Thanks for the public service of Mary Hasenoehrl, Class 17, who served a total of 11 years on the Port of Lewiston Board of Directors, including time as a past chairman. Mary is stepping down to enjoy more time with children and grandchildren.

​Congratulations to Robert Blair, Class 26, who was named as the permanent substitute for Senator Dan Johnson, Class 14. Johnson was recently elected Mayor of Lewiston. Robert will be assuming the responsibility on January 10, at the start of the 2022 legislative session. Congratulations Senator Blair.

Congratulations to Dan Johnson, Class 14, whose son, Brandon, currently serving in the Middle East, was awarded Chief in the US Navy.

Congratulations to proud Dad, Cole Riggers, Class 39, whose daughter, Kylee, was recently recognized by the Idaho Department of Education Holiday Card Contest. Kylee won the 4th Grade entry for the entire state of Idaho. Also, Cole Riggers Farms was recently recognized by Barenbrug/Jacklin Seed Company for 55 years of commitment to the grass seed industry. The award was presented by Steve Bateman, Class 11.

At the recent Idaho Cattle Association Convention, Mark Pratt, Class 11, was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mark and his wife, Wendy, Class 35, farm and ranch near Firth.

The new President of the Idaho Grain Producers Association is Lucas Spratling, Class 36. Lucas was named president at the Tri-State Grain meeting held in Spokane, earlier this month. Lucas farms with his family in the American Falls area.

Elected as officers for the Idaho Ag in the Classroom program recently were President Heidi Martin, Class 28; Vice President Brad Griff, Class 36; and Treasurer Stephanie Duckett, Class 40.

Our sympathy is extended to some of our LIA family members: Jim Lanting, Class 17, whose wife, Louise, recently passed away. Jim farms in the Twin Falls area. Also, to Mike Usabel, Class 14, on the loss of his father, who passed away around Thanksgiving; and to Nic Usabel, Class 42, who was a grandson.

Mike Hale, Class 41, and his wife, Noelle, recently welcomed a new bundle. Mason was born on November 18, weighing 6 lbs., 12 oz. Mike said, “He's just a little guy.” We are sure Mike will beef him up by taking him to the gym. Mike is employed at Northwest Farm Credit Services in Eastern Idaho.

Chairman of the LIA Board of Trustees, Blake Matthews, Class 36, showed up at the Trustee meeting with a nice large arm sling following the result of shoulder surgery, around Thanksgiving. We hope he progresses well. He will need a good, strong arm to shake hands at two graduations this winter – Class 41 and Class 42.

Congratulations to LIA Executive Director Rick Waitley, Class 8, on receiving his Honorary Doctorate Degree from the University of Idaho in Agriculture Sciences. The Waitley family was treated like royalty during the winter commencement on December 11, in Moscow. Rick is a 1973 graduate from the U of I in Agriculture Education.

Congratulations to Jarom, Class 39, and Christa Jemmett on the birth of Gavin Brooks. He was born November 8 at 9:30 PM, weighing in at 7 lbs. 15 oz and 19” long. He joins three brothers and two sisters. Proud father is a partner in the family farming operation near Parma.
 
Congratulations to Carly, Class 34, and husband Rob Schoepflin on the birth of their second son, Oliver (Ollie) James born on November 4 weighing in at just over 7 lbs. and nearly 20” long. Ollie joins big brother Willis. Carly is on maternity leave from her position as Director of Strategic Initiatives for U of I CALS.
 
Congratulations to Grandma Brenda Thomasson, Class 19, on the birth of a new granddaughter, Ever Eleanor Rose Smiley, born October 29, weighing in at 6 lbs. 13 oz and 19” long.

Congratulations to Senator Dan Johnson, Class 14, who was recently elected Mayor of Lewiston. Dan will serve as both a State Senator and Mayor for a period of time as he completes some goals he has set for legislative issues. 

Congratulations to Terry Jones, Class 21, who was re-elected to the Emmett School board on November 2. Terry is the owner operator of Rim Fire Ranch in Emmett.
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Class 42 held a big celebration in honor of their classmate, Jason Brown, who was elected to the Twin Falls City Council during the first day of their session in Moscow. Jason is an engineer for the Twin Falls Canal Company. 

Congratulations to Linda Rider, Class 22, who was recently presented the Fair Person of the Year 2021 Award at the meeting of the Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs. Linda serves as a member of the North Idaho Fair Board, as well as a trustee for LIA. Linda and her husband, Rob, ranch in the Coeur d’Alene area. They, also, operate an agritourism business. 

Congratulations to Annette Christensen, Class 31, who is in the final stretch of employment with USDA Farm Service Agency in Pocatello. Annette will be retiring December 1. Best wishes in your new retirement lifestyle. 

Sympathy is extended to Rep. Laurie Lickley, LIA Affiliate Member, and her husband Bill, Class 25, on the recent passing of Laurie’s father.


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Ramsay Research Unit Honors a Life's Work: The late Samantha Ramsay, Class 35, a successful associate professor in the Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences, was recently honored by the dedication of the Ramsay Research Unit in the Niccolls Building on the University of Idaho campus in Moscow. 

Samantha’s son, Ryan, was on hand with the scissors while brother Reader, in white shirt, looks on. The boys are being raised by Samantha’s sister, since Samantha’s husband had passed prior to her death.

Sam earned a bachelor and master’s degrees from WSU and her doctorate from U of I. She served on the U of I faculty from 2010-17. Her life and career ended in a 2017 accident as she pursued her passion for outdoor adventure. One of the achievements in Sam’s career was her work with the Idaho Wheat Commission, which funded her project to test children’s taste preferences for whole-grain breads made from hard white wheat and the more traditional hard red wheat. To accurately gather the scientific data needed for her work, Ramsay influenced a major building remodel to incorporate a versatile workspace to interview and test subjects, and an observation booth to monitor them.

Those areas were at the the core of the Ramsay Research Unit, providing space and equipment for students to conduct nutrition research with human subjects. The lab will help future researchers continue her efforts to better understand nutritional physiology for people of all ages.


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Information about Class 42: Average age of the class is 37.2. There are five directly involved in production agriculture and another three are engaged in family farming operations but work another full-time job. First time participants are from a number of organizations including: Lamb Weston, international potato processing company; FARE Idaho (food, agriculture, restaurant and establishments) a recent start up organization; Western Range Assn; Zamzows a petfood, gardening and feed store in the Treasure Valley; and Dairywise Laboratories, Twin Falls.
 
Due to the efforts of the alumni living in the area, the North Idaho Alumni Regional Event was a great success. Special thanks to Jim Miller, Class 29, Jen Root, Class 35, Lee Holtom, Class 40, Treg Owings, Class 35, Jenny Ford, Class 39, Alan Martinson, Class 27, and Mac Reynolds, Class 40.

The evening included a presentation by Shawn O’Connell, CEO of PNW Farmers Cooperative dealing with Supply Chain Challenges in Exports and Imports. Door prizes were presented from members of the committee and everyone was provided a goody bag. Over 60 attended the event.

OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE: Within the structure of the University of Idaho CALS each Department has what is called a Unit Advisory Committee. One of those groups advises the operations of Extension (located throughout Idaho). The Extension Unit Advisory Committee has representatives from four Districts, North, Central, Eastern and Western Idaho. There are some vacancies in some of these areas. If you would like your name to be considered for one of these District Advisory Committees, please let me know and I will pass it along to Dr. Barbara Petty. If you would like to know more about the Unit Advisory Committee, please contact one of the existing members and LIA Alumni currently serving:
 
North – Russ Zenner, Class 3; Caroline Troy, Class 15
Central – Clark Kauffman, Class 13
Eastern – Will Ricks, Class 27
Western – Stephanie Etter, Class 26

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REMINDER: Due to the last Thursday of November being Thanksgiving, we will not be holding an LIA Alumni LINK call this month. We look forward to having you join us in December.