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