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Time for a new leaderBy Trent Loos I will be the first one to tell you that I have been very critical of our society in regard to how many of us escalate the value of college athletics. For example, in my home state of Nebraska within a 30-day span both the department head of animal science and the athletic director lost their jobs. No one outside of the world of agriculture in Nebraska even took notice of our land grant university's lack of a leader, but the athletic director's firing garnered national headlines. With all of that said, I try to be open-minded enough to consider the fact that maybe the world of agriculture could learn a thing or two about gaining the limelight, from our counterparts in college athletics. All of this hit me last Saturday, as interim athletic director and Nebraska icon Tom Osborne held a press conference announcing the dismissal of yet another university employee, head football coach Bill Callahan. I will share the thoughts that came to mind as I listened to Coach Osborne. First, though, I found it extremely interesting to read the different accounts of what took place on Saturday from media outlets around the country. Nebraska media outlets are discussing what is next, who is at the top of the list of potential coaching candidates and why. On the other hand, national media outlets like the Sporting News and Boston Herald have stories that try to explain the concept of Nebraska football to those who don't "bleed Husker Red." Here is the first paragraph from the Sporting News: "The next Nebraska coach doesn't necessarily have to have ties to the school, but Tom Osborne says the Cornhuskers' next leader must have an understanding of the program's unique culture and history." How does a college athletic program create a "unique culture and history?" One word--PRIDE! As I travel extensively to university campuses across the country, I understand that sports teams bring out tremendous pride in a great number of folks. But let me tell you what I heard in the press conference that I feel makes Nebraska a bit different. The very last question about the future generated a great response from Osborne. He said that we are going to work really hard to find the right players in our state and then fill in the gaps with players recruited nationally. His notion was that in-state players share the life-long dream to don a red jersey on a crisp fall morning and head down the tunnel to a capacity stadium in a sea of red like no other players. You can bring in outsiders but you have to have enough passionate Huskers to share their enthusiasm for the legacy to a contagious level in order to maintain the pride and tradition of the program. If you combine those thoughts with the number of times Osborne used the phrase "our state," I think you can easily read the recipe for pride. You see, Tom Osborne continued the legacy and added to the empire of Nebraska football, not because he was fulfilling a job description, but because he was living out his passion. His passion focused first, and foremost, on the kids that were in the program and, secondly, the pride of the citizens of the state of Nebraska. He truly understands that the only thing that unites almost all residents of Nebraska, from the most rural counties in the west to the urban areas in Omaha and Lincoln, is Nebraska football. What can agriculture learn from college athletics? Pride seems to be the one best motivator we can find. We can continue to place well-educated individuals in positions working for us in agriculture or we can search within our own ranks and create opportunities for those who share the same passion about the future of agriculture. The business of producing food, fiber, fuel and pharmaceuticals also has a unique culture and history and even fewer people understand it than understand Nebraska football, but it is our job to share this story. I, for one, can tell you that I am more proud than ever to be a sixth generation United States farmer. Not solely because of what we have accomplished but because of the opportunities that are available for us in the future. It is lessons learned from the past that can teach us how best to supply the world's needs in the future. I do share Coach Osborne's view that it has been and always will be the individuals and not the institutions that are important. That belief is what has helped American Agriculture become the global leader in food production. Editor's note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.FacesOfAg.com, or e-mail Trent at trent@loostales.com. 12/3/07 Date: 11/29/07
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