tee will ex- plore options to boost the association’s Midtlyng finances, he said. Regulatory issues are al- ways going to be a priority for the organization, Midtlyng said. “That’s probably the biggest one our eyes are on,” he said. Midtlyng also wants to be- gin succession planning for the organization in 2016. “People are getting older and retiring,” he said. “Who is going to be the leader in five to 10 years of Far West? It’s huge for every company, and Far West is no different.” Midtlyng works for Two Rivers Terminal in Caldwell, Idaho. He graduated from Washington State Universi- ty with a degree in environ- mental science and soils. His father, Homer, was on the board for the association and president in 1987. His parents own a farm in North Dakota, which he eventually expects to join. Louisville, Kentucky Hosts 88 th National FFA Convention Meridian, Idaho, FFA members pose for a group picture while at the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. Photo by Trish Stokes By Alexa Phillips Meridian FFA Chapter Reporter Louisville, Kentucky, hosted over 64,000 FFA members from across the nation at the 88th National FFA Convention from Oct. 26 to 31. Meridian, Idaho, FFA competed at the national level with the following teams: • Parliamentary Procedure. • Horse Evaluation. • Food Science and Technology. • Veterinary Science. To qualify to compete at this level, the team must win at the state level. We also had four members — Mitch Jackson, Matt Stokes, Justin Nesbitt and Jamie Short — earn their American Degrees. The requirements for this award are to have earned at least $10,000 and invested $7,500 in a Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE), or to have invested $2,000 and worked 2,250 hours in a SAE. This is awarded to less than 1 percent of the national membership each year. These individuals have demonstrated the highest level of commitment and accomplishments in the FFA. While on our trip to Louisville, we were able to tour KESMARC (Kentucky Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center), the Louisville Slugger Museum and Churchill Downs. At KESMARC we saw different methods of equine recovery from injuries. In the Louisville Slugger Museum the group was shown how bats are made and learned more about the game of baseball. At Churchill Downs, we saw the race track the Kentucky Derby is run on and the paddocks, grandstands and the museum. Throughout the convention, members attended a career fair, filled with different agriculture colleges and companies, and shopped in the FFA mall. In addition, several keynote speakers spoke in sessions throughout the week. Our chapter was able to listen to Dr. Rick Rigsby, a motivational speaker and corporate coach, and Brad Montague, the maker of “Kid President.” Meridian FFA had four teams compete at Nationals, all placing in the Top 10 overall. The following is the placings of the teams and individuals: Horse Evaluation: Ninth place team with gold ranking, team members: • Lauren Anderson — Eighth high individual and third high performance judging, receiving $400 cash scholarship, gold ranking • Taylor Johnson — Gold ranking • Alexa Phillips — Silver ranking. • Chloe Varley — Bronze ranking. Food Science & Technology: Eighth place team with gold ranking, team members: • Kirsten Forster — Seventh high individual, receiving $400 cash scholarship, gold ranking. • Clayton Christenson — Ninth high individual, receiving $400 cash scholarship, gold ranking. • Zach Putzier — Silver ranking. • Madison Boyd — Silver ranking. Parliamentary Procedure: Sixth place team with gold ranking, team members: • Taylor Nelson — Gold ranking. • Kristin Nesbitt — Gold ranking. • Maddie Bennett — Gold ranking. • Amber Wong — Gold ranking. • Kyle Schmit — Gold ranking. • Megan Deim — Gold ranking. Veterinary Science: Sixth place team with gold ranking, team members: • Madison Bloom — Second high individual, receiving $1,000 cash scholarship, gold ranking. • Abby Talbott — Gold ranking. • Jaime Ellis — Silver ranking. • Kennedy Kirk — Silver ranking. Meridian FFA would like to thank the Meridian FFA Alumni Chapter for lowering the huge cost of this trip for each attendee. We would also like to thank the National Career Development Event (CDE) sponsors. The Food Science & Technology CDE was sponsored by Kraft Heinz Co., the Horse Evaluation CDE was sponsored by Ram Trucks, Tractor Supply Co. and Wahl Clipper Corporation, the Parliamentary Procedure CDE was sponsored by TransCanada and the Veterinary Science CDE was sponsored by Zoetis. 51-2/#13 By MATTHEW WEAVER