12 CapitalPress.com
January 27, 2017
Event plants seeds for future ag careers
The Spokane Ag Expo and
Pacific Northwest Farm Forum
wants to inspire the next gen-
eration of agricultural career
seekers.
The annual “Connecting
Students with AgriBusiness
2017” career fair will be 11
a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9,
at the Expo.
According to Expo orga-
career fair since it began at the
Expo in 2015.
“It is important to look to
the future in our industry and
the career fair helps students —
the actual future of the industry
— to consider the many options
available in agriculture,” Cobb
told the Capital Press.
Cobb recommends high
school students prepare for
the career fair by bringing
three questions specific to
their field of choice.
Volunteer remembers early
days of Spokane Ag Expo
The agricultural
show ‘seemed like
it would be a go
from the beginning’
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
SPOKANE — Ernie Beck-
er was involved in the early
days of the Spokane Ag Expo,
which celebrates its 40th anni-
versary this year.
“As I remember, the first
two Expos, we hired out-
side management,” he said.
“(When) we decided we had
learned enough, we decided
we could put on the show our-
selves.”
Becker was a member of
the Agricultural Bureau and
Irrigation Ditch Burners
chamber
of
commerce —
now called the
Greater Spo-
kane Incorpo-
rated AgriBusi-
ness Council
Ernie
— when they
Becker
decided to start
the Expo.
“We had a lot of interest in
it,” he said. “It seemed like it
would be a go from the begin-
ning, and I think it’s proved
out to be so.”
The Expo gives farmers
a chance to see things they
wouldn’t otherwise see, he
said.
Exhibitors and equipment
dealers appreciate the show
because it provides an enthusi-
astic audience.
The retired certified public
accountant can still be seen
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nizers, the event is designed
to inform high school students
about business careers in agri-
culture.
Business people that partic-
ipate at the career fair include
accountants, lawyers, market-
ers, bankers, real estate brokers,
high-technology experts, sales
representatives and managers.
Tim Cobb, broker with
Hatley/Cobb Farmland Man-
agement and Real Estate in
Spokane, has participated in the
SPAE17-2/#14
By MATTHEW WEAVER
volunteering at the Expo each
year.
“It’s the type of show that
you have to have some interest
in farming to enjoy,” he said.
Becker’s father was a
farmer in Colton, Wash.,
raising “a little bit of every-
thing,” including grain and
livestock — cattle, dairy
cows and chickens.
“Anything we could make
a dollar on,” he said.
Becker was managing
partner at McFarland and
Alton for about 40 years
before he retired in 1993.
During that time he did a
“fair amount” of work with
farmers, he said.
Becker, 88, still volun-
teers at the Expo, although
he missed the 2016 Expo due
to a “bad cold.”
How has the Expo
changed since the early
days?
Becker said one big
change was moving into the
Convention Center, allowing
the event to take place at a
single location.
The technology has also
changed, he said, and the in-
dustry along with it.
“I think it’s going to fol-
low the technology,” he said
of the Expo’s future.
Involvement in the Expo
runs in the Becker family.
His son Matt has been in-
volved with the Expo for
more than 20 years, with his
father’s encouragement. He
is also a past chairman of the
Pacific Northwest Farm Fo-
rum committee, and is now
with Northwest Farm Credit
Services.
“His influence has been
very deep and involved,”
Matt Becker said of his fa-
ther.
Matt Becker enjoys see-
ing his father volunteering at
the Expo.
“I feel great when I see
him and proud that he’s still
involved,” he said.