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| Spotlight on Youth - March 24, 2010 |
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United Producers offers scholarship opportunity
COLUMBUS, Ohio — United Producers Inc. (UPI) is excited to support the future generation of agriculture through a new scholarship opportunity.
UPI will offer 16 scholarships, each valued at $1000, to deserving high school students pursuing agriculture degrees.
“The future of agriculture depends highly on those who are currently considering and pursuing a career in this critical industry,” said Dennis Bolling, president and CEO, United Producers Inc. “We want to do all we can to encourage students who have an interest in agribusiness, farming, veterinary medicine or other agriculture-based industries to pursue their careers and this is our way of helping them do so.”
Applicants must be a Preferred Member of UPI or a child of a Preferred Member, a graduating high school senior, and enrolled in a college or technical school studying an agriculture-related field. Completed applications and essays must be postmarked by April 1, 2010.
Visit www.uproducers.com for more information and to download an application form.
Parkway FFA participates in evaluations
ROCKFORD, Ohio — The Parkway FFA sent a large number of State and American Degrees along with officer books and proficiencies to district evaluations on Feb. 20. To obtain a State, American, or Proficiency Degree, the students must put many hours into completing books on the Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) that they have participated in. The officers spent long hours also working on their books for judging.
The students that applied to receive their State Degrees were Olivia Houts, Abby Evans, Zach Searight, and Garth Louth. All of them made it through districts and the books are now evaluated at the State level.
Dee Dee Knapke was the lone Parkway FFA member who applied for her American Degree. Her book passed at district level, and is now being re-judged at the state level.
The Parkway FFA Chapter also had two members apply for proficiency awards. Dee Dee Knapke and Samantha Beerbower both received a gold rating and have moved on to the state level. Dee Dee Knapke applied with sheep production and Sam Beerbower applied with her mums under floriculture.
The three officers, treasurer, secretary, and reporter, each submitted a completed book to be judged. Abby Evans, treasurer, received a gold rating with her book. Destinee Guggenbiller, secretary, received a gold rating as well with her book. Danielle Matthews, reporter, received a gold rating and a second place finish with her scrapbook. Each officer will receive a gold pin on stage at the State Convention in May.
Kentucky 4-H camp improvements underway
LEXINGTON, Ky. — When Kentucky 4-H’ers attend camp this year, they will have new bunk beds and mattresses to retreat to at the end of exciting, memorable days.
The beds and mattresses are the first step in a project set to renovate and improve the four Kentucky 4-H camps. Improvements are beginning thanks to a $2 million appropriation from the 2008 Kentucky General Assembly.
The camps are one of the more traditional and most popular activities in 4-H. In 2009, 8,600 youth attended camp, and over the years, thousands of Kentuckians have been positively impacted by the volunteers and friends they have met at camp.
While countless youth have positive experiences at camp, the facilities and infrastructure have not received significant improvements since the camps were built in the mid-1960s.
In addition to the new beds and mattresses, other renovations and improvements will begin at each location after the conclusion of the 2010 camping season. The goal is to have these completed before the start of the 2011 camping sessions.
North Central, J. M. Feltner and Lake Cumberland camps will each have four cabins renovated to improve their energy efficiency. Renovations will include a new, more durable exterior surface, new windows and doors, insulation and heating and electrical upgrades.
A cabin of the future will be built at the West Kentucky 4-H Camp. This cabin will house more campers than previous cabins and include indoor community restrooms. Construction of the cabin will be as green and energy efficient as possible. The camp’s sewer infrastructure will also be improved.
While the money from the General Assembly allowed Kentucky 4-H to begin camp renovations, more funding is needed for additional renovations and improvements at each of the camps.
“We’re off to a very good start with the $2 million appropriation from the General Assembly and our partnership with Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, but we have a long way to go,” said Keith Rogers, executive director of the Kentucky 4-H Foundation. “To completely renovate all the cabins at all the camps today, it would cost $13 million, and that doesn’t take into account the dining halls and other infrastructure improvements.”
The Kentucky 4-H Foundation has ongoing fundraising efforts for camp renovations. One such effort is through the sale of camp prints. The foundation commissioned John Ward, a national award-winning Kentucky artist, to create a scene from each of the camps. To view the prints or get an order form, visit the 4-H Camp Improvement Campaign website at www.ca.uky.edu/agcollege/4h/camp/improvement/index.htm |
| 3/30/2010 |
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