LIA Briefs

Congratulations to James Boggan, Class 40, who recently was engaged to Hannah Croskrey. James is the Agriculture Instructor at Riggins High School. 

Congratulations to Patxi Larrocea-Phillips, Class 41, who was presented the Honorary Farmer degree by the Meridian FFA at their annual Parent-Member Banquet held recently. Patxi has been active as an alumni of the chapter helping with a variety of projects and activities. 
​
Alumni Members (Annual and Lifetime), be sure and cast your ballot for nominations for LIA Officers and Trustees that was emailed to you online. The following are the candidates in the slate submitted by the LIA Governance Committee:

Officers:        

• Chairman, Travis Lammers, Class, 34
• Vice Chairman, Nic Wittman, Class 39
• Secretary/Treasurer, Monica Youree, Class 42
• Past Chairman, Malia Miller, Class 36

New Trustees:

• Nate Garner, Class 45
• Bo Isham, Class 40
• Jen Uranga, Class 37
• Ryan Winterswyk, Class 44

Trustees for re-elections:

• Kolby Carpenter, Class 41
• Connor Lankford, Class 41
• Justin Patten, Class 21
• Lisa Shively, Class 15
• Monica Youree, Class 42

Congratulations to Jane Waldher, Class 35, who recently has taken a position with the Oregon Farm Bureau. Jane and her husband Bob, along with their family live in Pendleton. Jane will be working with county Farm Bureau organizations across Oregon. Jane’s title is Membership and Outreach Coordinator.

Sympathy is extended to James Boggan, Class 40, in the recent passing of his mother Sharon on April 24. James is involved in the family ranching operations with his Dad outside of Riggins, Idaho. 
​
August 1 is the deadline for applications for LIA Class 46. Tuition is currently at $3,300, not including travel and lodging. The dates of the four sessions are as follows:
           Moscow        November 3 - 6          (Monday - Thursday)
           Idaho Falls     December 1 - 4          (Monday - Thursday)
           Twin Falls       January 19 - 23         (Monday - Friday)
           Boise             February 15 – 20       (Sunday - Friday)

Directory Update: The LIA Board of Trustees are considering the most efficient and economical way to provide the LIA directory to the membership each year. Currently, the directory is printed in hard copy only. Marketing Director Nic Gibson, Class 37, is exploring directories that are available online. This will be a developing process. You should expect to see the annual update for your directory information sent to you in the very near future for the 2025-2026 directory.

Jeff Schott, Class 45, has recently announced his plans to return to the family farm in Canada. Jeff’s wife, Dr. Linda Schott, has been employed by the U of I in the area in soil nutrient research in Kimberly. Dr. Schott has accepted a new position at the University of Manitoba, Canada. The Schott family farm is nearby, and this provided an opportunity for Jeff to return to the family operation. Jeff had been working for Amazone, Inc. 

The Twin Falls golf tournament on June 5 sold out in record time this year! We are looking forward to seeing many of you at the tournament. Due to the high demand we are excited to launch our FIRST EVER Treasure Valley tournament. The scramble will be held at Scotch Pines in Payette on July 17. Registration is now open and teams are selling fast,  register today! 

Looking ahead:
LIA will be hosting a group of 33 Louisiana Leadership participants June 8-12 in Treasure and Magic Valleys. The tour schedule is almost complete. One of the highlights of State Exchange trips LIA has experienced has been the opportunity sit and visit with graduates of that state’s leadership program. A regional event will be held at Shoshone Falls State Park on Monday June 9 – additional details to follow. Please contact the office if you are interested in attending.