Once upon a dentist's chair...PART 2 !

The last time I sat in a dentist's chair, I had quite the conversation. This time around, I was in no shape to talk because I was amp-ed up on novocaine! Yes, I got my wisdom teeth removed today. I've always heard people groaning and moaning about how, "It's sooooo terrible! IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!"

- I must be weird because I feel perfectly fine.

They call them "wisdom" teeth because they emerge at a time in your life when you are past childish knowledge, and are at a wise age. I hope the removal of my wisdom teeth doesn't make me wisDUMB.

Also I got a new laptop! It's a lenovo, Think Pad & I love it.

4-square anyone ... ?

At FarmFest, I was invited by the President of the Lyon County Farm Bureau, Carolyn Olson, to attend the annual meeting on August 18 and give a keynote speech.
OK!
That was tonight, and I didn't even realize it until Carolyn reminded me, "This is your first meeting as a Farm Bureau member."
SWEET!
Our empty stomachs were filled with delicious barbecue ribs. One rib was enough, but one napkin was not. (I made sure to keep my OD nice and clean)
Kate Merna , Vice President of Marshall FFA, gave a great thank you speech to those in attendance of the meeting for the Farm Bureau's sponsorship of her trip to 'Red White and You.' It was evident that Kate had a great time based on her enthusiasm, humor and thoughtful words. I know Kate has a bright future ahead of her and can't wait to see where she will go.
The meeting was enlightening and full of great door prizes including a sweet daredevil lure I got with, of course, a Farm Bureau logo on the side.

After the meeting I took off, just down E College Drive to the High School where the Marshall FFA Chapter was having their monthly meeting. Members shared their summer experiences, upcoming state fair, and new plans for fall recruitment. I'm excited for them and wish I could be there.
BUT- My favorite part of our FFA meetings is the post-meeting activities. This night we played 4-square.
... for 2.5 hours! It was insane! My advisors were, on the contrary, not so insane. Mr. Sawatzke got into it, but the ball kept rolling through his legs and his arms would continuously flail to try to smack the ball. FAIL!
Once it got dark, Eli got his truck out and turned on his head-lights so we could see. We also discovered a vast ( and I mean VAST ) amount of frogs in the grass. I think I counted over 20, and we had fun just playing with them and scaring Courtney.

I love days like this!
...now to pack for college =)

PS: Check out the Minnesota Farm Bureau website for all of the great opportunities thye provide agriculturalists and FFA members like: Discussion Meet and Ag Pen Pals!

http://www.fbmn.org/page/home.html

* become a FAN on Facebook!

Let's call it a WEEK!

4 wheels + 9 destinations + 10 days 1,537 miles = 1 tired Kirby Schmidt.
This past week was, to say the least, action-packed!

Day 1-3 ... FARMFEST!

Every single year, agricultural enthusiasts young and old gather at the Historical Gilfillan Estate on Hwy 67 between Redwood and Morgan, Minnesota. Labecca, Emily, Mike, Katie, Crystal and I all made the trip to work at the U of M booth handing out posters to those who were able to over come the infamous trivia wheel.
#1 question that was answered incorrectly:

What animal is Goldy Gopher, the mascot , modeled after ?

a. woodchuck ... b. squirrel ... c. gopher... d. beaver

... if you THINK you know it (granted not everyone had Internet at FarmFest to look up answers)... send me an e-mail at schmidtkirby@hotmail.com and the first correct answer will get a sweet prize!
Besides trivia, I took the opportunity to help the President of the Minnesota Farm Bureau, Mr. Kevin Paap, with serving Pork chops at the tent as well as flip a few pancakes at the free pancake breakfast sponsored by MNFB. They were delicious! Our team got to meet with Governor Tim Pawlenty and share some jokes. I had a great time reuniting with FFA members from across the state from: Dassel-Cokato, Springfield, Sleepy Eye, Hancock, Montevideo, Wabasso, Marshall, Tracy, HLWW, Buffalo Lake-Hector and Canby among others! These members were here to explore, help serve milk shakes, give farm safety demonstrations and serve pork chops. I also met with many agricultural leaders, known and unknown including MDA Commissioner Gene Hugoson, 2004-2005 Minnesota State President Jeff Buyck and some younger people from Westbrook, MN that have redefined what it means to be an entrepreneur with their tasty, home-made barbecue sauce.

DAY 4-6... LYON COUNTY FAIR/ FREEBORN COUNTY FAIR

The very first friend that I made, outside of Marshall, MN, and in the National FFA Organization was Logan Hansen from the Glenville FFA chapter. I met Logan at the Region Officer conference, POWER over 2 summers ago. Logan has been a great friend of mine and has always told me of the famous, "FREEBORN COUNTY FAIR!" I have never been there, but decided that this year would be the year.

After getting home from FarmFest, I took time to go and hang out at my local county fair, Lyon County, with my fellow state officer , Emily. We had a good time judging, to ourselves, the dairy cows and sheep, watching the sheep show, checking out the FFA sponsored Children's Barnyard as well as visiting with FFA members. GOOD FUN! But it doesn't stop there, because the next day I was back on the road towards Albert Lea for the Freeborn County Fair, where I met Logan, his family and his friends. For just $13.50, I got to see Little Big Town in concert and enjoy a cool, refreshing Reese's blizzard. We watched a classic, The Goonies, later and got some sleep. The next day, we traveled to Kasson, MN for a softball tournament, grilling and a calm, clear swimming pool just waiting for someone to splash it via, the belly flop contest. (That would be me)

DAY 7-9...Metro Alumni Picnic, CHS Miracle of Birth Center, HLWW Lake Party, NRHEG Chapter Officer Visit!

Yes, I got home late on a Saturday night! On Sunday, I went to church with my family and then helped with a Whopper Feed fundraiser for a vocation (not vAcation) trip that I will going on with my church youth group to Rome, Italy. Then I was off, picking up Kirsten and Megan Thurk to make our trek to the Twin Cities. It was quite an interesting trip, and a ton of fun. I wish all of my trips in the car were that much fun. We, after several detours and lost-ness, made it to the Metro Alumni Picnic to reunite with the State Officer team and meet alumni members. That night we also had a campfire and roasted marshmallows at FarmHouse Fraternity, then took an adventure to a nearby playground and (literally) hung out.

The next day was the CHS Miracle of Birth Center training!!! Thanks to the Mid West Dairy Association's Sherry Newell and my aunt, Donna Moenning for putting together a great training session. Come see us at the fair!

That night, I took a good 2 hours nap and then left with the team to Waverly, MN for the HLWW FFA Lake Party. We played beach volleyball, went swimming and made sand castles! I met a member:
Justin ...previously lived in Pennsylvania. He also is a member of the cross country team and plays in the Jazz band. Justin recently won the State Nursery Landscape contest and will be advancing to Nationals with fall! GOOD LUCK.

On the last day, Tuesday, Labecca and I drove down to New Richland to visit the NRHEG FFA Chapter Officer Team. We helped them plan a new activity for this fall including a post Homecoming Game bonfire and fun night, hosted by the FFA Chapter. We hope all goes well!

Day 10... MURRAY COUNTY FAIR!

On the FINAL day of my crazy driving expedition, I drove down to the Murray County Fair to visit the FFA Barnyard there. However, when I got there, no FFA members were there :( I enjoyed the night talking with camp friends Sammy from Nicollet and Cody from Tracy. Congratulations to Cody, he exhibited the Champion Market Goat! I also got to meet some past and future FFA members: Jim, Cody's dad (2nd place National Swine Production) and his younger brother Kaleb. We made the following connection...

Me- "I raise sheep just west of Marshall, we have Polypays."
Jim- "Hmm..."

Me- "Do you know what Polypays..."

Jim- "Yes, I used to own them.'

Me- "Oh, where did you get them? "

Jim- "You know, if you take the airport road past Marshall on 19 ? Yeah, just north of 19 I bought a nice buck from a lady with all of these books and records and..."

Me- "Lila Schmidt?"

Jim- "YEAH!'

ME- "That would be my mom..."

DAY TODAY... Whew! ... time to work with my sheep, State Fair is soon!!!

(Who are WE ?!) ...SPC!

The week of July 21-25, I had the honor to represent the Minnesota FFA Association with Katie and Mrs. Addington at the 2009 State Presidents' Conference in Washington D.C.

Here, each association was allowed to send two state officers to represent at the conference where national delegate issues would be voted on and committees would be prepared for National Convention. The national officer team, executive secretary Mr. Brown and the owl himself, the national advisor, Mr. Case joined us for the conference.

We had the opportunity to meet with outstanding leaders in the agricultural industry including the newly apppointed Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Tom Vilsack. Katie and I also met some of the folks who represent Minnesota in D.C including the Chair of the House Ag Committee, Mr. Collin Peterson and Congresswoman, Michelle Bachman.

When we visited Bachman, we showed up extra early, and twittled our thumbs! While waiting, we were told that Bachman was currently in the Capital building, voting on the floor. Bummer, we con't see her. Then one of her representatives said they would help us out and actually take us to the Capital and near the voting floor to chat with her. SWEET!

(You see we had tried before to get into the Capital, but discovered you had to be VIP or have some tickets.) ... yeah we didn't have any. :(

Luckily, we were rushed through the Capital and just down, and outside the voting room, what you may recognize as the place where the president gives his State of the Union address. We met with Bachman and got a cool photo.

Besides the Capital, we toured many other historical buildings and places including : the Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington Cemetary, Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Ford's Theatre, Washington Monument, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Basilica of the Immaculate Conception,World War II Memorial and FDR Memorial.

(Not to mention: an ample amount of large, gigantic muscular/godly/naked statues)... I think they modeled most of the muscular ones after me, they just forgot to put the OD on them.

We weren't there just to sight-see and take crazy tourist pictures!

We were there with serious business and intent of voting on the issues for delegation at National Convention and creating the committees.

This year's committees will include topics about global engagement, alumni programs, the New Horizons magazine, program affiliation, post-secondary opportunities, expanding membership and being inclusive. I am excited to work with the Global Engagement Committee and was elected to serve as the committee secretary at National Convention.

Meeting the officers from the different associations, including my friends from New York, Kansas, South Dakota, Oregon, North Dakota, California, Idaho, Georgia, Tennessee and Nebraska was great. We spent may hours comparing accents and playing the coolest game to cross the FFA world :Ninja. (Don't worry, you shall learn soon)

Walking through the DC area, and traveling on the Metro was great because of all of the people I met that were curious about, "the blue jackets?" I met a young woman, Germaine from Cameroon in Africa. She had one of the most inspiring stories, shared while on the Metro. She told me of how she lost her father at a young age, and the struggles of her family and the oppression she faced from her government. Germaine came to the United States in hopes of going to school to be a medical doctor. With only pennies in her pocket and dreams in her heart, Germaine spent her first years working to fund her education and studying to learn the English language, which all of her classes were taught in. Her passion to serve others and endless scholarly atitude paid off this past year as she recieved a full ride scholarship to one of the top medical schools in the country, John Hopkins. It was so inspiring to see the dreams of others come alive. I have always heard about the "American Dream", but I have never experienced it like this.

I also had a great time just getting to be with and travel with my teammate and friend Katie. I had fun times on the Metro, trying to make perfect timing with "jump" pictures and sitting down and getting to know her better. I can't wait until we meet again, and look forward to further building our friendship! :)

A BA weekend...

This past weekend was the weekend everyone in my local town of Ghent, Minnesota look forward to all year. (Probably more than Christmas) Ghent, is primarily a Belgian-American, farming town full of Bossuyts, VanKeulens, Noyes, Hennens and Engels all of which are very Belgian surnames. Of course, no BA Days (Belgian American), would be complete without fresh, crispy Belgian cookies and a rolle bolle tournament.

What's "Rolle Bolle" ?!
The best way I could describe it is, in comparison to horseshoes. In Rolle Bolle, (pronounced: Roll-e Bowl-e) you have a "bolle", which is basically a giant hockey puck with one side slightly beleveled so it turns when it is rolled towards the stake at the other side of a dirt court. Like horseshoes, you aim is to get your bolle the closest to, if not leaning on, the stake. Unlike horseshoes, you roll the bolle, (instead of throw) just like you would a bowling ball, towards the stake. ... I don't understand it, but its a big deal and people from around the country and the world come to compete here. Actually, next week is the International Rolle Bolle Tournament after the Lyon County Fair in Marshall, Minnesota.

I did not get to be as participative in the BA Day festivities, as I was in Spencer, Iowa for the Center of the Nation NSIP (National Sheep Improvement Program) Seminar & Sale. This sale, unlike most sheep sales, highlighted sheep and auctioned them off based on barn records, EPD data (Expected Progeny Difference... it's complicated and I hope to clear the air in a later blog)and overall productivity vs. the typical "who looks the best contest."
The way I like to describe it is: The sheep that are able to perform outside of one day in the show ring.

Not that there is anything wrong with "showy" sheep, I just prefer the production aspect. I consigned 5 sheep from my own flock, dating back to the year 2002 when I purchased my very first ewes, to be auctioned off. I spent the week cleaning up my sheep, (just so they didn't look like they rolled out from under the manure pile), and studying up on their history so I could do my best in my "sales pitch" to prospective buyers. Of course, we had lots of lamb to indulge on for supper and for lunch! I helped the University of Wisconsin Animal Science Department with ultrasounding the rams for ribeye area. I found out that my ram lamb had the largest ribeye of any sheep there!!

After a good day in the barn amidst fellow sheep producers, it was time for the auction. I won't say how much I got (just for confidentiallity of the buyers) but I had a great day, and got what I hoped to earn! The best part is, these are my sheep for my FFA Sheep SAE.

Today, we went to church for the BA Day mass, because the majority of the town is Catholic as well. Afterwards we enjoyed a delcious meal of Belgian waffles with all of the toppings you can imagine. My waffle, if you can imagine, was coverd in a purple rainbow of blueberry, blackberry and boysenberry syrup topped with a cloud of whipped cream. ______ words can't describe the taste. My family also won certificates to the Chicken Connection, a restuarant, in the church raffle. The weekend finally culminated with a bean-bag tournament with over 52 participants and the end of a softball tournament. I worked at the bean-bag tournament selling beverages in the heat to thirsty competitors and watched my parents lose! (sorry mom and dad)

While working, I "hired' two girls: 5 & 6, to help me hand out pop and water. (They were bored, young and wanting to do something). Working with them was a lot of fun, and a good time to think back to the days when I was that old. They gave me a mouthful of information about their cats, the "105 thousands" of rabbits they own and casterating pigs. They told me,

"You're lucky you don't live on a farm!"

I told them I actually do live on a farm, and that my family raises sheep and chickens.

"The laying kind?!"

Yes!

... I now have a 6 year old in dire need of a laying hen so she can, "eat the eggs."

I'll see what I can do, but it might have to come out of her paycheck...