February 17, 2002

Country School

At the age of 5, it was my turn to walk a half mile down the road to the white square building on the corner. As the fourth generation to operate this family farm, many had made the journey before me. To today's educators, it must have been a miracle that any of us could even read. The country schools in my area developed many successful alumni including college professors, doctors, teachers, ministers, businessmen and women, and many great moms and dads.

When I started, there was no flush toilet or running water. There were 4 in my grade and 32 in the whole school with one teacher. Phy. Ed. was called recess, the gifted program was watching the 7th graders doing their math on the board as a 5th grader from your seat, special needs was the other students making sure everyone kept up and political science for me was learning that it helped that my dad was chairman of the school board and that the teacher's husband worked for my dad in the summer.

The success of these educational institutions was the quality of the teachers and not the buildings or fancy teaching materials. There is now an effort to build a new five million dollar equine center at the University. When I ask, "where are the professors and researchers", it is met with "why do you ask that"?

As a student on the St. Paul Campus some 30 years ago, I do not remember being offered any equine nutrition courses. Last fall I called the Colleges of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine wanting to talk to someone about equine nutrition but they had no one. At the recent equine program at the Medina Ballroon, I asked a senior student from the St. Paul Campus, that was interviewing for a sales position with a Minnesota feed company what coarse work she had relative to equine nutrition? She indicated the only class she had was taught by the dairy nutrition specialist.

The white square building still stands on the corner down the road. It hasn't had a teacher since about 1968 and it hasn't turned out any doctors or lawyers since then. There are enough new buildings on the St. Paul Campus for the University to locate professors and researchers that can meet the needs of the equine industry in Minnesota. Yes, it would be nice to have a new equine center at the University but we first need the teachers. Building new buildings without teachers will only result in monuments to political lobbyists.

As a hay producer and a veterinarian, it is my opinion that the first step to a healthy productive horse is good nutrition. We hear a lot about preventative medicine. How can you have preventative medicine if you do not first have a good nutrition program? What does the University need for facilities to develop a good equine nutrition program? Why don't we take the money and buy some teachers?

The limited work that I have done in dairy and hog nutrition has resulted in healthier animals that produce more and are more profitable for my clients. I will admit a better nutrition program has resulted in less drug sales and less emergency calls.

Why wouldn't the University want a first class equine nutrition program? Oops, do you suppose I slept through one of my veterinary business classes?

As chairman of the Ojanpera Country School, District #83, my dad spent the taxpayers money on the teacher first then he fixed the roof.