Mack recognized by The South Carolina S.C. seedsmen During the 62nd annual meeting of the South Carolina Seedsmen's M A R K E T Association, E. Wayne Mack, Director of Marketing and Promotion at the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, was recognized for his significant contributions to the seed industry in the state. At their B U L L E T I N banquet on Monday, July 19, Mack was presented an Honorary South Carolina Department of Agriculture Membership for his marketing efforts in encouraging the use and demand for South Carolina seeds, especially in the area of vegetables. Volume 73 August 5, 1999 Issue Number 15 Mack said, "I am proud of this recognition, especially since in past Next deadline: August 10 years this award has been bestowed to those directly involved in the seed industry. I have been honored to work with them in the market- ing of agricultural products. The more demand for agricultural prod- C o m m i s s i o n e r’s Column ucts, the more demand for seeds." Inside politics — for a week Mack, a native of St. Matthews, S.C., attended the University of This spring, local American Legion members visited schools across South Carolina majoring in Business Administration and Marketing. the state searching for some of our brightest students. Why? To give As a 25-year veteran of the Department of Agriculture, he has worked them an inside scoop into how our government works. in Market News and Inspection, International Marketing, and Most high school students know little about what kind of work Domestic Market Development. He has also served as Executive their city council members, state representatives, senators and consti- Director of various commodity boards and is a member of several tutional officers perform on a day-to-day basis, and even fewer know Lorick awarded local and national organizations relating to Agricultural Marketing. about the political intricacies that go along with those public offices. One Department of Agriculture Mack and his wife have two children and one granddaughter. But each spring hundreds of teenagers have the opportunity to briefly Laboratory Services employee The South Carolina Seedsmen's Association is a trade organization peek into the world of politics and learn a little bit more about our was recently awarded for her of about 150 members from all areas of the seed industry — produc- complex political processes. excellence in toxins analysis. tion, packaging, distribution, and retailing. Members work closely About 1,300 teenagers participated in the Boys State/Girls State Verna Lorick was presented the together to ensure that South Carolina farmers and gardeners receive program, which is organized by local American Legions and Certificate Award from T h e the best quality seeds available for everything from soybeans and cot- American Legion Auxiliaries across the state. Teens who participate American Oil Chemists Society ton to vegetables and flowers. Quality seeds have made the diff e r- in the program are divided into 15 “cities” and spend a week getting for her work in analyzing afla- ence between survival and disaster since the early settlers planted first-hand governing experience. They campaign. They make speech- toxins in grains for the their first crops. es. They vote. They sit on mock city and county councils, listen to Laboratory Proficiency Program. The South Carolina Seedsmen's Association is an affiliate of the their constituents and draft ordinances. Some serve as state represen- The toxins naturally occur in American Seed Trade Association, an organization which monitors tatives, senators and all nine constitutional officers. Teens who are many grain products in South regulatory and legislative matters and new technologies impacting the uninterested in becoming politicians for a week become the reporters seed industry. who interview the politicians and tell the general public what their Carolina, and her analytical work representatives are doing. And they do all this in one short week. helps protect S.C. farmers and This year, 790 guys bunked in the barracks at the Citadel, and 450 consumers. Lorick and her col- FFA Earns Cash for Culture girls stayed in dorms at Columbia College for their week-long foray l e a g u e s ’ work helps to ensure into politics. They worked their way up to various levels of govern- safety for all consumers. Through the sale of S.C. Art and Agriculture Watercolor Collection ment during the week, beginning with city government, then learning calendars for the year 2000, FFA has a chance to earn "cash for cul- about county and finally state government. Toward the end of the Pork elections ture,"—agriculture, that is. FFA members have joined forces with the week, the students voted on who they thought should represent them coming soon Friends of Agriculture (FOA) to increase awareness of agriculture in as state senators, representatives and constitutional of f i c e - h o l d e r s . the state, and, at the same time, support high school and college stu- They even had two political parties during the campaigns — the fed- The election of pork producer dents preparing for careers in the science, business, or technology of eralists and the nationalists. After the final votes were counted and delegate candidates for the 2000 agriculture and related o fficers elected, the young men and women headed to the State National Pork Producers Pork Act areas. Capitol to meet their adult counterparts and finish out a week Delegate Body will be at 7 p.m. To build an understand- absolutely loaded with hands-on politicking. on Thursday, August 12, 1999, in ing of the continuing When the students ventured to the Capitol, I had the pleasure of the Conference Center at the importance of agriculture meeting two especially bright teens, Laci Chisholm and Johnny Columbia State Farmers Market. to our way of life, the FOA Graham. Laci attends Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, and Any pork producer who is a resi- implemented an ag aware- Johnny attends Berea High School in Greenville. dent of the state and has paid all ness campaign in 1997. The two were elected Commissioners of Agriculture by their fellow boy and girl staters, assessments due may be consid- Since then, the campaign ered as a candidate and partici- and both were very excited about the things they has included television learned. pate in the election. spots, billboards, bumper Painting by Dixie Dugan Seventeen-year-old Laci said she enjoyed her Biographical data forms for stickers, caps, and other producer nominees and further week at Columbia College, meeting other stu- premium items, all designed to educate the increasingly urban popu- dents her age and working on her campaign. information are available from lation about the critical contributions agriculture makes to our well- the South Carolina Pork Board, “I got to learn a lot about constitutional offices being. FFA members have been an important part of the annual FOA that I d i d n ’t know before,” she said. “I became P.O. Box 11280, Columbia, SC campaign launch events, and now they have a chance to participate 29211. confident in what I was saying. I got to meet in the calendar effort, too. The project will add cash and culture to Chisholm senators and prominent leaders, especially State Farmers Markets the organizations' efforts. women that are involved in politics.” Thirty-six original paintings depicting agriculture have been Johnny, who is also 17, said he was surprised Availability Listing donated by well-known S.C. watercolor artists over a three-year peri- by all the opportunities the Boys State program Seasonal In-State od for the S.C. Department of Agriculture's permanent Art and offered. “Featured Products” Agriculture Watercolor Collection. Each year, the SCDA allows the “I’d never heard of Boys State,” he said. “I Columbia SFM F O A to produce the Art and Agriculture Watercolor Calendar from was thinking I would go down there and sit in a Bluff Rd., Columbia the paintings in the collection. Artists for the Art and A g r i c u l t u r e bunch of classes, but it was non-stop — we were (803) 737-4664 Watercolor Calendar 2000 include: Dixie Dugan-Myrtle Beach; doing stuff all the time.” peaches, watermelons, Jennie Branham-Chapin; Lorin Mason-Pawleys Island; Anna K. He said he enjoyed the political rallies and that cantaloupes, corn, beans Singley-Prosperity; Barbara Yon-Ridge Spring; and Laura Dickson, he learned a lot about speech-making. Bonnie Smith, Betty Kornegay, Debbie Sherer, Fran Solomon, Niles Garrett “I found I need to be myself and still make a Greenville SFM point,” in my speeches, he said. 1354 Rutherford Rd., Greenville Storrs, and Jackie Vining-Price-Columbia. The calendars sell for $10 each. Out of the $10, three dollars will Boys State/Girls State has been around since (864) 244-4023 1940, and South Carolina’s program is unique because it’s run by for- butter beans, peas, peaches, be retained by the FFA Chapter, and the rest will go to the FOA to mer boy staters. Twelfth Circuit Family Court Judge A.E. Morehead, tomatoes, cantaloupes continue the on-going ag awareness campaign that is already under- who has been involved with the program for 37 years, said organizers way and for the cost of printing the calendars. For every calendar Pee Dee SFM try to make the program a kind of laboratory of government for teens. 2513 W. Lucas St., Florence that FFA members sell, an additional dollar is being reserved for an “We try to make it as realistic as we can,” Judge Morehead said.