PrimeTime_Fall_2018

Paul Marchant | Rancher/Columnist | idahomarchant@gmail.com REFLECT IONS AND RECOLLECT IONS Irons in the Fire O ne of the last classes I took during my final semester in college

mitment to actually get a degree. And I believe it’s that effort that lends a diploma its legitimacy. A degree or a recommendation can only take you as far as your work, and dedication will carry you. I earned a degree in animal science, with a minor in German. Most of what I’ve had to do since my college days has required knowl- edge and skills I acquired before, after or in spite of college, rather than what I learned in college. As you might imagine, I haven’t hired too many German-speaking migrant workers. A year or so ago, at a family gathering and in the middle of one of the all-too-frequent political discussions that often spring up at such func- tions, one of my politically astute sisters jokingly remarked that at many political and civic func- tions, she was sure she was the smartest person in the room. I mentioned that I didn’t figure I ever had to deal with that particular dilemma. I find it best to avoid situations where my uber-in- telligence may be required. But, it reminded me of my college days when I often felt as though I was on the other end of that spectrum. As I pondered that dichotomy, I realized that anybody could achieve that state of mind where he or she can have the confidence to feel like the smartest or most successful person in the room. But, it takes more than a diploma or wishing or believ- ing to make it possible. PT ing at the lab. Last year, we processed more than 18,000 samples for new calves. This year, to date, we have processed 12,000 samples, which is on par with this time last year. The conversion from STRs to SNPs is moving along well. Last year, approximately half of the samples were processed on the STR platform. This year, ap- proximately two-thirds of the DNA samples are being processed on the new SNP platform. We also have many members who have completed the conversion. If you haven’t submitted new samples of your herd sires and Akaushi breed- ing dams, please do so the next time you work your herd. Finally, GeneSeek has an online video of the DNA processing lab at https://youtu.be/KmaYR- R80qJ8. PT DNA MATTERS Continued from page 10

was a 100-level college math class. I had spent my entire college career avoiding the class, but in the end, there was no way of avoiding the fact that I needed to pass the class before I would be allowed to graduate.

I took a lot of classes in college where I looked around the auditorium or classroom and, with- out hesitation, determined that I was the dumb- est person in the room. The math class in ques- tion was no exception. On the first day of class, the teacher told us that he would not take roll. Attendance was not mandatory. If we so wished, we could just show up at the testing center and take the test. I wasn’t too eager to sit through two or three classes a week just to be confused and receive an ego beating. I figured I’d just study on my own and show up to take the tests. It will surprise nobody when I reveal the folly in that plan. It may surprise you to learn, how- ever, I passed the class – sort of. I got a D+. Not a D-, mind you – a D+. They don’t hand out a lot of those, you know. Technically, I shouldn’t have been able to graduate. The official policy was that for required classes, you had to pass with at least a C. But thank goodness Dr. Orme, my old-school animal science advisor, didn’t make me take the class again. I am proud to say I am an honest-to-goodness college graduate. Just the other day, I real- ized that, at the end of the current school year, 30 years will have passed since I received my diploma. I am definitely not of the opinion that the earning of a college degree has much, if anything, to do with what determines the suc- cess of a person’s life. As a matter of fact, with some of the ridiculous and inexplicable non- sense that so often spews from so many college campuses through the mouths and keyboards of so many members of modern-day academia, I am prone to encourage kids to seriously con- sider every option before they decide to make a college education the portal through which they must pass to reach the road that takes them to the rest of their lives. Nevertheless, in most cases, now, just as it was in my day, it takes some serious effort and com-

Akaushi Prime Time • Fall 2018

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