October 7, 2006

This Week’s Program…
Coach Tubby Smith, UK Men's Basketball

Last Week’s Program...
Rod Kuegel – Tobacco farming in Daviess County and surrounding region

It’s obvious that Rod Kuegel knows how to farm and that he understands the macroeconomic, cultural and political impact agriculture has on our community, our country and the globe.

With $82.5 million in ag sales coming from 250,000 acres in Daviess County, we’re reminded that agriculture is a huge industry for our region. Daviess County is 1st in soybean production at more than 3.4 million bushels in 2005 and 5th in corn production in the Commonwealth.

Before the buyout of the tobacco program, Daviess County farmers raised more than 2000 acres of tobacco. That was down this year to 1600 acres. The buyout will bring $76.2 million to 5400 Daviess County landowners and tobacco producers over the next 10 years. Rod described the success of the buyout legislation the product of a strange partnership between tobacco farmers and health interest groups.

An intended byproduct of the tobacco program buyout was the development of alternative crops like peppers, broccoli and other produce. The overwhelming learning curve in marketing the new crops and the increased overhead needed, lead to the demise of the well-intentioned Western Kentucky Growers’ Co-op.

Issues facing the farmer are labor shortages, increasing costs of inputs, technology development and the need for greater efficiencies. Many of these challenges are overcome by economies of scale – which is why the small-scale family farm may be a thing of the past.

Thank you for a great lesson in ag. econ., Rod.

Attendance: 90

Highest Attendance This Year: 93

Invocation, Pledge & 4-Way Test: Pat McFarling

Fellowship Report: John Kurtz

Introduction of Guests: Marcia Carpenter and Bill Kuegel were guests of Jeff Carpenter, Stan Silvert was the guest of Dave Silvert, John Wheeler was a visiting Rotarian from Durham , NH

Meeting Makeups: Martel Wightman made-up at Marshall County Rotary Club, Roger Coomes made-up at Daviess County Rotary Club.

Thought for the Week: "If we value independence, if we are disturbed by the growing conformity of knowledge, of values, of attitudes, which our present system induces, then we may wish to set up conditions of learning which make for uniqueness, for self-direction, and for self-initiated learning."  ~ Carl Rogers

YOUR PRESIDENT SPEAKS:
After hearing Rod Kuegel talk about the migrant labor necessary to produce the crops in Daviess County, I couldn’t help but think of an opportunity for this club to make the lives of the workers and their families a little better.

I don’t know how many children come with the workers but I’m reminded of Rotary International’s call to improve literacy. I researched Rotary clubs in agricultural communities similar to ours and found that the Rotary Club in Hartsville, Ohio started a program to help their town’s 90 children of migrant workers learn to read.

The Child Labor Coalition found that 45 percent of U.S. migrant workers have dropped out of school.

Farm workers try not to "travel with their families from state to state because most want their children to be educated in stable settings," according to Rural Migration News, a University of California publication. The migratory nature of their jobs interrupts their children’s education, which means that the children have a hard time keeping up in school. The children also may suffer from extreme fatigue and poor nutrition, according to the Child Labor Coalition.

Working with the Hartsville Migrant Center, the Rotary club is encouraging migrant farm workers’ children to read. "The migrant reading program seemed like a natural fit," says Lake Township Rotarian Bill Jelen. "We’d worked on other literacy projects recently. Our club donated 120 Spanish-language children’s books, at a cost of $800, to the center in 2004. This year, we donated another $500 worth of books."

The six-week reading program began in 2005. Last year and this year, 25 children completed the program and attended a minor league baseball game as one of the rewards sponsored by the club.

"The Rotarians have been very supportive," says Teresa Brooks, president of the Hartsville Migrant Council, which oversees the center. "Usually whatever we ask for, they try to do what they can."

I’m overwhelmed with the endless opportunities our club has to improve lives around the world and right at home.

Have Fun!

John

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Buddy Maddox - October 9
Robert Cook - October 9
Tommy Thompason - October 10
Ron Hicks - October 12

ANNOUNCEMENTS...
• Tish Correa-Osborne is in need of program chairs for June & July in 2007 ~ Please help if you have good program ideas.

ROTARY REMINDERS
• Don’t forget to make up your missed meetings at Daviess County Rotary, 7 a.m. on Tuesdays at American Bounty.
• John Bryenton is program chair for November.
• Tom Smith is the program chair for October.
• Phil Travis will be at the Fellowship Table during October.
• If you have an email address and are not receiving the Impetus online, or you have changed your email address, please send an email to kim@mediaworksadvertising.com and you will be added to the Rotary email address list.
• Log on to Rotary’s website at www.owensbororotary.org. You’ll find our current member directory, photos of new members, past copies of the Impetus, some interesting history, and more!

Please mail any questions, suggestions, or comments regarding the Impetus to:

Mike Wallace
MediaWorks Advertising, Inc.
208 West 3rd Street
P.O. Box 1866
Owensboro, KY 42302
Phone: 270-684-4554
Fax: 270-684-7314
Email: mike@mediaworksadvertising.com

DEADLINE FOR ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN THE IMPETUS IS THE WEDNESDAY PRIOR TO MONDAY'S PUBLICATION DATE.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS
Oct. 18: Steve Vest, KY Monthly Magazine
Oct. 25: Bring Back Baseball' presented by Bruce Brubaker, Malcom Bryant, Rodney Berry

2006 - 2007 OWENSBORO ROTARY CLUB OFFICERS
President: John Kurtz
Vice President: Tish Correa-Osborne
Past President: Bill Dexter
Secretary: Tim Bradshaw
Treasurer: Bob Nation
Directors: John Kazlauskas, John Medley, Sister Suzanne Sims, Jeremy Bradford, Kirk Kirkpatrick, & Ed Wathen.