[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 84 (Monday, June 7, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4616-S4617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO HOOSIER ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS

 Mr. LUGAR. Madam President, I wish today to take the 
opportunity to express my congratulations to the winners of the 2009-
2010 Dick Lugar/Indiana Farm Bureau/Indiana 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. The theme chosen for this 
year was ``Farmers Looking at a Bright Future.''
  Along with my friends at the Indiana Farm Bureau and Indiana Farm 
Bureau Insurance Companies, I am pleased with the annual response to 
this contest and the quality of the essays received over the years. I 
applaud each of this year's participants on their thoughtful work and 
wish, especially, to highlight the submissions of the 2009-2010 contest 
winners--Jordan Cadle of Orleans, Indiana, and Layne Sanders of 
Greensburg, Indiana. I submit for the Record the complete text of 
Jordan's and Layne's respective essays. I am pleased, also, to include 
the names of the many district and county winners of the contest.
  The winning essays follow:

                                Untitled

                           (By Jordan Cadle)

       With world population skyrocketing, farmers need to step 
     off the treadmill of slow incremental growth and jump into 
     using new revolutionary thoughts. The three main ideas for 
     future generations of farmers meeting this challenge are: 
     perennial crops, multistoried planting beds, and hover 
     robotic machinery.
       Putting the knowledge of the crop geneticist to use, I 
     believe the world can create new perennial crops to plant in 
     more evenly balanced climates year around and in greenhouses. 
     If we had corn and soybeans that could survive the winter and 
     keep producing like a tomato plant (in proper growing 
     conditions) this would allow farmers to rarely buy seeds. 
     Also, this would maintain yield throughout the year for 
     consumption. These plants would be bred to have multiple 
     ears, pods, or heads in order to sustain a sufficient yield 
     at all times.
       Helping to produce more of these perennial crops, they 
     could be raised on multistoried planting beds. Imagine these 
     being like large parking garages where each layer is a field. 
     Artificial lighting would be used for stories that are not 
     exposed to sunlight. Going upward with fields leaves more 
     room for people to live and natural trees to grow since we 
     will be exhausting our supply of cultivatable land on earth.
       Tending to these crops, hover robotic machinery will be 
     used. Utilizing this machinery will allow farmers to plant 
     and tend to crops, while the ground may still be too wet for 
     standard machinery. Also, the line of machinery will be 
     equipped with laser sensors to care for each plants' 
     individual needs. This will minimize input costs. Just like 
     robots in general, one farmer will be able to control several 
     at a time.
       I believe hover robotic machinery, multistoried planting 
     beds, and perennial crops will guide farmers running to a 
     brighter future.
                                  ____


                   Farmers Looking at a Bright Future

                           (By Layne Sanders)

       Farming has been and will continue to be a major part of 
     Indiana's future. Change is inevitable, and Indiana's farmers 
     will need to learn to change also. A continuing global demand 
     for high quality and economic food puts Indiana in an 
     enviable position. I think the number of farms will decline, 
     and the average size will continue to increase. Large farms 
     will take advantage of continued advancements in technology 
     to increase productivity and decrease labor. GPS systems will 
     allow tractors to drive themselves and apply fertilizers in 
     fields as needed. No-till farming will play an important role 
     in Indiana's farming future also, no-tilling requires less 
     equipment, less fuel, and is better for the soil. No-till 
     farming reduces soil erosion and saves tons of our precious 
     top soil.
       Smaller farmers may need to be more innovative to survive 
     the changing times ahead. I feel there are real opportunities 
     for small farms in specialty markets. Organic farming holds 
     some intriguing possibilities, as Americans and the world are 
     more and more concerned about the quality of their food. 
     Certified organic meats and vegetables marketed thru a farm 
     name brand, using sources like the Internet, traditional 
     grocery stores, and farmers markets, could provide the niche 
     a smaller farm may need to survive.
       Livestock farms will have the technology to collect waste 
     from many locations and pump the waste to a centralized 
     location. This animal waste can then be converted into 
     biogas, and used to provide energy for our farms, cities, and 
     industries. Carbon credits could be earned by the farms that 
     contribute to biomass facility, these credits could then be 
     exchanged for energy, fertilizer, or other byproducts from 
     the digester. This is a relatively new technology and the 
     future is really wide open with possibilities. Indeed the 
     future is bright.
                                  ____


                    2009-2010 District Essay Winners


                               District 1

       Luke Kepler and Alexandra Magallon.


                               District 2

       Ashley Kain and Curtis Mourey.


                               District 3

       Pamela Kuechenmeister and Colton Underwood.


                               District 4

       Collin Saxman and Kathleen Jacobs.


                               District 5

       Deena Hesselgrave and Joe Littiken.


                               District 6

       Carson Bailey and Annie Chalfant.


                               District 7

       Hannah Kocher and Seth Black.


                               District 8

       Tyler Combs and Layne Sanders.


                               District 9

       Jordan Cadle and Jennifer Riedford.


                              District 10

       Tess Stoops and Trey Embrey.

                     2009-2010 County Essay Winners


                                 Adams

       Christian Inniger and Danielle Parr, South Adams Middle 
     School.


                                 Allen

       Curtis Mourey and Cara Schaadt, Saint Joseph Hessen Cassel 
     School.


                              Bartholomew

       Tyler Combs, Central Middle School.


                                 Benton

       Josh Budreau and Carlene Widmer, Benton Central Junior/
     Senior High School.


                                 Brown

       Elizabeth Collier, Brown County Junior High School.


                                Carroll

       Austin Meyers, Rossville Middle School.


                                 Clark

       Evan Cunliffe and Ashleigh Smith, Silver Creek Middle 
     School.


                                  Clay

       Kade Chastain and Paige Stevenson, North Clay Middle 
     School.


                                Dearborn

       Allison Hilton, South Dearborn Middle School.


                                Decatur

       Layne Sanders, Greensburg Junior/Senior High School.


                                 Floyd

       Trey Embrey and Morgan Daniel, Our Lady of Perpetual Help 
     School.


                                Franklin

       Alec Stalford and Morgan Blades, Mount Carmel School.


                                 Gibson

       Jennifer Riedford, Fort Branch Community School.


                                 Greene

       Ryan Woodward and Hannah Kocher, Linton Stockton Junior 
     High School.


                                Hamilton

       Kyle Weaver, Carmel Middle School; and Julie Sinatra, Saint 
     Maria Goretti School.


                                 Henry

       Benjamin Rea and Cora Herbkersman, Tri Junior/Senior High 
     School.


                                 Howard

       David Schaaf and Erica Plutat, Northwestern Middle School.


                               Huntington

       Kathleen Jacobs, Riverview Middle School.


                                Jackson

       Matthew Zarick and Olivia Isaacs, Immanuel Lutheran School.


                                 Jasper

       Jordan Phillips and Claire Parmele, Rensselaer Middle 
     School.


                                  Jay

       Collin Saxman and Patricia Hein, East Jay Middle School.


                                Jennings

       Eric Gasper and Danielle Kirchner, Saint Mary's School.


                                  Lake

       Hunter Ernst and Alexandra Magallon, Our Lady of Grace 
     School.

[[Page S4617]]

                                Marshall

       Luke Kepler and Libby Moyer, Argos Junior High School.


                                 Miami

       Zachary Vermillion, Maconaquah Middle School.


                                 Monroe

       Camden Sego, Batchelor Middle School.


                                 Newton

       Christopher McKeown and Pamela Kuechenmeister, North Newton 
     Junior/Senior High School.


                                 Orange

       Jordan Cadle, Paoli Junior/Senior High School.


                                 Posey

       William Powell and Nora Beuligmann, North Posey Junior High 
     School.


                                 Putnam

       Joe Littiken and Deena Hesselgrave, Cloverdale Middle 
     School.


                                Randolph

       Annie Chalfant, Twelve-Seven Learning Center.


                                  Rush

       Noah Dawson, Benjamin Rush Middle School.


                                 Starke

       William Sishman and Alivia Jensen, Oregon-Davis Junior/
     Senior High School.


                                Steuben

       Ryder Moore and Ashley Kain, Prairie Heights Middle School.


                                Sullivan

       Alek Copeland and Samantha Young, North Central Junior/
     Senior High School.


                              Switzerland

       Shawn Randolph and Tess Stoops, Switzerland County Middle 
     School.


                               Tippecanoe

       Colton Underwood, Battle Ground Middle School; and Sarah 
     Campbell, Saint James Lutheran School.


                              Vanderburgh

       Adam Kissel, Holy Redeemer School.


                                  Vigo

       Seth Black, Honey Creek Middle School.


                                 Wabash

       Blake Peterson and Erin Dawes, North Field Junior/Senior 
     High School.


                                 Wayne

       Carson Bailey and Nitika Agrawal, Seton Catholic School.


                                 Wells

       Brittany Barger, Norwell Middle School.

                          ____________________