April 29, 2016
CapitalPress.com
7
New state officers bring
humor, passion to Calif. FFA
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
FRESNO, Calif. — Cali-
fornia FFA’s newly elected state
officer team promised the more
than 5,000 students attending
the organization’s state con-
vention that they’ll put plenty
of passion and energy into the
coming year.
The slate of new officers an-
nounced April 26 includes the
first-ever twins to serve togeth-
er at the state level — President
Andrew Skidmore and Secre-
tary Amanda Skidmore, both
from the small San Joaquin Val-
ley town of Atwater.
During his election pitch to
delegates, Andrew generated
laughs — and a few gasps — by
comparing his candidacy to the
TV show, “The Bachelor.” He
told the gathering that “just like
those roses,” he may sometimes
have a thorny side “but I’m
beautiful.”
Amanda showed some hu-
mor, too, telling fellow members
that doctors had said she would
be a boy and her stubborn par-
ents dubbed her “a man, duh.”
“I’ve been called a tomboy
and a lady,” Amanda told more
than 5,000 students in Fresno’s
Selland Arena, adding that she
would bring the best of both
perspectives into her leadership
role. “I will serve this organi-
zation with motivation, passion
and determination.”
The Skidmore siblings are
joined on the 2016-17 officers’
team by Vice President Lauren
Millang of Woodland, Treasur-
er Sam Looper of Apple Val-
ley, Reporter Conner Vernon of
Nipomo and Sentinel Jace Neu-
gebauer of McArthur. The stu-
dents were among 81 applicants
for state office, 37 of whom
were given interviews and 12
chosen as finalists.
Looper also took a humorous
approach to his April 25 election
pitch, making light of what he
called his “plus-size” jacket.
He said his friends call him
“Corn Fed” and that he’s “full of
GMOs.”
“In the last four years, I’ve
not only grown out of eight FFA
jackets but I’ve grown as a lead-
er,” Looper said to laughter and
loud cheers.
The new officers were an-
nounced after each of the outgo-
ing state officers had taken turns
over the course of the April 21-
26 conference in giving heartfelt
speeches about their time in of-
fice. Each also had their parents
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
A greater sage grouse is shown in this file photo. Federal agencies have restricted mineral exploration
and development on more than 10 million acres of federal land in California, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada,
Montana, Utah and Wyoming to protect the bird, prompting a federal lawsuit.
Tim Hearden/Capital Press
From left, newly elected California FFA state officers Andrew
Skidmore, president; Sam Looper, treasurer; Lauren Millang, vice
president; Amanda Skidmore, secretary; Conner Vernon, reporter;
and Jace Neugebauer, sentinel, stand near a limousine that will
take them to their first meeting. The naming of the new officers
concluded the organization’s 88th annual convention in Fresno.
and advisers on stage to thank
them in moving tributes.
Outgoing President Joelle
Lewis of San Luis Obispo
themed her address “environ-
mental change,” noting that
students’ “roots” help form their
interests and beliefs but they’re
capable of improving their own
outlook.
“We may be products of our
environment, but we have a re-
sponsibility … to choose who
we are,” Lewis said. She added
that supporters and detractors
“don’t decide who you are —
you do.”
Sydnie Sousa of Tulare, the
outgoing vice president, urged
fellow members to practice self-
lessness, noting that the virtue
will help them in a sometimes
thankless career of farming. She
told of putting together boxes
of clothes and other items for
the FFA chapter in El Reno,
Okla., which was devastated
by a 2013 tornado, and later be-
ing approached and thanked at
the national FFA convention in
Louisville, Ky.
“Know the power of doing
something for someone and ex-
pecting nothing in return,” Sou-
sa said.
Lewis and Sousa were joined
by their fellow 2015-2016 offi-
cers — Secretary Breanna Hol-
bert of Lodi, Treasurer Trevor
Autry of Nipomo, Reporter
Danielle Diele of Merced and
Sentinel Tim Truax of Turlock
— in ceremonially retiring their
trusty blue-and-gold jackets
amid wild cheers and tearful
embraces.
The conference also featured
2015-16 National FFA President
Taylor McNeel of Vilonia, Ark.,
and 2015-16 national Secretary
Nick Baker, now an agricultur-
al communications major at the
University of Tennessee-Knox-
ville.
In all, California has more
than 76,000 FFA members in
315 chapters — a significant
portion of the organization’s
610,240 members in 7,665
chapters nationwide, according
to conference organizers.
Miners sue over sage grouse land lockup
SPOKANE, Wash. — The
American Exploration &
Mining Association, in Spo-
kane, has filed a lawsuit in
federal district court in Wash-
ington, D.C., challenging fed-
eral restrictions on mineral
exploration and development
in Western states.
Allegedly to protect sage
grouse, federal agencies have
restricted mineral exploration
and development on more
than 10 million acres of feder-
al land in California, Oregon,
Idaho, Nevada, Montana,
Utah and Wyoming.
The association, formerly
the Northwest Mining Asso-
ciation and represented by
Mountain States Legal Foun-
dation, Denver, filed suit April
19 alleging federal agencies
lack authority to withdraw
the land from operation of the
General Mining Law of 1872
and failed to provide for ade-
quate public participation in
the process by which federal
land use planning documents
are amended and revised.
In September of 2015, the
Obama administration an-
nounced that it would not list
the sage grouse as endangered
but nonetheless declared it
will withdraw highly miner-
alized lands from public use,
said William Perry Pendley,
MSLF president.
“Obama officials tell the
West it will not list the sage
grouse but then stealthily
closes federal land that has
been opened for mining for
decades and devastates our
economies,” Pendley said.
— Dan Wheat
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