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2 CapitalPress.com March 25, 2016 People & Places Rancher-vet passes on knowledge Jill Swannack mentors others, leads statewide organization Western Innovator Capital Press LAMONT, Wash. — Jill Swannack knew she wanted to be a veterinarian when she was 7 years old. “Somebody said to me, ‘You can be anything you want to be,’ and I looked at them and said, ‘I’ll be a vet- erinarian,’” she said. “And that was it.” Swannack received her State University in 1991 and has been practicing in the Sprague-Lamont area since 1992. She treats large and small animals. Swannack and her hus- band, Art, raise 900 sheep on their ranch. She was elected president of the Washington State Sheep Producers in Oc- tober 2014 and is the irst fe- male leader of the organiza- tion that she is aware of. Swannack said she would like to include more small- er and non-traditional sheep producers in the organiza- tion. “As an industry we rep- resent the large producers well,” she said. “(Smaller producers are) where the in- dustry is really growing.” The organization offers Jill Swannack Age: 50 Title: President, Washington State Sheep Producers; veterinarian Hometown: Monroe, Wash. Current location: Lamont, Wash. Education: Doctor of veterinary medicine degree, Washington State University Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Lamont, Wash., veterinarian Jill Swannack, president of the Washington State Sheep Producers, man- ages a lamb as she looks to Washington State University veterinary students during a lambing school on her ranch March 12. schools on lambing, held on Swannack’s ranch, and on health screening and shear- ing, as part of an emphasis on education, mentoring and community involvement. “It’s passing on skills,” Swannack said. “You can watch a video and you can read about it, but until you get your hands on it and do it, it’s just not the same thing.” Are there many female large-animal vets? “There aren’t many large animal vets,” she said with a laugh. Swannack grew up on a Monroe, Wash., dairy farm, and was surrounded by a va- riety of animals. Swannack blames the low vet numbers on a lack of knowledge, since few people are born in rural environments today and grow up around livestock. “They’re willing to work rurally, but they don’t want to do cattle,” she said. “I tell (students), ‘You can’t work rurally and not do cattle. Most people have been around cats and dogs, the kids that love horses, they bond with that animal. With cattle, you’ve al- most got to come from where it was part of your livelihood to have true experiences with them.” She expects the number of large-animal vets to remain low. But there is hope for the future: Her daughter, a high school senior, recently decid- ed she also wants to be a vet- erinarian. “More than anything, I want my children to do what interests them,” Swannack said. “I counsel all my kids that because we are a farm family, we are a minority, and that is a huge strength in the job market.” Lamont area resident Har- ry Harder said Swannack has helped mentor him as he start- ed a sheep lock over the last two years. “You can ask her anything you want and she will answer to the best of her ability,” he said. “Working with her is like Family: Husband, Art, is a rancher and Whitman Coun- ty commissioner; children Carmen, 19; Leah, 17; and Owen, 14 Website: https://www. facebook.com/Washing- ton-State-Sheep-Produc- ers-207117485979912/ working with a close friend or family, even.” Louise Belsby ranches south of Cheney. Swannack is her veterinarian. “I have rolled in the mud with Jill pulling a calf — I have never seen anybody work so hard to keep a calf alive, going through a tough birth,” Belsby said. “She’s not just a vet, she’s also a produc- er, and I think that makes a big difference.” Oregon Dairy Farmers give two achievement awards SALEM — The Oregon Dairy Farmers Association honored the Oregon Dairy Women and Larry Hansen for their contributions to the industry at the association’s recent convention. The Oregon Dairy Wom- en, a nonproit organization that promotes the dairy indus- try, received the Community Service Award, according to an ODFA press release. Han- sen, Northwest and Mountain Division Pool Manager for Organic Valley, received the Distinguished Service Award. The Oregon Dairy Women is an all-volunteer organiza- tion. One of their promotional efforts is the dairy princess ambassador program, which has been active since 1959. Princess ambassadors have been educating children of all ages through school pre- sentations, county and state fairs and other events. During 2015, princess ambassadors reached more than 15,500 stu- dents across the state. The dairy women have also made the Red Barn an Online www.oregondairyfarmers.org Photos courtesy of Oregon Dairy Farmers Association Members of the Oregon Dairy Women are shown at the recent Oregon Dairy Farmers convention in Salem, where they received the Community Service Award. icon of the Oregon State Fair, where they have invested countless hours to provide ice cream to the public. Proceeds are donated to 4-H and FFA programs, Ag in the Class- room, Oregon Ag Fest, the Summer Ag Institute, dairy judging teams, Adopt a Farm- er and the princess ambassa- dor program. The dairy women have also given scholarships to more than 100 students in the last 12 years. The schol- arships go to college students from dairy families, students studying dairy-related majors and community college stu- dents. They have also been an important part of ODFA’s Dairy Day at the Capitol the last several years. “Thanks on behalf of all of our members. We are pleased to be recognized for our ef- forts,” said Jill Hewitt, pres- ident of the dairy women, in the press release. “The Ore- Larry Hansen, left, receives the Distiguished Service Award from Allen Hanselman, representing the Oregon Dairy Farmers Association, at the annual convention in Salem. gon Dairy Women work hard to promote dairy products and dairy farmers. We look forward to continuing to serve this great industry.” Hansen has worked in the dairy industry his entire life, starting out as a teen-ager working on a farm. He worked as a herdsman on a Willamette Valley dairy. From there he worked for Walco Internation- al, Darigold, Horizon Organic, and in 2012 he became the Northwest and Mountain Divi- sion Pool Manager for Organic Valley. Larry and his wife, Laurie, have been married more than 40 years and have two children and seven grandchildren. He has been a Boy Scout leader for over 25 years, mentoring many young men. The words that come to mind when you think of Larry are: milk quality, loyal, efi- cient, sense of humor, and a friend to the dairy industry, said Tami Kerr, ODFA exec- utive director. “Larry is be- loved in our state. It doesn’t matter who you ship to, Larry means a lot to everyone. ... Our board was very pleased to honor and recognize him for his many years of outstanding service.” The Oregon Dairy Farm- ers Association, established in 1892, works on behalf of Ore- gon’s 240 dairy farm families. Donations sought for Dayton FFA alumni dinner auction Dayton FFA alumni are seeking donations for the 26th Annual FFA Alumni Auction and Dinner on April 2. The auction is held in the old gym at Dayton, Ore., High School. “The auction is the largest Calendar fundraiser the alumni do,” said Ian Heard, president of the Dayton FFA Alumni. “Proceeds from the auction go toward vocational ag pro- grams that would otherwise go unfunded. In years past, we have been able to help send Sponsored by: To submit an event go to the Community Events calendar on the home page of our website at www. capitalpress.com and click on “Sub- mit an Event.” Calendar items can also be mailed to Capital Press, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR 97301. 4 p.m., Eastern Washington Agri- cultural Museum, Pomeroy. www. co.garield.wa.us/museum Saturday, April 2 Thursday, April 7 26th Annual Dayton FFA Alumni Auction and Dinner, 5-9:30 p.m. in the old gym at Dayton High School, 801 Ferry St., Dayton, Ore. The silent auction starts at 5:30 and an “agrilicious dinner” will be served at 7 with the oral auction following at 8. Tickets are $10 per person and may be purchased at the door or in advance by calling the Dayton Ag Shop at 503-864-2080. Spring Farming Days, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., Eastern Washington Agri- cultural Museum, Pomeroy. www. co.garield.wa.us/museum Sunday, April 3 Spring Farming Days, 9 a.m.- Established 1928 Board of directors Mike Forrester ..........................President Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Sid Freeman .................. Outside director Mike Omeg .................... Outside director Corporate oficer John Perry Chief operating oficer By MATTHEW WEAVER doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Washington Capital Press Wednesday, April 6 Idaho FFA State Leadership Conference, College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls. idahoffa.org/ Growing Agripreneurs — A Season of Farming Training, 6-9 p.m., Growing Agripreneurs is a seven-month program, beginning April 7, designed for beginning farmers interested in gaining the- oretical and practical knowledge through classes, ield work, mar- keting, food preservation, farm tours and one-on-one mentoring. Pre-registration required. Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center, 569 Hanley Road, Central Point, Ore. Cost: $350 (couples discount, $600) Partial scholar- ships available. http://extension. oregonstate.edu/sorec/farms Idaho FFA State Leadership students to the National FFA convention in November.” The doors will open at 5 p.m. for registration at DHS. “The silent auction will be- gin at 5:30 with a staggered closing of the tables starting at 6:30. Every 20 minutes a table will close,” said Heather Oliveria, silent auction chair. An “agrilicious dinner” will be served at 7 p.m. with the oral auction following at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person and may be purchased at the door or in advance by calling the Dayton Ag Shop at 864- 2080. Any individual or business that would like to donate an auction item, time, money or services to this year’s auction, call Karen Goddik at 503- 560-9275. GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE 20 Northwest Locations Conference, College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls. idahoffa.org/ Idaho, Twin Falls. idahoffa.org/ Friday, April 8 Idaho FFA State Leadership Conference, College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls. idahoffa.org/ Oregon Cranberry Growers Twilight Meeting, 4 p.m., Robinson Farm, Bandon, Ore. www.oregon- cranberrygrowers.com Saturday, April 9 Wednesday, April 13 96th Annual California Ram Sale, Viewing starts at 8 a.m. Over 400 range rams from Cali- fornia, Oregon, Idaho and Utah. Crossbred, Hampshire, Suffolk and White-Faced (Columbia, Ram- bouillet) rams will be auctioned off in the sale. In addition three purebred ewes will also be sold. Also, ultrasound carcass mea- surements and a range ram index will be provided on all sale rams, Porterville Fairgrounds, 2700 W. Teapot Dome Ave., Porterville, Ca- lif. http://cawoolgrowers.org/sale/ ramsale.html Idaho FFA State Leadership Conference, College of Southern Tuesday, April 12 International Fair of Agricultural Technologies Conference and Ex- hibition, FEXPO Agricola Central, Talca, Chile Thursday, April 14 International Fair of Agricultural Technologies Conference and Ex- hibition, FEXPO Agricola Central, Talca, Chile Friday, April 15 International Fair of Agricultural Technologies Conference and Ex- hibition, FEXPO Agricola Central, Talca, Chile Saturday, April 16 Oregon Women for Agriculture Auction & Dinner, 5-9 p.m. The or- ganization’s 29th annual fundraiser, themed “Oregon Agriculture A to Z,” will take place at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road E in Albany, Ore. Cost: $40 per person. http://owaonline. org/owa-auction-2016/ Holistic Land Planning, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Create the ideal land plan for your ranch. What is the ideal lay- out of your fences? Where should infrastructure be located to facilitate animal handling and movement? Kittitas Valley Event Center, 901 E. Seventh Ave., Ellensburg, Wash. Cost: $227 until April 2. www.root- sofresilience.org International Fair of Agricultural Technologies Conference and Ex- hibition, FEXPO Agricola Central, Talca, Chile Hood River Hard-Pressed Cider Fest, noon-7 p.m., 3315 Stadelman Drive, Hood River, Ore. http://ho- odriver.org/cider-fest/ Capital Press Managers Mike O’Brien .............................Publisher Joe Beach ..................................... Editor Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager Entire contents copyright © 2016 EO Media Group dba Capital Press An independent newspaper published every Friday. Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is published weekly by EO Media Group, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem OR 97301. 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Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048 News: Contact the main ofice or news staff member closest to you, send the in- formation to newsroom@capitalpress.com or mail it to “Newsroom,” c/o Capital Press. Include a contact telephone number. Letters to the Editor: Send your comments on agriculture-related public issues to opinions@capitalpress.com, or mail your letter to “Opinion,” c/o Capital Press. Letters should be limited to 300 words. Deadline: Noon Monday. Capital Press ag media www.capitalpress.com www.FarmSeller.com www.AgDirectoryWest.com www.OnlyAg.com www.facebook.com/capitalpress www.facebook.com/farmseller www.facebook.com/onlyAGdotcom twitter.com/capitalpress www.youtube.com/capitalpressvideo www.blogriculture.com Index Dairy ...................................... 9 Markets ............................... 13 Opinion .................................. 6 Correction A story on page 7 of last week’s editions incorrectly identiied the Crook County, Ore., sheriff’s dep- uty who investigated the killing of a rancher’s three guard dogs. The deputy’s name is Brian Bottoms. The Capital Press regrets the error. Correction policy Accuracy is important to Capital Press staff and to our readers. If you see a misstatement, omission or factual error in a headline, story or photo caption, please call the Capital Press news department at 503-364-4431, or send email to newsroom@capitalpress.com. We want to publish corrections to set the record straight.
