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8 CapitalPress.com Friday, August 21, 2020 College football uncertainty impacts Idaho Potato Commission spending plan By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press The Idaho Potato Commission will adjust its planned marketing spending as a result of several col- lege football conferences canceling their fall seasons. The commission is title spon- sor of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise and has regular-sea- son sponsorships tied to Boise State University and University of Idaho football. The state is the top U.S. pro- ducer of potatoes. The commis- sion markets Idaho potatoes as a national brand. Fall-season cancellations were announced by the Big Sky (UI), Mountain West (BSU) and Mid-American conferences in light of COVID-19 concerns. Teams from the Mountain West and MAC traditionally meet in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, though the game occasionally features a team from outside these conferences. A spring season was possible as of Aug. 10. “Obviously these decisions are being made in the best interest of the health and safety of student ath- letes, and we support the decisions that the administrators are making,” Idaho Potato Commission Presi- dent and CEO Frank Muir said in Bureau of Reclamation The “glory hole” at the Owyhee Reservoir funnels excess water into the spillway and out into the river below the dam. Work on Owyhee Reservoir ‘glory hole’ set this fall By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press Owyhee Reservoir’s unusual spillway system is slated for improvement, partly because this year’s lower inflows made it more accessible. Exterior concrete improve- ments to the structure that houses the ring gate or “glory hole,” which sits in the southeastern Ore- gon reservoir just above Owyhee Dam, are expected to start in late September and conclude by early November. “It has been postponed about two years because of high water and carryover storage in the reser- voir,” Owyhee Irrigation District Project Manager Jay Chamberlin said. “This year, we pulled the res- ervoir down. We’re shooting for good weather and for a window that allows us to get in and get done.” Lower spring inflows left the reservoir holding less water. Vol- ume was 419,598 acre-feet Aug. 10, down from 583,685 a year ear- lier, he said. The 28% decrease left the pool 15.2 feet lower. “It’s in a difficult, hard-to- get-to, spot,” Chamberlin said. The district continues to develop the scope of work for the approx- imately $75,000 project, including deciding equipment-access routes and scaffolding placement. an interview. Any commission funds tied to these events likely will be reallo- cated to national television adver- tising if the events do not occur as planned, he said. If football seasons and the bowl game occur in the spring and early summer, the spending remains pos- sible as part of same fiscal year’s budget, Sept. 1-Aug. 31 — essen- tially the crop year. “The commission is not going to rush to spend that money,” Muir said. “We will hold it in reserve until there are further details as to what a spring season will look like. “We will have flexibility as we get closer” to a go or no-go decision on a spring season, he said. Muir has talked to leaders of with college football conferences and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl as well as representatives who work on BSU and UI sports marketing. “It’s day-to-day,” Muir said early Aug. 11. He expects final plans for college football to be known within two weeks. The commission spends about $450,000 to sponsor the bowl game, owned and operated by ESPN Events, and a combined $130,000 on BSU and UI regu- lar-season campaigns. Muir said potential alternatives include holding these funds until a spring season is confirmed, or real- locating them — such as by extend- ing planned advertising on national television by one or two weeks, subject to commission approval. Commissioners in July approved a new fiscal-year budget that retained football sponsorships but allowed for a shift in those dollars to other promotion opportunities as conditions warrant. About 80% of the $15.5 million budget is tabbed for research and marketing. “We have had to anticipate some of these things likely happening,” Muir said. The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, last held Jan. 3, generates nearly $1 million in direct economic impact for the facilities and charities involved, according to the event’s website. Anna Negron of ESPN Events said the organization “continues to evaluate the next steps for our owned-and-operated bowls as con- ferences make decisions on their college football seasons.” S203227-1 For Brian and Laurel Field, FFA really is all in the family Tack & Trailer Sales PROUD SUPPORTER OF FFA 541-447-6890 wwwesternwear@gmail.com By Abbey Nickel, National FFA The Field family’s ties to FFA span multiple generations — a legacy that they say has led them into becoming lifelong supporters of the organization. In addition to supporting the Oregon FFA Foundation, Brian is the chair of the National FFA Foundation’s President’s Advisory Council and sits on the National FFA Board of Trustees. And if you ask the Field family why they continue to serve and give year after year, the answer is simple: They want future generations to have the same opportunities they’ve had. “FFA has become the lifeblood of this family,” Brian says. “You can truly see the way FFA works through somebody’s life if you look hard enough. If any family can testify to that, we can.” The FFA family tradition started when Brian’s father, Robert, became involved in the 1940s. Brian, his brother John, and sister Kelley (Field) Sanburg were all involved in FFA and became state officers in Colorado. FFA SUPPORTER 5013 Washburn Way Klamath Falls, OR 97603 S200282-1 541-883-2003 www.frontier-trailersales.com Proud Supporter of Brian met his wife Laurel, also a former FFA member, in college. Their three daugh- ters were in agriculture classes in high school; Bailey and Madison were very active in Oregon FFA leadership programs. Bailey was state sentinel, earned her American FFA Degree, is now teaching agriculture and is FFA advisor in Medford, Ore. 12333 Silver Falls Hwy SE Aumsville, OR 97325 Phone: (503) 769-2205 S203222-1 After watching the impact the organization had on their children, Brian, president of Harvest Capital Company, and Laurel started donating both time and finances to the Oregon FFA Foundation to help more students across the state fulfill their po- tential. www.stutzman-environmental.com Proud Supporter of FFA P.O. Box 307 • Canby, OR 97013 S203221-1 S203230-1 720 NW Madras HWY, Prineville, OR 97754 888-877-7665 S203232-1 www.wwwesternwear.net Feed Store Quality Farmgate Prices 541-668-7658 By Fox Hollow Ranch HighDesertHay.com Proud Sponsor of FFA “We wholeheartedly believe in the opportunities they pursue,” Brian says. “That’s why we continue to do what we do. FFA is still having the same effect on young people as it did when my dad was in FFA. That’s an amazing legacy.” THE TRACTOR STORE Brian and Laurel also help judge public speaking contests and mentoring state offi- cers. 5450 W. 11 th , Eugene, OR (541) 342-5464 S203226-1 “To see students transform into confident, well-rounded individuals during their time in FFA makes every minute worthwhile to us,” Laurel says. Proud Supporter of FFA S179369-1 S203223-1 The Field family attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the CoBank Center for Agricultural Education at Colorado State University. Pictured are, left to right, Brian Field, 1980 Colorado FFA president; Laurel (Simpson) Field, former FFA member from Golden, Colo.; Robert W. Field, 1948 Colorado FFA secretary; and Bailey (Field) Corcoran, past Oregon FFA sentinel. HARVESTING Klopfenstein Ag Service DRYING “We are preparing leaders to change the world,” Brian says. “The experiences these kids get through FFA are life-changing, and we want to see that continue for as long as we can.” POLISHING 541-998-2383 155 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg 541-995-6397 24957 Hwy. 126, Veneta 541-606-4616 Proud Supporter of FFA Teri McKenzie Licensed Real Estate Broker in Oregon Cell: 503-302-9901 Email: TeriMcKenzie@4msllc.com Website: TeriMckenzieRealEstate.com S163299-1 Silverton, Oregon 615 Holly St., Junction City 503-932-0766 S203234-1 www.iokamarketing.com Auto • Home • Farm Commercial • Health S200439-1 503-873-6498 877-FOR-IOKA S203229-1 The Fields have reminders just about everywhere of how FFA has shaped their family. A wall in their home embellished with FFA keepsakes they’ve accrued over the years is one of those reminders — along with knowing that they are continuing to invest in the future of agriculture with their contributions.
