Our softball summer league has finished as well as our summer All Star season. So far my friends and my summer has consisted of swimming practically every day, going to the lake on weekends to see who will survive our intense tubing competitions, four-wheeling trips, and of course riding horses in the evenings.
In a few days I will be traveling to Oregon with my new FFA officer team for some team bonding and to plan out our year. I have also had the amazing opportunity to travel to Dallas and accompany my dad to some rice meetings, all of which was an eye-opening experience and very interesting. I had never been to Texas before, but I absolutely loved it - except the 106-degree weather! They say everything is bigger in Texas, and they sure are right! From their onion rings, to burgers, to roller coasters! It was all so amazing. I was really excited I got to attend some of the annual USA Rice Federation meetings with my dad. I was able to attend the communication meeting, the international promotion meeting, and the conservation committee meeting. I sat through most of all the meetings, which I found all very impressive.
My favorite meeting was the conservation meeting, where my dad was the chairperson. I listened to the guest speaker and to the committee discussing the upcoming farm bill. Tim Johnson, the CEO of the California Rice Commission, was very helpful and helped explain the meeting in a 16-year-old’s perspective, which I greatly needed. I also had the opportunity to meet some very important people such as Chuck Wilson, Stacy Fitzgerald-Redd, and Johnny Broussard who all work for the USA Rice Federation. I also met Betsy Ward, the CEO of the USA Rice Federation, which I thought was really cool that a woman was the CEO of the Rice Federation. Overall it was an enjoyable and educational experience and I'm glad I was able to attend.
Now I’m back to the family rice farm and keeping an eye on how the fields are progressing. We just finished our last weed sprayings and fertilizing, which will highly increase our amount of grain produced. We definitely need some more heat to provide the plants to mature and for a timely harvest though. Not only is the sun and heat welcome if you’d like a tan, it’s desperately needed for our rice fields, so let's hope we will be getting more of it as summer progresses.
Lauren LaGrande is the latest in a family farming tradition that began nearly 100 years ago. She is a sophomore at Maxwell High School and is active in FFA, Future Business Leaders of America, volleyball, basketball and softball. When she’s on the farm, you’ll often see her with her trusted companion, Hank, the family dog. Lauren’s great-grandfather grew his first rice crop in the Sacramento Valley in 1916 and the family has continued this tradition ever since.
No comments:
Post a Comment