ALABAMA FFA NATIONAL OFFICER CANDIDATE FOR 2023

BY LEEANNA BURKHALTER

My name is Leeanna Burkhalter and I am proudly serving as the Alabama FFA National Officer Candidate this year. I come from the small town of Fayette, Alabama in Fayette County. I’m a 2022 Fayette County High School graduate and the manager of my family farm, Burkhalter Farms. My FFA journey started early on in the eighth grade. I like to say that my mother and my ag teacher schemed together, both of them being Career Tech teachers for our county, when they signed me up for the Creed Speaking contest without telling me. I knew absolutely nothing about FFA or agriculture before the contest and was extremely skeptical to say the least. After competing and winning first place, I began to take a little more interest in the mysterious blue jacket that I had found myself wearing. My love for FFA followed after attending my first state convention in 2018. The way members, teachers and alumni gathered together completely amazed me. It was at that moment that I decided I wanted to be a state officer. I started getting more involved in my FFA chapter through livestock judging, being a chapter officer, and even showing livestock. This was a huge change in my life. I purchased my first show lambs as part of my Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) and started my livestock operation. Over the next four years, I expanded my farm into a small-scale sheep breeding and feeder cattle operation. I was blessed with the opportunity to serve as treasurer and president for the North District of Alabama FFA. My ultimate goal finally came true when I was elected to serve as the 2021-2022 Alabama FFA State President. Being a state officer gave me the opportunity to serve and travel the state while advocating for agriculture and FFA. I was able to meet so many members and teachers while also getting to see the uniqueness of each chapter. After graduating high school and retiring from state office, I began attending Bevill State Community College in Fayette, Alabama as a student ambassador. My plan is to transfer to Mississippi State University to obtain a degree in Animal & Dairy Science Production with concentration in reproduction. I will also be getting my certification in livestock artificial insemination and ultrasonography. I hope to get a job in the commercial livestock and show-stock reproduction field.

Running for National FFA Officer is something that I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to do. I have a true love for agriculture and this organization. Being elected as a National Officer would give me the opportunity to serve members and advocate for agriculture across the nation. I wouldn’t be able to go through this process without the support and love from my family, ag teachers, friends and chapter members. My parents, Natalyn and Jonathan Burkhalter, are the best parents a girl could ask for. They have been here through every step of my FFA journey and support me through everything. My former ag teacher, Bradley Cox, and current adviser, Trent Hill, provide me with the knowledge and advice that I need. The chapter members of Hubbertville FFA who graciously accepted me as one of their own, when my high school chapter closed, continuously make me feel loved and keep me laughing at events. I am blessed to have this opportunity and cannot thank the Alabama FFA Association enough for having confidence in me. I can't wait to see where this journey takes me and want to thank the Alabama Farmers Cooperative for their support of Alabama FFA and its members.

I love the role I get to play in the agriculture industry. Raising livestock is very rewarding and gives real-world value to the skills I learned in Ag class.