Youth News
Meet Hayes Maher, Your Northwest FFA District Star in Agriscience
Thu, 13 Apr 2017 15:11:23 CDT
During the month of April, the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and Oklahoma Farm Report is spotlighting the twenty District Stars of Oklahoma FFA that are among the highest achievers in the organization. The stars come from the five districts in four categories- Star in Ag Placement, Star in Agriscience, Star in Agribusiness and Star in Production Agriculture. Last week, we spotlighted the five district stars in Ag Placement- this week we move on to the Agriscience Stars for 2017.
Today, our featured District Star in Agriscience is from the Mooreland FFA Chapter representing the Northwest District, Hayes Maher.
"My project, it goes much further than my actual project," he said. "I had a job with the USDA. I helped other scientists with their projects as well as just some herd management stuff."
Maher goes on to describe his experiment as one focused on the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by cattle compared to their weight gain.
"The first thing we did was split 14 Red Angus heifers into two groups of seven and then I separated on into a high protein diet and the one into a low protein diet," Maher explained. "I then released them to a machine that measured their greenhouse gas emissions."
This experiment taught Maher much more than he had expected to initially find out. He says he learned a great deal about animal nutrition and that the way an animal looks on the outside, is merely just a small piece of the puzzle when trying to understand the inner workings of animal's biology. He says, too, he now has a greater understanding of the environmental impacts animal production has as well.
"Based off the number from my experiment, we concluded that the amount of protein that an animal receives does not affect the amount of the greenhouse gases that they emit," he resolved.
As an active FFA member since 8th grade, Maher has participated in several events including parliamentary procedure contests, public speaking agriscience fairs, and has both judged and exhibited livestock for as long as he can remember. Upon graduating high school, Maher plans to attend Oklahoma State University with hopes of becoming an agricultural engineer.
You can hear his entire conversation with Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays, by clicking or tapping on the LISTEN BAR below.
A complete list of the District Stars can be seen on the Oklahoma FFA website by clicking or tapping here.
Our salute of the 2017 District Stars of the Oklahoma FFA is brought to you by American Farmers & Ranchers, proud to support Oklahoma's youth. Visit the AFR website by clicking or tapping here to learn more on how AFR supports the young people of Oklahoma, and how AFR can provide you with quality insurance for your home, auto, farm, and life.
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