1 The Corduroy Connection

Summer 2019

Summer

2019

The Corduroy

Connection In this edition:

Message from the Board Chair…………...1

Sponsor Spotlight……………………………..2

Meet the Team………………………………….3

Celebrating 10 Years of Tractor Raffle..4

Grant Announcement……………..………..5

CDE/LDE Winners.……………….…………6

Scholarship Recipients……….…………….7

Banquet Thank You………………………8-10

Zions Bank Partnership…………………..11

Message from Stephen Parrott, Board Chair

With the conclusion of the 2018-2019 school year,

I reflect on the incredible year we have been

blessed with. From awarding $36,000 in college

scholarships, to hosting two Friends of the Idaho

FFA Banquets, to implementing new programs,

and to expanding current ones, this has truly been

an incredible year. Last year at this time, we

brought on Marcia Jedry as the new Executive

Director of the Idaho FFA Foundation and I would

like to thank and congratulate her on an incredible

first year at the helm and look forward to many

more to come. I would also like to extend a

heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported the

Foundation this year, your contributions make a

positive impact in the lives of Idaho FFA members

and helps prepare them to be our next leaders.

As many of you know and will see in the following pages, investing in the Idaho FFA Foundation is an

investment in our future. While we are concluding a remarkable year, I implore you to look towards the future and encourage you to continue supporting the Idaho FFA Foundation. The coming year will hold many new programs and expansions of current ones, all with the goal to provide the financial resources necessary to promote premier leadership, personal growth, and career success of Idaho FFA members. I hope you enjoy this edition of The Corduroy Connection and join me in celebrating another successful year of Idaho FFA!

2 The Corduroy Connection

Summer 2019

Established in 1897, Amalgamated Sugar has a

longstanding history of excellence in agriculture in

the Pacific Northwest. Now, almost 122 years later,

this statement still rings true for the grower-owned

sugar beet cooperative headquartered in Nampa,

Idaho. Growing sugar beets on 180,000 acres in

southern Idaho, eastern Oregon, and southern

Washington with three processing facilities,

Amalgamated Sugar is a forward thinking and

progressive company, continually implementing

new measures to increase efficiency all while

improving the relationships with the communities

they are a part of and being mindful of the

environment. Partnering with the Idaho FFA

Foundation has provided them with an avenue to

invest in both the communities they serve and the

future they are working towards bettering.

“Agriculture is the foundation of success for our

company. Without longstanding progressive

agronomics, we would not have the crops we do

today or have the ability to process them so

efficiently,” said Jessica McAnally, Amalgamated

Sugar Communications Specialist.

“However, we know you can’t just rely on how

good things are now, you need to invest in the

future and our future leaders, so they have a

variety of agriculture skills. We see FFA

members as critical to that future.”

By providing financial resources to the Idaho FFA

Foundation, Amalgamated Sugar has made a

positive impact in the lives of Idaho FFA members.

As the Food Science & Technology Career

Development Event sponsor, they are encouraging

students to pursue their interests in food sciences

and helping the Idaho state winning team on their

journey to the National FFA Convention. However,

this is just one example of the many ways they have

supported Idaho FFA members.

For the past 40

years, the Youth

Grower Project has

granted FFA

students the

opportunity to

farm two shares

(just under 2

acres) of sugar

beets for their

Supervised

Agriculture

Experience

projects. In this

hands-on

program,

participants raise

their crops and, in the end, are paid for their

shares, giving them a fully immersive experience in

the sugar beet industry. Programs such as these are

why Amalgamated Sugar continues to invest in

Idaho FFA members.

“When we have the opportunity to interact with

students, we are always so impressed with their

poise and confidence. It is gratifying for us to

know that our support is going to help these de-

serving students shine,” said McAnally.

Thank you to Amalgamated Sugar for their

longstanding dedication and support of the Idaho

FFA Foundation and Idaho FFA members!

Sponsor Spotlight: Amalgamated Sugar

Youth Grower Project participant,

Sarah Bateman, displays her

findings

Idaho FFA Food Science & Technology CDE

participants smile for a photo following competition

3 The Corduroy Connection

Summer 2019

Meet the 2019-2020 State Officer Team

3

HERMAN ROBERTS,

President

Preston FFA

“FFA has helped me grow into

an individual that I respect

and love, and it’s helped me

find other people that I’ve

come to respect and love. It’s

amazing to see how FFA can

mold people into becoming

better versions of themselves.”

SHALANI WILCOX,

Vice President

Madison FFA

“FFA members are the future

leaders of agriculture. To me,

FFA is an opportunity to

prepare for the future by

learning career, leadership,

and team-working skills.”

CASSIDEY PLUM,

Secretary

Meridian FFA

“FFA is an opportunity to

grow as a leader, further your

education in the agricultural

industry, find and pursue

your passions, and impact the

lives within it.”

KATIE HETTINGA,

Treasurer

Kuna FFA

“FFA has shown me my

strengths, my capacity for

leadership, and my true

passions. It gives me a

driving purpose and

something to work towards in

my personal and professional

lives.”

SYDNEY PLUM,

Reporter

Meridian FFA

“To me, FFA means

opportunity. Opportunity to

explore your own potential, to

learn more, and to build

relationships.”

KATY DOUMIT,

Sentinel

Troy FFA

“FFA is a family. FFA means

that there is always someone

there for you, and they are

always pushing you to do

better than your best.”

Congratulations, officers! The team was elected in Twin Falls, Idaho, during the 2019 State

Leadership Conference. For the next year, they will represent Idaho on the state and national level,

working one on one with members, teachers, alumni and businesses sharing the message of FFA

and agriculture. To follow their year of service, follow the association and foundation on social

media and check out our websites for updates!

Idaho FFA Association

Idaho FFA Foundation @idffa

www.idahoffa.org

www.idffafoundation.org

4 The Corduroy Connection

Summer 2019

Celebrating 10 Years of the Tractor Raffle!

It Takes a Village

The Idaho FFA Foundation Tractor Raffle Program

kicked off its 10-year anniversary at the 2019 State

CDEs event in Moscow, Idaho, with the unveiling

of its 2019-2020 tractor. This year, for the first

time ever, the tractor up for grabs is brand new.

The new 2019 Yanmar 221 tractor, from Farm

Equipment USA, comes with a blade and bucket

attachment.

To celebrate the momentous 10-year anniversary,

changes have also been made to the program. The

program will now not only provide scholarship

dollars to students, but also help individual

chapters fundraise. Tickets will be sold for $20

apiece, with $10 of each ticket going directly back

to the chapter that sold the ticket. By participating

in the Tractor Raffle Program, chapters have the

opportunity to not only help grow the Idaho FFA

Foundation, but also raise funds for their travel,

classroom supplies, conventions, conferences, and

more. The overall goal for this year’s

program is to sell 5,100 tickets, or one ticket per

Idaho FFA member. If this goal is reached,

$51,000 will go directly back to the Idaho FFA

Chapters participating in the program.

The Tractor Raffle program is unlike any other.

Over the course of a year, the tractor will journey

across the whole state of Idaho, travelling an

estimated 5,000 miles, visiting chapters and

communities. To date, $146,000

in scholarships have been awarded to

134 students from 41 chapters, with another

$22,000 to be awarded in 2020. Through a

collaboration with the Idaho FFA Alumni &

Supporters, this program has helped grow Idaho

FFA membership, raise awareness about

agriculture education and the Idaho FFA, helped

grow the number of ag education classes across the

state, and enable Idaho FFA members to pursue

post-secondary education.

Tickets can be purchased directly from FFA members and chapters, or from Tractor Raffle Chairman, Sid Freeman. The first-place winning ticket will win the tractor, while second place will receive a Traeger Grill, and third place a $250 D&B Gift Card. The winning tickets will be drawn on April 3rd, 2020, in Twin Falls, Idaho at the State Leadership Conference.

After 40 years of teaching, Steve Wilder is retiring. Steve has taught at the

Meridian program for the last 39 years, playing an instrumental role in its

overall success and growth. He has worked with thousands of students,

helping them find their passions and setting them up for success. For his

dedication and service, he received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in

Agriculture for Education and Advocacy by the Idaho Ag Summit in 2017.

This year he received the NAAE Outstanding Service Citation award and

served as the Meridian Dairy Days Grand Marshall.

On behalf of the Idaho FFA Foundation, thank you Steve for your

dedication and impact!

5 The Corduroy Connection

Summer 2019

Thank you Wells Fargo!

The Idaho FFA Foundation is proud to announce it has received a $45,000 grant from Wells Fargo! The grant supports the Idaho FFA Foundation in the following ways:

FFA member support through leadership and career development programs, Summer Outdoor Leadership Camp workshops and partnership and leadership awards for FFA members

The ability to build capacity by expanding and adding new FFA Chapters across the state

Agriculture Education teacher support through attraction and retention programs that allow the Foundation to provide grants for classroom resources and continuing education needs of the advisors

This phenomenal opportunity creates a partnership that builds the community relationships with Wells Fargo team members across the state and allows them to engage and educate our students and advisors and Activate the future leaders of our state.

The first part of this grant has already been activated with Wells Fargo serving as the Presenting Spon-sor of the Summer Outdoor Leadership Retreat (SOLR). Camp attendees enjoyed five days of leader-ship, personal growth, and team building in an explorative and positive camp environment. Wells Fargo Senior Program Manager, Stephanie Wilhelm, shared with attendees a workshop on financial leader-ship and judged a values sales pitch contest members competed in.

Thank you Wells Fargo for your continued support and partnership to help us in our mission of Growing Leaders, Building Communities and Strengthening Agriculture!

“Wells Fargo believes it is through collaboration that we are

able to help everyone in our communities thrive. By supporting FFA and its

leadership programs, our students and teachers receive

valuable information, tools and resources, empowering them to

navigate their future and achieve financial success.”

-Stephanie Wilhelm, Wells Fargo, Senior Program Manager

Participants at the SOLR camp,

sponsored by Wells Fargo Stephanie Wilhelm of Wells Fargo

sharing a workshop on financial

leadership to SOLR participants

Caleb Johnston Named Idaho FFA National Officer Candidate

Congratulations to Caleb Johnston, 2018-2019 Idaho FFA State

Sentinel and New Plymouth FFA member, for being selected as

Idaho FFA’s National Officer Candidate! Caleb will represent the

Gem State at the National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis,

Indiana.

Best of luck, Caleb!

6 The Corduroy Connection

Summer 2019

Congratulations Idaho FFA!

Congratulations to all the 2019 Idaho FFA CDE and LDE Champions! These teams and

individuals will represent Idaho and compete at the National FFA Convention in

Indianapolis, Indiana. Thank you to our Sponsors for investing in these future leaders!

Agricultural

Communications

American Falls

Sponsored by: Capital Press

Agricultural Issues Forum

American Falls FFA

Agricultural Mechanics

Vallivue FFA

Sponsored by: Western States

Equipment

Agronomy

Fruitland FFA

Sponsored by: Simplot Grower

Solutions

Creed Speaking

Brooklyn Lowe, Kuna FFA

Sponsored by: Jeff Isom

Conduct of Chapter

Meetings

Fruitland FFA

Sponsored by: Dr. Jim Connors

Agricultural Sales

Madison FFA

Dairy Cattle Evaluation

Meridian FFA

Floriculture

Fruitland FFA

Environmental & Natural

Resources

Madison FFA

Sponsored by: Idaho Forest

Group

Extemporaneous Public

Speaking

Jakeb Garard, Declo FFA

Sponsored by: Idaho Farm

Bureau Federation

Farm Business

Management

Kuna FFA

Sponsored by: Northwest Farm

Credit Services

Food Science & Technology

Kimberly FFA

Sponsored by: Amalgamated

Sugar

Forestry

Rigby FFA

Sponsored by: Idaho Forest

Group

Horse Evaluation

Nampa FFA

Sponsored by: Standlee

Premium Western Forgae

Employment Skills

Cassidey Plum, Meridian

FFA

Sponsored by: Wells Fargo

Livestock Evaluation

Homedale FFA

Marketing Plan

Troy FFA

Sponsored by: Wells Fargo

Meats Evaluation &

Technology

Gooding FFA

Sponsored by: AgriBeef

Milk Quality & Products

Fruitland FFA

Prepared Public Speaking

Cade Brackett, Marsing FFA

Sponsored by: Sara Braasch

Schmidt Endowment

Nursery Landscape

Middleton FFA

Parliamentary Procedure

Madison FFA

Poultry Evaluation

Preston FFA

Entomology

Nampa

*Not a National Contest*

Veterinary Science

Meridian FFA

Scrapbook D1: Declo

Scrapbook D2: Cambridge

*Not a National Contest*

7 The Corduroy Connection

Summer 2019

Through support from generous donors the Idaho FFA Foundation awarded $36,000 in

college scholarships and $10,500 in Washington Leadership Conference

Scholarships at the 2019 Idaho FFA State Leadership Conference. Congratulations to all!

$1,000 Tractor Raffle Scholarships

Cassidey Plum, Meridian

William Harrison, Minico

Blazie Gilder, Troy

Ashley Telford, Richland

Shalani Wilcox, Madison

Addison Stoddard, Shelley

Cassie Moedl, Preston

Breanna Arte, Middleton

Jayden Mink, Cambridge

Herman Roberts, Preston

Katarina Whitson, Salmon

Sydney Plum, Meridian

Alyssa Hansten, Jerome

$2,000 J.A. Wedum Scholarships

Daelas Zieber, Nampa

Kayla Shubert, Meridian

Dylan Peters, Meridian

$2,000 Tractor Raffle Agricultural

Education Scholarships

Mia Stender, Weiser

Drew Weaver, Nampa

$1,000 Integrated Biological

Systems Scholarship:

Jessica Kohntopp, Meridian

2019 Friends of Idaho FFA Washington

Leadership Conference Scholarships:

Madison Flick, Wendell

Bailey Grove, Troy

Dwaine Tesnohlidek Washington

Leadership Conference Scholarships:

Jaycee Johnson, Troy

Katelyn Hutchinson, Bonners Ferry

Sara Braasch Schmidt Endowment Washington

Leadership Conference Scholarships:

Jeffery Hickman, Grangeville

$1,000 Betaseed Scholarships:

Oakley Cheney, Madison

Katelyn Hettinga, Kuna

$2,000 Dairy West Scholarships

Jennifer Bautista Ramirez, Homedale

Kaitlin Mirkin, Jerome

Nolan Jenson, Bear Lake

Meghan Clancy, Nampa

Caleb Peterson, Bonners Ferry

Idaho FFA Foundation Awards $46,500 in Scholarships!

8 The Corduroy Connection

Summer 2019

THANK YOU to all of our Banquet Supporters!

2019 Friends of the Idaho FFA Banquet: Twin Falls

Presenting Sponsor

Supporting Sponsors

American Family Insurance–

Ruben Vela Agency:

Associates

Burks Tractor Clara-Leigh & Oscar

Evans Corteva Agriscience

Culver’s of Idaho Dairy West Diamond W Farms, Inc. Dream Big Idaho–

Loftus Group

Gold Buckle Club

(TF County)

Idaho Farm Bureau

Federation

Idaho FFA Alumni &

Supporters Idaho AgCredit

JW N Sons, Inc. Norco Safari Hospitality Standard Dairy

Consultants

TLC Angus Twin Falls Canal

Company

Twin Falls County Fair

Foundation

Twin Falls County

Farm

Bureau

Paul & Bill Jensen University of Idaho

CALS Wells Fargo Bank Valley Agronomics

Ceilia Gould

Table Sponsors

Continued on Page 9

THANK YOU to all of our Banquet Supporters!

2019 Friends of the Idaho FFA Banquet: Twin Falls

Supporters

9 The Corduroy Connection

Summer 2019

THANK YOU to our 2019 Twin Falls Host Committee!

Jerry Olson, Judy Woody, Edie Nunes, John Pitz, Phyllis Beard, Ed Musser, Amy Smith, Heather McCall,

Erica Louder, Jim Olson, Opie Kelley, Jessica Henry, Sherry Hansten, Matt Quesnell, Lynette Walker, Blake

Ashcraft, Codie Lagao

Without their dedication, this event would not have been possible!

Jeri Ahrens Tom Arledge Blake Ashcraft Tim Askew Phyllis Beard

Britt Beene Troy Bird Chris Blamiges Scott Blickenstaff Ruby Brackett

Ally Brady Mike Brady Mike Bulkley Dustin Carlson Dan Carter

Jason Cassinellia Gretchen Clelland Audra Cochran Steve Cowger Bob Davies

Nick Davis Mario De Haro

Marti Pat Dixon Matt Doumit William Dugan

Jeremy Falk Ben Faulk Lavinda Faulk Emily Fisher Sid Freeman

Jessie Friedberg Celia Gould Abbie Hansen Eliza Hansen Kenzie Hansen

Alan Hansten Lori Harrison Becky Harshbarger Maxine Haumont Charlie Howell

Ridge Hughbanks Johanna Hyink Lori Idsinga Jack Jardine Jordin Jarvis

Bill Jensen Jack Johnson Laura Johnson Tara Jones Clark Kaufman

Opie Kelley John Kelly Jennifer King Alan Krick Brad Lanting

Derek Larson Bill Lickley Greg Lierman Robyn Longhurst Erica Louder

Lisa Marshal Jessica McAnally Jim McCall Justin Mink John Mundt

Kay Jeanne

Nebeker Kirby Nebeker Marty Nebeker Edie Nunes Janet Olson

Jeff Olson Jerry Olson Jim Olson Suzie Olson Doris Pearson

Rick Pearson Tyler Peters John Pitz Mark Pratt Matt Quesnell

Chuck Radloff Wade Rast Heather Schlund Craig Searle Dennis Severa

Lisa Shively Roger Sievers Amy Smith Eugene Smith Julie Stadelman

Wendy Stansell Roger Stutzmen Mijken Telford Ruben Vela Roger Vincent

Janna Volkers Tom Whitson Steve Wilder Bill Williams KC Williams

Brad Wills Sharon Wilmont Kattlyn Wolf Dana Wood Jeff Woody

Judy Woody Tyson Wrigley Monica Youree

10 The Corduroy Connection

Summer 2019

THANK YOU to all of our Banquet Supporters!

2019 Friends of the Idaho FFA Banquet: Moscow

Presenting Sponsor

Supporting Sponsors

Genesee FFA Alumni Chapter Wells Fargo Orchards Shoe Shop Bell Equipment

U of I Department of

Agricultural & Extension

Education

Idaho FFA Alumni &

Supporters

U of I College of

Agricultural and Life

Sciences

Washington Trust

Bank

Troy FFA Alumni Chapter Moscow CTE Coalition

Table Sponsors

Tomi Andres Don Belisle Art Bettge Austin Bull Sarah Bush

Dan Caldwell Tom Chamberlin Kenneth Clyde Audra Cochran Stephanie Cox

Pat Dixon Stacey Doumit Brad Flodin Jenny Ford Jessie Friedberg

Jimmie Gilder Bill Goesling Craig Greenwalk Consetta Helmick Laurel Herrick

Don Himmelberge Sam Hoffman Tom Jacobsen Jenn Johnson Jake Keck

Mauri Knott Alan Krick Brett Madron Sean Miller Jim Miller

J.R. Morrow John Mundt Steve Myers Mary Kate Myers Kristin Myers

Carolyn Nilsson-

Troy Shawn O’Connell Jamie Olson Michael Parrella Marie Price

Chris Radloff Mac Reynolds Cathy Roheim Jen Root Jamie Rovey

Carly Schoepflin Jesse Short Bob Smathers Rachel Stambaugh Tom Stroschein

Mark Zacharisen Cliff Swanson Gina Taruscio Carmine Tyler Steve Wilder

Supporters

THANK YOU to our 2019 Moscow Host Committee!

Alan Krick, Audra Cochran, Dr. Jim Connors, Jim Miller, Kristin Myers, Shea Saralecos, Stacey Doumit

Without their dedication, this event would not have been possible!

11 The Corduroy Connection

Summer 2019

THANK YOU for joining us in cultivating our future leaders by giving

to the Idaho FFA Foundation!

We raised a record-breaking amount:

$1,670 from 25 donors!

+

Thank you Zions Bank!

With the grand opening of their Twin Falls Eastland Branch, Zions Bank has pledged

$1,000 to support Idaho FFA members on their journey to compete at the National FFA

Convention & Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana, this fall! They are proud to be supporting

FFA students from both the Kimberly and Gooding FFA Chapters who will be competing

in Food Science & Technology (Kimberly) and Meats Evaluation & Technology

(Gooding).

“Zions Bank is happy to have the opportunity to support not only the community that

supports us, but also the agricultural youth in the area as they go off to compete in their

respective contests. This is a great opportunity for us to give back to the communities

we serve.”

- Jerry Olson, VP/Sr. Commercial Lender, Zions Bank

Thank you Zions Bank for your support, we look forward to our continued partnership

in the future!

11 The Corduroy Connection

Summer 2019

Editors’ Note Appended:

In the article on the NWACC Luncheon, the event is to honor members of

Idaho Legislature and state leaders, not Idaho agriculture, and LaMar

Isaak presented the Friend of the Industry award to Senator Mark Harris

and Representative John VanderWoude. The throwback photo was of the

1984 Idaho State Officer Team, not a livestock judging team.

Thank you for reading our latest edition of The Corduroy Connection!

Liz Wilder is the Communications Director for the Idaho FFA Foundation

Contact her at liz@idffafoundation.org with any questions.

The Idaho FFA Foundation is partnered with

Amazon so every time you shop, you can give back

to the FFA with no cost to you! For every purchase,

AmazonSmile donates back to the foundation,

helping further our mission and advance the Idaho

FFA.

Sign up today: smile.amazon.com/ch/82-0360159

Idaho FFA Foundation

P.O .Box 827

Star, ID 83669