Congratulations to Blair Lyon, Class 35, who welcomed a new grandchild, born, August 25. Austin Cody States joins his sisters in the family. Grandpa still works for DL Evans Bank in Idaho Falls.
 
August 22 was wedding day for Jason Keller, Class 37, and Susie Pouliot. Jason continues his vet practice, Herd Health PLLC and Susie is a registered lobbyist for Idaho Medical Association.
 
Saturday, September 5, was a busy day for two LIA alumni families. Anna, daughter of Mark, Class 11, and Wendy Pratt, Class 35, was married to Cole Lickley the son of Bill, Class 25, and Laurie Lickley, LIA Affiliate member. Cole works as a risk management consultant with StoneX Group, Inc. and Anna is working as a program manager for ISDA for a new program, Farm Forward.
 
September 12 is an exciting day for Ben Schumacher, Class 39, who will be married to Tia on the family farm in Greencreek. Tia works for the USDA Farm Service Agency in Nezperce. Ben works for Seeds Inc. as a Producer/Crop Consultant, and manages a herd of beef cattle. Ben is also a Councilman for the City of Cottonwood.
 
Jarom Jemmett, Class 39, has been experimenting with growing watermelon. Perhaps you saw the article in the Capitol Press or on Facebook. Most of the watermelons are contracted for sale in the Midwest. Jarom, part of a long time onion farming family, is excited about the results.
 
Congratulations to Dave Wenk, Class 40, who was elected to one of the 5 Republican Central Committee members in Boundary County. Dave represents the Naples precinct which is about 25% of the county population. He was also voted as the Secretary of the committee.
 
When the Governor called the extraordinary session of the Idaho legislature, Rep. Rick Youngblood, Nampa, realized he was scheduled for vacation and asked Stephen Parrott, Class 39, to sit in for him. Stephen had full voting power on all of the issues discussed. Stephen is employed by Northwest Farm Credit Services.
 
Rikki Ruiz, Class 28, recently secured her realtor license and formed a company called Royal Star Realty. She's affiliated with the Larison Team with Keller Williams Realty in Boise. Rikki and her family still ranch in the New Plymouth area.
 
Sympathy is extended to Branden Schiess, Class 40, in the loss of his father on September 3. His father lived in Victor, Idaho where Branden grew up. Our prayers and thoughts are with Branden and his family.
 
LIA Trustee Linda Rider, Class 22 will sponsor her annual Meet a Farmer tour and dinner on September 11. The adult event costs $50.00/person and runs from 10:00 am -7:00 pm. There will be workshops, hayrides, tours and a great dinner/social featuring Idaho products. Linda and her entire family are truly Advocates for Agriculture.
  
Featured Farm Families were selected and recognized during the Twin Falls County Fair. One of the recipients was Lanting Enterprises. Jim Lanting, Class 17, is one of the partners in that operation. Congratulations Jim and Louise. Another family recognized was Hollifield Ranches, Inc., Terry Hollifield, Class 2, is the owner. Terry and his son Larry operate the ranch.
 
Congratulations to Wayne Hammon, Class 14, who was recently selected as one of 15 individuals for the Idaho Business Review ICON Award. This award is the highest honor the Idaho Business Review can bestow. It is based on the mission to improve their community, mentor others and create a legacy. Wayne is the Executive Director and CEO of the Idaho Associated General Contractors based in Boise.
 
When it became apparent that we were not going to be able to hold LIA Alumni summer events we began to plan for a new approach. LIA Summer Connect Project is a concept of setting up a Zoom meeting by class and sharing for an hour what is happening in your life. We held the first one last Thursday for Class 40. The one for Class 39 is scheduled for Thursday, September 10 and for Class 38 for September 17. Members of the class pre-register for the event so we know they will join us and are then sent a letter and correspondence about the call. We will continue to work our way through the classes and may at some point begin to do more than one class at a time. The project will most likely change to LIA Fall Connect Project. It is not as good as a hearty BBQ and great fellowship, but it is helping to bridge the current situation.

​Dear LIA Alumni:
 
Thank you to those who joined us this morning for the LIA Alumni LINK call. I hope you found the topics discussed to be timely and informative.
 
Here is the link to the recording: