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2007 NJSA National Youth Leadership Conference
"The Race Is On"
April 19-22, 2007
Indianapolis, Ind.

Press Release

2007 NJSA National Youth Leadership Conference Photo Album #1
2007 NJSA National Youth Leadership Conference Photo Album #2
2007 NJSA National Youth Leadership Conference Photo Album #3

NJSA members from 17 states gather in Indianapolis, Ind., for the 2007 NJSA National Youth Leadership Conference on April 19-22.

NJSA members enjoy a broadway production of "Guys and Dolls" at the Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis on the first night of the conference.

(L-R) Mackenzie Langemeier of Marion, Texas, Valerie Nelson of Monrovia, Ind., and Alicia Keller of Corfu, N.Y., act out the nursery rhyme “Ring Around the Rosie.” Participants were encouraged to locate others in the room to perform various tasks, including push-ups and dance moves, during this icebreaker on Friday morning.

Eric Farrand, Pfizer Animal Health marketing manager, reminds NJSA members of the importance of a swine-health program and how the medications they administer to their hogs can affect the food chain during his “Swine Health Protocol” presentation.

Andy Rash, Showmaster Feeds regional accounts manager, welcomes conference participants to the lunch sponsored by Showmaster Feeds on Friday. He encourages NJSA members to live with integrity, a passion for success and respect for others.

Keynote speaker Corey Flournoy challenges participants to have integrity. To make this point clear, he provided participants with this quote: “We judge ourselves by our noblest acts and best intentions, but we are judged by our last act.”

(L-R): Kellye Pfalzgraf, Tyson Foods’ director in the office of well-being; Hugh Dorminy, National Pork Board consultant and former Cargill Pork employee; and Erik Risa, National Pork Board manager of certification programs, explain the difference between animal rights and animal welfare, and encourage participants to be proactive in educating the public during a swine-welfare panel discussion. “Activists are irritants and stir up feelings that consumers do have,” Dorminy says. “It’s time that we take notice, because there’s demonstrable evidence that consumers do care.” Pfalzgraf adds, “Even a broken clock is right twice a day. The activists know what you’re doing sometimes better than you do.”

Teamwork is critical in this icebreaker, in which teams of six pass a roll of toilet paper over the shoulder of one member and between the legs of the next. The winning team unrolled the roll the quickest without the roll breaking.

Ben Staymates (l) of Saltsburg, Pa., and Brooke Widner of Colquitt, Ga., challenge each other in a “virtual race” during an outing to downtown Indianapolis for dinner and fun.

Rebecca Bailey (l) of Turlock, Calif., and Aimee Shaffer, NJSA board member, explain to each other the meaning of the core values they wrote on their paper T-shirts during Flournoy’s Friday-morning workshop.

Participants display their T-shirts for the duration of the conference to serve as reminders of their core values.

Conference keynote speaker Corey Flournoy (c) asks NJSA member Kayla Wood (r) of Aptos, Calif., to explain why she disagrees with a situation he has presented to the group. Flournoy presented numerous ethical situations to participants, and they were asked to stand next to the sign – strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree – that matched their response. Situations included, “I would turn in a friend for cheating on an exam,” “I would bad mouth a judge that I don’t agree with,” and “If I accidentally gave a mislabeled drug, I would confess.”

Dr. Jodi Sterle of Texas A&M University educates participants about the steps of reproduction during her presentation, “Swine Repro 101.” In addition, she encourages NJSA members to seek out mentors to help them become better leaders. “Find someone further down the path,” she says. “Talk to them. Listen to them. Learn from them.”

During Sterle’s presentation, NJSA members were asked to draw a photo of a scientist. Many drawings depicted men holding test tubes and wearing lab coats. Sterle reminded participants that a scientist doesn’t usually fit the mold of a stereotypical scientist of the movies, and that often, they look no different than a modern-day farmer.

(L-R): Swine judges Warren Beeler, Jim McCoy and Dr. Clint Rusk explain what it’s like from a judge’s viewpoint in the panel discussion, “Influencing Lives in the Show Ring.” They explained their positions on placing classes from the bottom to the top of the class, the information they seek from show coordinators before the show starts and how to give effective reasons.

Nicole Boettger (r), National Pork Board assistant director of producer outreach, aides NJSA member Keegan Bruner of Warsaw, Ind., in crafting a positive response to a tough media question in her “Operation Mainstreet” media-training workshop. Boettger challenged participants to develop the question they hoped to never be asked, and then taught them skills to help them construct the answer.

Hoosier State Semen Supply co-owner Daniel Hendrickson (upper right) discusses his boar stud operation while salesman Travis Platt presents Lake City for viewing. NJSA members enjoyed a barbecue lunch and tour of the boar stud main facility, which houses 20 boars, on Friday.

Hendrickson, a past NJSA board president, explains how he and his wife, Telynda, got their start in the boar stud business three years ago. In addition to running the boar stud, Hendrickson also recently purchased his family’s 175-sow operation, Hendrickson Farms, and is a Performance Nutrition distributor.

NJSA members enjoy the sunshine at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. Pictured are front row, l to r: Allison Harp of West Lafayette, Ind., Eva Bittles of West Lafayette, Ind., and Keegan Bruner. Second row, l to r: Garrett Hamby of Williamsport, Md., Cory Wiley of Warsaw, Ind., and Cody Brown of Alexandria, Ala. Back row, l to r: Russ Wilson of New Freedom, Pa., Randy Wilson of New Freedom, Pa., Josh Flohr of Emmitsburg, Md., Hayley Wertenberger of Claypool, Ind., John Ebersole of Duncannon, Pa., and Josie Staymates of Saltsburg, Pa.

(L-R): Conference participants Bryant Boyer of Kempton, Ind., Kyle Pullen of Walton, Ind., Trey Lohman of Leavenworth, Kan., Taylor Herbel of Ellsworth, Kan., John Ebersole of Duncannon, Pa., AJ Lanier of Phillipsburg, Kan., and Taylor Kraft of Leavenworth, Kan., check out an Indy 500 racecar during a tour of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.

NJSA members took to the courts in a three-on-three basketball tournament at the Albany Elementary School in Albany, Ind., on Friday night. The Shaffer family and staff treated participants to pizza, a kickball game, a basketball tournament and card games at the school.

NJSA members create bonds and become a team during the 2007 leadership conference.

Terry Shaffer of Shaffer’s Superior Genetics took on an official role as referee during the basketball tournament on Friday night.

To overcome obstacles and work as a team, Flournoy divided the participants into groups. Bound together at the wrists by rubber bands, NJSA members were challenged to feed a large chocolate bar to each other without touching the bar with their hands. Hyatt Frobose (r) of Pemberville, Ohio, attempts to feed Josh Flohr in the race of their group to finish first.

(L-R): Rasha Martin of Judsonia, Ark., Lacey Yingling of Judsonia, Ark., Jacquie Stroud of Caruthers, Calif., Kylie Watson of Marysville, Calif., and Kayla Wood enjoy good times with friends at Shaffer’s facilities.

Katey Brattain, past NJSA president, encourages conference participants to become mentors through the NJSA’s Mentoring Values People (MVP) program.

NJSA members view the Hampshire boar Chairman, being driven by Delbert Redford, in the showroom of Shaffer’s Superior Genetics in Albany, Ind., on Friday.

George Staymates (r) of Saltsburg, Pa., receives the 2007 NJSA National Youth Leadership Conference Outstanding Chaperone Award from Jennifer Shike, NSR Director of Junior Activities.

Jennifer Shike (l) presents the Good Sport Award to Keegan Bruner.

Jennifer Shike (l) presents the Darrell Anderson Leadership Award to Jenna Halverson of DeKalb, Ill.

John Traini (l) of Oakdale, Calif., receives the Darrell Anderson Leadership Award from Jennifer Shike