[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 38 (Thursday, March 30, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S2599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO HOOSIER ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS

 Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I wish today to share with my 
colleagues the winners of the 2005-2006 Dick Lugar/Indiana Farm Bureau/
Farm Bureau Insurance Companies Youth Essay Contest.
  In 1985, I joined with the Indiana Farm Bureau to sponsor an essay 
contest for eighth grade students in my home State. The purpose of this 
contest is to encourage young Hoosiers to recognize and appreciate the 
importance of Indiana agriculture in their lives and subsequently craft 
an essay responding to the assigned theme. I, along with my friends at 
the Indiana Farm Bureau and Farm Bureau Insurance Companies, am pleased 
with the annual response to this contest and the quality of the essays 
received over the years.
  I congratulate Sangeeth Jeevan, of Vigo County, and Brittany Blazier, 
of Wells County, as winners of this year's contest, and I ask to have 
printed in the Record the complete text of their respective essays. 
Likewise, I would like to include the names of all of the district and 
county winners of the 2005-2006 Dick Lugar/Indiana Farm Bureau/Farm 
Bureau Insurance Companies Youth Essay Contest.
  The material follows.

                       Indiana Farm Super Heroes

                   (By Sangeeth Jeevan--Vigo County)

       Introducing the Indiana Farm Super Heroes!
       Corn Man--with his super riboflavin power to boost energy, 
     can change from a solid, corn starch, to a liquid, corn 
     syrup.
       Wheat Gal--with her supernatural ability to deliver more 
     energy with carbohydrates and make food delicious!
       Powerful Poultry--delivering protein needed to build muscle 
     and provide the best tasting meat!
       Big Beef--teams up with the Powerful Poultry to provide 
     even more protein.
       Potato Pal--a tasty hero that delivers the carbohydrates to 
     energize our health.
       Vivacious Veggies--these veggies pack a punch of healthy 
     vitamins and minerals essential for our health!
       Today, they will face the challenge of creating a 
     nutritious cookout.
       Corn Man: Ok team, what should we do? We need to create the 
     best cookout only with Indiana farm products.
       Wheat Gal: I have an idea. Maybe Big Beef should help 
     create a delicious steak!
       Powerful Poultry: Yeah, and I could make some mouth 
     watering chicken skewers!
       Corn Man: Yeah! Good thinking, Wheat Gal. Veggies, do you 
     think you can create some kind of barbecue sauce for the 
     meat?
       Vivacious Veggies: Of course! We could use our tomatoes 
     packed with vitamin C.
       Corn Man: Great. I can create a couple of scrumptious 
     grilled corn-on-the-cob!
       Wheat Gal: MMM! This cookout sounds tasty. Maybe I can 
     create some buns for cheeseburgers. Hey, Big Beef, do you 
     think you can help me?
       Big Beef: Of course! After all, burgers are my specialty. 
     Hey, can you Veggies help me add some condiments?
       Vivacious Veggies: Coming right up!
       Potato Pal: Maybe I can whip up some snacks for us; say how 
     do potato chips sound!
       Everybody: GREAT!!!
       Powerful Poultry: I can't believe we can make all these 
     cookout foods just from Indiana farm products. It's amazing!
       Wheat Gal: Yeah, and to think these items are so delicious 
     and nutritious!
       Corn Man: This is the best cookout ever!
                                  ____


                 Memorable Cookouts From Hoosier Farms

                  (By Brittany Blazier--Wells County)

       ``Lunch time!''
       My head popped out of the chilly lake water like a jack-in-
     the-box. I didn't need to be told twice. Scrambling out of 
     the water, I ran to the shore and flung a sun-warmed towel 
     around me, the breeze making goose bumps on my skin. It was 
     another beautiful day in Indiana.
       ``What are we eating?'' my brother asked as he sat down at 
     a picnic table.
       ``The usual,'' I shrugged.
       Of course, as Grandma and Mom brought out plate after plate 
     of piping hot food, ``the usual'' was absolutely music to my 
     taste buds. Corn on the cob, strawberries, and an apple pie 
     looked especially appetizing.
       Quickly buttering my corn, I felt my mouth water. ``This is 
     your corn, isn't it, Grandpa?''
       Indiana is the seventeenth largest producer of sweet corn 
     in the nation. In 2003, it produced 18,600 tons! Along with 
     the fact that sweet corn tastes delicious, it's also very 
     healthy. Corn is a good source of protein, carbohydrates, 
     fiber, iron, and potassium.
       After the corn, I moved on to devour the strawberries. Also 
     grown in Indiana, strawberries are jam-packed with vitamin C. 
     In fact, one cup of strawberries is eighty-two milligrams of 
     vitamin C, which is twenty-two more than my diet requires.
       Finally, the apple pie was last with apples straight from 
     our orchard. Indiana ranks sixteenth in the country for apple 
     production. Apples are another great source of vitamin C and 
     other nutrients.
       I put my fork down and sighed with happiness. My stomach 
     was full, and so was my heart. These memorable cookouts with 
     our homegrown food--heavenly Hoosier horticulture--are 
     ineffably priceless.
                                  ____


                    2005-2006 District Essay Winners

       District 1: Elizabeth Zubrenic (Lake County) and Michael 
     Rice (Marshall County).
       District 2: Jeff Teeters (Allen County) and Megan Ramus 
     (DeKalb County).
       District 3: Jill Griffin (Carroll County) and Victor 
     Gutwein (Jasper County).
       District 4: Jared Wilkinson (Miami County) and Brittany 
     Blazier (Wells County).
       District 5: Andrew Keck (Hendricks County) and Chelsea 
     Carroll (Morgan County).
       District 6: Nick Johnson (Hamilton County) and Cierra 
     Edwards (Randolph County).
       District 7: Sangeeth Jeevan (Vigo County) and Amy Goodman 
     (Green County).
       District 8: Megan Hein (Johnson County) and Doug Wicker 
     (Rush County).
       District 9: Blake Kleaving (Perry County) and Austen McBain 
     (Posey County).
       District 10: Julia Hunter (Floyd County) and Jordan Agan 
     (Washington County).

                     2005-2006 County Essay Winners

       Adams: Elizabeth Goebel.
       Allen: Jeff Teeters and Ivy Strubel.
       Bartholomew: Chrissy Day.
       Benton: Michael Strasburger and Allyson LaGrange.
       Brown: Sherry Lynn Bube.
       Carroll: Jill Griffin.
       Cass: Ethan Sell and Katelyn McKaig.
       Clark: Austin Mann.
       Daviess: Elizabeth Anne Bohnert.
       DeKalb: Dean Behrendsen and Megan Ramus.
       Dubois: Matthew Wilmes and Katie Whitsitt.
       Elkhart: Bennett Tyson and Emily Zimmerman.
       Floyd: Stephen McCoskey and Julia Hunter.
       Franklin: Chase Howell and Molly Schwab.
       Greene: Corbyn Bales and Amy Goodman.
       Hamilton: Nick Johnson and Meera Chander.
       Hendricks: Andrew Keck and Rachel Douglas.
       Henry: Zach Emerson and Emily Thornburgh.
       Jackson: Derrick O'Sullivan and Kourtney Tiemeyer.
       Jasper: Victor Gutwein and Lindsey Park.
       Jay: Ben Vance and Kellie Howell.
       Jennings: Aaron Simmons and Morgan Siener.
       Johnson: Ben Diekhoff and Megan Hein.
       Lake: Patrick Cudzilo and Elizabeth Zubrenic.
       Madison: Jessica Driggers.
       Marion: Alex Schroeder and Anasuya Shekhar.
       Marshall: Michael Rice and Rachel Conley.
       Miami: Jared Wilkinson and Adeline Jackson.
       Monroe: J.P. Tapp and Deana Fox.
       Morgan: Chelsea Carroll.
       Newton: Colin Lawrence and Megan Tornquist.
       Perry: Blake Kleaving.
       Posey: Logan Schmitt and Austen McBain.
       Pulaski: Evan Criswell.
       Putnam: Laura McGaughey.
       Randolph: Jordan Wall and Cierra Edwards.
       Rush: Doug Wicker.
       St. Joseph: Mark Greci and Vanessa Noriega.
       Scott: Trenton Johnson and Anna McGuire.
       Starke: Nick Hofferth and Rachel Lugo.
       Switzerland: Maggie Armstrong.
       Tippecanoe: Natasha Scheffee.
       Vigo: Sangeeth Jeevan and Paige Cook.
       Wabash: Matthew Andersen and Marissa Stoffel.
       Warrick: Ethan Schnur and Amanda Downey.
       Washington: Jordan Agan and Cora Carter.
       Wayne: Shaun Sizemore and Elizabeth Lim.
       Wells: Brittany Blazier.
       White: Cory Thomas and Amanda Spear.

                          ____________________