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October 6, 2017 CapitalPress.com 9 California Advocates tout importance of FFA, other career-technical programs Subscribe to our weekly California email newsletter at CapitalPress.com/newsletters By TIM HEARDEN Capital Press Advocates for agricultur- al and other career-technical training in California high schools should make their voices heard during upcoming budget negotiations, state law- makers told them this week. Ag teachers, FFA stu- dents and other enthusiasts for career-oriented instruction packed a high school perform- ing arts center in Buena Park, Calif., on Oct. 2 as state lead- ers discussed how to stabilize funding for the programs. Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell, D-Long Beach, encouraged school board members, administrators and others to educate their elected officials about the importance of including money for the programs in next year’s bud- get. “The commitment from the governor is gone, so we need to make it happen next year,” said O’Donnell, who chairs the lower chamber’s Educa- tion Committee. “Every time you’re at a function, you need to say to your state senator or Assembly member, ‘Hey, we need to continue (career-tech- nical education) funding.” The sense of urgency comes after Gov. Jerry Brown sent shock waves through many high schools when he proposed deleting $15.4 million for FFA and high school career-techni- cal programs from the 2017-18 state budget. Brown reinserted the fund- ing in his May budget revision after parents, students and other FFA advocates took to social media to rally support for the programs. The outcry prompt- ed 65 legislators to send a letter to the governor and to budget committee leaders asking that the funding be restored. Of the 114,000 students that would have been affected by the cut, 86,000 are in FFA, which has a foundation to help raise money but relies on the $250,000 state allocation as “base funding,” California DID YOU KNOW? Tim Hearden/Capital Press FFA member Dustin McNeely of Anderson, Calif., stands next to the garden cart he made in shop class and entered in the mechan- ics contest at last year’s Shasta District Fair, winning best of show. California lawmakers are considering ways to boost funding for career-technical education. Agricultural Teachers Asso- ciation executive director Jim Aschwanden has said. But Brown found one-time funding for the programs for this academic year, meaning they can be on the chopping block again next year. “What you need to do is take this to your school boards and administrators and make sure they’re advocating and reaching out to elected mem- bers,” O’Donnell said during the Buena Park informational meeting, which was streamed online. O’Donnell was joined by his committee’s vice chair- man, Assemblyman Rocky Chavez, R-Oceanside; Assem- blywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, who chairs the chamber’s Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy; and other law- makers. The legislators heard from panels of students, teachers, su- perintendents and other school officials and took about an hour of comments from the audi- ence. Edwin Madrid, an FFA member at Buena Park High School, told the lawmakers he manages a 4-acre farm that grows avocados and other commodities and plans to study agriculture at California State University-Chico. “I’ve developed skills that are practical and real world,” Madrid said. “I go to compe- titions and compete in them. I compete in job interview.” Aaron Gonzalez said his auto shop class motivated him to continue his education. He was 30 credits behind, but made them up and graduated from Redlands High School in June. He now he has a job with California Steel Industries. “It was the only reason I wanted to go to school,” Gon- zalez said. “Auto shop was my getaway. When I would have problems in a regular class, I would go there and work it out .”He said career-technical pro- grams help high school gradu- ates get a start in life. “Regular high school ... is preparing you just for more school,” he said. While lawmakers rescued the career programs last spring, convincing them of their long- term value could still be a chal- lenge, committee members said. “When I got to the Legis- lature, people fought with me about career-technical educa- tion as if it were a dead end,” said Assemblywoman Autumn Burke, D-Inglewood. “You have achieved soft skills,” she told the students. “Every one of you speaks so well.” FACT: • There is new stabilized dry granular NITRATE form of fertilizer available. • NITRATE nitrogen is the fastest acting nitrogen source. • SAN 30-6 has 30% nitrogen and 6% Phosphate. • A unique combination of ammonium phosphate and ammonium nitrate in a homogenous granule. • SAN 30-6 gets nitrogen to the plant when it needs it. Use for early, mid and late season applications. • SAN 30-6 is less volatile than other dry forms of Nitrogen. No need to add a nitrogen stabilizer. • Grass crops prefer a mixture of both Nitrate and Ammonium forms of nitrogen. • Grass seed set is determined in the Fall, so proper nitrogen and phosphorous nutrition are essential for maximum yield. AVAILABLE THROUGH YOUR LOCAL AG RETAILER. For Questions and More Information, Contact Two Rivers Terminal 866-947-7776 info@tworiversterminal.com www.tworiversterminal.com 40-2/101 Courtesy of UCANR Agricultural start-up Blue River tests its technology by flying a drone over sorghum crops to collect data at the University of California’s Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier. The UC has received a $500,000 federal grant to develop a network for entrepreneurs. UC, nonprofit receive $500,000 grant to start entrepreneurs’ network PARLIER, Calif. — The University of California and a nonprofit organization will share a $500,000 grant to de- velop a network for agricul- tural entrepreneurs. The UC’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Re- sources and AgStart, which seeks to connect start-up busi- nesses with researchers and investors, were awarded the grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The money will go toward cultivating the Verde Innova- tion Network for Entrepre- neurship (VINE), which will link businesses with men- tors, advisers, collaborators, events, competitions and oth- er services, according to the UCANR’s website. “We want to make sure every Californian has the support system to take a nov- el idea and commercialize a new product or start a new business,” Glenda Humiston, the UC’s vice president for ag and natural resources, said in a statement. “They don’t have to be a university inventor. They could be a farmer or a young person.” AgStart itself was es- tablished with federal grant funds and has supported more than 50 entrepreneurs and their companies since 2012. Last year the group helped 16 companies, including eight from outside the Central Val- ley region, explained John Se- lep, president of AgTech In- novation Alliance, AgStart’s sponsor. Among the VINE’s con- tributors will be the UC’s nine research and exten- sion centers, which can provide places to field-test products, university offi- cials said. For instance, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Blue River Technology is testing its data-collecting ability by flying a drone over sorghum crops at the UC’s Kearney Agricultur- al Research and Extension Center in Parlier. The VINE will comple- ment other innovation re- source “clusters” around the state, including the Fres- no-based BlueTechValley Regional Innovation Cluster, Western Growers’ Innovation and Technology Lab in Sali- nas and UC-Merced’s Ven- tureLab, officials said. 40-2/101
