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

Looking for an Idaho Holiday Gift Idea? Do you love supporting local farmers, ranchers, and crafters? Are you looking for the perfect holiday gift? Look no further than The Idaho Preferred Holiday Gift Box. It's packed full of 15 brands made with quality local ingredients from right here in our beautiful Gem State. Featuring some delicious foods and personal care products packaged in a fun, Idaho-themed gift box. Each box has been carefully filled with products from Idaho and can be shipped anywhere in the United States. Skip the crowded holiday stores and hours of searching while supporting local farmers and food crafters! This gift is more than its great products, it’s about supporting our Idaho roots and agriculture - the farmers, ranchers, and crafters who bring the farm to our tables. Supplies are limited! Pre-orders are accepted until December 3rd or when supplies run out. Boxes will be shipped by mid-December for a timely holiday delivery. Order yours here https://idahopreferred.com/giftbox2021/

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.

Congratulations to Karma Metzler Fitzgerald, Class 41, for being named Outstanding Adult Volunteer – Brightest Star for her public service to the Idaho Philanthropy Day. The focus of Karma’s work was around advocating for farm and rural families.
 
We celebrate with Don Dixon, Class 15, and his wife Georgia who recently received a diagnosis of being cancer free. Georgia has been battling cancer and treatments over the past few years. We are thankful for a positive, great report. Georgia worked for Senator Larry Craig out of his Idaho Falls Office. 

Congratulations to Devin Fielding, Class 40, who was elected a Division 5 Representative for the Idaho Association of Soil Conservation Districts. This places Devin on the Idaho Association of Soil Conservation Districts State Board of Directors. Devin was also elected the next day to the Idaho Irrigation District Board. Devin stated “If campaigning is this easy, maybe I should consider a run for President.” 
 
Congratulations to John Zietz, Class 34, who announced his retirement from Cargill on October 5 after 42.5 years of service. John says his schedule now reads: “time with the grandkids, traveling a bit and enjoying the lake in the summer.” John resides in Detroit Lakes, MN.
 
Congratulations to Vic Mason, Class 27, who announced his retirement from ISDA at the end of October after 27 years of working for the Department. Vic has been serving as the Ag Resources Administrator at ISDA. Vic says it was meant to be when you have 27 years and you were in Class 27.
 
Congratulations to Ben Schumacher, Class 39, and his wife, Tia, on the birth of Harlow Jean, born on October 7 weighing in at 6 lbs and 10 oz. Harlow was two weeks early.
 
Also arriving on October 7, and also two weeks early, was Michael Rutan, born to parents Dennis and Rebecca, Class 33, Rutan. Rebecca works for Northwest Farm Credit Services in Nampa and the special gift arrived days before her birthday on October 13.
 
Sympathy is extended to Gayle Batt, Class 18, on the recent passing of her 93-year old Grandmother – a true Matriarch of the family. Gayle is a homemaker in the Wilder area.
 
Sympathy is extended to Brenda Thomasson, Class 19, on the recent loss of son-in-law, Joe, to COVID. Brenda’s daughter Tiffani, wife of Joe, is expecting a baby any day. Thanks to the many LIA alumni who responded in support of Brenda and her family.
 
Sympathy is extended to the family of Mike Aardema, Class 19, who passed away suddenly on Sunday, October 24. Mike was the owner and operator of Oak Valley Dairy & Pure Grain Commodities located near Kimberly. LIA, Idaho Ag in the Classroom and other groups have toured Mike’s operation often over the years.
 
There is still time to get your name on the list as a sponsor for a break, meal or participant in LIA Class 42. If you are interested, please give the office a call and we will provide you the necessary information. Your name will be listed in the session schedule, placard placed at the event you sponsor and your name listed in the Graduation Program.

Heidi Martin, Class 28, shared Dairy West recently announced two open positions in their organization: a Communications Manager position and a Retail Outreach Manager position. The job descriptions can be found on the Dairy West website at https://dairywest.com/careers . Heidi is Vice President of Health and Wellness for Dairy West. 

The next generation of LIA is making it big with front cover publicity. Johanna Hyink, Class 41, had all four of her boys on the front cover of Southern Idaho KIDS October issue. Brooks (9), Korbin (11), Bentley (12) and Maverik (7). This was also a proud moment for Grandpa Willie Bokma, Class 37. ​

While in the Treasure Valley, Hadley (3) made the front cover of Parent’s Guide daughter of Nic, Class 37, and Kyra, Class 35, Gibson. The Lowe Family Farmstead is owned and managed by Jim Lowe, Class 31, and his wife, Hillary, and is located southeast of Kuna, Idaho.