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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 20, 2019)
A8 AG DAY Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, March 20, 2019 FFA program prepares students for future Ag organization connects students to their roots in agriculture By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle With experts predict- ing more than 9 billion hun- gry mouths on the planet by 2050, the need for skilled and knowledgeable agricul- tural workers armed with the latest ideas and technologies is more important than ever before. The world will need workers trained in precision agriculture, “ranching and farming by the inch,” Adam Ineck told the Eagle. Raised on a row-crop farm in southwest Idaho that produced corn, alfalfa and commercial beef cattle, Ineck is the ag ed teacher at Grant Union Junior-Senior High School. He has a bachelor of sci- ence in agriculture educa- Grant Union FFA chapter members surround the 1,100 pounds of nonperishable food donated through the Oregon FFA and Les Schwab Tire Centers “Drive Away Hunger” campaign. From left are Raney Anderson, Kori Jo Girvin, Jessie Stubbs, Logan Namitz, Cole Ashley, Celine Hicks, Mariah Kerr, Cinch Anderson, Parker Manitsas, Emilie Updegrave, Sierra Cates, Billy Radinovich and Ellie Justice. tion from the University of Idaho and is pursuing a mas- ter’s in agriculture education through Oregon State Uni- versity. He’s been an ag ed teacher and FFA advisor for the past 15 years. “I often tell people I’m a farmer by birth, teacher by trade and an agriculturist by choice,” he said. We are proud to be a part of Grant County’s Agricultural Community High-tech farming Evolving agricultural technologies include drones, thermal imagery, precision planting and robotics. But a recent survey by the Land O’Lakes Foundation found that only 3 percent of sur- veyed college graduates said they had considered a career in agriculture. Contributed photos Attending the National FFA Convention & Expo are, from left, Grant Union Career Coordinator Kristi Moore, FFA adviser Adam Ineck, FFA members Cinch Anderson, Emilie Updegrave, Ellie Justice, Parker Manitsas, Kori Jo Girvin, Hailey Carter and chaperones Jennifer Carter and Cori Anderson. According to Purdue University, the 34,500 new graduates with expertise in food, agriculture, renew- able natural resources and environmental issues will fi ll just 61 percent of the 57,900 job openings expected annually. Ineck hopes to help address that need by exposing high Licensed in the State of Oregon Holliday Land & Livestock Proud Sponsor of National Ag Day 107652 Lori Hickerson, Principal Broker, GRI • Office: 541-575-2617 • ljh@ortelco.net Sally Knowles, Broker, GRI • Office: 541-932-4493 • sknowles@ortelco.net Babette Larson, Broker, GRI • Office: 541-987-2363 • ddwr@ortelco.net dukewarnerrealtyofeasternoregon.com school students to the diver- sity of the “natural resource, food and fi ber system.” “It’s more than cows, plows and sows,” he said. His goal is to prepare students for their next step, whether it’s a two- or four- year college or heading off straight to work. His classes and the FFA program are laying the groundwork for the problem-solvers of the future. Ag workers will need to understand how to use pedometers and GPS to track individual cows on a cell- phone app, and what types of crops and soils work best with precision drip irriga- tion, Ineck said. This drive for effi ciency generates numerous opportunities for students who go into agri- culture, he said. Agricultural productivity has dramatically increased in just the past half century. The average amount of milk produced per cow increased from 5,314 pounds per year in 1950 to 18,201, the aver- age yield of corn rose from 39 bushels per acre to 153 and each farmer produced on average 12 times as much farm output per hour in 2000 as a farmer in 1950. In 1870, about half the people in the U.S. were employed in agriculture. Today it’s less than 2 per- cent. Americans today are two or three generations removed from a life on the family farm, Ineck said. “I’m trying to reconnect them to their sources,” he said. The FFA program became a national organi- zation in 1928 when it was known as Future Farmers of America. The name was changed to the National FFA Organization in 1988 and is now commonly referred to as FFA, with more than 669,000 members in more than 8,600 chapters guided by more than 13,000 agri- culture educators. The FFA experience Ellie Justice, a junior at Grant Union, lives on a small farm outside Prai- rie City that raises nurs- ery plants. Her family hear- kens back to homesteading days on her father’s side and a grandfather on her moth- er’s side who came to Grant County and got into logging. Justice said she’s been involved in 4-H since ele- mentary school and has raised sheep, chickens, beef cows and crickets. The latter See FFA, Page A9 107658 Family Owned for 35 Years Providing Grant County with feed and farm supplies for its agricultural industry. 311 N Canyon City Blvd, Canyon City 541-575-2050 3850 10th St., Baker City 86812 Christmas Valley Hwy., Christmas Valley 541-523-6377 541-523-6377 1160 S Egan, Burns 62302 Pierce Rd., La Grande 541-573-6377 541-963-6577 J OHN D AY Join us in celebrating National Ag Day! NAPA IS PROUD TO SPONSOR E ASTERN O REGON ’ S A GRICULTURE B USINESS . W E HAVE BEEN HELPING KEEP FARM & RANCH EQUIPMENT RUNNING SMOOTHLY SINCE 1966. 721 W Main • John Day • 541-575-1850 110114
