FFA New Horizons - Summer 2013

Special Delivery

Agricultural transportation moves grain and livestock FFAnewhorizons.org

SUMMER 2013

Picture Perfect

Illinois photographer shares farm life with the digital world

plus: Four tips that put the “smart� in your smartphone

contents

Summer 2013

24 Features

Departments

cover story

17 Ag 101

8 Picture Perfect

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Former Illinois FFA member advocates for agriculture through Facebook page

12 Special Delivery

Agricultural transportation moves grain, livestock and other commodities

18 A Model Chapter

Spencer County, Ky., FFA receives first-ever National Model of Excellence award

Celebrate National Tomato Day with farm facts about vine-ripened tomatoes.

22 National Officer Q&A Learn the team’s favorite lines from the FFA Creed.

24 Premier Leadership FFA Invest 2 Fight Hunger Pilot Program helps chapters spread hunger awareness.

28 Career Success Botany careers continue to grow in demand.

30 Reconnect Read an excerpt from FFA alumnus Orion Samuelson’s new book.

32 All About FFA Go online for the new Official FFA Manual.

26 Personal Growth On the Cover

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Erin Ehnle from Princeville, Ill., uses her photography talents to spread awareness about agriculture.

Tips to help you put the “smart” in smartphone.

Photo by Brian McCord www.ffanewhorizons.org

FFA New Horizons

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READ FFA NEW HORIZONS on your tablet or phone iPad • iPhone • Kindle Fire • Android Device

Download the latest issue today!

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For more information Visit: FFAnewhorizons.org/digital-magazinewww.ffanewhorizons.org

FFA New Horizons

Volume 60 Number 4

FFAnewhorizons.org The magazine of the National FFA Organization Editor Kim Newsom holmberg Associate Editor jessy yancey FFA Publications Manager Julie woodard Content Coordinator Rachel bertone Proofreading Manager RAVEN PETTY Creative Services Director Christina Carden Graphic Design stacey allis, jake shores, laura gallagher, KRIS SEXTON, VIKKI WILLIAMS, Kara Leiby, kacey passmore, Matt West Creative Technology Analyst becca ary Color Imaging Technician alison hunter Photography Director jeffrey s. otto Photography Jeff adkins, Brian McCord, Michael conti, Wendy O’barr, Frank Ordonez Web Creative Director allison davis Website Design and Development david day, yamel hall, richard stevens, nels noseworthy Ad Production Manager Katie Middendorf Ad Traffic Assistants krystin lemmon, Patricia Moisan Accounting Diana guzman, maria mcfarland, lisa owens State FFA Inserts Kristy duncan Controller CHRIS DUDLEY Distribution Director Gary Smith Advertising Sales rhonda graham, Katie newbern

Visit FFA New Horizons online to read more great stories about FFA members, chapters, alumni and supporters!

For advertising information, contact Rhonda Graham, (800) 333-8842, ext. 324, or e-mail rgraham@jnlcom.com.

digital magazine

2012-13 National FFA Officers President clay sapp, fl Secretary kalie hall, ga Eastern Region Vice President joenelle futrell, ky Central Region Vice President brennan costello, ne Southern Region Vice President wiley bailey, al Western Region Vice President lindsey anderson, cA

Want to see past issues of FFA New Horizons?

Visit the Digital Magazine page to flip through issues back to 2010.

National FFA Staff National FFA Advisor steve brown Chief Executive Officer dwight armstrong Chief Operating Officer Joshua bledsoe FFA Executive Secretary sherene donaldson National Treasurer Marion Fletcher National FFA Board of Directors – Members Chair, USDE, VA Steve Brown Treasurer, State Supervisor, AR Marion Fletcher Teacher/USDE, LA Alice DuBois Industry Representative/USDE, CA Matthew Gonzales State Supervisor, GA Chip Bridges State Supervisor, NH les purcella State Supervisor, WI Jeff Hicken State Supervisor, MI randy showerman Teacher Educator/USDE, MO Tracy kitchel FFA Executive Secretary/USDE, NJ Erin Noble Subscription Information: FFA New Horizons (ISSN 1069-806X) is published quarterly by the National FFA Organization, 6060 FFA Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46268-0960.

Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, art or any other unsolicited materials. For subscription information contact: FFA New Horizons Subscription Services, (317) 802-4235 or email newhorizons@FFA.org.

Periodical postage rate is paid at Indianapolis, Ind., and additional mail offices.

Postmaster: Please send address changes to FFA New Horizons, P.O. Box 68960, Indianapolis, IN 46268-0960.

Connect Even more online!

Have you been to the new FFA New Horizons website? Go check it out! There, you’ll find: • Stories about FFA members and chapters • Career-planning resources

Copyright© 2013 by the National FFA Organization and Journal Communications Inc. FFA Mission FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success.

The Agricultural Education Mission Agricultural education prepares students for successful careers and a lifetime of informed choices in the global agriculture, food, fiber and natural resource systems.

The National FFA Organization affirms its belief in the value of all human beings and seeks diversity in its membership, leadership and staff as an equal opportunity employer.

The National FFA Organization is a resource and support organization that does not select, control, or supervise state association, local chapter or individual member activities. Educational materials are developed

by FFA in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education as a service to state and local agricultural education agencies. www.ffanewhorizons.org

• A page just for your state (and a new way to submit your own story to be posted there!)

Enter to Win! Visit the FFA New Horizons website for your chance to win a gift card to the Shop FFA store. To enter, visit FFAnewhorizons.org/winFFAgear.

follow us on twitter twitter.com/ nationalFFA

like us on facebook facebook.com/ nationalFFA

FFA New Horizons

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scrapbook

FFA News From Across the U.S. A place to celebrate your FFA achievements, chapter successes and good deeds

Taped to the wall Mr. Justin Firks, principal of the Fort Loramie Junior/ Senior High School in Ohio, is a good sport.

campbellsville, Kentucky

Singing Her FFA Song Remember the name Hannah Ellis. We may be seeing her name in lights soon. Hannah, a former FFA member from Campbellsville, Ky., is making waves in the country music industry as she pursues her own record deal. She says she loves both music and agriculture, and she enjoys combining the two in her songwriting and performances. She participated in the national FFA talent program in 2007, and she says that singing in front of 20,000 FFA members during the National FFA Convention helped her realize that this was her calling. In 2012, Hannah headlined a concert for the Virginia State FFA Convention. She has since opened for Lee Brice in West Virginia and has also opened for Jake Owen in Kentucky.

Hannah describes her latest song, “FFA Guys,” as an ode to some of her favorite boys. Visit our FFA New Horizons mobile app to listen to the song. More details on how to access the app can be found at FFAnewhorizons.org/mobile.

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FFA New Horizons

As part of the Fort Loramie FFA efforts to raise money for the CROP charity, a world hunger organization, Firks agreed to be ducttaped to the wall.

FFA members sold pieces of duct tape to other students, and on the big day, Firks stood on a chair against the wall and had more than 300 pieces of tape applied to him. Once all the tape was applied, the chair was removed, and he was truly “stuck” to the wall. The event raised $200.

Submitted by Amanda Seger, Fort Loramie FFA reporter www.ffanewhorizons.org

cove FFA, oregon

Drilling Down Information Two-thirds of the earth is covered by water. However, less than one percent is fresh water, usable by humans.

norfolk technical center fFA, virginia

Urban Outreach Many people who live in Norfolk, Va., aren’t familiar with agriculture.

That’s why FFA members at Norfolk Technical Center spent a full day teaching other students where their food, fiber and fuel originate. FFA members created displays with interesting facts, statistics about Virginia agriculture, places of agricultural interest and careers in agriculture.

They completed their event with a trivia quiz.

Etna FFA, California

Collecting Cans

This is why the allocation of water is one of the most important issues facing agriculture today. Something as simple as water for a farmer’s crops is complicated when issues such as who was there first, who needs it most and who is using it efficiently are considered.

Agriculture students at Cove School in Oregon recently got an up-close look at this during a field trip to Rudd Farms, where owner Brett Rudd is drilling an irrigation well.

Students learned about the history of water usage in the region, soil type impact and potential yield increases from the new irrigation system.

Etna FFA members from California recently held their annual canned food drive, and it was a big success!

With only a little more than 200 students in the entire school, they brought in 787 cans and non-perishable food items that were delivered to the Etna Food Pantry.

These cans went into baskets for the holiday season and were delivered to local families in need.

– Submitted by Savannah Postma, Etna FFA reporter Keep us informed! This is your chance to be a part of FFA New Horizons. Send us a short article about your latest chapter activities, awards you’ve received or even your involvement outside FFA.

www.ffanewhorizons.org

Want an easy way to send your story? Email a photo, your story and contact information to newhorizons@ffa.org.

All photos need to be in color and a minimum of 1 MB in size.

your turn

Or, mail to: FFA New Horizons P.O. Box 68960 Indianapolis, IN 46268

FFA New Horizons

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FFA faces

Meet Six FFA Shining Stars Wrangler, the sponsor of FFA Faces, will award a pair of jeans to featured members Jordan Johnson

Jordan Ross

Jordan serves as secretary of his FFA chapter and hopes to serve as a state officer one day. His supervised agricultural experience program focuses on breeding fish, specifically the auratus cichlids.

Jordan has been showing Boer goats since he was 13 and also raises steers. After high school, he plans to attend the Pennsylvania College of Technology and become a heavy-equipment mechanic.

Bryanna Nelson

Aleesha Gladson

Bryanna is a high school senior and treasurer of her FFA chapter. She has planned and executed multiple recruitment activities for the chapter.

Bryanna is planning to pursue a career as an agriculture teacher.

Aleesha has served as her FFA chapter’s president for two years and maintained a 3.89 GPA all four years of high school. She also competes in high school rodeo, is a track and field shot putter, and coaches volleyball.

Taylor Brown

Justin Dailey

This recent high school graduate has competed in numerous CDEs, but she says her favorites are agronomy, parliamentary procedure and floriculture. She also teaches preschool children at her church.

Justin, a recent high school graduate, served as a chapter officer, including president, for three years. While in high school, he attended monthly FFA meetings and participated in the environmental speech competition.

Chapter: Pierson-Taylor FFA, Florida

Chapter: Chisago Lakes FFA, Minnesota

Chapter: Richey FFA, Montana

Chapter: Tri-Valley FFA, Pennsylvania

Chapter: Gillette FFA, Wyoming

Chapter: Fleming County FFA, Kentucky

Nominate yourself to be considered for FFA Faces by following the steps below.

Questions? Email ffanation@jnlcom.com.

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Go Online Visit www.ffafaces.com and click on Nominations. You can nominate yourself or another current FFA member.

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FFA New Horizons

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Describe Fill out the form to tell us about you – your FFA involvement, school activities, future plans and more.

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Upload Find a great photo of yourself – head and shoulders photos work best – and upload it as part of the nomination form. www.ffanewhorizons.org

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FFA New Horizons www.ffanewhorizons.org

l a i c o S Savvy

Former Illinois FFA member advocates for agriculture through popular Facebook page

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rin Ehnle from Princeville, Ill., hasn’t always known that promoting agriculture would become her passion.

“I grew up on my family’s farm where we raise corn and soybeans, and I didn’t think it was much fun when I was younger,” admits Ehnle, now 21 and a junior studying agribusiness at the University of Illinois. “I was the oldest of three children, and my mom was out on the tractor as much as my dad, so I had a lot of responsibilities in the house. I didn’t appreciate the farm very much back then.”

But Ehnle’s parents encouraged her to enroll in an agriculture class and join FFA in high school, and her sophomore year she attended

the National FFA Convention & Expo.

“That was a major turning point for me.

I saw everything agriculture was – the scope of the industry and how passionate people are about it,” she says. “It blew me away and completely changed my mind.”

As Ehnle’s appreciation for agriculture grew, so did another one of her passions – photography.

She earned enough money plowing on her family’s farm to buy a camera the fall of her senior year and began taking pictures for friends and relatives. She also spent a lot of time photographing life on the farm – her dad on the tractor, the sun setting over a field of soybeans, a tassel of corn.

Erin Ehnle uses her photography talents to spread awareness about agriculture on her Facebook page, Keeping it Real: Through the Lens of a Farm Girl. www.ffanewhorizons.org

FFA New Horizons 9

10 FFA New Horizons

www.ffanewhorizons.org

Erin’s work goes viral When she launched her Facebook page, she decided to use her photography and design talents to create custom images that promoted the beauty of agriculture, combined with statistics about the nation’s most important industry. The result? An incredibly successful Facebook page and a jumpstart to her own agricultural communications career. See samples of Erin’s work to the left, then go online to like her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lens.of.a.farm.girl.

In college, Ehnle landed a social media internship with the Illinois Corn Marketing Board, where she was asked to create and maintain a Facebook page, Twitter account, YouTube channel, Pinterest account or blog that would create a positive buzz about agriculture. That’s when something magical happened.

In January 2012, Ehnle launched a Facebook page called “Keeping it Real: Through the Lens of a Farm Girl,” where she posted her own farm photos, designed with interesting facts about agriculture.

They Really Like Her “I thought I would get maybe 50 of my friends to ‘Like’ my page so it wouldn’t be embarrassing,” she laughs. “I was surprised when I had 200 Likes the first week, and 1,000 by the 10-day mark.”

The page now has almost 20,000 fans, and Ehnle has been asked to do interviews and speaking engagements.

“Erin understands agriculture and wants to help the industry, but she also has an innate ability to understand what non-farmers can relate to and what they enjoy seeing,” says Lindsay Mitchell, project coordinator for the Illinois Corn Marketing Board.

“She uses the beauty she sees on the farm and describes farmers with words, quotes and facts. She helps nonfarmers relate to farmers on a level everyone understands, like work ethic, family values, beauty and love.”

Ehnle never expected the page to go so far. “There’s so much disconnect between consumers and farmers and so much negativity toward agriculture, so my goal was to get consumers’ attention,” she says. “I’ve posted some controversial images about GMOs, productivity and how far we’ve come, and some people will go off on rants about chemicals or anything political. But everybody seems to respect the farming lifestyle and the hard work farmers do.”

Ehnle understands she may never change the minds of some, and she admittedly has had to become “more thick-skinned.”

“I do hope to reach the middle-grounders, like moms out there who are buying most of the food,” she says.

When Ehnle’s page was only a few months old, it landed her another internship, this time with the Farm Journal Foundation. www.ffanewhorizons.org

“I saw her cool posts, called her up and asked her to come work for me. She helped us grow our Facebook presence by doing a cover photo once a week,” says Brian Hogue, director of operations for the Farm Journal Foundation. “She worked for us for about three months and more than doubled our Facebook followers from 1,500 to 4,000. She has a great gift for taking something important about the agricultural lifestyle and conveying it in a beautiful, interesting, provocative way.”

Hogue says the secret to Ehnle’s success is her authenticity. “She loves and values the ag lifestyle, so she’s able to market it in a way others can’t,” he says.

“She has taken on a ton of speaking engagements because people want to know how this college student gained a bigger following than most farm businesses and organizations. She’s become a mini-celebrity in the agriculture world, and she’s just getting started.”

Staying the Course In the midst of college classes and exams, Ehnle continues to devote seven or eight hours a week to posting images and monitoring her Facebook page.

She plans to keep the page going after college, and hopes to become a self-employed consultant for farmers and agriculture companies.

“I plan on being a lifelong advocate for agriculture,” she says. “I want to help people understand it. More than anything, I want to preserve the lifestyle on family farms, because there are no better people in the world than those in the ag industry.”

Mitchell says people connect with Ehnle’s images because they convey the things all Americans want.

“We all want safe, healthy food. We all want a beautiful earth,” Mitchell says. “We all want happy families, hardworking children and the American dream. Erin’s page talks about all these things, and everyone – farmer or not – understands and identifies with them.”

– Jessica Mozo

online Erin has created a custom FFA graphic for you to use on your Facebook page! Go here for more information: FFAnewhorizons.org/erinehnle.

Many agricultural goods are transported via rail throughout the country. As a result, you’ll often see agricultural services companies located along the railroad tracks.

Photo Courtesy of CSX Transportation

l a i c e Sp Delivery

Agricultural transportation moves grain, livestock and t other importan commodities

12 FFA New Horizons

www.ffanewhorizons.org

Some farmers use large trucks to haul their grain to the local elevator, where it can be loaded onto barges or rail cars.

Much of the grain grown in the U.S. is shipped down the Mississippi River on large barges like these.

Q

than 21,000 miles of track across the eastern United uality agriculture may begin in the field, but States and Canada, CSX provides rail and freight it continues on the road, the rail and the water. transport services to major population centers in That’s because the efficient transportation of 23 states. They have access to more than 70 ocean, river, agricultural products plays an essential role and lake port terminals along in the success of today’s farmers. the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, In the United States, a Did you know? the Mississippi River, the Great sophisticated network of trains, Lakes, and the St. Lawrence trucks, barges, and other Seaway, and through alliances vessels moves grain for food, with western railroads, they feed for livestock, alternative also have access to Pacific ports. fuels, and other processed ag Not only is that a big area products across the country to cover, it’s big business, too. and the world. A reliable, A trainload of grain can travel Tim McNulty, director of efficient delivery system by rail from North Dakota to the agricultural marketing for ensures quality, enhances the West Coast in just 3 to 5 days.

CSX, estimates the company reputation of the product and moves more than 39 million pays economic dividends. tons of grain, grain products That’s why companies across and ethanol each year. That translates into nearly the country continue to commit substantial resources $1 billion in revenue for the company that serves grain to improving and expanding their transportation elevators, feed mills, grain processing facilities, bakeries, operations. CSX Corporation, for instance, is one of the ethanol plants and soft drink production facilities. nation’s leading transportation suppliers. With more

www.ffanewhorizons.org

FFA New Horizons 13

moving efficiently While all modes of tranportation are essential for the agricultural industry, each has its own strengths.

Water transport is the most efficient, when considering energy usage. An inland barge carries one ton of cargo 576 miles per gallon of fuel. Compare that to a train, which can carry one ton of cargo 413 miles per gallon of fuel, or a semi-truck, which can only carry it 155 miles per gallon of fuel, according to the National Waterways Foundation.

Agricultural transportation is also important on farms, in moving grain from fields to storage bins, or to haul to barns for animal feed.

Read on for more about trucks, water and rail.

“CSX moves a broad portfolio of products across the country,” McNulty says. “We move whole grains, corn, beans and wheat, for instance, from elevators in the Midwest to feed hogs, turkeys and chickens in the Southeast. We move grains to processing plants where they are made into products for human consumption, like flour, oil, corn and sweeteners. And then we move those, too, to places like bakeries. And since 2003 we’ve been moving grain to ethanol plants and ethanol to consumption markets, which has been a large emerging market for us.”

But it’s not just what they move, but how they move it that makes a difference. “Our goal is to transport products in a way that is safe, efficient, reliable and costeffective for long distances,” McNulty says. “Rail has the important added benefit of being environmentally friendly in terms of fuel consumption, too. We estimate that we can move one ton of freight nearly 450 miles on one gallon of fuel.”

14 FFA New Horizons

ADM, one of the world’s leading agricultural processors, has also created a far-reaching and efficient transportation network, in which they are owner, buyer and supplier.

The company owns nearly 2,000 barges, 14,300 rail cars, 400 trucks, 1,400 trailers and eight ocean-going vessels. They lease an additional 400 barges, 12,600 railcars and 30 ocean-going vessels. ADM recently built a large new railyard and intermodal terminal as well at their headquarters in Decatur, Ill. They also act as a third-party logistics provider for other companies that need transportation solutions.

The company’s commitment to and investment in transportation is a big one. According to Scott Fredericksen, president of ADM Transportation, this ability to move products is a value-added service that plays a key role in the company’s success.

“We facilitate the movement of our products from wherever they are located in the U.S. and the world to www.ffanewhorizons.org

Truck Transportation • Most effective for moving goods short distances • Used heavily for perishable products and items that need refrigeration

Rail Transportation • Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent, compared to trucks • Very fast and efficient for moving grain

Barge Transportation • Utilizes the expansive U.S. river system, including the powerful Mississippi River • Requires precision and careful logistics

wherever they are needed. We move in multiple modes with multiple destinations, and so the process by its very nature is fluid. In that sense, transportation itself is like a commodity moving up and down with supply and demand.”

What are the opportunities to work in this important area of agriculture? McNulty explains that at CSX, there are multiple career paths, from front-line operations in the field to management jobs in the field and at headquarters.

“Of the 30,000 employees at CSX, 25,000 are out in the yards doing the great work of moving trains from origin to destination,” he says. “The rail industry provides tremendous opportunities for people who enjoy working outdoors and are adept at working with large machinery. There are also commercial management opportunities in sales and marketing, finance, purchasing and train operations.”

Fredericksen says that young people who have an www.ffanewhorizons.org

overall knowledge of agriculture and how it moves within their own communities can bring that experience to a career in agricultural transportation on a larger scale.

“There are opportunities in the physical movement of products as well as in the business processes that affect it, such as logistics, supply chain management and financial analysis,” he says.

He suggests that students look at internship offerings across the agricultural transportation sector to learn more about the opportunities available. ADM, for instance, offers a range of internships for college students between their sophomore and junior years.

McNulty explains that agricultural transportation is a very vibrant, growth-oriented business. “Young people with a good work ethic and strong leadership skills will find that it will provide job satisfaction and a bright future.”

– Cathy Lockman FFA New Horizons 15

living to serve

A Word About Agriculture Virginia FFA member celebrates American agriculture in her winning essay

online Visit FFAnewhorizons.org/ AgDayEssay to tell us what 16 American FFA Newagriculture Horizons means to you.

photo courtesy of AgWired

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ach year, the Agriculture Council of America invites ninth- to 12th-grade students to enter its Ag Day essay contest. Entrants write an original, 450-word essay or a two-minute video essay about the importance of agriculture.

In 2013, the top written essay was by Whitney Bowman from Mount Jackson, Va. Whitney is a member of the Stonewall Jackson FFA chapter. She received a $1,000 prize and trip to Washington, D.C., where she read her essay during the Celebration of Ag Dinner on National Ag Day, March 19.

We invite you to read an excerpt of Whitney’s winning essay, entitled “American Agriculture: Nourishing Opportunities” below.

The wind often rustles the leaves of a huge maple tree standing sentry by my house. Over the years its roots sank deep, its branches stretched outward and its trunk grew firm.

Now reaching above my roof, it shields against heat in the summer and wind in the winter.

Likewise, American agriculture must grow to continue to provide America and the world a safe, economical and abundant food supply. It must sink its roots into Mother Nature’s solid foundation, reach outward toward new technologies and remain true to

the solid support of hard work, responsibility, and perseverance that have made it the most productive in the world.

American agriculture nurtures the environment. As the population increases and houses cover arable land, the importance of environmental stewardship will skyrocket in the future. Unseen opportunities will arise as American farmers increase production with fewer resources and pollution. In the mid-1800s, this meant simply planting trees on new prairie homesteads. Today, farmers plant fields without tilling and plant buffers to naturally filter pollution from water. As fossil fuels are depleted, agriculture could hold the key to America’s energy sustainability, producing resources such as ethanol, methane and even wind energy on agricultural lands. Farmers hold a deep, unique connection with the earth, nurturing it to produce food for themselves and the world.

American agriculture nurtures technology. With the world population expected to reach nine billion by

the year 2050, America will need to revolutionize agricultural production.

Biotechnology enables farmers to produce crops that are droughttolerant, fortified with vitamins and resistant to pests. Farmers are utilizing technology to pinpoint areas in fields needing fertilizer or irrigation, replacing manpower with robotics, and utilizing airplanes to spray and plant fields.

Advances in processing help reduce disease outbreaks, improve worker safety and make food products economical. As American agriculture nurtures technology, it is becoming more efficient.

Through the centuries, American agriculture has grown and overcome the challenges in its way. Even more opportunities for growth lie ahead.

As American agriculture addresses issues such as environmental stewardship, the growing population, and a lack of consumer understanding, its roots will sink deep, its branches grow upward, and its trunk remain firm. www.ffanewhorizons.org

ag 101

Fresh From the Vine Celebrate National Tomato Day June 1 with these tomato facts Whether paired with bacon and lettuce, or diced fresh in a spicy salsa, tomatoes are a summertime staple.

The vegetable is important for the U.S., the world’s second-leading tomato producer, behind China.

Fresh-market tomatoes contributed $864 million to the economy in 2012, and tomatoes used for processing (for juice, paste, sauce, etc.) brought a staggering $1.01 billion to the economy in 2012.

Tomatoes come in many shapes, colors and sizes. Here’s a breakdown of tomato types:

Top Tomato States California takes the top spot in the country for both fresh-market and processing tomato production, producing more than 95 percent of U.S. tomatoes.

In the fresh-market category, Florida comes in second, followed by Virginia, Georgia and Ohio.

In tomato processing, the Golden State is followed

by Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.

Sources: www.tomatonet.org www.ers.usda.gov

Tasty Types of Tomatoes

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Standard Globe – The standard globe is the tomato most often found in grocery stores. Globes are smooth, round and medium to large in size, but can vary in color from red to yellow.

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Cherries are the smallest tomatoes, and are round in shape, similar to cherries. They can range in size from one to two inches in diameter and come in a variety of colors.

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Beefsteak tomatoes are usually very large and wider than they are tall. They can also be very flat and irregularly shaped compared to other varieties.

Plum – Like the fruit of the same name, plum tomatoes are oval in shape and a little larger than cherry tomatoes, though still small. They are very popular for processing.

Source: growgardentomatoes.com

$2 billion

Fresh and processed tomatoes account for more than $2 billion in annual U.S. farm cash receipts. The two industries target different markets in the country, but are equally important in contributing to the economy.

Source: www.ers.usda.gov www.ffanewhorizons.org

FFA New Horizons 17

l e d o M A Chapter

Spencer County, Ky. FFA receives first-ever National Model of Excellence award

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he National FFA Organization presented its firstever National Model of Excellence award at the 85th National FFA Convention & Expo in October 2012. The inaugural winner was Spencer County High School FFA from Taylorsville, Ky. “It felt awesome. My friend Drew and I got to go on stage and accept it, and hearing our names called out was amazing,” says Tyler Goodlett, a Spencer County FFA junior. “Being able to represent our chapter, our state and even National FFA felt so great.”

Spencer County FFA advisor Darryl Matherly echoes that sentiment.

“Our members were excited, and our community was too,” Matherly says. “By the time we got back from Indy, it was already on the school marquee sign in front of the building, and the newspaper wanted to run a front page story about it. It was a great honor for our program and entire community.”

The prestigious National Model of Excellence Chapter award consisted of a plaque and cash award. Spencer County was among 10 finalists, including chapters from Ponchatoula, La.; Marysville, Ohio; Eldon, Mo.; 18 FFA New Horizons

Southmont (Crawfordsville), Ind.; Ridgemont, Ohio; Versailles, Ohio; Lawrence County, Ala.; Marshall, Mo.; and Aiken, S.C. “The National Chapter Award Program recognizes chapters that successfully complete an annual Program of Activities with a series of activities designed to encourage members to grow as individuals, to work as part of a team and to serve others,” says Dr. Dwight Armstrong, chief executive officer of the National FFA Organization.

“Being selected as a Model of Excellence finalist is an honor bestowed each year on only 10 chapters that exude excellence in their day-to-day activities. Spencer County FFA rose to the top in 2012.”

Because Spencer County High School is located in a fast-growing, urban community near Louisville, Ky., the chapter has limited access to agriculture and has had to be creative in planning activities.

“When we plan, it is always a matter of keeping in mind our community and audience. Planning toward our audience has been a key element of being successful,” Matherly says. “Our Ag-Arithmetic Day is a great example. We bring all the eighth-graders to the high www.ffanewhorizons.org

National FFA Advisor Dr. Steve Brown presents Spencer County FFA members with the first-ever National Model of Excellence Chapter Award in October 2012.

www.ffanewhorizons.org

FFA New Horizons 19

Spencer County members host multiple community events throughout the year, including fundraiser dinners and a trap-shooting day.

20 FFA New Horizons

www.ffanewhorizons.org

school for one-hour ag math chapter’s growth has been rotations, which promotes our moving away from teaching program and shows the eighthtraditional agriculture. graders that our agricultural “When I was a student, we were education program is about highlearning about tobacco production. level instruction that connects Now you would never have a class to high-level academic skills.” that involved that aspect, because Spencer County FFA junior there is a limited amount even Caleb Fulkerson has helped with produced in our county today,” he Ag-Arithmetic Day since his explains. “We have done well trying freshman year. to focus on the leadership aspect of “It helps us recruit nonag ed and what a student can get traditional members. We send a from the program as a whole.” bus to the middle school with FFA Caleb says what makes Spencer members on it who talk with the County FFA eighth-graders unusual is its and explain what focus the day will be on each about,” Fulkerson individual’s We teach says. “We use experience our aquaculture our local growing and center and leaders about learning. have the “At our school, eighth-graders agriculture in FFA lets you be determine the our county and surrounded by probability of about our ag getting a certain like-minded kind of Koi color people who want program. and let them to be contributors see if their to society,” he calculation is says. “FFA true. It lets us inspires us to show off our facilities and shows succeed, much like you’d get at them FFA produces high-level a private school. Our teachers, thinkers.”

Mr. Matherly and Mr. Baird, are Spencer County FFA also holds so supportive, always making sure an annual Ag Commodity Breakfast we succeed at whatever we do.” featuring Kentucky-grown products.

For Goodlett, FFA has been a It is always held the Monday of FFA valuable tool for meeting people and Week, and the chapter invites local developing communication skills. community leaders and FFA alumni.

“FFA has helped me branch out.

“We serve local ag products Anywhere I go now, I know people like eggs, Purnell’s Sausage, gravy, through FFA,” he says. “I’ve met hashbrown casserole and milk from great people in our school, our local dairies,” Tyler says. “We teach community and all over the state.” our local leaders about agriculture – Jessica Mozo in our county and about our ag program. It’s a great way to give back to our community, and it has helped me get to know a lot of our community members.”

During the 2012-2013 school year, Spencer County FFA had more than 250 members on its roster.

Matherly says the reason for the www.ffanewhorizons.org

online Visit FFAnewhorizons.org/ mobile to watch a video of the award presentation.FFA New Horizons 21

FFA national officer Q&A

Get to Know Your National FFA Officers

Q

“Grow” is this year’s National FFA Organization’s theme.

How has your team experienced growth?

Brennan: I’ve seen our team grow our mission, our teamwork, our unity, but I have especially seen this team grow in our individual strengths.

meet people from all different backgrounds.

This has allowed us to gain such an appreciation for one another’s cultures and talents.

Kalie: Our team has grown our trust, which grows us into better teammates and friends.

We trust each other to give our personal best so we can give our team best.

Clay: Coming from six different states and environments, we have grown the most from simply learning about each other’s background and FFA experiences.

Lindsey: This year our team has been blessed with an opportunity to

Joenelle: The team has been all over the country and Japan, meeting with

1

49

this year, the officerS will attend:

state FFA conventions

22 FFA New Horizons

international experience in Japan

members and stakeholders of every background. Our perspective on agriculture, FFA and people has grown incredibly.

Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina and Pennsylvania to see how FFA members are making memories this summer!

Wiley: We have sharpened our public speaking skills, developed our facilitation skills and broadened our perspective on agriculture, FFA and life in general.

Lindsey: Seeing all of you! Meeting you all is just so neat, and I can’t wait to travel to various state conventions and hear your stories.

Q

What are you most excited about for this summer?

Brennan: I’m looking forward to warmer weather, sunshine and continuing to meet some high-caliber FFA members at upcoming conventions and conferences.

Kalie: I am excited to road trip to Arizona,

Clay: I’m definitely excited to hear the new summer jams that will be released. Although, Call Me Maybe will be a hard summer jam to top!

Joenelle: I’m ready for adventures! After the cold winter, it’s time to get outside in the sunshine.

Between State Presidents’ Conference, FFA camps and state conventions, there are adventures to be had in every state!

80 3

business and industry visits across the country

planning retreats for the National FFA Convention & Expo

www.ffanewhorizons.org

Wiley: I am most excited about the different NLCSOs that I will be attending and getting to know state officers from all across the country and learning from them.

Clay Sapp

Q

This Florida native played high school baseball and tennis, and he hopes to become an agriculture teacher.

What is your favorite line from the FFA Creed and why?

Kalie: “Not of words, but of deeds.” The knowledge, skills and relationships we gain through FFA are not from secondhand talk, but from firsthand experience.

This phrase reminds us of the importance of taking action as leaders and agriculturalists.

Brennan: “With a faith born not of words but of deeds.”

I sign my emails with this line, because I try to remind myself that individuals who do more than talk, who take action, are the ones who will create success.

“With a faith born not of words but of deeds.” I sign my emails with this line.

Lindsey: The last paragraph, which is in fact one sentence. This is a true testament to the future of agriculture and how we each play a vital role in securing that future by putting on our blue jackets and representing agriculture, and no matter the hardships we may face, agriculture will stand strong.

Clay: “I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith born not of words but of deeds.” This line has always hit home with me because the continued success of agriculture is a result of action. We can have faith in our food source because agriculturalists not only talk the talk but they constantly walk the walk to provide food on our table every day!

Joenelle: “…in being happy” from the third paragraph.

Sometimes we forget that happiness is a choice and need to remember that having a positive attitude makes a huge difference in our lives and the lives of those around us. What a great reminder!

Wiley: “Even as the better things we now enjoy have come to us from the struggles of former years.” I believe that not only the successes of agriculture, but any success in life will come from a hard lesson, a hard reality or hard work. This is my favorite line because it is one of the truest for my life. www.ffanewhorizons.org

National FFA President

Kalie Hall

National FFA Secretary

Hailing from Georgia, Kalie plays piano and is passionate about animal agriculture.

Brennan Costello

National FFA Central Region Vice President

Brennan grew up on a small livestock and sweet corn farm in Nebraska and now majors in agribusiness in college.

Joenelle Futrell

National FFA Eastern Region Vice President

Raised on a row crop farm in Kentucky, Joenelle loves agriculture, policy and community service.

Wiley Bailey

National FFA Southern Region Vice president

This Alabama native plays the banjo in his family’s band and studies agricultural communications in college.

Lindsey Anderson

National FFA Western Region Vice President

Lindsey grew up showing swine and playing sports, but this Californian now loves to study math and science.

FFA New Horizons 23

Premier Leadership

Central Hardin FFA members shared their gardening knowledge with the Kentucky National Guard, so that they could teach those skills to locals in Afghanistan.

Advocates for Hunger FFA chapters spread hunger awareness through FFA pilot program

T

he National FFA Organization’s initiative to fight hunger became a lot more personal for 29 chapters in Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Louisiana and North Carolina this year. Each chapter received a $2,000 grant last fall as part of the FFA Invest 2 Fight Hunger (I2FH) Pilot Program, and they used the money to educate their communities about hunger issues in their own backyards.

“Our overall strategy, ‘Feeding the World–Starting at Home,’ has three pillars – Educate, Engage and Communicate or Advocate,” says Marilyn Ross, program

24 FFA New Horizons

director for FFA Global and Hunger Initiatives. “Like the FFA: Food For All grants, the FFA Invest 2 Fight Hunger program incorporates education – not just doing a hunger relief project, but also educating people about food insecurity in their community. The program is meant to help members learn more about hunger and the issues hungry families face, and then help bust hunger myths. These are not lazy people looking for a handout – they might be unemployed or stuck in a low-paying job and don’t have enough money to pay for their rent and utilities and buy food.” www.ffanewhorizons.org

Central Hardin FFA members cultivated a relationship with the Kentucky National Guard, with the ultimate goal of impacting lives in Afghanistan.

The Overhills FFA chapter in North Carolina built a kiosk to conduct food drives at the school and encourage friendly competition among the classes.

I2FH grant recipients were asked to host at least four hunger presentations or workshops for their communities. The chapters had to speak to at least one school and at least one group that included farmers.

“Chapters have become very creative in telling the story of hunger,” Ross says. “For example, the Central Hardin FFA in Kentucky educated Kentucky National Guardsmen about gardening so they could take that knowledge to Afghanistan, where they are doing agricultural development work. Other chapters have hosted canning workshops to help people can fresh tomatoes when their gardens grew more than they needed.”

The Rantoul Township FFA Chapter in Illinois caught the attention of their fellow students by staging a poverty lunch presentation. About 100 students from their high school participated, and each was given a playing card that determined whether he or she would be in the lower, middle or upper economic class.

Fifty of the students represented the lower class, or poverty, and had to sit on the floor and share 10 plates of rice and beans. Thirty-five students represented the middle class and sat at a table where they ate fried chicken lunches. And 15 students received upper class cards, which allowed them to sit at a round table where they were served an appetizer, steak, potatoes and dessert.

Rantoul FFA then gave an eye-opening presentation about hunger with statistics, both global and local.

“The Live Oak FFA Chapter in Louisiana is developing hunger lesson plans for elementary students that will be distributed to all the teachers. The teachers are very open and welcoming to the idea of teaching a hunger lesson,” says Kayla Lumpford-Mitchell, intern for the FFA Invest 2 Fight Hunger Pilot Program. “And the Overhills FFA Chapter in North Carolina did a sweet potato gleaning and donated the sweet potatoes to a food

bank and Martha’s Kitchen. They have also built a kiosk to conduct food drives at their school, and each class has their own side of the kiosk in which they can insert canned foods.”

Mitchell says the best way to learn about hunger in your community is to get in touch with your regional food bank and local food pantries. Another great resource is www.feedingamerica.org, where you can learn about hunger facts and hunger in your county.

“Food banks have vast amounts of statistics and resources to jump-start your knowledge of hunger in your area,” she says. “My biggest suggestion to spread the word is to rally with all the leadership organizations in your school or community and get everyone on the same page about hunger and your goal. Create an awareness campaign everyone can help spread. Bringing everyone together makes the impact of your efforts much more effective.”

The FFA Invest 2 Fight Hunger Pilot Program is sponsored by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. The “Feeding the World–Starting at Home” initiative is funded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, Farmers Feeding the World, Land O’Lakes, RAM and Nationwide Insurance Foundation, as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

– Jessica Mozo

www.ffanewhorizons.org

online Want more hunger-fighting resources? Visit FFAnewhorizons.org/hunger for our collection of content related to this topic and the FFA hunger webpage, FFA.org/hunger.

FFA New Horizons

25

Personal Growth

Phoning It In Tips to help you put the “smart” in smartphone

T

he alarm clock goes off, telling you to wake up for the day. You scan through today’s news headlines and check the weather to see if you need an umbrella. After a quick check of your emails and social media notifications, you grab directions to your first appointment of the day and hit the road. All without using a single piece of technology other than your smartphone.

School’s out for the summer, and chances are you will be spending a significant amount of time on your smartphone. After all, nine out of 10 smartphone users are on their phone every single day, according to IBM. In fact, smartphones are being used to replace the television, GPS, online shopping and basic Internet searches.

With the rise in smartphone usage, it’s become more essential than ever to make smart decisions while using your smartphone.

First and foremost: Never use your smartphone while driving.

In 2011, 23 percent of all auto collisions involved distracted drivers who were using their cell phone, and 13 percent of all teens will be involved in an accident while texting and driving, according to a survey conducted by Bridgestone.

To reduce the number of fatalities and accidents caused by distracted drivers and cell phone use, people must be smart about using their smartphones. That’s the message promoted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood

online Download the super-safe FFA New Horizons mobile app. Visit FFAnewhorizons.org/ mobile links to the app store!

26 FFA Newfor Horizons

echoes this message.

“The Department of Transportation is committed to helping young drivers get the message that texting and driving don’t mix,” LaHood says.

To prevent the temptation of using your smartphone while driving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has four alternatives you can use should you feel the need to use your phone while driving:.

1. Keep It Out of Sight, Out of Mind.

When you are in the car, put your phone where you can’t reach it or even be tempted to look for it.

and secure. Summer is a great time to update your software, remove apps that aren’t being used regularly, change your passwords and more.

BullGuard, an Internet security company, offers five ways to keep your smartphone safe and secure.

Password-protect your phone with a PIN or key lock code. Update the software and stay ahead of security threats. Watch your wireless and limit your use of free public Wi-Fi. Use caution with mobile applications, and purchase from reputable application markets. And back up your data and contacts through your email or a mobile application.

– Beverley Kreul

2. There’s an App for That.

Find an app in your smartphone marketplace that automatically responds to any missed calls or messages while you are driving. You can always check your messages later.

3. Silence Is Golden.

Put your phone on silent when you are in the car. The less you hear your phone, the less tempted you’ll be to respond while driving.

4. Have a Designated Texter.

If more than one person is in the car, designate a non-driver to respond to your messages.

Beyond smart usage, it’s also important to keep your phone safe

special Deliv ery

FFane whoriz

ons.or g

picture perFect

Agricultur al transpo rtation moves gra in and live stock summ er 2013

Illinois ph otographer shares far m life with the digital world

plus: Four tips th at put the “smart” in yo ur smartpho ne

www.ffanewhorizons.org

STORIES

BY STATE What’s your story?

Read more stories about FFA members and chapters from your state. Every FFA New Horizons story is posted online at FFAnewhorizons.org, plus more that won’t fit in our print magazine. Go visit your state’s page now, then sign up to receive email notifications when new stories are posted.

Want us to post your story? Email your FFA stories to newhorizons@ffa.org for a chance to be in the magazine or on the FFA New Horizons website.

FFAnewhorizons.org www.ffanewhorizons.org

FFA New Horizons 27

Career success

Some botany professionals work with plants each day, studying and documenting their development. If you love flowers and plants, this may be a good fit for you.

A Blossoming Industry Botany careers continue to grow in demand

R

oses are red, violets are blue.

If you like working with plants, maybe botany is for you!

While botany may sound like one of those science courses in high school or college you avoided signing up for, the field is actually one of the fastest-growing areas in agriculture. Although many people associate the field of botany with plants only, in fact it is much more.

Botany is the study of a wide range of organisms, including algae, fungi, lichens, mosses, ferns, conifers and flowering plants, according to the Botanical Society of America. The field of botany is so broad it covers more than a dozen plant science-related careers in the agricultural field.

“Some botanists study the interaction of plants and other organisms and the environment,” says Dara Boardman, a botany and plant science graduate research assistant at the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources. “There are 28 FFA New Horizons

others who search for new species of plant life or experiment with how plants grow in specific conditions.

There is also a growing trend in the study of the plant genetics and the evolution of plants.”

With the growing demand for educated and experienced graduates in these fields, botany job growth is on the rise. In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) lists botany and related fields of study as one of the most in-demand-for jobs in general agriculture and the natural resources and environmental sciences fields.

Botany offers a broad range of career options, including hands-on opportunities, theoretical and experimental positions, and applied science work.

For those students who learn by doing, the fields of plant pathology, natural resource management, horticulture, forestry, food science and technology, biotechnology, plant breeding and agronomy are available. Fields of study that dive into the theory and experimentation of specialized areas of botany include www.ffanewhorizons.org

everything from ecology, the study of the relationship between plants and the environment, to ethnobotany, the study of plants used by indigenous people. For those who hope to work in the laboratory uncovering the mysteries of botany, there are research areas such as lichenology, mycology and many others.

To get a jump-start on preparing for a future career in botany, there are numerous internships and jobshadowing opportunities in the field for high school and post-secondary students. Be sure to check out the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for internships and job-shadowing opportunities in a field office near you.

If you want to get started today in discovering the world of botany, you can sign up be a member of the NRCS Earth Team Volunteers Program. The Earth Team Volunteers Program pairs students with conservation professionals in all fields in order to help protect and conserve the earth’s natural resources. Through this program, students can fulfill community service requirements, earn academic credit, have resumebuilding experiences or simply volunteer and help the environment. Learn more at nrcs.usda.gov. – Beverley Kreul www.ffanewhorizons.org

online Still deciding what career is right for you?

Visit FFAnewhorizons.org/careers to explore more options.

FFA New Horizons

29

reconnect

Orion Samuelson Prominent agricultural broadcaster discusses his FFA experiences in new memoir

M

online Has your FFA advisor impacted your life, the way Robert Gehring impacted Orion Samuelson’s?

Tell us your story at FFAnewhorizons.org/ 30 FFA New Horizons advisortribute.

any FFA members and supporters may recognize Orion Samuelson as the host of the National FFA Convention & Expo broadcast each October, but his involvement in agriculture expands far beyond his work and love for FFA. The most recognized agricultural journalist in the industry, Samuelson has more than 60 years experience in broadcasting, more than 50 of those at Chicago’s WGN. In his new memoir, You Can’t Dream Big Enough, Samuelson covers his exciting career, from his start in FFA and 4-H to his travels to 43 different countries.

We are honored to share an excerpt from Samuelson’s book: On a summer day after I finished the eighth grade, Dr. Walter Jones walked out of the X-ray room at St. Francis Hospital in LaCrosse, Wisconsin toward where my parents and I were waiting, looked at me and said, “I wish there was another way I could tell you this, young man, but there isn’t. You aren’t going to walk for two years.”

I loved school and was excited about moving on to Ontario High School. I was a tall kid, so I was going to play basketball. The school wasn’t big enough to have a football team, but we did have basketball and baseball. Early in the summer after eighth grade, I started experiencing pain in my left hip and it got worse rather quickly. It felt like something had come out of joint.

My parents believed in chiropractic, so they took me to see

three or four chiropractors, all of whom said they were going to cure me. But the pain just got worse. By August, they decided something else had to be done. That morning before we drove to see Dr. Jones started like any other morning on the farm.

At 5 o’clock, I helped Dad feed and milk the cows. We cleaned the barn and then got ourselves cleaned up for the trip to the hospital. We figured we would be back in time to do the evening milking.

After Dr. Jones dropped the bomb on us, I just stared at him in astonishment for a moment, letting what he had just said soak in. Then I asked, “What do you mean I’m not going to walk for two years?”

“I mean you aren’t going to walk for two years. You have Legg-Perthes Disease,” which he went on to explain is basically a decaying of the bone that goes from the thigh and fits into the hip socket. “Your leg is already shortening, which is what is causing the pain. If we don’t treat it, you’ll wind up with that leg three or four inches shorter than the other. I want to put you in the hospital right now.”

That was the only time I saw my dad cry. The doctor left us to talk it over and once we regained our composure, we decided we’d better get going on this, we’d better do it.

So, I was admitted to the hospital that day and was there for three weeks with a rope, pulley and 20-pound weight pulling on my leg.

After that, I was in a cast. First, a body cast for six weeks. The first three weeks, I was in the hospital, but then the doctor let my parents take me home to my bed, where all I www.ffanewhorizons.org

could do was lie in that itchy body cast in Wisconsin’s summer heat and humidity. After the body cast, I was in a wheelchair for four months and finally crutches. It was a terrible time and I thought it was just the worst possible thing that could have happened to me. “God, why me?”

I asked in frustration.

So I wasn’t in the best of moods when the Ontario High School Vocational Agriculture teacher drove his car into our farmyard. Robert Gehring made a point of going to each of his incoming freshmen’s farms to encourage them to take agriculture courses and join the Future Farmers of America.

“I’m here to welcome you to high school,” he said with a smile.

I snapped at him, “You’re wasting your time. I’m not going to be in school for two years.”

He asked why and I told him the story. As we talked, I noticed that he had an artificial arm. He caught me looking at it and explained that when he was six, he lost his arm in a farm accident.

“Do you think you can study by yourself?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Can you study without a teacher and students around you and keep up with your schoolwork?”

“I don’t know, but I think so.”

“If you can give it a try, I’ll make the five-mile trip out from town two or three times a week. I’ll bring the assignments from the other teachers and I’ll take your finished work to them so you don’t fall behind. When you’re back on your feet, you’ll still be in the same grade as your friends and you can graduate on time.”

Mr. Gehring’s kindness was unexpected but I was very grateful because I’d made some real good friends in the eighth grade at O’Connell School and we were going into high school together. I wanted to keep up with them.

When I wasn’t doing schoolwork, I killed time by listening to the radio. This was before we had www.ffanewhorizons.org

electricity on the farm. We had a radio that ran on “B” batteries, which were rationed during World War II. So, we had to be very careful about our radio use.

But, by the time I was confined to my bed, the war had ended and the batteries were available again.

I listened to Bert Wilson doing Cubs games on WIND. WLS was the Prairie Farmer Station back then and had the National Barn Dance, featuring performers who went on to become big stars, like Gene Autry, George Gobel, Pat Buttram and others.

The more I listened to the various announcers, the more I thought that maybe it was something I might be able to do because physically, I wasn’t going to be able to do what I’d always figured I would: take over the family farm when Dad retired and be as good a dairy farmer as I could.

But lying in bed listening to the radio, my world was opening up.

Now, I was about as bashful and barefoot a country boy as you could find and the thought of me talking on the radio seemed ridiculous, but I spoke to my Vo-Ag teacher about broadcasting. He told me that he’d get me into public speaking and

when I was back on my feet, I would be in FFA speaking contests.

When I was strong enough to go back to school in my junior year, I started making speeches. I got into Forensics classes with Mrs. Woods, my English teacher, and my new Vo-Ag teacher, Clyde Hutchens, helped me, too. By my senior year I was pretty good and I became a finalist in the Wisconsin State FFA Public Speaking Contest. I told myself, “Man, I’m going to win this for my little high school.” There were five of us. I came in fourth! I got my tail whipped. I was shocked. I asked Mr. Hutchens, “Gee, what did I do wrong?” He calmly told me that we would take some time, take a look at it and learn from it.

That’s one lesson I took from my illness and those two lost years, a lesson I’ve used throughout my life: Don’t evaluate a happening when it’s happening. Give it some time because God may have a reason.

What was a tragedy at the time changed my entire life, totally changed it. Had it not happened, I’d probably be milking cows in Wisconsin, and be happy doing it (except for the price of milk).

To show his appreciation for the FFA program that so largely impacted his own life, Orion Samuelson has created a special FFA-only rate for his new memoir, You Can’t Dream Big Enough.

You can own Samuelson’s book for the FFA special rate of $25, which includes free shipping.

To order your copy, visit oriondreams.com or call (312) 912-8639.

FFA New Horizons 31

all about ffa

FFA News You Can Use Official FFA Manual now available online Read the Manual Online!

The Official FFA Manual, one of the most popular, must-have resources for FFA members, is now available for free on FFA.org. This online version will be updated twice a year and will serve as the official version of the manual.

The print edition will be available for purchase on FFA.org/Shop and updated every two years. For more information, visit FFA.org.

32 FFA New Horizons

Models for Success Looking for a few activities to spice up your Program of Activities? Visit FFA.org and check out the online 2012 FFA Chapter Innovators’ Guide, which features success stories from the Model of Excellence and Model of Innovation award-winning chapters and the Outstanding Middle School.

Read how some of the top 45 chapters in the country developed a well-planned and well-executed POA – from a buzz-free prom to a veteran’s home fishing rodeo.

The Convention is Coming!

The 2013 National FFA Convention & Expo is only a few months away, and this year’s event is shaping up to be a great one.

We’re moving to Louisville, Ky., for 2013 so be sure to visit the official convention & expo website at FFA.org/convention to get the latest information. Also, this year’s theme will be announced online, so stay tuned for that news as well!

www.ffanewhorizons.org

The Tennessee Mission Highlighting Premier Leadership, Personal Growth and Career Success

Summer 2013

Nature Nurtures PAGE D-E

Table of Contents Page B

Page D-E

Welcome Contributing Authors

Nature Nurtures

Page C

Making Green Cures Summertime Blues

State FFA Convention

Page F

Page G Regional Highlights Back to School

Page H University of Tennessee

A

Welcome

Welcome to the first ever Tennessee insert for the FFA New Horizons magazine. You may be wondering if this insert is all about Tennessee FFA members. Yes it is! This eight-page insert will feature FFA members from within our state who are interesting, excelling and just plain cool! The stories in this insert were composed as an assignment by agriculture communications students at the University of Tennessee. We hope you enjoy getting a few extra pages in your magazine and learning some interesting things about your fellow Tennessee FFA members.

Contributing Writers Hailey Fishel

Special thanks to:

Rob Hamby

April Moore

Nathaniel R. Morton

Richard Maxey

Bret Gammons

Bays Mountain Photos by: Jay Huron www.casesensitivephotos.com www.facebook.com/casesensitivephotos

Carrie Lykins Heather Merritt Jessica Poore

B

CASNR, University of Tennessee

State FFA Convention 2013 Growing Through Opportunities and Experiences

By Hailey Fishel

The Tennessee FFA State Convention held March 25-27 in Gatlinburg went off without a hitch despite snow and freezing temperatures. The cold weather didn’t deter nearly 3,000 dedicated FFA members from enjoying everything that the convention, as well as Gatlinburg, had to offer.

The theme of this year’s convention was Grow, and many members did just that while taking part in a week filled with learning, competition and guest speakers. The keynote speaker, Barrett Keene, talked about leadership opportunities within FFA, noting that real leaders “have the desire to serve and help people.”

Keene’s message was just one of many that members were able to take from sessions and workshops designed to inspire attendees to grow and strive for higher goals. Workshops were led by Keene, agricultural education professors from around the state and Lindsey Anderson, National Western Region Vice President. FFA members also heard from the outgoing state officers.

Each officer gave a retiring address that encouraged members to continue to grow through FFA and to not be afraid to take part in new activities or CDEs. They emphasized the importance of taking advantage of every opportunity FFA provides.

Want to be more involved in next year’s convention? Tennessee State University sponsors a media vault each year and provides information, live feed, feature articles and constant updates on convention happenings. The best part of the media vault is that students have the opportunity to apply to work there. Student jobs can range from interviewing

winners to writing press releases and even capturing fellow members on camera during a session.

Genavieve Guild, a senior from the Brighton FFA Chapter, explained what she liked most about the opportunity to work in the media room, “I liked the behind-the-scenes feel of working in the media room.

It gave me a completely different view on state convention.” This experience is perfect for members with an agricultural communications or education proficiency or those thinking of pursuing a career in any communications field. Genavieve went on to say, “I hope to major in mass communication, so this is a great experience.”

This year, only 12 students took advantage of the media vault opportunity. If you are interested, the vault is perfect to gain experience and to get an exciting glimpse of state convention from behind the scenes. Applications for the media vault are available each spring. Make sure to ask your advisor about this opportunity and how you can apply. Check out the Tennessee State FFA Convention Media Vault link at www.tnstateffaconvention.wordpress.com.

One of the most exciting parts of state convention was the election of new state officers. The energy in the convention hall was electric as the following members were called to serve the association for the

2013-2014 year: President, Sarah Best (Cookeville FFA); East Vice-President, Rebekah Wright (David Crockett FFA); Middle Vice-President, Scott Bohanon (McEwen FFA); West Vice-President, Jeffrey Rogers (Munford FFA); Secretary, Melinda Perkins (Paris FFA); Treasurer, Colton McClanahan (Stone FFA); Reporter, Samantha Beard (Eagleville FFA); and Sentinel, Rachel Ralston (Riverdale FFA).

C

Nature Nurtures FFA Member Discovers Passion While Volunteering at Nature Reserve

By Bret Gammons and Nathaniel R. Morton

Nestled in the foothills of East Tennessee is a snapshot of a world that few experience. Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium, the largest cityowned park in the state, allows visitors an up-close look at nature: 38 miles of trails, a 44-acre lake, zipline and a planetarium surrounded by animal habitats. Since its development in 1968, the park has been an escape from the urban hustle of Kingsport.

It certainly was for Lindsey Rasnake, a 17-yearold FFA member at Dobyns-Bennett High School.

Lindsey, a junior, dreams of being a wildlife biologist. Because urban areas rarely have visible wildlife populations, pursuing such aspirations may seem difficult in one of Tennessee’s larger cities.

Luckily for Lindsey, Bays Mountain provides a wonderful learning opportunity.

Volunteers have a variety of options, including

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astronomy, space science and teambuilding ropes courses. Considering her lifelong interest in animals, she arranged to work with naturalist Rhonda Goins or “Mama Rhonda,” as her co-workers affectionately call her. One of the most impressive tasks Lindsey was able to participate in while working with Rhonda was mixing medicine for Bays Mountain’s wolf population. The medicine is distributed to the wolves by wrapping meat around the prescribed dose; when the wolves consume the meat, they also ingest the medicine.

The medicine is essential to maintaining the wolves’ health. The wolves at Bays Mountain have myelopathy, a genetic condition that affects their lower spine. If left untreated, the degenerative impact of myelopathy would render them unable to use their hind limbs, and the wolves would have to

be euthanized. Lindsey thus served a vital role by helping mix the medicine.

Although she could not interact directly with some of the park’s other animals, she explains that she was “always around them.” With more experience, Lindsey may be able to further engage with animals like her friend Josh, a certified volunteer who helps feed bobcats. Such contact with wildlife reinforced her ambition. “I was pretty sure that [I wanted to be a wildlife biologist], but now I’m 100 percent sure,” she says.

Lindsey’s service at Bays Mountain was not limited to wildlife. She spent many hours at a ropes course with young park visitors developing her social, facilitation and leadership skills. Lindsey, who admits to being more of an animal lover than a people person, says these skills proved invaluable to her as both an FFA member and a member of the Kingsport community. She says the best life lesson from Bays Mountain was “just being able to deal with people, because you’re going to be doing that your whole life.” Her time at the park has even helped her become a better competitor in FFA events by enhancing her ability to communicate and building her confidence.

According to Lindsey, FFA has become part of who she is. Serving as her chapter’s reporter, she knows gaining leadership skills will only help her in the future. When asked about an inspiring event in her FFA career, Lindsey said that attending national convention and seeing Indianapolis covered in blue jackets helped her realize that she is “really a part of something bigger.” Whenever she returns to her school in her own jacket, she brings with it both the confidence and the humility that the organization has taught her. She walks with purpose, knowing that the world reaches beyond the end of a hall or highway.

Lindsey’s FFA advisor, Kerri Sluder, serves as

the leader of the 9-year-old Dobyns-Bennett FFA chapter. According to Sluder, the chapter “has had tremendous support from the school administration … I think it is because they have seen our students involved in the community.” From landscaping public areas to being involved in garden projects, members like Lindsey showcase the FFA motto lines of “doing to learn” and “living to serve”. When asked specifically about Lindsey, Sluder described her as a very intelligent girl of many talents who “is the first to volunteer for a project, assume leadership and motivate others.” Sluder added, “I think she feels at home in nature and has found her calling at Bays Mountain.”

What makes Lindsey so special is how commonplace her story is. She exemplifies what makes FFA a great organization: ordinary people making an extraordinary difference, one day at a time. By following her dreams, Lindsey created change, not just at Bays Mountain or in the Kingsport community, but in herself.

When asked whether there was any message she hoped readers would take from her story, Lindsey had only this to say: “If you’re interested in something, go out there and do it.”

Her passion should be emulated, for the effects of her actions will linger long after she hangs up her blue jacket.

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MAKING GREEN Cures Summertime Blues

By Rob Hamby

As summer is warming up, students are looking for ways to stay busy and fight off those summer blues.

Why not turn your lazy summer into a profitable experience? Whether you’re looking to work a couple hours a week or thinking about something that takes a greater time investment, consider working in conjunction with your supervised agricultural experience (SAE) in order to get some hands-on experience and make some green – cash that is. Some FFA members work on their farms, own their own mowing and landscaping business, or even spend time working in a local greenhouse or farmers market.

Whatever the job, students are finding ways to engage in agriculture and make a little money along the way!

Luke Scott from the Brighton FFA Chapter is taking something he loves and turning it into a profitable experience. He hopes his summer job and SAE could potentially be a career after school. Luke works at a sporting dog facility where he trains British Labradors. Luke’s work is directly related to his SAE in small animal production and care. He not only teaches general behavior but also how to retrieve game for sporting purposes. When asked what the most unique quality of his service was, he stated, “We are different from a lot of other services because we use positive reinforcement training.”

He adds that this method consists of using a “clicker and treat system” as opposed to shock collars to achieve the proper action for the command. This

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process begins when the dog is young with simple commands as sit and stay. Luke enjoys his work and has received several accolades for his performance and dedication.

Cheyanne Johnson, a junior from the Warren County FFA Chapter, certainly doesn’t waste her summer. Last summer she was self employed working with local horses. Her primary duties included breaking, riding and all other aspects of maintaining horses for local owners. Her work fits the equine science SAE area perfectly! Cheyanne even purchased her own quarter horse named Little Man. She is particularly proud of her work with him stating, “He has helped me to place fourth in the state rodeo competition and second in the high school rodeo competition.” Cheyanne plans to continue her work with horses by expanding her business to take on several new clients. After high school she hopes to attend the University of Tennessee to work toward becoming an equine specialist.

FFA members, how will you spend your summer? Talk to your agriculture teacher about potential jobs in your area that will keep you engaged in agriculture, fight off the summertime blues and make some cash while working on your SAE!

Regional Highlights

By Carrie Lykins

West Tennessee Munford FFA Spotlight on Education The Munford FFA Chapter is not only dedicated to the education of students within its school, but to younger members of its community as well. This chapter spreads the worth of agricultural education to youth through two summer camps, a Lamb Camp and a Goat Camp, which are held for youth between kindergarten and third grade. Munford advisor Ashley Bringle says that these camps teach students “every essential aspect of owning a show animal.” Munford FFA members play an enormous leadership role in this project, as the members volunteer their lambs and goats to the camps and become counselors to aid in the education of campers.

Middle Tennessee Hendersonville FFA Spotlight on Service The Hendersonville FFA Chapter truly lives up to the “living to serve” portion of the FFA motto. During its annual officer retreat, the group planned the upcoming year, including one day devoted to a service project. What the group didn’t expect was that the officer team’s attitude toward service would carry over to the entire chapter and eventually the entire school. One of the chapter service activities, Pennies for Patients – a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society project, started with a small goal of

raising $1,000.

The end result shocked even the most involved members: they raised $6,000 in two months, reaching an FFA state record! “These service projects built the duty of service in the entire school,” says Casey Goins, chapter president.

East Tennessee Coty Vannoy Spotlight on Dedication Coty Vannoy’s dedication stems from his father. Coty’s father serves in the U.S. military and was deployed to Iraq in 2009-2010. During his father’s absence Coty was left in charge of his family’s farm. This massive responsibility did not hinder Coty’s FFA participation or achievement. One of his proudest accomplishments is recently being named the East Tennessee Star in Agriscience.

Coty is dedicated to serving both his chapter and region by holding officer positions and by assuming the duties of farm manager for the Chuckey Doak FFA Chapter. Coty says he is able to manage his busy schedule because his father taught him the value of priorities, a lesson Coty will carry with him his entire life.

Back to School

By Heather Merritt

Freshmen Welcome to high school! While getting acquainted to new schedules, teachers, opportunities and friends, FFA could become your predominant activity. If you are coming from a middle school chapter, you’ve already got the hang of things! If FFA is new to you, make sure you pay attention in your first agricultural education class. Look for ways to get involved like career development events (CDEs) and start record keeping once you figure out the route you’ll take with a supervised agricultural experience (SAE).

Sophomores Kick this school year off right! For some of you, becoming a chapter officer has given you new responsibilities. Remember to keep those priorities in order! Sophomore year will likely be busier than your freshman year. So, get a planner and write everything down. Don’t forget to try a new event this year! Make sure you are keeping up with all of your FFA event participation and SAE records.

Juniors This is your year! It is the perfect time to work on your proficiency and submit it for awards. Some of you are even able to apply for your State FFA Degree. The deadlines will come quickly after Christmas break, so make sure you are keeping records updated now! Don’t forget to take your ACT along the way! The Tennessee ACT weekday test is March 4, 2014.

seniors Time for the best year yet! Busy or not, make sure to take time to enjoy your final days in high school! CDE participation can help prepare you for scholarship and job interviews, and your SAE can help you decide on a career path. Although it seems early, college applications are due as soon as you begin the fall semester. Since tuition can be costly, make sure you meet the scholarship deadlines for your college, which is usually early fall. Tennessee and National FFA scholarship applications are due in February.

Want more information? Check out a detailed calendar for Tennessee FFA at www.tnffa.org/calendar.aspx.

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oklahoma outlook

Summer 2013

Oklahoma FFA’s own

Champion of Change

Ridge Howell is an FFA member from Checotah who has made significant contributions to the welfare of all Checotah citizens, especially senior citizens.

On October 9, 2012, Ridge was named a White House Champion of Change. He was honored for his accomplishments with a trip to Washington, D.C., and an opportunity to visit with White House staff about the future of agriculture.

Oklahoma Outlook visited with Ridge on November 8, 2012.

Tell me about the projects for which you were honored.

The two main ones were a project that Mr. McPeak (his Ag-Ed teacher) and I started about three years ago: The Senior Citizens’ Lawn-mowing Program. Every week during the summer, we go to the Senior Citizens Center in Checotah and draw three names out of a basket and then mow the lawns of those people.

The second (project) started last April. We were accepted for a $2,500 Food-For-All grant through National FFA and the Warren G. Buffet Foundation. (The grant) gave us money to buy supplies and materials to build raised beds and start an outdoor garden at the elementary school. Then, throughout the summer, we would pick the produce three or four times a week and take it to the senior citizens. They would come up there and get what they wanted. We never had any left, but there was always

Ridge Howell with his Ag-Ed teacher, Jason McPeak, at the White House

enough for everybody.

So the Warren Buffet Foundation funded the raised garden bed project and helped you get that off the ground?

(They) gave us the money to buy supplies for the raised beds, to buy all the seeds, topsoil, mulch…

But you’re still going to have some of those expenses every year. Would you ever consider selling that produce, or do you always want to give it away?

No, I definitely think we’ll always want to give it, and probably always to the senior citizens because I feel they really appreciate it probably more than just about any other age could.

Let’s talk about the Champions of Change award. That’s a really big deal. How did that ball start rolling?

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Read the complete interview with Ridge Howell on our website, www.okffa.org.

A Unique SAE from

Aron Smith is a senior at Luther High School. His SAE involves bees, chickens and worms. He’s also on the welding team and the electricity team. According to his Ag-Ed teacher, “He doesn’t just come into class to do one thing. He’s in to take advantage of things that are offered to him.” He is in his third year as a chapter officer and is currently president.

I understand you have a pretty unique SAE. Why don’t you tell me a little about it?

Well, I was looking for a different SAE because I got burned out on the normal stuff. Someone told me about bees one day, and I got started with two hives. We got Italian bees, which is a rookie-type bee. They’re very docile.

How many bees do you have now?

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I still have the two hives, but they’ve grown substantially. I’m about ready to split one of them because it’s starting to need more room to grow.

About how much honey do you get in a season?

This last season, I got a large 10-gallon bucket and some extra, but that was during the middle of the summer. It didn’t take too long to get.

Are you making any money with your bees?

Yeah. I haven’t completely gotten every penny back, but it’s getting there.

Is this a growing enterprise for you? Do you think that year after year, you’ll have more bees and more honey?

Yeah, so far they’ve been growing every year. At first they were kind of slow, but now they’re getting bigger and bigger. I feel like once I

split this one, they’ll just keep multiplying and I’ll be able to split them into more and more over time.

You also raise chickens. Tell me about that.

I sell the eggs to a restaurant in Oklahoma City. I sold to them for a long time until a lot of (the chickens) got killed.

How many eggs were you able to come up with on a weekly basis?

We were giving them several dozen a week. We could get around a dozen a day when we had the full amount.

How many hens did you have?

We had about 18 to 20 hens and a couple of roosters.

What is it about those eggs that make them better than generic eggs?

The free-range chickens just get more nutrients and protein from being able to be outside. They’re also happier. That actually can affect them, too.

Tell me about your worms. How’d you get involved in that?

We have a lot of food scraps that are good for composting, which requires worms, so we ordered a starter pack called a Vermicomposter. It came with some wood chips and shredded paper to get them started.

And you add table scraps?

Yeah, like coffee grounds, bread—anything.

Tell me what the worms do to the compost.

They digest it and let it get more air into it so it composts more for the reactions. You can also get worm tea from the worms, which is a nutrient rich liquid for plants.

That worm tea is basically the output of the worms, and it’s used as fertilizer, right?

Kind of. You can use it on your flowers to give them a boost in their growth. The plants we use it on seem to be healthier and grow more than the ones we haven’t used it on.

Do you think you’ll eventually have enough of the tea that you can sell it and add to your income?

Luther, Oklahoma

The one we have is only enough to do stuff around the house. It’s more of an experiment. I was hoping it might turn out to be a business venture, but it wasn’t productive enough.

But you’re still learning…

Yes, I still have them and I still add to them.

Tell me about your other activities in this chapter. I understand you’re chapter president and you have kind of a unique officer team?

(Laughter) I’m the only male on the officer’s team.

You and six ladies, right?

Yeah, I have to deal with them all

being mad at each other all the time. (Laughter) That’s probably good experience for your future life. Tell me about leadership. What’s your take on leadership? Why is that important?

As a leader, I want to inspire the other members of the chapter, to have them see me and want to do the stuff I’m doing. I want to be a role model—if there is something that needs to be done, I go and do it, and have other people see that and want to do it.

Tell me about FFA. What kind of difference has FFA made in your life?

FFA has introduced me to a lot of people. I’ve had so many great experiences. I was fairly shy before FFA. Now, I am pretty outgoing and I can’t really keep my mouth shut.

One last thing: I understand you got into welding as a 9-yearold kid. Tell me about that.

I first got interested in it when one of our trailers broke. We were at the Ag-Ed barn, and they were cutting pipe with a torch. I kept bothering Mrs. Drake about it. She finally let me do it, and I was actually pretty good at it. It was really fun.

Now you’re doing creative things with welding, right?

Right now, I’m about to start a project making a bed frame into a bench. It’s something my mom showed me that she wants me to do.

It’s her birthday present.

While we were in Luther, we learned that Aron’s Ag-Ed teacher, Holly Drake, is also pretty unique.

Holly is one of just a few female Ag-Ed teachers in Oklahoma in schools with just one teacher. As it turns out, her program is pretty unique, too.

Mrs. Drake: The most unique thing is the diversity. I have traditional farm kids, Hispanics and African Americans, so I get a wide range of students. We’ve also got a lot of females in agriculture here.

I teach horticulture, and I also teach welding. We do a lot of shop work. I teach archery, skeet shooting and fishing, so there are a lot of different things they can learn in the program. We sell a lot of our projects to people around here and online.

Another unique thing we do involves livestock showing: We get sponsored animals for some of our students. Some of my kids who are showing pigs can’t afford to buy a pig, so I have some people who buy the pig and pay for the feed.

The student gets to show the pig – anything they win money-wise, they get to keep – but when they’re done, the pig goes to the butcher and the sponsor gets the pig. We also have a lot of sponsored goats. For the kids who have the goats, if we need to, we put a little pen together at their house.

So even if they don’t live on a farm, they can still have a goat or whatever.

Yeah. I even have a student in town that had one in her backyard.

(Laughter) No problems with that?

No, no. Everybody was pretty easygoing with it.

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State Officers Visit

Each year in the spring, your Oklahoma FFA state officers participate in a Business and Industry Tour, visiting some of the companies that have chosen to become Title Sponsors of the annual FFA State Convention.

A Title Sponsor is one that gives at least $25,000 toward the expenses of the convention. This year we have eight Title Sponsors: Blue and Gold Sausage, Chesapeake Energy, Devon Energy, Farm Credit, Ford, McDonald’s, SandRidge Energy and Sonic.

The Business and Industry Tour is sponsored by the Oklahoma FFA Foundation. Oklahoma Outlook spoke with the foundation’s executive director, Kendall Brashears, about the tour:

new sponsors. Third, (the tour) allows the state officers to meet some of Oklahoma’s corporate leaders and see firsthand how their companies play a vital role in the overall economy and well-being of the state.

The Officers have a unique opportunity to hear the thoughts of key corporate leaders. This gives them keen insight into why business and industry leaders support nonprofit organizations like the FFA. Sponsors are always thrilled at the opportunity to visit with the state officer team. They ask the officers about how and why they got started in FFA, what type of projects they had in high school and what FFA leadership activities they participated in. They might also ask about college majors and employment goals. In most cases, the sponsors come away with a renewed sense that the future of Oklahoma is in good hands and the FFA is helping to provide the tools necessary for young people to succeed in life.

The purpose of the tour is three-fold. First of all, it provides an opportunity to showcase our state FFA officer team to current FFA Foundation sponsors. Second, the state officers serve as ambassadors as we visit potential One of the officers on this year’s tour was Brandon Baumgarten, outgoing state president, who shared his thoughts about the tour and the important contributions of our Title Sponsors: Business and industry tours are something very unique Oklahoma does. During National FFA Week, the state officers tour our sponsors and see how they work. We get to have one-on-one time with them. Some people might think that the executive world is just unreachable. But they’re people just like you and me. They believe in the future of agriculture, just like you and I do.

Can you give us an idea about how the sponsors’ contributions are spent?

Most of the money goes to scholarships and Proficiency Awards. We also give awards to students who excel at public

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Our Title Sponsors Our sponsors are giving money because they actually see what it does. In my mind, I call our sponsors visionaries because, like Martha Burger, they believe in the future of agriculture. They believe in the future of our country.

What about when you got to meet Steve Vaughan and the folks at Sonic?

Mr. Vaughan is also the Oklahoma FFA Foundation chairman this year. We are fortunate to have him in that position.

(See the interview with Steve Vaughan on page F.)

speaking. The same thing if they do well with livestock.

Our sponsors pay for all these awards.

Their contributions also go to the functioning of the convention, the space that we rent, the convention center and so forth. Some of the money covers the cost of the band we have on Tuesday night. It also covers the laser show that people look forward to when the state officers come out.

One sponsor, Oklahoma Ford Dealers, gives a truck away at our state convention. There is no other state in the nation that does that. It’s because we have such generous sponsors that our convention is so great.

Let’s go back to the tour for a minute. What kind of things did you learn, for instance, when you went to Chesapeake this year?

I was really impressed with the people there. Martha Burger (senior vice president of human and corporate resources) talked about the future of agriculture, and the future of our country…it was so powerful.

Anything in particular about Sonic that was surprising to you?

Sonic was another great opportunity to see how down to earth people are. They really love FFA. Obviously, all our sponsors do, but Sonic is a food service company, and they know exactly what agriculture does and how vital it is to their company.

Do you think the average FFA member understands and appreciates the amount of support we get from our sponsors?

What I’ll tell you is that without sponsorships we could not do what we do. They fuel our fire to succeed. Our sponsorships are so vital to our success. I think our members are very appreciative of what our sponsors do and all the things they’re going to do in the future.

People like Martha Burger and Steve Vaughan have caught the vision. They say, “You know, we believe in what it can do. We believe in the effects of our sponsorship.” It all comes down to making a positive difference in the lives of students.

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OK FFA Foundation Board Chairman

Steve Vaughan

Steve Vaughan is the Oklahoma FFA Foundation’s board chairman. He is also the chief operating officer of the Sonic Corporation. We spoke with Mr. Vaughan at the Sonic headquarters in Oklahoma City.

As I understand it, you were never in FFA yourself, and your first experience with FFA was because of your son, Wes. That’s correct. During his freshman year, Wes decided to take a class in agriculture. He started off doing the FFA Creed and some of the introductory speaking classes. He was a very quiet, kind of shy kid. I saw him just blossom, become more confident.

You met some of the state officers today. It’s impressive that the state officers can achieve what they achieve and have that confidence. But what is also amazing about FFA and Ag-Ed is the student who may not be a state officer, but can learn how to give a speech or weld or show cattle, and that’s something to be proud of, too.

What you need growing up is some area where you can become successful and gain confidence. I think FFA gives these young people that opportunity; whether it’s welding, taking care of an animal or the public speaking aspect. It’s just a great opportunity to learn life lessons.

Your first involvement with FFA was as a parent. How did it evolve that you’re now sitting on the board for the foundation?

Kendall (Brashears, the FFA Foundation executive director) called on us to see if Sonic would become a sponsor of the Oklahoma FFA convention. Later, he asked me to serve on the foundation board.

The thing I love about the FFA Foundation board is that everyone is there for the kids, doing whatever it takes to support them, making sure they have opportunities. Almost every one of those people has either been directly or indirectly involved, and they’re all very passionate about FFA. The foundation, as you say, supports the organization and raises money for things that the state dollars wouldn’t cover, like the convention and Alumni Camp.

Yes. Financial sponsorship of the state convention and some pretty significant support for quite a few scholarships that go to support young people who are going into agricultural education.

You talked about the foundation and how it sponsors the conference and scholarships and such. I’m also interested in the Sonic Corporation’s significant involvement with FFA. From Sonic’s perspective, FFA is a perfect fit. Our philanthropic mission is to support non-profits that advance education and academic opportunity for Oklahoma youth ages 4-22. As you can imagine, we get tons of requests for support from all over. So we said, “OK, what is our filter going to be? Let’s focus on young people and education in Oklahoma.” The FFA is dead on with that.

The Oklahoma FFA Foundation was named the Top Nonprofit in Oklahoma in April 2012. The award recognizes nonprofits from throughout the state for the difference they make in the lives of Oklahomans. The FFA Foundation was chosen from among 19,000 nonprofits statewide.

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Go to www.okffa.org to read more of our interview with Steve Vaughan.

Whatever Happened To...

Travis Jett grew up on a ranch in Slapout, Oklahoma. He began his FFA career at Laverne, where he was a chapter officer during his sophomore and junior years and chapter president as a senior. He then ran for and was elected Northwest District vice-president. A year later he was elected Oklahoma State FFA president.

State office is a life-changing experience in that you experience a lot of things and are put in a lot of situations that are challenging, but when you succeed, it opens doors. It was incredibly rewarding. Hopefully, I had positive impact along the way.

After serving as state president, Travis thought his FFA career was over. He went to Washington, D.C., and was an intern in Rep. Frank Lucas’ office. One day, during the Washington Leadership Conference, there were students who came to the Capitol in full FFA official dress. Seeing that rekindled Travis’ interest, and he decided to run for national office.

I went through the process and was fortunate to be selected as national president. I had a tremendous year. The difference in state office and national office is the highs are higher and the lows are lower.

(Laughter) By the lows being lower, there was a run of 11 weeks that I was on the road with a single suitcase.

Though that is exciting, it can get lonely and you get really tired. The highs, though: tons of students, tons of states, met President Bush, met Kofi Annan, got to travel so many places. There are definitely the high points, too.

At the end of his term as national president, Travis returned to OSU and completed his bachelor’s degree. He went to law school at OU for one year and then transferred to Georgetown, where he finished his law degree.

Travis Jett?

He now works for Feller Snyder, a large law firm in Oklahoma City.

I do all litigation. After that, there are a variety of things that I do. I do a lot of regulatory and political type things: anything from candidacy challenges to helping draft legislation. I’ve also done a fair amount of white-collar criminal defense work. It’s a wide scope of things that I do.

Travis plans to continue practicing law for the foreseeable future, if not the rest of his career.

I do like it, and I think it’s interesting. I was making a comment the other day that I managed to pick a career that has farmer hours besides being a farmer. (Laughter) Long, long hours, but very rewarding work. I do get back several weekends a month and work with my dad on our ranch in the Panhandle. It’s a good thing. Every now and then, I get the chance to handle an Ag-related legal matter, and that’s a fun thing as well.

Travis Jett with the National FFA Officer Team 2005-2006

His experiences in FFA, from eighth grade through the national office, prepared him well for his professional life.

I know, looking back, that my social skills progressed a lot through FFA. My show projects definitely taught me lessons about business that I use today. The ability to speak and communicate to people is something we think a lot of in the FFA speech program. So many of the skills that I learned from FFA are directly applicable to my career, and I think most careers that you’ll find.

Here’s Travis’ advice for that whole new crop of eighth graders just starting out in FFA. Give the things that look challenging a try. You’re going to be surprised by some of the things you get involved with and enjoy. I would also say soak in the experience and enjoy it. This is your chance to be an FFA member and enjoy the people in your chapter. It’s a very fun time, and you have like-minded people who are working toward likeminded goals. You’ll look back on that fondly. Give the full experience a try, and enjoy it as you go.

Read the complete interview with Travis on our website, www.okffa.org.

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Champion of Change (Continued from Page A)

In June, my Ag-Ed teachers filled out a nomination to the White House for me. I thought that we didn’t get it, because it was the middle of September before we heard anything. Then we got an email saying, “Congratulations, you’ve been selected as a White House Champion of Change.” I was thrilled. It was completely unexpected.

How many people from Oklahoma were selected?

One. What happened at the White House?

In the morning we went to the White House and took a tour. Then at noon we went to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (for the meeting). There were two people asking us questions, and it probably lasted about an hour.

(The meeting) was videotaped and you could watch it live at your schools—which our school did.

So your peer group here in Checotah was watching this in real time while you were there?

Yes. That was really cool. I think they recorded it.

Let’s talk about community service in general. Tell me why you think that’s an important thing to do.

I think as a society, it’s important to be service-oriented. We all need to be able to help each other. I don’t think anybody should ever have to walk through life alone.

There should always be somebody there to be your friend, if nothing else. That’s the biggest reason.

I don’t really see service as being a job or a chore. It is something I enjoy doing, and I think anybody who actually got out, who actually did something that was some kind of service project would come to find that it really is enjoyable.

What words would you have to encourage other FFA members across the state to get more involved in their own communities?

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You need an initial push to get involved. Because after that, after you find something you enjoy, I think it would take off. As I said, it’s not a chore. You’re going to enjoy doing it. And you feel good knowing you’ve helped somebody else.

You’re a senior now. What are your plans for after graduation?

Well, I’ll be here this summer, but in the fall, I plan on going to OSU and going into some kind of science track. I want to eventually go to medical school.

What do your parents think about all this?

They’re really excited. They definitely push me to do everything I can. Academics is very big in my family. I think they just want me to be somebody who is well-rounded. I think they are just trying to give me a good base.

You are a student who has been very successful in FFA and agricultural education, but you’re not going to major in agriculture. You’re going to do pre-med. I’d like to have you talk about how agricultural education and FFA is not just for kids who are going to be farmers.

FFA has been the main thing that’s prepared me for college. I always knew that I wasn’t going to go into the ag field, even though I was raised on a farm. But FFA gives you the leadership skills you need, the basics you need to do well in life. It’s not just for people who want to be Ag-Ed teachers or agri-business majors. It’s so much broader than that. There are so many leadership skills you can take in that are going to help you throughout life.

What else do we need to know about you?

I will say one more thing: FFA is an organization for people who care about the future. It covers everything you need in life. From academics to leadership to helping others. It’s just huge.

Coming up in our next issue: The Voice of the Rodeo

MISSOURI FFA TODAY Summer 2013

SAE Project Lands in Grocery Stores

Rachel Mareth taps food market with hydroponic lettuce FFA member thinks local

BY JOANN PIPKIN, EDITOR

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t’s been a year since ground was broken on the greenhouse that would become a part of Rachel Mareth’s Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE).

Already, the soon-to-be Mount Vernon high school senior FFA member is marketing her hydroponic lettuce in grocery stores across southwest Missouri.

“We have been encouraging our students to think more to that “locally-grown” marketing niche,” explains Jason Haymes, Rachel’s FFA advisor.

Rachel’s SAE project launched after her dad saw a flyer in a feed store advertising a greenhouse for sale.

Ground was broken in May 2012 with the first seeding established in November and first harvest taken in January of this year.

Operating under the name 417 Produce LLC as part of her SAE, Rachel’s family’s company initially hoped to market its locally grown hydroponic lettuce to area restaurants. With assistance from family members, though, she was able to work out a marketing agreement with southwest Missouri-based Pyramid Foods. Pyramid assisted Rachel with packaging and development of a bar code for each of the four varieties of lettuce she grows. The grocery company also assisted with brand development and logo design and now markets the lettuce under the Hydro Harvest label.

And it is that packaging that sets Rachel’s locally grown lettuce apart from other selections in the produce section.

417 Produce shipped its first product to Pyramid Foods, which includes Price Cutter markets in Springfield as well as other grocery chains throughout the area, at the end of January. Rachel says customer feedback from the 10+ stores that sell her product thus far has been positive.

Mount Vernon FFA member Rachel Mareth grows hydroponic lettuce and markets it through southwest Missouri area grocery stores owned by Pyramid Foods. More than 1,700 plants are harvested each week. —Photo by Joann Pipkin

A busy high school student involved with sports in addition to FFA, Rachel says balancing her business with other activities is one of the most challenging aspects of her project.

“I work in the greenhouse every day after softball practice doing seedings and monitoring the nutrient CONT’D ON PAGE E

Table of Contents Page B The President’s Position

Page C

Page F

Paris FFA Wins National Award for Marketing Plan

In their Words

Page G FFA Calendar

A

THE PRESIDENT’S POSITION Grow Your Love of Agriculture with Your SAE

2011-2012 State FFA Officers Area Officer 1 Ryan Messner

Stanberry

2 Samantha Gibson

Norborne 3 Rhian Beldon

South Shelby 4 Jaelyn Bergmann - President

Paris 5 Sonja Perry - Secretary

Bowling Green 6 Kenneth Swope

Boonville 7 Allyson Smith

Crest Ridge 8 Katie Gibson

Nichols Career Ctr 9 Sarah Bastin

Carthage

10 Cody Stewart

Ash Grove 11 Courtney Spencer - 1st V.P.

Aurora 12 Ashlee Jones

Sparta 13 Mallary Burris

Bakersfield 14 Cody Shoop

Linn 15 Anna Eftink

Bloomfield 16 Sam Turner

Bernie 3

Brady James - Past President Knox County

Department of Elem. & Sec. Education P.O. Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102 Phone: (573) 751-3544.

District Supervisors: Leon Busdieker, Oscar Carter, Keith Dietzschold, Lisa Evans & Steven Rogers Missouri FFA Today • Joann Pipkin, Editor 3674 S. State Hwy N • Republic, MO 65738 Email: joann.pipkin@att.net Phone: (417) 732-8552

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BY JAELYN BERGMANN STATE FFA PRESIDENT

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ne of my favorite chores as a youngster was to help Dad feed bottle calves. When it was feeding time, I begged Dad to take me to the barn. I loved petting those baby calves and most times Dad would even let me hold the bottle.

As I got older, my trips to the barn became fewer, until the summer after I joined FFA. Dad had to go on a business trip and I was assigned to task of taking care of his lone Jersey bottle calf. It was my responsibility to feed the calf every morning and night. When I checked cows with Papa, he called “Sug, baby, sug” and his cows came running, so I named the calf SugSug, in hopes that he would come running when I called. Sug-Sug met me at the gate at each feeding and followed me everywhere I went.

The problem was, by the time Dad returned home I was attached to the cute little Jersey. Dad said if I wanted the responsibility, I could finish raising Sug-Sug and invest in more bottle calves. This was the start of my Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) and my own bottle calf operation, Nanny Jae’s Nursery.

One warm summer evening, Sug-Sug experienced how green the grass was on the other side of

the fence when I decided to let him follow me to the water hydrant in the yard. Afterall, he always followed me everywhere I went, right? As soon as we went through the gate he took off like a rodeo bull— jumping, kicking and doing everything but following me. How was I going to get this calf back in?

About that time Papa drove by, saw the commotion, and came to my rescue! My SAE has not only provided me many memories, but also has influenced my education and career goals in the agricultural industry. SAE’s are designed to allow FFA members to gain hands-on experiences and develop essential skills through entrepreneurship, placement, research and experimentation, or exploratory projects. I am grateful for the opportunities that are now impacting my life due to my SAE. I encourage you, FFA members, to find an SAE that will develop and grow your love for agriculture.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, or disability in its programs and activities. Inquiries related to Department programs and to the location of services, activities, and facilities that are accessible by persons with disabilities may be directed to the Jefferson State Office Building, Office of the General Counsel, Coordinator – Civil Rights Compliance (Title VI/Title IX/504/ADA/Age Act), 6th Floor, 205 Jefferson Street, P.O. Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480; telephone number 573-526-4757 or TTY 800-735-2966; fax number 573-522-4883; email civilrights@dese.mo.gov.

MARKETING AT THE TOP Paris FFA Takes First in Marketing Contest

Chapter earns cash, trip SUBMITTED BY PARIS FFA

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hey say with FFA anything is possible; this was never truer than for members of the Paris FFA Officer team this past December.

In April 2012 their advisors challenged them with filling out the Pfizer (now Zoetis) Marketing Contest plan. With the backing of their local veterinarian, Dr. Mac Wilt, the chapter submitted the two-page application. Chapter advisors received national winner notification last August. Grand prize included $2,600 and a trip for four students and one advisor to Pfizer (Zoetis) national headquarters in Madison, N.J., where the students would present their marketing plan.

Paris FFA members traveled to Pfizer national headquarters in Madison, N.J., as part of their prize for winning the animal health company’s marketing contest plan. Attending were Caitie Nobis, Jill Nobis, Danielle Bounds, Lindsay Link, Meaghan Dye, Austin Nordwald, Britton Francis, and Shelby Dickey. Advisors are Josh Bondy and Stephanie Eckler.

Pfizer Marketing Contest FFA chapters participating in the marketing contest worked with a local veterinarian or animal health supplier on an educational program, producer meeting, open house or other initiative to promote the effective, economic and proper use of cattle and/or equine animal health products.

Then, each chapter submitted a plan summary including objectives, descriptions of the process and outcome, and submitted photos and metrics determining their success. For the Paris FFA Chapter, the contest allowed the students an opportunity to work with their local CONTINUED ON PAGE D

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE C veterinarian and provide a platform to educate and interact with local livestock producers.

Paris FFA members participated in the Monroe County Ag Night and Steer Weigh-in

Day to promote Pfizer (Zoetis) Animal Health products. FFA members sought donations to help put on the events. Their local veterinarian, Dr. Wilt, attended and met with potential customers about Pfizer (Zoetis) Animal

Health products. Overall, the chapter was able to reach 350 prospective customers between the two meetings. In addition to the FFA members providing animal health information, local agricultural leaders were able to witness the future of agriculture in action.

“The Monroe County Ag Night was a huge success” explained Megan Morgan, local cattle and row crop producer. “It was very motivating to see everyone in the county with the same mindset— improving agriculture.”

Trip to the Big Apple: Paris FFA officer team received enough additional funding from the community to send all eight officers and both advisors on the grand prize trip to Pfizer (Zoetis) headquarters.

At the home office, FFA members met with Pfizer (Zoetis) Animal Health’s vice president and the executives of the marketing team to present their winning marketing plan and answer questions. The trip included stops at Central Park, The Apollo, numerous museums and skyscrapers, Radio City Music Hall, and Rockefeller Plaza for a visit with the TODAY Show. The journey also included seeing the Empire State Building.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Paris FFA encourages all Missouri FFA Chapters to enter the 2013 contest! Pfizer Animal Health has changed its name to Zoetis Animal Health.

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Local Lettuce Continued from Page A

Mount Vernon FFA member Rachel Mareth grows four different varieties of lettuce in her hydroponic greenhouse.

tanks,” Rachel notes. Any spare time she finds is spent assembling the crispers, which house the bibb lettuce for market as well as handlabeling the crispers and bags for the green and red leaf lettuce.

The business employs Rachel’s brother, Levi, as full-time

greenhouse manager. Three parttime workers help with the harvest, which takes place Monday through Wednesday of each week. During that time, Rachel says 1,700-1,800 plants are harvested and delivered to Pyramid Foods distribution warehouse. The company has an exclusive agreement with the Mareth’s for marketing the lettuce.

Lettuce seeds arrive at the greenhouse in pellet form. From there, Rachel starts the seedlings— about 200 per flat —and grows them in a “nursery” setting for two

to three weeks before transplanting to the channels to complete the grow cycle. After harvest, channels are cleaned so new seedlings can be transplanted and the cycle repeats.

A sensitive crop to grow, Rachel says wide fluctuation in temperature can quickly damage the romaine lettuce, often causing the tips of the plants to burn and leaving them unmarketable.

Rachel says the venture has helped her grow both personally and professionally. As she sets her sights on a career in interior design and eventually owning her own business, the marketing skills her SAE has taught her will serve as an invaluable lesson.

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In Their Words Up close with your Missouri State FFA Officers

Cody stewart

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am amazed daily at how united the FFA is. We all care about agriculture, wear the same jacket and are progressive leaders.

My first glimpse into this reality unification was the Washington Leadership Conference. I went to the conference not knowing what to expect. I only had two goals: to make new friends and learn more about the FFA. When I arrived, my roommates were nice, the facilitators were helpful and everyone was ready to have a good time. It didn’t matter what our background was, that we were from different ends of the country

or how we grew up. We all had the same goals. I met FFA members from Connecticut, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Arizona. I made friends from all walks of life and different backgrounds. In the one week I was at WLC, I learned more about the FFA and myself than I ever thought possible. I made friendships that have lasted throughout the years.

My fellow FFA members taught me what it meant to truly serve an organization. They all had the same passion for agriculture and FFA that I had. It was an experience of a lifetime in every sense of the word.

FFA members, I challenge you to be willing to have an experience

CODY STEWART State Vice President, Area 10

of a lifetime. Go into every conference, contest, convention and session with an open mind. Set goals for yourself and your teams.

Be willing to make new friends and experience new opportunities.

ANNA EFTINK

ANNA EFTINK State Vice President, Area 15

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hocolate chip cookies have long been my archenemy. My mom has a secret recipe for these cookies, and she will not share it. I can remember sitting in the kitchen watching my momma baking everything from cookies to cakes.

She never quite followed the recipe, but everything always turned out perfectly. When I finally got to be old enough to be trusted alone in the kitchen, my mom told me I

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FFA Calendar Missouri FFA is on the move could choose any recipe I wanted.

Of course, the first dish that popped into my head was my mother’s famous chocolate chip cookies.

Now, these cookies are just about the best thing since sliced bread, and while I’ve been at college, I have legitimately dreamed about them. On the first try, my cookies were absolutely awful. They came out flat and spread out on the pan. It was a miracle in itself that there wasn’t a fire started in the oven. Discouraged, I decided not to bake chocolate chip cookies again until I was asked to specifically.

That vow stands to this day.

While I may have vowed to not bake chocolate chip cookies, I did fill a lot of my spare time in high school by baking just about everything else. Then, I was introduced to the wonderful world of Pinterest. Believe it or not, just because someone pins a picture of food, does not mean it will turn out the way you hoped. Eventually, I found a food I couldn’t say no to— caramel brownies.

These caramel brownies were not just good, they were the best brownies I had ever made, and they were an absolute hit any time I brought them to a dinner party.

After getting involved with a small group of volunteers on campus we started bringing them with us and handing the brownies out to the people we were serving.

Just as my mother is known for her chocolate chip cookies, I am known for my brownies. The moral of the story here is that hidden inside each of us is a special niche or talent. What’s yours?

June 3-7

Missouri AgriBusiness Academy Tour—Springfield Area

3-July 12 Missouri FFA Camp Rising Sun—Lake of the Ozarks, Kaiser 4-6

Public Speaking Academy—UCM, Warrensburg

21-22

Area Officer Institute—FFA Camp Rising Sun, Kaiser

28-30

HYMAX Academy—FFA Camp Rising Sun, Kaiser

JuLY 1

Missouri State Fair Livestock Entries DUE

22-25

Missouri ACTE Conference—Springfield

19-22

Gold Buckle Extravaganza—Ozark Empire Fair, Springfield

26-8/3 Ozark Empire Fair—Springfield

august 1

The Leadership Adventure—Columbia

2

The Leadership Adventure—Springfield

8-18

Missouri State Fair—Sedalia

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Creed The Michigan FFA

Summer 2013

Michigan FFA Association

Creed Staff

108 Natural Resources - East Lansing, MI - 48824 www.michiganffa.org - association@michiganffa.org Phone: (517) 353-9221 - Fax: (517) 432-5632

Managing Editor: Advising Editor:

Jasper Cunningham Michelle Sidel

D Motto In Motion

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Check out how a former agriscience teacher continues to make a positive difference

Learn more about two of the 2012-2013 State Officers

F Convention Review Read what happened at the 85th Michigan FFA State Convention

H Editor’s Choice

State Officer Stats

J A Legacy In Ag Discover the impact Dr. Harrison Gardner left on agricultural education

N Fun Page Get crafty with modge podge

View a photo collage of convention highlights

2012-2013 State Officers

L to R: Jaime Curth, Region I State Vice President; Samantha Engelhardt, State Reporter; Darcy Lipskey, Region III State Vice President; Morgan Stuart, State Secretary; Nathan Krohn, State Treasurer; Abby Spickerman, State President; Max Kempf, Region V State Vice President; Juliana Forbush, State Vice President; Emily Calderone, Region IV State Vice President; Hannah Fallowfield, Region VI State Vice President; Levi Voorhies, State Sentinel

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The Michigan FFA will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, gender, marital status, weight, sexual orientation or disability. Any student requiring an accommodation as a result of a disability should contact the chapter advisor to arrange such accommodation.

State Officer Excursions 365 days to make an impact on 6,281 FFA members. That was the 2012-2013 Michigan FFA Officer Team’s goal and we hit that goal. This year seemed to breeze by whether our team was attending Tractor Day in Fremont, checking out Sanilac’s aquaculture and greenhouse set up or spending endless hours with different chapters at their banquet. This year has been a true blessing for our entire team. We walked in as eleven strangers and became a family that has worked to impact the Michigan FFA Association in such a large way.

These past couple of months we have seen the 85th Michigan FFA Convention come to a close and career development events start. The officers had the opportunity to

By: Darcy Lipskey

Career Center and their FFA chapter where I got to experience first-hand all the different projects that they have been working on, whether they were getting ready for the tilapia in their tanks, washing their lettuce and packaging it, doing chores in one of their animal barns, getting the greenhouse ready for their hanging baskets or preparing to collect sap for their maple syrup production, this FFA chapter has diverse opportunities going on in their program. The students also take their products to different farmer’s markets to sell the products, which gives them skills not only in producing the product but also customer relations.

Where would our FFA chapters be if there were no members to make the chapters what they are? All members have a very special story to tell and how they got to where they are. Whether it was developing a plan for an agribusiness or working on an agriscience research project to determine what is beneficial and what is not. Many members worked hard preparing for a speech or contest. Members put many hours into applications which made them finalists for state star, proficiencies and agri-entrepreneurship awards.

meet with alumni members from across the state at the alumni annual banquet at Laker High School. Together the alumni and foundation does a great sponsorship to the Michigan FFA Association whether it is through awards or scholarships. Officers had the chance to say thank you to all the hardworking alumni members. We also attended many different business and industry tours to spread the good word about agriculture and what we are doing to help promote the future of agriculture! The 2012-2013 State Officer Team cannot thank the Michigan FFA Association enough During my year of service I visited the Sanilac for making this year as wonderful as it was.

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Earning to Live: As FFA members we often forget about the people in the background - our alumni and our Agriculture teachers. Without these selfless individuals, giving up their time and efforts, our organization would not succeed and be as prosperous as it is. Even after retirement, some ag teachers continue to give back to the organization by joining the alumni.

Mr. Frank Corrin from Corunna, MI is no exception to the rule.

After graduating from college, Frank was hired by Millington Public Schools where he taught agriculture courses for three years. Then he moved to Corunna Public Schools, teaching for the next 32 years.

After teaching and advising for 35 years, Frank decided it was time to retire - that

Corrin grew up on his family’s cash crop and livestock farm in Owosso, Michigan and graduated from Chesaning High School. As a young man, he was involved not only with FFA but also the New Haven 4-H Club. Corrin showed animals while didn’t mean he was done with FFA for good. in 4-H and participated in 4-H softball even placing at the state tournament. Agriculture has always been an important part of Frank’s life. After igniting the spark As a member of the Chesaning FFA at his family farm, he purchased land next Chapter, Frank served as the chapter to Corunna High School where he started vice-president and the Region IV a small specialty crop operation. For more Vice-President. One of his major than 36 years, Frank has been raising accomplishments in FFA was winning the strawberries, pumpkins and sweet corn. state parliamentary procedure contest.

His supervised agriculture experience Frank’s service doesn’t stop there, he is also (SAE) was raising crops, steers and swine. actively involved in the community. Every In 1963 Corrin graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in agricultural education. Frank said that he decided to become an ag teacher after the advice and guidance of his two ag teachers at Chesaning.

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Friday night, in the fall, he can be found in the press box announcing for Corunna Football and is known as the voice of the Cavaliers.

The Shiawassee County Fair is also near and dear to his heart. He has served as swine

Beyond a Career superintendent and general livestock superintendent for 45 years. Corrin also serves on the fair board and just finished his term as vice president. He continues to serve the kids of Shiawassee County by sharing his love of teaching and being an active member of the local community.

By: Levi Voorhies

alumni and community support when I taught. The support benefitted the kids so much. I decided that I should give that support after I retired. I had a strong support team and I wanted to continue that both at Corunna and in the state.”

Things have changed over the years and Frank is very grateful to have been a part of them. When membership was opened to women in 1969, to the merge with the New Farmers of America in 1965 he has been a part of the things that shaped our organization.

Frank takes pride in helping the Michigan FFA Association. In the fall he judges the broiler contest, proficiency and national chapter awards. Corrin said his favorite contest to judge is demonstration because “it is so different and each topic is never the same.” His all-time favorite FFA activity is helping select the top three Stars over After many of us take off the blue Michigan and to conduct SAE tours and jacket we choose to not continue in the organization. We aren’t all going to be ag teachers or FFA advisors. Staying involved is as simple as joining the local alumni at your chapter. As Frank has demonstrated, you can still be involved by joining the alumni and passing on the legacy to others.

The last question I asked Frank was what would you tell someone new to the organization? He said, “In basketball you play five kids at a time, if you’re in FFA you don’t sit the bench. Everyone is involved and everyone gets to play.”

What is your plan for being involved with FFA in the future? If you don’t know consider the I asked Frank why he was involved alumni and give back to the organization. with the alumni. He said, “I had a good interviews to help choose the state winner.

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In Three Time is the one great constant in life that determines what a person can accomplish in one day, one year and even one lifetime.

We are all bound by the time we have and are defined as individuals by how we fill that time. These sentiments were the central theme of the 85th Michigan FFA State Convention, held on the campus of Michigan State University March 6-8, 2013.

Even before convention officially started, members put the motto in motion and spent their time living to serve. Chapters collected thousands of pounds of pop tabs to be donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities, which serves area families when their children are being treated in the hospital. These tabs will be sold and the proceeds used for the charity.

Convention started with a bang as the 20122013 state officers gaveled in the first session.

The reflections ceremony was performed and honorary state degrees were awarded to outstanding supporters. Clay Sapp, the 2012-2013 National FFA President, was on hand to mingle with members and later addressed the convention attendees. Hundreds of members were presented their outstanding junior awards Wednesday night, which was followed by the annual convention dance, hosted by the Michigan FFA Alumni.

Throughout convention, FFA members had the privilege of meeting the newest advocate for

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the National FFA Organization; a sevenfoot tall owl named Flyte. Flyte joined the FFA team in the fall of 2012 when he signed on as FFA’s mascot. He travels to schools, public events, sports matchups and other locations to promote FFA and agriculture education. Flyte used his time in the Great Lakes State to soar around and greet members, tour campus and throw t-shirts from the convention stage.

Convention delegates used their time on Thursday morning of convention to conduct official business for the state association, before heading over to the state capitol building to recognize some of FFA’s biggest supporters in the state legislator.

These members were able to meet with their state representatives and senators and tour the capitol.

Thursday afternoon was marked by the 1992-1993 Michigan FFA State Officer Team 20 year reunion. The team reflected back on their year of service and conducted opening ceremonies for the fifth session.

Day’s Time

By: Andrew Walker

“When I think back on it, the best part of being a state officer was traveling to all of the schools and meeting so many new people,” said Mike Prelesnik, 1992-1993 State Vice President.

Thursday also saw the announcement of state proficiency award winners, the annual convention laser show, and the conferring of the State FFA degree to senior members. Guest speaker Russ Peak motivated members and guests using mental tricks, taking the audience beyond the limits of their imagination.

The Stars over Michigan Pageant named the four top agriculture students in Michigan.

Danielle Heisler of the Springport FFA was named Star in Agribusiness and Jed Bushney of the Laker FFA was named Star in Agricultural Placement. Hailing from the Hastings FFA, Amber Pickard became the Star in Agricultural Production and Rebecca Flynn from the Branch Area Career Center FFA was named Star in Agriscience.

The final day of convention saw the naming of state contest winners and the announcement of the 2013-2014 state FFA officer team.

relationships, dreams and failures. These messages provided encouragement and motivation to members to embrace each thing that happens in life, as the time every person has on earth is finite.

Time is the one thing that binds all people together and makes each one of us human. Michigan FFA Members were able to accomplish so much in just three days. If this enthusiasm were multiplied into each day of a lifetime, a person could accomplish insurmountable tasks. This year’s convention challenged everyone to embrace both the trials and joys of life and to make those moments constructively define who we are, because it’s our time FFA!

For a complete re-cap and more Throughout convention, the state officers articles, videos and photographs of this delivered a six part series on what truly year’s convention, visit the convention counts in life. Their retiring addresses website at www.michiganffa.tumblr.com. discussed life’s journeys, smiles, struggles,

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Convention in Review

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State Officer Stats Juliana Forbush State Vice President Chapter: Byron College:

Michigan State

SAE:

Swine Production

Theme song: “Love Like Crazy’”

Favorites: T.V. show:

Switched at Birth

Hobby: Reading Sports team: MSU Spartans Movie:

Elf

Food:

Homemade Noodles

Darcy Lipskey Region III State VP Chapter: Ubly College:

Michigan State

SAE: Diversified Agriculture Placement Theme song: “We Rode in Trucks”

Favorites: Sport:

Football

FFA event:

State Convention

T.V. show:

Mike & Molly

Book:

I Love You This Big

Candy:

Gobstoppers I

A Leader in Education On January 15, 2013 at the age of 84, Dr. Harrison Gardner, Professor Emeritus at Michigan State University (MSU) passed away at Levine & Dickson Hospice House in Huntersville, North Carolina. He is survived by his lovely wife JoAnn Gardner, son Stephen Gardner (wife Elizabeth) of Chicago, IL., a daughter Kathryn Ann Creal of Ann Arbor, MI, five grandchildren: Austin and Braedon Creal; William, Clare and Libby Gardner; one brother R. J. Gardner of Barryton, MI, and one sister Frances Odiorne of Comstock Park, Michigan.

Born in Barryton, MI., Dr. Gardner’s passing was preceded by his parents Harrison and Beulah Gardner, three sisters and one brother. Dr. Gardner received his B.S. (1951), M.A. (1956), and Ph.D. (1964) degrees from MSU. He began his professional career in 1954 until 1959 as an agricultural education teacher and FFA advisor with Marshall Public Schools in Marshall, Michigan where he fell in love with JoAnn. Between 1959 and 1961, Dr. Gardner served as a graduate instructor at MSU. During the years of 1961 to 1964, he served as Director of the Elementary Intern Program and Student Teaching Center at MSU. As a result of an exceptional career at MSU, Dr. Gardner was highly recruited to be Director of Student Teaching at Purdue University and served in that capacity from 1965 to 1970, followed by a promotion to the Assistant Head position (1970 to 1975) in the Department of Education at Purdue University. In early 1975, key officials at Texas A & M University recruited Dr. Gardner to become the Director, Graduate Centers and

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Professional Laboratory Field Experiences and he served in this leadership position from July 1975 to January, 1976. In 1983, Dr. Gardner had the opportunity to return to MSU as Professor and Director, Rural Resources Educator Program, and Coordinator, Undergraduate Programs, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education.

Over the years, Dr. Gardner was indeed an exemplary university professor and administrator, mentor, problem-solver and change agent. He was grounded in all elements of democracy and was a voice for the voiceless. Former President John F. Kennedy stated in his book “Profiles in Courage” the following: To be courageous…. requires no exceptional qualifications, no magic formula, no special combination of time, place and circumstance. It is an opportunity that sooner or later is presented to us all….In whatever arena of life one may meet the challenge of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he (she) faces if he (she) follows his (her) conscience - the loss of his (her) friends, his (her) fortune, his (her) contentment, even the esteem of his (her) fellow men (women)- each man (woman) must decide for himself (herself) the course he (she) will follow… past courage can define that ingredient--they can teach, they can offer hope, they

Dr. Harrison Gardner

By: Dr. Eddie Moore

can provide inspiration. But they cannot building skills just to name a few. From supply courage itself. For this each man a professorial perspective, Dr. Gardner (woman) must look into his (her) own soul. provided bold, innovative, creative, and result oriented leadership in order to give a One of the most courageous and scholarly number of students in the city of Detroit the initiatives Dr. Gardner implemented was opportunity to reach the American dream. the urban agriculture and natural resources His efforts were courageous in nature, education thrust in the city of Detroit he was a drum major for change, and he in his own way was attempting to carry out the charge given by former President Kennedy to the American people in 1964 when Dr. Gardner completed his Ph.D. degree from Michigan State University. Dr. Gardner’s impact on youth in Detroit was extraordinary. He also inspired, motivated, and planted seeds of greatness in the minds of undergraduate and graduate students at the various universities where he worked.

Today, his former students are teachers, extension personnel, university faculty and administrators, farmers and outstanding employees in government and the private sector. Dr. Gardner was truly a people person, result-oriented and an exceptional leader in education and his impact will last for many generations to come.

for youth. He used agriculture, food and References: Comprehensive Review natural resource concepts to enhance the of the Department of Agricultural and development of lifelong learning skills for Extension Education, College of Agriculture Detroit’s urban youth. Many summers, there and Natural Resources, Michigan State were at least 150 youth who participated University by the Cooperative State in Dr. Gardner’s summer program. The Research (CSRS), United States Department focus of the program included academic of Agriculture. December 6-8, 1988. enrichment (science, mathematics, social studies, English, and other basic subjects), Kennedy, John F. 1964. Profiles in leadership development, self-esteem Courage. New York, NY: Harper and Row. building, problem-solving and team

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Modge Podge Photos

By: Samantha Engelhardt

Supplies:

Photos on regular paper printed from a laser printer Scissors

Modge Podge

Wood Block (the lighter the color the better)

Paint Brush or Sponge Brush

Spray Bottle with water (optional)

Directions: 1.

Print out the picture(s) you want at the size you want on regular paper from a laser printer. **Note: if there are words on your photo make sure you flip it before you print it so that the words aren’t backwards.

2.

Once printed, cut out your picture to fit your block of wood or to your desired size.

3.

Take your brush and apply a thick and even layer of modge podge on your block where you want your picture to go. This is really an experiment and may take a couple times to get it just right.

4.

Place your photo face down onto the modge podge on the wood. Smooth out your photo to make sure there are no air bubbles.

5.

Let it dry completely. It is best to let it dry overnight.

6.

Take a spray bottle or a wet rag to dampen the paper. Don’t add too much water. Just add enough water so you can start to see your image.

7.

This next process is really a technique. You need to remove the paper with your fingers by rubbing it off, but if you rub too hard it will remove the transfer. This will take practice.

Rub all the paper off.

8.

Viola! You now have a photo transferred on wood that you can use to decorate your room or give as a gift. You can decorate it with paint, add ribbon and make it into a hanging photo. If you want to seal it, just put a layer of modge podge on it in the finish you desire.

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Illinois ffa association Summer 2013

Growing Legacies

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Meet Your 2012-2013 State Secretary

Meet Your 2012-2013 State Treasurer

Check out our

website

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www.illinoisffa.org

Table of Contents Page B – Events Page C – State CDEs

Page f – Growing His Legacy

Page D – Meet Your State FFA Secretary

Page G – Convention Preview

Page E – Meet Your State FFA Treasurer

Page H – Officers’ Tracks

Illinois – A

Events Illinois Products Expo

Star Awards Night/State Awards Day

March 2-3 were two very busy days for the Illinois FFA! The Illinois Department of Agriculture teamed up with companies from throughout Illinois and put together the 15th Annual Illinois Products Expo at the Orr Building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill. More than 70 Illinois companies provided free food samples and sold their products ranging from soy candles to BBQ sauce. While at the expo, members from across the state helped vendors at booths, managed a soda stand and kept the building clean. Thank you to everyone who helped out. It was a great two days promoting Illinois products.

FFA members have been very busy working on their Supervised Agriculture Experience programs (SAEs). On Friday, April 5, 20 of the top FFA members in the state gathered at Parkland College in Champaign, Ill., for Star Awards Night. These students were chosen as the Star Candidate in their respective districts and were interviewed by a panel of judges at the state contest. The selected Stars will be announced at the 85th Illinois State FFA Convention on June 13. These Stars over Illinois have put in countless hours of time and effort into their SAEs, leadership in the FFA and classroom involvement. The next day was also very busy for Illinois FFA as on April 6 was State Awards Day at the University of Illinois. On State Awards Day, FFA members who won their proficiency area at the district contest earlier in March were interviewed to determine the State winner. These State Proficiency winners were announced on State Awards Day, and the winners are to be recognized at the State Convention as well. Congratulations to all!

Women Changing the Face of Agriculture Conference More than 400 young women from all corners of Illinois flooded Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Friday, March 8 for the Women Changing the Face of Agriculture Conference sponsored by the Illinois Agri-Women. The conference is designed for young women in high school and college who are interested in agricultural careers.

Group registration is available for collegiate groups, FFA chapters and 4-H clubs. This conference allows young women to learn more about careers in the agriculture industry and network with many professional, successful women from across the country.

Agriculture Legislative Day More than 750 Illinois FFA members in their national blue and corn gold corduroy jackets took over Springfield on Thursday, March 14 for the annual Illinois Agricultural Legislative Event and Ag Legislative Awareness Day at the State Capitol. FFA members were busy assembling lunches and Illinois commodity baskets with items provided from the Illinois Department of Agriculture. When all baskets were filled and lunches were packed, it was time to deliver the products to the Senators and Representatives of our great state. Commemorating the day’s event, a large group photo was taken on the Capitol steps with the Director of Agriculture Bob Flider and Governor Pat Quinn.

FBYC Farm Bureau Youth Conference, held April 8 and 9, was a great success once again this year. Following the Illinois FFA theme of “Growing Legacies”, FBYC gave members the opportunity to grow their leadership, communication and professional skills. Sophomore and junior FFA members participated in many hands-on workshops presented by representatives from Illinois Farm Bureau, GROWMARK, Keith “Doc” Patterson, Erin Ehnle (Keeping it Real Through the Lens of a Farm Girl), Collegiate Farm Bureau, Rhett Laubach, and the Peterson Brothers (I’m Farming and I Grow It song parody). Members also had the opportunity to attend the career fair, as well as the FBYC dance among many team activities and a competition, which was to create an agriculture song parody.

B – Illinois

State CDEs

State Poultry CDE

State Ag Communications CDE

The State Poultry CDE was held Saturday, March 2, 2013, on the University of Illinois campus. Twenty-three teams and 100 individuals participated in the event.

The results are as follows: Superior Teams: 1. Prairie Central 2. Paxton-Buckley-Loda 3. Odin 4. Payson-Seymour Top 10 Individuals: 1. Seth Miller, Prairie Central 2. Tyler Edelman, Prairie Central 3. Blake Uchitjil, Odin 4. Aaron Slack, PBL 5. Monte Wietholder, Payson-Seymour 6. Codie Geisz, River Ridge 7. Nick Buhr, PBL 8. Trenton Edelman, Prairie Central 9. Caitlyn Iftt, Prairie Central 10. Brianna Vasquez, PBL

Team: 1. Midland 2. Columbia 3. Seneca 4. Somonauk-Leland-Sandwich 5. Putnam County Media Plan: 1. Midland 2. Somonauk-Leland-Sandwich 3. Putnam County 4. Columbia 5. Seneca Media Plan Presentation: 1. Midland 2. Somonauk-Leland-Sandwich 3. Seneca 4. Columbia 5. Putnam County Top Individual Overall: Stasia Fundis Writer Practicum: 1. Liz Klein 2. Zac Hollis 3. Mackenzie Granby 4. Marisa Evans 5. Paige Steffen Electronic Media Practicum: 1. Molly Novotney 2. Rochele Rosa 3. Cody Wrobel 4. Shelby Fuhr 5. Marcus Burr Graphic Design Practicum: 1. Stasia Fundis 2. Shelby Wright 3. Brian Schrowang 4. Alex Autry 5. Sara Glab

State Meats CDE The University of Illinois also hosted the State Meats CDE on March 2. Nineteen teams and 83 individuals competed. These are the results: Superior Teams: 1. Prairie Central 2. Byron 3. Seneca Top 10 Individuals: 1. Mackenzie Granby, Seneca 2. Clayton Teubel, Prairie Central 3. Logan Slagel, Prairie Central 4. Kaylee Sullivan, Prairie Central 5. Ross Steidinger, Prairie Central 6. Dalton Seebruck, Byron 7. Brandon Pasdertz, Seneca 8. Caroline Downey, Midland 9. Kade Oltmanns, Byron 10. Connor Sible, Byron

State Parliamentary Procedure CDE Superior Teams: 1. Amboy 2. Paxton Buckley-Loda Other Top Teams: 3. Sullivan 4. Jerseyville Superior Chairs: 1. Cody Carman, Sullivan 2. Kade Hill, PBL Other Top Chairs: 3. Andrew Klein, Amboy 4. Chloe Byars, Cisne Superior Secretary: 1. Marissa Modglin, Waterloo 2. Rachel Vaessen, Amboy Other Top Secretaries: 3. Gracia Ramp, Farmington 4. Terri Wendle, Jerseyville Superior Floor Members: 1. Rachel Vaessen, Amboy 2. Aaron Hubbell, Amboy 3. Annie Pond, Cisne 4. Logan Orr, Herscher 5. Marissa Modglin, Waterloo 6. Courtney Pogue, Cisne 7. April Ohst, Mendota 8. Gracia Ramp, Farmington 9. Adam Benson, Farmington

State Livestock, Dairy, Horticulture CDEs The State Livestock, Dairy and Horticulture CDEs were held Friday, April 26. FFA members arrived on the University of Illinois campus ready to judge cows, pigs, flowers and more; it was jam-packed day of Career Development Events. Super Friday was very successful for FFA members across the state.

State Ag Business CDE May 1 was a great day for Illinois FFA members.

The State Ag Business CDE was held at five different district locations, testing members’ knowledge of agricultural business concepts and practices.

State Public Speaking CDE Creed Speaking. Prepared Speaking.

Extemporaneous Speaking. These three Career Development Events were hosted at Illinois State University on May 4.

State Ag Mechanics CDE The State Ag Mechanics CDE was held at the University of Illinois on May 14. During the Ag Mechanics CDE members weld, wire and construct their way through the event. Scores are compiled from the following areas: welding, electricity, small engines, construction, and surveying to name both individual and team winners.

Illinois – C

Meet Your State FFA Secretary Joel Limestall

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hen people ask me what I want to do with my life I always act like it’s a hard thing to decide. Truth is, I know what I want to do with my life, I am just not sure how to get there. I have wanted to do the same thing from when I was a kindergartener in Mrs. Millers class when we were asked to draw what we wanted to be when we grow up, to when my guidance counselor asked me last year when I was a senior in high school. For my entire life I knew that I wanted to farm!

My grandpa on my mom’s side farmed in Vallmeyer, Ill., his entire life with his brother, where my mom and her four sisters grew up.

This farm was owned by their father and his father before that. On my dad’s side, his family farmed in the bottoms near Chaflin Bridge, which is just south of Vallmeyer. They farmed there until floods forced them out and they moved to Waterloo, and great grandpa got a job with the National Conservation Association. He was still involved in agriculture, only instead of production agriculture, he would lay out waterways and help set up CRP for farmers in the area.

Grandpa would then start farming grain, livestock and hay, when he was younger, and Dad started his own grain farm out of high school. We are now farming about 1,200 acres of grain. As you can tell, farming is in my blood.

When I was younger, my mother always said there was no way she would ever let me farm. She said it was too unreliable and unpredictable. She also had a very good point in the fact that Dad started farming right out of high school, had a full-time job, worked side jobs during his free time and custom farmed some people’s ground during harvest. How in the world would you start farming? And I would look back at her and say, it doesn’t matter what I have to do to get there, I just know that when I am farming and in production agriculture it never feels like work.

Despite all the odds, Dad let me keep my record books on two farms, one was 10 acres and one was 27. This would be where I found out what it really takes to farm. Growing up, I was with dad 24/7 – as soon as I had my homework done I would call him up and head straight out to the field. Whether we were planting, working in the shed, combining, working dirt, or just going to pick up parts from our local dealership, I was sure to be with him and make sure I knew what was going on. But once Dad let me keep record books on these fields freshman year, I knew that I would learn more by doing it myself. I would pay Dad to use his equipment and work

D – Illinois

on everything to make sure it was field ready before we ever went out in the field. This is when Dad started trusting me with doing more around the farm.

Before this, I would work dirt or no-till rip or do things that were fairly hard to screw up.

Once I started my record book and had to do all of these things, then I would start working with applying fertilizer, setting the planter and planting, setting up the combine, and combining much more than I was. By the time my senior year came around, in between Dad working at his job more and me getting out early from school, I was doing almost all of the combining and most of the fertilizer application, and almost all of the dirt work over the 1,200 acres.

My senior year I also started working an internship at our local dealership. This way, I was working on learning how to work on the equipment that I would be using the rest of my life. I was setting up new equipment and gaining valuable skills that one day I would use on my farm, once I get around to it.

This year has kind of delayed all of my plans. I not only gave up a year of college, but I also gave up a year that I could have used to set myself up for farming more ground on my own. But I wouldn’t trade this year for the world. I have learned a countless number of things this year, met tens of thousands of new people, and above all, learned how to work in the professional world better than any internship I have ever heard of. I have had the time of my life getting to know the other state officers and traveling the world with them, having them become the brothers and sisters I never knew I had.

I hope that you take away that you should never give up on your dream no matter what is thrown in your way. No matter how many people say it can’t be done or no matter whatever curve balls get thrown your way, always remember that it will not just be given to you. If you believe in it hard enough and you are willing to work for it, you will overcome anything that is slowing you down from getting your dream.

“I use what I got, take what I get, give until I ain’t got nothin’ left, then I give it some more; keep on climbing up that mountain; keep truckin’ along, work up a sweat; pass every no, after no, after no, till I get a yes; I don’t worry about what I’m not, I use what I got.” – Jason Aldean

Meet Your State FFA Treasurer Tyson Schulte

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was fortunate enough to grow up in an area that allowed me to pursue all of my passions, including FFA membership.

Attending a high school like Sherrard offers students nearly every extracurricular and intracurricular opportunity that a metropolitan school offers, in addition to agricultural pursuits.

From FFA to athletics, I was able to participate in all activities that I could find time for. I played baseball through my sophomore year in high school and played football from fifth grade all the way through my senior year. I always thought that baseball was my passion until seventh grade when I first stepped foot on the wrestling mat. One match and I was hooked. From that point forward, becoming an accomplished wrestler turned into my athletic goal, even though I still played football and baseball.

Our FFA advisor was in his first year at Sherrard when I joined the chapter my freshman year. He was enthusiastic and his excitement rubbed off on all of us. It wasn’t long before he had our roughly 30 members getting involved in more activities than we knew FFA offered. I was probably one of the more enthusiastic young members, because the Career Development Events (CDEs) and activities really appealed to me. When I found out that I could use my love of showing pigs as my Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) project, I was all in for that too!

One of the first events I took part in was livestock judging. My brother had been on the state team, representing Illinois in 2006 at Louisville. He put in the effort it took to earn the position, and he received his All-American Judge designation. I have always looked up to him for that, mainly because I know how hard he worked for it. I think this is why I challenged myself in FFA, helping our chapter work out and practice extensively and travel to every livestock judging CDE we could get to.

Word must have gotten around about our chapter’s focus on judging, because it wasn’t long and we noticed that junior high students were asking about livestock judging during eighth-grade career day.

Livestock judging wasn’t the only event that really hit home with me. Our FFA chapter also started participating in trap shoots my freshman year. I couldn’t have been happier about these events if I had been a dog with two tails! I am absolutely devoted to hunting.

I spend most of my free time from October through January in the timber deer hunting or out on conservation ground hunting pheasants. If the weather isn’t just right for bow hunting, my dad and I will head out with

our German Shorthairs busting grass for birds.

That personal love of hunting made these trap shooting events that much more special to me, and again, this became one of the most asked about activities by the junior high students during career day.

The enjoyment of those trap shooting events probably fostered one of the most rewarding experiences of my time in FFA. A few of my other FFA members and I are as consumed with bow hunting as anything else.

In our junior year, we asked our FFA advisor if he would consider sponsoring our group if we approached the school about starting an archery club. He said yes, and so as FFA members, we made a presentation to the school board and gained their support for an archery club. The club was an instant hit at school, and they now have their own bow press, targets, drop-down net, and a variety of bows and arrows for students who don’t have their own yet. This is truly an organization that would not have come to realization if it wasn’t for the support and structure of FFA. So as each of my years in FFA unfolded, I began to understand what “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live and Living to Serve” really meant. As I began enjoying all that FFA had to offer me, others saw my friends and I enjoying FFA, and they too began wanting to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Just as good news spreads, so do good results. Our chapter has now grown from those 30 some members to more than 100. It makes me proud to think that I didn’t just take away from the experience of FFA membership, but my fellow members and I truly left our chapter a little better than we found it.

Illinois – E

Growing His Legacy: Philip Nelson, ILFB President

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ne simple moment can change your life forever. For Philip Nelson, Illinois Farm Bureau President, that moment happened 38 years ago. During his year of service as an Illinois FFA State Officer in 1975-76, he had the opportunity to be a part of the Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting. He remembers watching Harold Steele, the Farm Bureau President at the time, speak in front of the convention.

From that moment on, Mr. Nelson knew that he wanted to be a part of that wonderful organization.

That spark Mr. Steele instilled in Mr. Nelson would soon ignite into an amazing, never-forgotten career.

That one experience as a state officer motivated Mr. Nelson to join his county’s Farm Bureau Young Leaders Organization. He went on to become the LaSalle County Farm

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Bureau Young Leader Chair. He also won the Illinois Young Leader Discussion Meet and placed second at the national competition. He then became very involved in the LaSalle County Farm Bureau and was elected to the Vice President position of the Illinois Farm Bureau to where he is today, serving as the Illinois Farm Bureau President.

Mr. Nelson recognizes FFA as one the greatest organizations he has ever been a part of. He bleeds national blue and corn gold. Growing up, he had always been surrounded by agriculture and had a huge respect for the industry; it was his entire life. He grew up one of six children, and four of his five siblings went on to be Illinois FFA State Officers (four Major State Officers and one Section President). His parents also received the Honorary American Degree in the 1990s for being one of the largest families to have so many children having served as State FFA Officers.

In 1975, Nelson was awarded the Illinois Star Farmer award and was the Illinois Small Grains Proficiency winner, and received his American FFA Degree in 1978. This is also the same National FFA Convention that Paul Harvey gave his inspiring On the eighth day … so God made a Farmer speech that just recently became even more famous when Dodge Ram featured this speech in a Super Bowl commercial.

Despite Mr. Nelson’s family roots being deep in agriculture, he attributes much of his success to his agriculture teacher/FFA Advisor, Mr. Richard Dunn.

His sophomore year, Mr. Dunn encouraged young Nelson to compete in his first of many public speaking events. Nelson competed in the Extemporaneous Public Speaking event, and ended up placing eighth out of nine contestants, but he says that was only the beginning of his motivation to improve and grow.

Nelson was determined to place higher in the next public speaking contest. So, he competed in the Prepared Public Speaking event his junior year and ended up winning the section competition. He then moved onto the state contest. This was only the very beginning of his long road to public speaking. Mr. Philip Nelson believes that the public speaking and parliamentary procedure skills gained through FFA are two of the most important skills that FFA members can use anywhere they choose to go in life.

Keeping the story of production agriculture alive is a strong component of Mr. Nelson’s goals and visions for the future. The need to continue to provide food, fuel and fiber for the whole country depends on how well Illinois agriculture communicates its purpose. With great pride, an endearing smile and sparkle in his eye, Nelson ponders FFA and simply states, “Blue and gold jackets are a fantastic representation of Illinois and American agriculture.”

Convention Preview – June 11-13, 2013 Prairie Capital Convention Center, Springfield, Ill. Sam Glenn Get ready for an energetic, passionate, surprise-filled keynote address from award-winning speaker, Mr. Sam Glenn.

He has traveled the country the past 15 years, exciting crowds of all ages. He is ready to share some of his own life experiences and his new outlook in a very unique way.

Career Show Make sure to stop by the Career Show in the basement of the Prairie Capital Convention Center during your free time at convention. More than 50 exhibitors will be there to showcase their products, universities or businesses.

Brennan Costello, National FFA Central Region Vice President During the second session (June 11) of the Illinois State FFA Convention, get ready for an amazing keynote address from your National FFA Central Region Vice President, Brennan Costello. Get excited to hear motivating words from this office from right here in the Midwest.

Dance One of the highlights at convention every year is the State FFA Dance. Get ready to get your “ag swag” on at the FFA Dance right after the second session on Tuesday, June 11 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds (Orr Building).

There will be fun music, great dancing and free Prairie Farms ice cream, soda and water. Come join the fun!

Pre-Sessions

Workshops Some awesome workshops are planned for convention.

Be sure to attend some of them as you continue “Growing Your Legacy”.

Sessions Get ready for some amazing surprises before and during convention sessions this year. They are going to be jam-packed with awards, keynote speakers, retiring addresses, member recognition, band, chorus and talent. Don’t miss a thing at the 85th Illinois State FFA Convention!

Come on out 30 minutes before the start of each convention session to be a part of some very fun, interactive pre-sessions sponsored by universities throughout Illinois, our Illinois FFA Alumni and Farm Credit Services.

Retiring Addresses Get ready to hear some incredible retiring addresses from the 20122013 Illinois State Officers as they give their final remarks to the Illinois FFA as they continue “Growing Legacies”.

Illinois – G

Officers’ Tracks

District Proficiencies The five majors attended the District Proficiency events on March 13. Tyson ventured to District I in Geneseo. Darren traveled to District II hosted by Joliet Junior College. Dalton attended the District III competition in Jacksonville. Courtney traveled to Mattoon for District IV, while Joel headed to Benton for District V. At District Proficiencies, FFA members competed against members within their own district in their respective Supervised Agriculture Experience area. Winners from this event advanced onto the State competition on State Awards Day.

Candidate/ Parent Orientation Darren, Dalton, Courtney, Joel, and Tyson joined forces with their parents and state staff on Sunday, March 10, for the State FFA Officer Candidate and Parent Orientation.

Eighteen excited FFA members and their parents joined together for an informational afternoon. The whole group was introduced to the “Life of an Illinois FFA State Officer” and then split up into groups. The major state officers led the candidate group, and the parents stayed together for a question-and-answer session. Candidates went through the selection committee process on April 13. From there, the top 10 candidates were selected and will be the candidates seen at the 85th Illinois State FFA Convention, June 11-13.

Banquets Beginning the first week of March through May, Darren, Dalton, Courtney, Joel, and Tyson have traveled to all corners of Illinois attending many chapter and section banquets. They have been delivering keynotes and catching up with old friends.

Banquets are conducted to show the awards and achievements of their chapter or section and members’ accomplishments throughout the past year. Along with the awards recognition, most banquets include a meal and a keynote address from a state officer. Congratulations to each and every chapter on their successes this year!

House & Senate Committee Why should we support (insert line-item here)? is a question that was going through all legislators’ minds this spring. On March 19, Courtney and Joel got to answer this question in support of the agriculture education line-item to the House of Representatives Education committee. Dalton and Tyson also had the opportunity to give testimony to the Senate committee on April

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12. Promoting and communicating agriculture education to legislators is a very important aspect for the continuation of agriculture education and FFA.

National Ag Day On March 18 and 19, Darren attended National Agriculture Legislative Day in Washington D.C. More than 100 youth representing FFA, 4-H, and AFA visited with legislators to stress the importance of agriculture and discuss issues that face our states. Some topics covered with Illinois representatives included the farm bill, the drought, and the drought’s impact on farmers and transportation. Prior to visiting with our legislators, Darren and the other youth representatives were given the opportunity to visit with business and industry spokespeople, media, and retired legislators who all support the agriculture industry. While meeting with them, the youth representatives learned the language of the legislators and how to more effectively tell our stories. It is important to also tell our stories and promote agriculture to our legislators in Washington D.C.

Cambridge High School Career Day On March 20, Joel and Courtney ventured to Cambridge High School for the Cambridge High School Career Exploration Day. They had the opportunity to present a workshop about their international travels to Argentina and the opportunities for students in the agriculture industry after high school including the CFFA (Collegiate FFA) and PAS (PostSecondary Agriculture Students) organizations.

Evening with FFA All Stars Dalton, Joel and Tyson spent their evening on April 11 at the WIXY Classic Evening with the FFA All Stars. They attended a reception celebrating the 20 Exceptional FFA All Stars for 2013 from the WIXY Classic listening area. This was held at the Beef House Banquet Center in Covington, Ind.

April State Officer Meeting The 25 section presidents and five major state officers joined together one last time before FFA Convention for their final State Officer Meeting at the Pioneer Headquarters in Bloomington, Ill. At the meeting, the officers discussed the section presidents’ final duties as they finish out their term in office as well as their duties at the 85th Illinois State FFA Convention. A huge thank you to Pioneer for sponsoring the April State Officer Meeting!