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4A – Daily News – Saturday, March 12, 2011 Agriculture & farm Scholarships available Agriculture continues to play a major role in the econo- my of Tehama County. The Dairyville Community Club, Inc. has made a com- mitment to assist college students who are majoring in the field of agriculture. In keeping with this commitment, the club announces its recently expanded Agricultural Studies Scholarship opportunities for 2011 to include $14,000 in funds available for scholarships, and all qualified students are encouraged to apply. The scholarships are divided into two categories, Upper- division and Graduate. Upper-division scholarships will be awarded to college sophomores and juniors who are majoring in agriculture. The program has been expanded to include students pursu- ing a graduate degree in agriculture. To be eligible for either of these scholarship programs, the applicants must be past graduates of a Tehama County high school. All scholarship funds that are awarded will be made available for use during the 2011/2012 academic school year. The club has allocated a total of $114,000 in scholar- ships since 1998. The funds for these scholarships are derived from the success of the Annual Dairyville Orchard Festival, private and business donations and gifts made directly to the Dairyville Memorial Fund. Applications, including detailed instructions, are avail- able at www.dairyvillefestival.org. Applications must be postmarked by April 8. Fund for small farm loans Rabobank, N.A. has created a $15 million fund to help small farmers in key areas of California get financing for operations, equipment and crop production. The bank has partnered with Valley Small Business Development Corpo- ration and California Coastal Rural Development Corpora- tion to administer the fund. “Rabobank is committed to all levels of agricultural lending, from the small family farm to the largest commer- cial operation,” said Frank Bravo, vice president and com- munity development finance manager. The bank’s partners will use the investment to establish a revolving loan fund that will be directed towards the smaller agricultural and farm related loans originated by the two financial development corporations within three geo- graphic regions that Rabobank serves: North State and Central Valley, including Tehama County, Coastal and Inland Empire. Small farm loans are generally defined as loans, of any size, to farms with revenues of $1 million or less. Small farm loans include “loans to small farms” which are loans that have original amounts of $500,000 or less and are either secured by farmland or are classified as loans to finance agricultural production and other loans to farmers. Farmers in the North State and Central Valley may apply by calling Debbie Raven, president and CEO of Valley Small Business Development Corporation, at (559) 438- 9680. Bill and Sandy Borror are visiting daughter Alta in Miyazaki, Japan and emailed the family they were OK, since they are in the southern region during the 8.9 earthquake. *** I have been watching the price of gas and diesel go up in price at the sta- tion across from the fair- grounds and noting the amount. For example on Dec. 8, 2010 the price was $3.15 for gasoline and $3.34 for diesel. On the 23rd it was $3.19 and $3.39, and four days later on the 27th it was $3.25 and $3.39. January, it kept going up and I didn’t write it down on the calendar in our car. Febr. 6, it was $3.29 and $3.65, and a week later on the 13th it was $3.39 and $3.69. Three days later on the 16th, it was $3.49 and $ 379. On the 24th, it was another 10 cents for gas at $3.59 and $3.89 for diesel. Three days later, the sign read $3.69 and $3.95. March 2 the price was $3.73 and $3.99 while on the 5th, the sign read $3.79 and $4.07. On the 7th gas was $3.83 and $4.09 for diesel. *** Our neighbor Jim Edwards gave Bill and me a bottle of special olive oil. The label is so pretty and informative, that I hesitate opening the bot- tle. Jim said his nephew, Tyler Christensen decided to make a special press- ing of the olives on the ranch, and Tyler’s wife Mary designed the label. You will ranch Earthquake and two types of oil Courtesy photo Pausing for a photo after touring the I.O.O.F. Hall were Baxter Black Event committee members, seated, Joyce Bundy, Joe Durrer of IOOF, Paula Holden. Standing: Kelly Mouton, Linda Durrer, Irene Fuller, Jeannie Smith. Graphic artist Michelle Wiggley was not pictured. spring. Edwards Ranch is known for their dried plums, which I call prunes plus their walnuts, as well as their beef cattle. Now they have locally grown olive oil as well. *** Tehama County Cattle- Jean recall three years ago the ranch was inducted into the California Agricultur- al Heritage Club as 150 years or more of farming at the same location, since it was a Mexican Land Grant and then part of the Joseph S. Cone ranch when the Edwards family purchased the ranch near- ly 60 years ago. The label reads “Edwards Ranch, estab- lished 1844, California Agricultural Heritage Farm, 2010 Estate Grown, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organically Raised and Hand Picked. From our Family to Yours, Red Bluff, CA.” There is a small picture of the rocks and oak trees up on the range where the cattle graze during winter and Barton Women and Red Bluff Sunrise Rotary are hosting a Baxter Black Event on Mon- day April 11 at the State The- atre, 7 p.m. Tickets will be available at Red Bluff Chamber of Commerce, The Loft at Re ynolds Ranch & Sup- ply, Sparrow Fine Art & Antiques, Linda Durrer at Farmers Insur- ance Agency. No credit cards will be accepted, just cash or checks. We will have VIP tick- ets that cost $50, and you will be in the front four or six rows of seats plus have the opportunity to meet and greet Baxter Black at a reception in the I.O.O.F. hall, just across the street before the event. TCCW member Carol Enos has purchased the first VIP ticket; even before they were printed. The VIP ticket holders will be the first admitted into the State Theatre, since their tickets will be gold. I was fascinated with the history of the I.O.O.F. hall because it is part of Red Bluff I had not been part of, since my family were part of the Masonic family. Alice Jackson had researched this history from old newspapers at the Tehama County Library and in deed records at the Court House. In 1858, May 31 the Charter was issued by State Grand Lodge for Red Bluff Lodge, # 76. Meetings were held in Mason’s building. January 1861, the Encampment branch was formed. Meet- ing were upstairs over a store at Main and Oak. November 1861, they were moving to another building where they would establish the first lending library in Red Bluff. Others could become an honorary member and use the library by donating books valued at $10. October 1866 they moved into the Baker building, over Brady‚s sta- ble at the southwest cor- ner of Oak and Main. July 22, 1868 they purchased the Abraham B.C. Nus- baum store (now 628 Main) and added to the height of the building. February 1876 fire destroyed some of the interior, including their regalia valued at $500. They met briefly in the Masonic building. May 11, 1877 the Hele- na Rebekah Lodge # 37 was organized. 1882 the Masonic Building on the southwest corner of Oak and Main was destroyed and the Masons met in the Odd Fellows building. July 31, 1882 they acquired the present loca- tion with a purchase or trade agreement with Joseph S. Cone. March 1883 the date was set for completion of the Ital- ianate Building, designed by A. A. Cook of Sacra- mento. Wain and Hudson of Marysville built it at a cost of $15,972. In 1900 the building connected to the city sewer mains and cement sidewalks were added. May 20, 1903 fire destroyed the interior of the building and many stores on the lower floor. The four walls and a por- tion of the north end of the lodge room remained. Their insurance covered almost all of the loss and they began rebuilding. O’Connor Brothers had the contract for the brick, plastering and cement work. It was finished within a few months at a cost of $6,750. The I.O.O.F. hall will be the site where we will have beef appetizers while the VIPs are meeting and visiting with Baxter Black. The premium seating will be $30 and they will be admitted after the VIPs, while general admission is $25 and they will be above the loge seats. All of the seats will be good because the State Theatre is smaller than some of the locations Bill and I have heard Baxter Black recite his cowboy poetry. Black was master of ceremonies at the Best of Beef awards breakfast during the 2011 Cattle Industry convention in Denver the first of Febru- ary, where I would guess there were three thousand in the audience. The program read “Be entertained by one of the best in the business, Bax- ter Black. Baxter, described by the New York Times as ‘probably the nation’s most success- ful living poet,’ thinks it’s an exaggeration. The for- mer large animal veteri- narian lives in Benson, Arizona, between the Gila River and the Gila mon- ster, the Mexican border and the Border Patrol and between the horse and the cow---where the action is.” “He still doesn‚t own a television or a cell phone, and his idea of a modern convenience is Velcro chaps. Everything about Baxter is cowboy; his car- toonish mustache, his per- sonality and his poetry. He makes a living shining a spotlight on the flaws and foibles of everyday cowboy life. He demon- strates that it is the truth in humor that makes it funny.” Jean Barton can be reached at jbarton@theskybeam.co m. A Clean, Reliable, Trustworthy, COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES Smog Check starting at $ (most cars and pick-ups) 2595 + cert. Pass or FREE retest 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. Chimney Company... Possible? ”Their tarps are always clean and my home is always clean afterward. 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