Minnesota-Crookston baseball – “Gritty, not pretty”

By Chad Smith

The University of Minnesota-Crookston baseball team describes itself as “gritty, not pretty.” Whatever they’d like to call themselves, it’s working. In spite of the challenges that come with a small-college program, the Golden Eagles won 14 of their first 22 games. Eagles head coach Steven Gust said they’re playing some pretty good baseball in spite of fielding a young roster this spring.

“We’re getting the job done,” he said with a smile visible through the phone. “it’s been a bit of a surprise because we lost key contributors from last year’s team. However, we’re finding ways to win in spite of that.

Steven Gust is the head coach of the University of Minnesota-Crookston baseball team. (Photo from goldeneaglesports.com)

“We aren’t going to overpower people on the mound this season,” he said. “Our best kid from last year, Zach Seipel, got drafted by the Atlanta Braves. That’s good news but he was only a junior, so we did expect him back this year. The kids we do have back are doing a good job of filling the strike zone, mixing their speeds, and are attacking hitters.”

The first player drafted

Getting a player drafted into Major League Baseball is a feather in the cap of any program. However, it’s an even bigger feather for a small school like Minnesota-Crookston because he was the first Golden Eagle ever picked in the MLB draft. What makes it an even better story is the young man didn’t originally come in to pitch for the Golden Eagles.

“I saw him as a catcher in legion baseball,” Gust recalled. “I thought he had a pretty decent arm behind the plate. I wasn’t sure about his hitting, but good defensive catchers can be hard to find. It was one of my first years coaching and our pitching was thin. We needed someone to pitch the end of a scrimmage and he volunteered after pitching just nine total innings in high school.”

Gust said, “The ball jumped out of Zach’s hand and he was around the zone. After that, we told him to sell his catcher’s glove and he became our closer. He left here throwing a 93-94 mile-per-hour fastball. He’s a great kid and he’s only going to get better as a player.”

The University of Minnesota-Crookston was understandably excited when Zach Seipel became the first Golden Eagle drafted by a Major League Baseball team. He went to the Atlanta Braves in the 27th round and head coach Steven Gust said he expects Zach to do well and move up the chain. (Photo from goldeneaglesports.com)

Getting a player drafted is big milestone considering that before Gust and the current staff arrived, the Golden Eagles had won just two of their previous 100 games. Literally, the team was 2 and 98 before Gust showed up.

Building a program

“We were fortunate to add some good players to some really good-character kids that were already here,” Gust said, “and they all bought in right away. There are so many pieces to the puzzle when you’re trying to build a program like Minnesota-Crookston.

“The pieces include working on facilities and trying to get the highest quality you can,” he added. “You have to find good assistant coaches that don’t mind working for literally nothing other than their passion for the game. We also don’t have a lot of scholarships to offer, so that’s not a strength either.”

When Gust took over the program, there were 18 Golden Eagles on the roster. Now, in spite of some limitations that come with smaller-school athletics, they currently have 46 players on the roster. They recruit primarily in Minnesota and North Dakota. They’ll include a few kids out of Wisconsin, Iowa, and South Dakota as well.

“The majority of our kids come in from our backyard,” he said. “We’ve created some excitement in the area by bringing in a lot of familiar players. The attendance and support from the community have been great. We’re just trying to do the little things that maybe one day will allow us to start thinking about winning a championship.

“We don’t have any 5-tool recruits,” Gust added. “We’re getting better players who happen to be good students as well. Our team GPA in the fall was 3.3, which is almost unheard of. We’re looking for guys who might have a little chip on the shoulder because they weren’t recruited by some of the bigger schools. They’ll have a passion for what they’re doing out there on the field.”

Gust added, “There’s no way I could run a program if I didn’t have a great group of people around me.”

Weather is a challenge

Like most schools in the north, the weather is always a challenge to deal with. Gust said one of the biggest goals for all the Crookston programs is to get a covered practice facility. What really hurts the team is not being able to get outside much early in the season to get some much-needed practice in. Gust says, “I think that’s coming here at Minnesota-Crookston, it’s just a matter of when.”

The Eagles team is basically brand-new this season. They graduated a lot of seniors from last spring’s squad. Last year, Crookston won 24 baseball games, but Gust said they were “disappointed” because they thought they were headed back to the postseason tournament. However, it didn’t happen.

“We have several junior college players on the roster this spring,” Gust said. “Sometimes, it’s hard for Junior College players to buy in when they come to a four-year school. However, our guys seem to have bought in right away. We’ve found ways to get things done so far in spite of facing some really good pitching in the first three weeks of the conference season.”

NSIC a solid conference

From top-to-bottom, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference is one of the best Division Two conferences in the country. For example, they have the defending national champion Augustana (Sioux Falls, SD) Vikings as a member of the conference.

“Minnesota-State Mankato is always good,” Gust said. “Concordia-St. Paul has some really solid arms this season. St. Cloud State might be the team to beat. Even the teams that have been on the bottom over the past few years have gotten better. Teams like the University of Mary (Bismarck, ND) and Minot State (Minot, North Dakota) are among the teams taking steps forward.”

Even before they got going in their conference schedule, Crookston headed south to play some very good non-conference squads. They started off their season with perennial power Central Missouri State. Gust said people told him he was crazy to play them. However, he did see some good things in spite of losing to CMS.

“I thought a lot of good things came out of playing tough competition like that,” he said. “I saw signs that we could be a pretty good team. We also went down to Florida to play some really tough teams too. I think our non-conference schedule really prepared us well to do some good things in the conference.”

March 29, 2019March 29, 2019

San Francisco 49ers pick SD man as new Head Trainer

By Chad Smith

“Plan your work, work your plan, and toss in just the right amount of luck.” That might be a good way to sum up the journey Dustin Little took to the pinnacle of his profession. The Castlewood, South Dakota native is the new Head Trainer for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. I caught up to him in the middle of a workout at the Niners facility and Little said where he’s at is just now starting to sink in.

“It feels great,” he said in between reps. “It’s one of those things where you work hard for a long time with a plan in place, and then you get to where you wanna be. To get to this place in my career and my life, with my family, it’s just great to see all the sacrifices you’ve made, and the hard work get rewarded.”

This road to the San Francisco 49ers started during his college days at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. The young Coyote (pronounced KY-yote in South Dakota) started with Pre-Physical Therapy studies in 2004. Little always knew he didn’t want to spend his career indoors. Sports had been a big part of his life growing up in his hometown and he wanted to work in some kind of a sports setting. He took a non-traditional approach to get there.

“I went five years for undergraduate work at USD and another three years to get my Doctorate in Physical Therapy,” he said. “After that, I made the unusual decision to go back to athletic training school for a master’s degree. At the time, that career path was unheard of. However, it made sense because I wanted to get dual credentials in physical therapy and athletic training.

“During physical therapy schooling, I also took the test for strength and conditioning certification,” Little added. “I’ve always tried to make sure my decisions supported my career goal and made me well-rounded. I wanted to be well-versed in a lot of different areas.”

As a part of his education, Little did a student internship with the Denver Broncos. Being a little older than the other interns because the years of schooling he’d already put in, really helped to give him a leg up.

“In 2013,” Little remembered, “I was between my first and second year of athletic training school. I called it my ‘five-week job interview.’ It really hit me the first time I walked in their door that I was in an NFL facility.

“It hit me even more when I was in the cafeteria one day,” he added. “You only had about five minutes to cram down lunch and get back to work. (Then-starting quarterback) Payton Manning walked by that day. That’s when it sank in that I was working in the National Football League.”

For people who don’t know, Little said a summer internship is a “16-hour workday,” with a lot of grunt work to do. He was coming in as a full-time physical therapist, who’d been putting in his time at a clinic over the previous year. He took it as a test.

“They wanna know if you have an ego and are you willing to do the grunt work,” Little said. “Are you willing to put 16-hour days in for seven days a week over the course of the internship? I’d left my then-three-month-old son and wife back at home for this opportunity. You find out quickly if you want to work in the NFL or if you just think you do.

“It’s true work,” he adds. “You aren’t just working a 40-hour week and asking for occasional time off. It’s a lot of long days. For example, as we’re talking, I’ve been here at the 49er’s facility since 4:30 a.m. it’s now 5:30 p.m. and I’m not done yet. It’s not just being on TV on Sundays.”

It was a long journey that just completed as Dustin Little put in 15 years of hard work. Little, a Castlewood, South Dakota native, was recently named as Head Trainer for the San Francisco 49ers. (AP Photo)

Interns don’t get to do much actual caring for players. Little said his case was unusual in that he could work with players rehabbing from injuries, thanks to his PT degree. Interns set up water, tear down water, hydrate the players, the take care of the cleaning up, re-cleaning up, and “then we clean up some more.”

“I figured out during the internship that this was what I wanted to do,” Little said. “I just loved the challenge of working with professional athletes. They don’t have a lot of physical limitations, so you have to be creative in challenging them physically. Getting these guys where they need to be is something I enjoy.”

Some of the other interns were 19 and 20-years old, while Little came in at 25, married, and the father of his first child. He grew up on a farm in South Dakota, so Little had a good idea of what hard work was and what it would take to succeed. “I was there for a five-week job interview and that’s what it eventually turned out to be,” he said.

“I demonstrated my capabilities, kept my mouth shut, and worked hard,” Little added. “I think they noticed that. At the end of 2014, I was getting ready to graduate with my master’s. The Buffalo Bills were creating a position and talked to then-director of sports medicine at South Dakota State University, Owen Stanley. He told them, ‘I have a kid right here for you.’

“I had an interview with the Bills on a Monday-Tuesday,” Little said. “Steven Antonopulos, Director of Sports Medicine for the Broncos, was listed as a reference and knew I was out there. The following Friday, the then-current physical therapist for the Broncos came in to see Antonopulos and said he’s going to resign. Steve called me that Friday at 6:30 a.m. to tell me that PT had just quit and said he’s offering it to me right then.”

The interesting thing came as Little called Buffalo to let them know he would be taking the job with Denver. “The guy I called with Buffalo actually said he was going to offer me the job there the night before, but he just got busy,” he said. “He’d decided to offer me the job with Buffalo that day. Funny how things work out.”

Needless to say, the feeling that Little had after getting the call from Denver was through-the-roof. “I put in so much work to get here,” Little said. “You’re taking it in but it’s also surreal, like ‘this is really happening?’ It took a while to sink in. You’re just thankful for what you did and the people who helped you get there.”

Little stayed with the Broncos for five years, almost to the day. His goal was always to be a head trainer in the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers had begun reaching out to other organizations in the NFL and were looking for good people who might fill their head trainer position. Little’s name got thrown into the mix for the spot.

“All you can ask for is an opportunity,” he said. “I ended up coming out to San Francisco for my first interview. Did a second interview on the phone before heading out to the combine to meet with 49ers personnel. They called me the last day of the combine and offered me the position.”

When I first caught up with him, Little had been with the San Francisco 49ers for about 10 days. His wife (Bailey) and four kids will join him as soon as possible. By the middle of March, the Little kids were 6, 5, 3, and 1. Little says he goes to a job, but Bailey is the one who “goes to work.” Now that they’ve found a landing spot, Little says he’s had time to reflect on the journey from the cornfields of South Dakota all the way out to the NFL.

“I never looked at as a small-town guy coming all the way out to San Francisco,” he said. “My mindset has never been to hold myself back because I come from a small town. You can’t set those kinds of limitations on yourself.”

In fact, growing up in South Dakota and playing different sports actually will help him be even more successful. “Absolutely, some of the guys in Denver really liked that about me,” he recalled. “I’m not quite the normal looking trainer when I walk in the room because I’m 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds. I’ve played sports, I understand rehabbing, strength and conditioning, plus I can throw the football if they need me to.

“I’m not the athlete I was but I still have capabilities,” Little added. “The players really like it when you can demonstrate things. These guys are competitive. If you challenge them on an exercise, do it better than they do, it gets them a little fired up.”

March 26, 2019March 26, 2019

Minnesota man is Bullfighters Only ROY

By Chad Smith

Here’s the best way to describe just what Bullfighters Only is:

It’s the kind of thing most people will only see in a nightmare. It’s the center of a rodeo ring and there’s just you and an angry 1,500-pound animal running directly at you with malicious intent. The only job you have then is to stay out of its way for a predetermined length of time. That’s the kind of thing that Mabel, Minnesota native Justin Ward does for a living. The 23-year-old has gotten quite good at it and was named the Bullfighter’s Only Rookie of the Year Award Winner.

NFL of Bull Fighting

Ward describes Bullfighters Only as the “NFL of freestyle bullfighting.” The contestant has to “fight” a Mexican fighting bull for a minute. And by fight, Ward says that means don’t let him kill you. As a bullfighter, Ward says he’s running around the ring “trying to do cool stuff for 40 seconds” and then really tries to up the score with one final trick in the last 20 seconds. The goal is to get the highest possible score between 0-100.

“While this animal is trying to kill you, some guys will do front flips, some do backflips, and some even get on their knees and try to juke out the animal,” Ward said. “The first 40 seconds is basically to prove that the animal can’t catch you. My big trick is leaping over the top of the charging bull from a flat-footed position, all the way from his nose to his tail.”

Ward said being off on a trick like that, even by a millisecond, gets painful in a hurry. He said a trick like that in Las Vegas “didn’t end up so well.” It’s tough to practice something like that leap every day. Ward says he just goes out and does it. But that’s not the only kind of bullfighting he does.

This is what Justin Ward looks like in action. Could you be brave enough to do this?

“I also do the rodeo protection bullfighting,” Ward said. “I had actually done that for quite a while. One of the guys that trained me to do that said I was pretty athletic and should go try out a Bullfighters Only competition. I went to California for a developmental camp, which is similar to an NFL Combine. I got an opportunity in my first Bullfighters Only event and placed in the top five.”

It didn’t stop there. At his very next event, Ward took home a $10,000 paycheck. It’s a giant step up from where he was the first time he stepped into a ring one-on-one with an angry bull.

The First Try

“The first time I stepped into the ring by myself, it was terrible,” he recalled. “I literally got knocked around for 30 of the required 40 seconds. I climbed out of that ring and never wanted to do that again. Then, they announced that I’d won my round and had to do it again after all. My first thought at the time was ‘are you kidding me?’”

Ward’s experience with bullfighting, as well as rodeo in general, goes back a long way. He and a partner were competing in a team-roping competition, as well as steer wrestling, at a rodeo in southern Wisconsin. One of the bullfighters didn’t show up so a rodeo committee member offered 50 dollars to anyone who would fill in.

With a laugh, Ward said, “I was 17 years old and dumb enough to take him up on it. My first bullfight that day was terrifying. I got wrecked up pretty good. However, it didn’t hurt as bad as I thought it would, I lived through it, and they paid me. I thought to myself ‘I can do this!’”

It’s important to remind people that he’s not out there completely unprotected. A collision with an angry bull is quite similar to getting hit by a car, but the bullfighters still have a full-sized plastic chest plate. So, they absorb the full force of the collision, but a lot of pain is kept at bay. Ward said it knocked the wind out of him, but it did the job of “keeping me alive.”

Practicing

Ward and his fellow bullfighters have come up with an unusual way to hone their skills. They take the front wheel of a bicycle and weld some handles to it. Then, they’ll attach a fake bull head to the machine. One bullfighter will operate the machinery as if it’s an actual bull while the other one works on his skills.

“I tell those guys that if I slip up, they need to whack me with it,” Ward said. “I need to learn that if I fall right here, it’s going to suck.”

Ward said he hits the gym regularly, doing HIT (High Intensity) workouts three days a week and works on cardio five days a week. He’s in the gym at least twice a day. It’s all about avoiding collisions like the one he referenced in Vegas and still remembers to this day.

Injuries Happen

“I did my big move and tried to jump over the top of the bull,” he said. “He hit me on the way by and when I fell to the ground, he just smoked me up against a panel three or four times and dislocated my shoulder. He actually hit me in the stomach hard enough that the doctor thought I might be bleeding internally. It was rough.

“I didn’t have long to recover,” he recalled. “I had another bullfight the following week, so I had to tough it out and compete injured.”

Not all bullfights are equally as challenging. A lot of the difficulty actually depends on the animal’s temperament. It all depends on what each bullfighter draws for a matchup.

“You can tell ahead of time if they’re going to be easy to perform with,” Ward said. “Then it’s a lot of fun knowing that you can pick on them a little and they can’t catch you. However, there have been other bulls that there was almost no getting away from. We’re talking pure adrenaline and pure fear with bulls like that.”

Most of the Mexican fighting bulls weigh between 1,200-1,500 pounds. You won’t see the giant 2,000-pound monster bulls because Ward said, “they’re not very quick.” However, the smaller Mexican fighting bulls are lightning quick.

A lot of miles

It’s a busy life of travel as a bullfighter. The first show Ward ever did was in Ada, Oklahoma, and his next show the following week in Washington state. He had a show earlier this year in Scottsdale, Arizona, followed by another one in Atlanta, Georgia. If someone from his area is competing at the same show, Ward said they’ll team up and drive there. If he’s traveling solo to a show, Ward said it’s easier to fly. He estimates putting on 50-60,000 miles in the last year alone. Ward said finding out he won the Rookie of the Year Award made it all worth the effort.

“I didn’t even know it had happened,” Ward recalled. “I was doing an interview just like we’re doing now, and someone asked me how it felt to be the Rookie of the Year. My first response was ‘I’m rookie of the year?’ He was a little surprised no one had told me yet.”

So, is this something that Ward is planning on doing for a while? “This is a long-term occupation for me,” Ward said with a smile that was almost visible in spite of talking on the phone.

March 20, 2019March 20, 2019

Washington farmers “don’t pay taxes?”

Taxes. We all pay them, don’t we? I wanted to share a story I helped set up on the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service today. Washington state farmers don’t pay ANY taxes whatsoever? Who knew? Bob Larson of the Ag Information Network of the West, based in Walla Walla, Washington, shared some audio saying that very thing.

I’m in shock. The reason I’m flummoxed is the legislator really believes the manure he’s shoveling. Washington Senator John McCoy is convinced that farmers in his state pay NO taxes, “whatsoever?” He did hedge a bit, saying “they do pay some fees, I’ll give you that.” Don’t taxes and fees imposed by government all go to the same place, don’t they?

And, where does a legislator who’s not a farmer get off speaking FOR farmers?

Washington State Democrats passed Senate Bill 5438 on a party-line vote. It would allow the State Employment Security Department to tax farmers that hire foreign guest workers above and beyond the fees they already pay to the federal government … for the federal program. During comments before the vote, Senator John McCoy (38th District) broke news that many farmers in this state would be shocked to hear…tape

Senator Mark Schoesler, of the 9th District in Southeastern Washington AND 5th generation wheat farmer, was quick to responded…tape

It would allow the department to charge growers up to $500 to apply for H-2A workers and up to $75 per head above that. Only Democrats voted in favor of the bill that passed on a 26-21 vote. The bill now moves to the House.

A Capital Press Dot Com article says the Employment Office wants extra funds for its administrative duties under the program. Democrat Liz Lovelett is the Washington State Senate’s newest member. She says the state needs money to investigate “deplorable” conditions on her state’s farms.

Republicans aren’t happy with the new fees. They’re call out Democrats for an “attack on the finances and integrity of agriculture.” It doesn’t just stop with new fees, either. There’s even a bill that would actually require the state’s farmers to report whether or not they use slaves.

Need I say more?

March 10, 2019March 10, 2019

Rushford Lions Are ‘Everyday Heroes’

Everyday Heroes times two. The Rushford Lions Club had two of their members honored with the Everyday Heroes Award. It’s a prestigious honor usually given to just one member of a local Lions Club. In this case, the Rushford Lions had two members that both deserved the award. They just happen to be brothers.

“Jack and Jim O’Donnell are the Everyday Heroes for the Rushford Lions Club,” said club member Larry Bartleson. “There are more than 50 Lions Clubs in our district and the awards committee typically will only accept one nominee from each club. However, I asked for a received an exemption to nominate both of them. I told the committee I couldn’t nominate one without the other.”

Both the O’Donnells had no idea the award was coming. They both joined the Rushford Lions back in the 1990s and enjoy doing things to serve the community.

“I had totally didn’t expect it,” said Jack O’Donnell. “I had no idea it was coming and was completely surprised. I hadn’t actually planned on going to the meeting, so they had to sort of trick me to get me there.

“I’ve been a Lions member since 1994,” Jack added. “Up to that point, I’d been involved in several organizations while doing volunteer work and helping with projects around town. I was invited by Maury Anderson to join back in 1994. The kids were getting older and leaving the nest, so I had more free time than I had before.

Jim O’Donnell said he was equally surprised by the award. “They had to trick us into going up for the awards presentation. They got Jack and I both up there on the pretext of going out to eat. Instead, we found ourselves at the Lions Convention, where we first found out about it.

“I first got involved in the Lions Club in the late 1990s,” Jim recalled. “I like serving the community. I really enjoy the projects we do, especially when we build something for the community. It’s a tangible thing that will last for a while and that’s really satisfying.”

The list of things the O’Donnell brothers have done, both inside and outside the Lions Club, is quite long.

They’re both members of the Rushford Lions board of directors – Jack is the First Vice President and Jim is a Director.

Culpepper & Merriweather Circus – They help raise funds for the event, a big job all by itself. They also help coordinate the event, along with Jennifer Hengel (also a Lion and Executive Coordinator of the Rushford-Peterson Valley Chamber.)

Hanging Flower Baskets – They help water baskets every week, a big job by itself.

Calendar Sales – They help raise money for local needs.

Rushford Days Pork Chop Dinner – Always a popular event in the community, they helped raise money for local needs.

R-P Crossing Guards – They volunteered as safety patrol at the new school.

Taste of the Trail event – They’ve provided popcorn snacks.

Downtown Music Festival – Another place they brothers have provided popcorn snacks.

KidsSight Eye Screening – They volunteered back in November 2018 at the R-P school with initial eyesight screenings.

Magelssen Bluff Park entrance sign – The O’Donnell’s designed, built and helped to install a new sign.

Crossing Guards – They volunteer for the downtown Halloween trick-or-treating.

Christmas Salvation Army fundraiser – They raise funds at the holiday season for the Salvation Army.

Christmas Parade of Lights – They always help get the float ready.

As if that list isn’t extensive enough, the O’Donnells are planning a project to retrofit picnic tables at Creekside Park to be ADA accessible.

Grace Place Chili & Soup fundraiser – They co-chairs for the project, along with Lion Jim Hoiness to help raise money.

Jack is also a Historical Society member, as well as the Good Shepherd Foundation Chairman.

Jim is also a City of Rushford council member.

“The best part of being in the Lions is the different projects we do,” said Jack. “We don’t just help around town, either. The Lions gives a lot of money to a lot of different causes. We always have something going on.”

When Jack O’Donnell found out that Larry Bartleson nominated both he and Jim, what was his first reaction? “I told him I was going to get even with him,” he said with a laugh.

Jim O’Donnell said he appreciates the honor, but he isn’t involved with the Lions Club for the accolades. “I just like to serve,” he said.

March 10, 2019March 10, 2019

Farmer Veteran Coalition Making a Difference

The Farmer Veteran Coalition is making a difference in the lives of veterans across the country. American veterans can sometimes find themselves looking for a direction in life after leaving the service. Veterans looking into the possibility of a career in agriculture for a potential post-military career have an ally. Paul Marshall is a Veteran Service Provider for the Farmer Veteran Coalition. He talks about the mission of his organization.

Studies have shown that a career in animal agriculture can help veterans in many ways. Working in the country is especially helpful for vets fighting off the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Marshall says the Veterans Administration Hospital is catching on to the fact that being in the country is good therapy. One service the Coalition provides is helping match farmers looking for help with veterans interested in agriculture.

The organization describes itself as an organization that sets out to cultivate a new generation of farmers and food leaders. They want to develop viable employment opportunities that turn into meaningful, lifelong careers.

The FMC website says.”We believe that veterans possess the unique skills and character needed to strengthen rural communities and create sustainable food systems. We believe that agriculture offers purpose, opportunity, and physical and psychological benefits.”

The roots of the organization go back to 2006. The first meeting to discuss pairing returning veterans with farmers looking for help took place in California. The movement expanded steadily from there. As recently as 2015, the number of veterans the organizations was working with totaled 4,500. The organization is now an independent 501c3. The group intends to keep paring returning veterans and farmers who need help for a long time to come.

For more information on the Farmer Veteran Coalition, check out www.farmvetco.org.

March 2, 2019March 2, 2019

Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame 2019 Inductees

The Minnesota FFA Alumni Association is proud to announce its FFA Hall of Fame Class of 2019. These nine inductees will join the 176 members already inducted into the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame over the past sixteen years. That number includes 75 inaugural members in 2004. The FFA Hall of Fame is a collaborative effort between the Minnesota FFA Association, Alumni, and Foundation.

Criteria

A selection committee consisting of FFA members, alumni, agricultural educators, and foundation representatives selected the final inductees. “We were looking for individuals who have been influential and supportive of Minnesota FFA,” said Steve Olson, co-chair of the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame Committee. “We want people who have demonstrated a high level of service and longstanding commitment to agriculture, agribusiness, and/or education in agriculture.”

Save the Date

Inductees will be introduced at the 2019 Minnesota FFA Alumni Annual Meeting on Saturday, March 2nd at the Anoka Technical College. You can still register to attend by registering here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScY2u9AM4OuPk2I2goKOs5hQm0VFtULjPQSa3HEi_288VgVHQ/viewform

The Induction Ceremony

The induction ceremony is on Monday, April 29, 2019, during the 90^th State FFA Convention. You will see the 2019 Hall of Fame Class on the Minnesota FFA Alumni Association website. They’ll also be on the state FFA convention newsletter coming out shortly after the convention.

The Minnesota FFA Foundation, through its Star Partners Program, provides resources that support the FFA Hall of Fame program. Check out www.mnffafoundation.org for more information on programs and funding opportunities.

Making a Difference

FFA is a national youth organization making a positive difference in the lives of young people by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success of its 629,367 student members. FFA members are preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business, and technology sectors of agriculture. Nearly 11,000 students are members of the Minnesota FFA Association. www.mnffa.org.

Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame Class of 2019

● Judy Barka, Watkins, MN

● Nancy Dahlman,Cokato, MN

● Roy Johnson, Elk River, MN

● Fred Troendle, St Charles, MN

● Neil Pearson, Grove City, MN

● Ken Hammer, Frazee, MN

● Jeff Voss, Jackson, MN

● Gary Olson, Moorhead, MN

● Doug Hoseck, Hector, MN

Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame

Selection criteria

Nominees should meet many, but not necessarily all, of the following criteria:

1. Contributions and service the candidate has provided to agriculture/agribusiness, to education in agriculture and FFA. Consideration should be given to longevity.

2. Leadership to the candidate’s profession, to agriculture, to education and to the FFA;

3. Career accomplishments, honors and recognition;

4. FFA leadership at the local, state, and national level;

5. Leadership and support to other agriculturally related organizations and/or agencies;

6. Responsibilities, leadership and/or services to non-agricultural groups and organizations;

7. Participation and support of philanthropic endeavors;

8. Service to and participation in activities which promote agriculture, citizenship, education and the FFA.

February 26, 2019February 26, 2019

MN Deer Hunting Association supports CWD Fight

At its annual meeting on February 23 in Grand Rapids, members of the Minnesota Deer Hunting Association (MDHA) voted to support a number of critical legislative initiatives intended to help protect Minnesota’s wild deer herd from chronic wasting disease (CWD).

“Minnesota Deer Hunting Association members recognize that CWD is the biggest threat to Minnesota’s wild deer herd,” said MDHA Executive Director, Craig Engwall. “As Minnesota’s leading deer organization, our group will do everything it can to help protect Minnesota’s deer, as well as the state’s deer hunting tradition.”

MDHA is calling on the Governor and Legislature to agree to support and implement a number of key initiatives this year to fight CWD, including:

Requiring double fencing on all captive deer farms; Mandatory depopulation of all cervids (hoofed animals) on farms with a CWD-positive test; Moratorium on any new cervid farms and a voluntary buyout of existing cervid farms; Prohibition of interstate movement of both captive and wild cervids; Prohibition of interstate movement of any captive cervid byproducts, including blood and semen; Elimination of antler point restrictions (APR) statewide; Dedication of an additional $0.50 of current deer license fees to wild deer health, making the total from each deer license $1.00.

Engwall added, “With the discovery of a single CWD-positive wild deer within a half-mile of a CWD-infected captive cervid farm in Crow Wing County, as well as the 40-plus wild deer testing CWD-positive in Southeast Minnesota, it is imperative that Minnesota act now to protect its wild deer herd. CWD threatens not only Minnesota’s deer and deer hunting tradition, it threatens the nearly $1 billion economic impact that deer hunting contributes to Minnesota.”

Minnesota DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen addressed the Minnesota Deer Hunting Association membership at the annual meeting, providing an update on DNR’s CWD response plan in Crow Wing County and Southeast Minnesota. Strommen also discussed Governor Tim Walz’s budget proposal to provide $4.57 million to fight CWD.

“We are pleased with the actions DNR has taken to address CWD, as well as the governor’s budget proposal to add funding to the CWD fight. That comes in addition to the dollars already provided by Minnesota’s deer hunters,” stated Engwall, “We urge the DNR, the Governor, and the Legislature to work together to vigorously pursue these measures.”

This is what the effect of CWD looks like on deer:

About MDHA: The Minnesota Deer Hunting Association was founded in 1980 as a grassroots organization dedicated to deer and deer hunting and is comprised of nearly 20,000 members in 60 chapters across Minnesota. MDHA is building its hunting and conservation legacy through habitat, education and advocacy.

Additional information about MDHA can be found on the web at: www.mndeerhunters.com. Media contact: Craig Engwall, Executive Director, work phone, 218-327-1103 x13, cell, 218-244 6822, email: craig.engwall@mndeerhunters.com.

February 20, 2019March 20, 2019

The Weather stud’s weather forecast

The weather forecast. You know you’re paying extra attention if you live in the Upper Midwest as I do (Minnesota and any of the surrounding states). Simply put, you’re wondering when the white stuff falling from the sky will finally end. After all, it’s getting really hard to find places to pile the extra snow when it’s time to shovel (or snow blow) the driveway. So, I figured it was time to call up my favorite weather guy, Ryan Martin of Warsaw, Indiana, to get a weather forecast of what’s coming for different areas of the country in late winter and early spring.

“From Iowa and northward through the Upper Midwest, it’s been a very snow-filled winter to this point,” he said. “We’ve exceeded total snowfall amounts in our forecasts by a little bit. One thing you need to note is the fact that it’s still February.

“We generally expect the snowfall patterns to gradually start to ease up in mid-to-late March,” he added. “I think we’re going to be on track to see that this year. Am I calling for an immediate stoppage of now? No. What I do see is temps switching from below normal to normal to slightly above normal. You’ll see more rain mixing in with the snow as March progresses.”

In the weather forecast for the eastern Corn Belt, including the Ohio River Valley, Indiana, Ohio, and the Great Lakes Region, Martin says things take a more active turn as February turns into early March. There’s going to be some “excessive” precipitation moving through that area.

“Temps are going to be on a roller coaster,” Martin said. “We had the brutal cold snap a few weeks ago but are now transitioning into a period during which temps will average out to normal. But, keep in mind that means you could be ten degrees above normal one day and ten below the next day. I’m seeing a lot of rain in the eastern Corn Belt region, which will have a big impact on Ohio River levels, mid-and-lower-Mississippi River levels, and even the Illinois River levels.

Find out Ryan’s weather forecast for the Plains States, the Delta region, as well as the western United States forecast.

February 19, 2019February 19, 2019

Minnesota Gophers prepare for spring football

It doesn’t seem that long ago that Clemson beat the socks off Alabama to capture the NCAA football crown. As over a foot of snow sits on the ground in Minnesota (with more on the way this week), it may be surprising to realize that spring football isn’t that far away, at all. Ryan Burns of Gopher Illustrated talked all things Gopher football on a recent episode of Minnesota Sports Weekly.

“We’re only a few weeks away now,” Burns said, “and considering the kind of February we’ve had, with all the snow and the Polar Vortex, it’s going to be a sight for sore eyes. Warmer temps are around the corner, the doldrums of winter are getting behind us, which is a good thing for Minnesota residents and for Gopher football.”Recruiting has basically wrapped up (for now). Burns said Gopher coaches spent roughly three weeks in January pounding the pavement on the recruiting trail. That second national signing day cut down on the number of recruits Gopher football signed this time around during the traditional signing day, which is the first Wednesday of February.

“Minnesota only signed one more scholarship player,” Burns said. “They’d signed 21 scholarship players during the early signing day in December. It’s the second year that college football had two signing days. I’d say roughly 70 percent of all college football recruits have signed during December.

Gopher football — Ryan Burns of Gopher Illustrated. (Photo from twitter.com)

“The Minnesota coaching staff should be back in the office this week and looking at more recruiting tape,” he added. “Just a couple weeks later, the staff will get started on their spring football season.”

How much time do these coaches spend on the road trying to build the future of the program? It’s astronomical. After the Gophers beat Wisconsin at the end of the regular season, head coach P.J. Fleck was out on the road 19 of the next 23 days recruiting, all the way up to the early National Signing Day. As Burns said, “There’s no rest for the weary.” Right after that signing day, the Gophers were off to Detroit and their Dec. 26 appearance in the Quick Lane Bowl.

“They (coaches) got a couple weeks off after the bowl and they were back out on the recruiting trail through late January and early February,” he said. “They get another week off and then it’s back to work figuring out who they want to recruit for the 2020 class, which is all juniors as we speak today. It’s spring football until April 15^th, after which they’ll be back on the road till the end of May.

“Once that wraps up, their home with their families for 6-7 weeks,” Burns said. “Coaching is demanding. I know several Gopher coaches that consistently work 12-14-hour days and it’s tough being away from your family that much. When you’re out for a six-week stretch of recruiting, you’re home maybe one day every week. You better have an understanding better-half who’s willing to put up with the lifestyle.”

Looking at recruiting specifics, Burns said they had a few holes in the roster to fill. “They were trying to add more talent into a young team. The Gophers might have been the youngest team in the country last year. You always want to continue to add talent, especially at the quarterback position.

“It’s the position at which the Gophers have the biggest question marks on how the program takes the next step forward,” he added. “I’d argue they have as good of a stable of running backs that they’ve had in a long time, they have as good a wide receiver group they’ve had in a long time, and the Minnesota offensive line really flipped a switch in the last month of the season. The O line was a big reason the team took a big step forward late in the year.”

Minnesota signed two quarterbacks in the offseason. One was from out-of-state and was the highest-rated QB to sign with the Gophers in decades. His name is Jacob Clark and he’s from Rockwall, Texas. They also signed Cole Kramer, a quarterback from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Burns said Fleck did “a good job” of filling his two biggest needs at quarterback and along the defensive line.

One of the most amazing things about recruiting under P.J. Fleck is how the Gopher program is getting recruits who are being chased by school in the Power 5 conferences. A good example is defensive lineman Rashad Cheney of Atlanta, Georgia. The 6-foot-2, 270-pound defensive tackle, a four-star recruit, had previously committed to play for both Georgia and Alabama in the SEC. However, he signed a letter of intent late last year to play football for the University of Minnesota.

“Any time that you’re able to get a kid who had committed to Alabama all the way up to Halloween of last year before deciding to look around,” Burns said, “I think Alabama’s defensive line is absolutely something you should try to emulate. Think about it, they annually send two or three guys off their defensive line to the NFL every year.

“Winning in the trenches every year is a big point of emphasis for defensive coordinator Joe Rossi,” he added. “I think they addressed that well.”

Here are lots of Gopher football highlights from last season

The Gopher football team took many Minnesota football fans by surprise, finishing 7-6 overall, getting three wins in the Big Ten Conference, and winning five of their seven home games. The goal of spring football is to make sure the program takes steps to keep things moving forward.

“The coaches want to make sure they can build on some things,” Burns said. “They want to make sure the players who had difficulties last year with certain aspects of their positions can get those things corrected by understanding the cause and correcting their technique. As much as they want to get the kids physically ready to go, it’s more about the mental aspect as Minnesota will continue to install new things both on offense and defense.”

He added, “Going into year three, they want to take things up a notch.”

The big headliner for Gopher football fans to watch in spring football is definitely at the quarterback position.

“You had Mankato native Zach Annexstad win the job out of Gopher football fall camp and then gets injured during the season,” Burns said. “Tanner Morgan then comes in to finish the season. Tanner started seven games and Zach started six. Neither one of them really did enough to pull away from one another.

“You also have the two freshmen quarterbacks coming in, both of whom graduated high school early,” he added. “They’re already enrolled on campus and will be there for workouts, as well as spring ball, trying to compete for that starting quarterback job. Fleck has said the quarterback job is wide open, but I say that Annexstad likely has the inside track. However, they’re all underclassmen, all 18-20 years old, and they’ll all grow and develop at a different pace, so we’ll see what happens.”