Andy's Angle

The first day of class is always an interesting affair. We've all been there before: juggling a stack of new books, shuffling through class schedules and a campus map, nervously peering around the lecture hall praying for at least one familiar face with whom to commiserate.

However, for one young Buckeye this quarter the first day of class came nearly a decade after his freshman year at The Ohio State University. The first day of school means a whole new set of challenges and opportunities when you're a professional farm broadcaster and business owner.

Non-traditional students are found on every university campus in the country. Known as "non-traditional" because they don't fit the normative tradition of earning a degree in roughly the four or five years following high school graduation, these students take the same classes and earn the same credits as every student at Ohio State. In addition, they also deal with the challenge of balancing the rigors of academic life with the stresses and obligations of "the real world" off-campus and outside the classroom.

For some, these "non-traditional" challenges might include raising kids and working 40 hours a week.

For me, as the owner of Ohio's oldest and most listened-to farm radio news network, going back to school is a little more complex. I don't have kids yet, so I thought the time was right for me to complete my degree. Ten years ago when I was a young undergraduate, my first internship took me to ABN Radio, and my first fulltime job followed shortly as Farm Director at WRFD-AM in Columbus. The opportunity to proceed in a dream career obfuscated my need, or at least my desire, to continue with my studies at that point.

So, all these years later, I got the bug to go back to school. Working with students from Ohio State on a daily basis, developing friendships with great OSU leaders like Bobby Moser and Gordon Gee, I felt the call to fulfill my promise to my folks and complete my degree some time ago.

This quarter, I finally decided to take the plunge. Going back so many years after the last time I was a true student is one giant leap in and of itself. Unlike my last educational endeavor, however, I still have all the same responsibilities at ABN Radio as I did before. Finding the time for both school and work takes some effort; scheduling classes is a challenge all by itself, and making time to study and do homework adds another layer of needed discipline.

While I'm working on getting back in the rhythm of academic life, I also have to consider the unique relationship we enjoy with the University. Last year, Lindsay and I received the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Science's Meritorious Service to Students Award, because we are known for our passion for students in the College and for all things Ohio State. We feel our relationship with the College and the University are critical to who we are; Ohio State is an important part of our story. That passion led us to forge a partnership with the University culminating in moving ABN's broadcast operations into studios within the University's Fawcett Center for Tomorrow last year.

Having the network's broadcast operations center located on campus helped fuel my consideration of returning to Ohio State to complete my degree. I didn't finish my undergraduate studies because I focused on my career.

While my career has been my main focus during the eight years since I last studied at Ohio State, I'm ready to finish what I started a decade ago. Saying I'm a graduate of The Ohio State University will be one of the proudest moments of my life.

I'm proud to be a Buckeye now, and I can't wait to walk across the stage and earn that diploma ... even if it is 10 years late.

My friend Mike Adams tipped me off that Patrick Boyle of the American Meat Institute referenced my last post on this issue in today's edition of AgriTalk. I encourage you to listen to both Rick Tolman and Patrick's comments on the situation. They both make valid points on this issue...

Rick Tolman, CEO of the National Corn Growers Association, penned a scathing op-ed last week on the American Meat Institute's "Scorched Earth Campaign" against ethanol. Tolman was particularly incensed that AMI "signed onto political letters and advertisements with environmental extremists like Friends of the Earth, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Environmental Working Group" in criticizing corn-based ethanol. Fraternizing with such organizations is an unpardonable sin in his eyes (and few of us would argue this point) because these "three organizations have all attacked animal agriculture with the same level of rhetoric as PETA or the Humane Society."

Rick Tolman is absolutely correct that groups like Friends of the Earth and EWG have much in common with PETA and HSUS. In fact, I may have lined out a near-perfect analogy there: PETA is to HSUS what Friends of the Earth is to EWG. One group uses scandalous advertising for shock value, the other is working on leasing your Congressman.

The problem with Rick's indignation toward AMI is that just a few weeks prior, our friends at the Ohio Corn Growers Association joined a group known as Avoided Deforestation Partners in an ad campaign to "save the rain-forests" in South America (I'm paraphrasing, obviously). Former OCGA and NCGA President Fred Yoder shared with me that some of his pals from his NCGA officer days had given him no small amount of grief for the seemingly unlikely alliance. Given the presence of several Environmental Defense Group honchos on the ADP list of "founders and partners," the recalcitrance about working with them is understandable.

While I haven't asked Tolman, and hadn't read his piece when I spoke to Yoder about the OCGA/ADP ads, I'm curious to know what Rick thinks about one of his top state affiliates partnering with groups who have, to put it lightly, been fairly unkind to corn-based ethanol over the years for the questionable principle of "indirect land-use change." It may not be a scorched-earth strategy, but it's interesting bedfellows, nonetheless.

Farmers across the country understand that now, more than ever, membership and involvement in agricultural organizations is a basic and necessary cost of doing business.

With attacks from anti-farm extremists in the environmental and animal rights lobbies, in addition to mounting legislative and regulatory burdens from Washington, farmers increasingly rely on the "strength in numbers" that a robust membership organization provides. One of the most successful of those organizations is the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, commonly referred to as NCBA.

Tracing back its organization roots to 1898, the current formulation of NCBA was born in 1996 when the Beef Industry Council and the National Cattlemen's Association were merged into one unified organization representing all segments of the beef industry. NCBA represents the industry as "the national trade association representing U.S. cattle producers, with more than 28,000 individual members and 64 state affiliate, breed and industry organization members."

Through those memberships and affiliations, "NCBA represents more than 230,000 cattle breeders, producers and feeders ... to advance the economic, political and social interests of the U.S. cattle business and to be an advocate for the cattle industry's policy positions and economic interests."

At the Cattle Industry Annual Convention held earlier this year in San Antonio, Texas, a "Governance Task Force" Chaired by two Past Presidents of NCBA released a report recommending a change in the organizations' structure.

This report, while passed overwhelmingly by members of the various Committees and Boards who heard it, drew sharp criticism last week from a group of farm organizations as varied as the American Farm Bureau and National Farmers Union. The critics roundly criticized the proposed changes to NCBA's Governance based on assumptions about how the proposed structure would impact the Beef Checkoff.

Herein lies the problem with criticizing the proposal: the proposed changes are to the structure of NCBA itself, not the Beef Checkoff. The Checkoff program is mandated as part of Federal law, and is subject to continual oversight by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While NCBA is a recognized contractor, the primary such contractor, charged with carrying out the programs and initiatives of the Checkoff, the role of setting the budget and priorities of the Checkoff lie within the jurisdiction of the Cattlemen's Beef Board and State Beef Councils. The relationship of these Qualified State Beef Councils to NCBA appears to be where the controversy rests.

According to the organization, "The NCBA Federation of State Beef Councils Division oversees beef and beef product promotion, research, information and related activities financed by the beef checkoff and similar market development investments. It also functions as the Federation of the 45 Qualified State Beef Councils and carries out the duties and responsibilities assigned to the Federation by the Beef Promotion and Research Act and Order. In this way, NCBA coordinates state-national efforts to build demand for beef."

Yet again, however, each State Beef Council is responsible for setting its own budgets and priorities; the Federation acts as the body of coordination between these bodies in implementing Checkoff projects across state lines. For example, a State Beef Council in a cattle intensive part of the country, say Nebraska, might want to assist a State Beef Council in a more populous region of the country, say New York City. By working together through the Federation, demand for beef is greatly enhanced.

Cattlemen who choose to be members of NCBA, like myself, ultimately have the responsibility to ensure that our voice is heard through our involvement in the organization. If the dues-paying membership feels the proposed changes in governance are healthy for the organization, then those changes will most likely occur.

The opinions of other farm industry associations, however, are just that: the opinions of people paying dues to other organizations.

This Easter, the Ohio Poultry Association (OPA) and Ohio's egg farmers are helping feed hungry people, teaming up with the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks (OASHF) for the third year to donate more than one million eggs statewide.

Nine Ohio egg farmers again will donate more than 1.2 million eggs via the Second Harvest network of 12 foodbanks just in time for Easter. The contribution of 101,000 dozen eggs has an estimated retail value of more than $101,000.

Farmers have long fed their families and our society as a whole, but in recent years, these hard working producers have worked directly to feed folks who otherwise may not be able to feed themselves.

"Eggs are a critical item for our foodbanks because they are a protein-rich product, however, they are also one of the hardest sources to acquire," said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks. "We commend Ohio's egg farmers for once again stepping up to help their neighbors, especially at a time when hundreds of thousands of Ohioans, many for the first time, are seeking food assistance."

Hamler-Fugitt explains that each week, more than 225,000 Ohioans receive emergency food assistance. Of those, 27 percent are 17 years old or younger.

"We place great value on the relationship with our consumers, and ensuring their trust requires us to help those who are less fortunate or who are struggling in this economy," said Jim Chakeres, OPA executive vice president. "Ohio's egg farmers are committed to supporting our local communities and that means helping out when needed, in addition to producing safe affordable food for Ohioans and caring for our flocks and the environment." Chakeres said Ohio ranks second in the nation for egg production, and produces seven billion eggs each year with a value of more than $585 million.

The Ohio contribution complements a national initiative being conducted by the United Egg Producers and Feeding America that will provide more than 11 million eggs to foodbanks nationwide through a donation from America's egg farmers located across the country.

Egg farmers aren't the only ones getting involved in the effort to support local food banks. Last year, members of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation launched the "Farmers Feed Our Needs" campaign, fostering a partnership between farmers and foodbanks to deliver fresh food directly to foodbanks

One example was a massive gleaning project in Sandusky County. Facing a loss of market and a killing frost, farmer Daryl Knipp faced the possibility of 150,000 of cabbage going to waste. Working with the hundreds of Farm Bureau volunteers, the cabbage instead fed hundreds of hungry Ohioans. "Farmers care about other people, not just about their pocketbook," Knipp said.

Sixteen acres of cabbage produced 120 bins of cabbage. 112 of the bins, which would have retailed for over $85,904, went to Second Harvest to produce 121,875 meals. Eight bins were delivered to Toledo-area foodbanks, meaning more than $90,000 of cabbage fed the hungry, rather than getting plowed under.

Other gleaning projects took place throughout the year, furthering the total impact local farmers had on the hunger challenge.

Hamler-Fugitt said that OASHF has a long-standing partnership with Ohio's agriculture industry through the Ohio Agricultural Clearance Program (OACP). OACP is a statewide effort to direct Ohio's surplus of agricultural products through the network of foodbanks in the state to ensure that Ohio families have a source of nutritious, Ohio-grown and raised, and produced food products. The program works with Ohio farmers and commodity groups to provide foodbanks with surplus and unmarketable agricultural products at production cost. For example, in addition to the egg donation this Easter, Ohio egg farmers have worked through OACP to provide more than three million eggs since 2005.

Farmers are the backbone of our society, providing a safe and enjoyable food supply while preserving and protecting our natural resources.

Through their hard work and the combined efforts of groups like the Ohio Poultry Association and the Ohio Farm Bureau, farmers are doing more to feed our needs than ever before.