Addison Green Russell, Lakeside; Ruby GosmelOsthoff, Smith Center; Marisa Wasinger, Hays; Ella Neher, Hays; Madison Johnson, Phillipsburg; Emma Karst, Russell
SOUTH CENTRAL
Kaitlynn Bina, Centre; Jase Beltz, Canton-Galva; Garrett Lanning, Fairfield; Braedan Stutzman, Inman; Jackson McCurry, Andale; Addison Bina, Centre
ON THE COVER: Neodesha member Tucker Leck hugs his advisor after winning the National FFA Swine Production Placement Proficiency Award.
by Jory Ratzlaff, State FFA President
Kansas FFA has been busy since the fall and through this winter season! The school year started off strong with District Greenhand Conferences to attend from across the state and that was only the beginning.
From visiting chapter events, traveling to Celebrate Ag with K-State, to the Kansas City Speedway, to Southwest Kansas for a Leadership Day, the state officer team and I have visited every corner of the state. It’s been amazing seeing what chapters and members are doing and the great impact they’re having on the world of agriculture.
I can’t overlook traveling to Indianapolis for the National FFA Convention & Expo. We were thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of chapters, members, and alumni on the big stage!
Now it’s the New Year, which means new opportunities for growth in our organization and still more events to attend! Not only that, but 2025 brings the second half of the school year, and some exciting moments for Kansas FFA. National FFA Week is right around the corner We’re looking forward to celebrating that week with you all, the future travels that are ahead, and the wonderful experiences to share. Together, let’s make 2025 another great year for Kansas FFA!
FAST FACT : The Kansas FFA Association set a record high membership for the 2024-2025 year with 13,528 members from over 230 chapters!
This edition of the Kansas FFA Future Farmer is underwritten by Frontier Farm Credit made possible by their Working Here Fund. Learn more about Frontier Farm Credit at www.frontierfarmcredit.com
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENTFraming
by Amy Feigley
Hugoton FFA Chapter hosts their annual Southwest District Leadership Day to develop area members leadership qualities in November.
Being a leader is just one of the many skills an FFA member must possess. Former Hugoton agriculture education teacher and FFA advisor, Les McNally, wanted to tap in on the leadership skills of not only his chapter members, but those in the area, too.
A handful of years ago, McNally began the Southwest District Leadership Day. This is an event where the Kansas FFA State Officers and other leaders visit the Southwest District. During this visit, students from area schools participate in workshops that focus on developing leadership qualities. When McNally retired, this event was placed into the hands of the new Hugoton instructor, Bailey Roden.
This year’s event started in the morning with participants getting to know one another. Following this ice breaker was the first workshop of the day, which was led by the 2024-2025 state FFA officer team. Succeeding the workshop is something that is very unique to the Hugoton FFA Chapter, which is their “A frame” activity. The A frame is where you have to put your utmost trust into your peers, as you balance on a giant wooden A frame, hence the name. Rounding out the day are more workshops and team building activities.
An invitation to the Southwest District Leadership Day is extended to the area schools. “Speaking
DID YOU KNOW?
with students after the event, it became clear that they got a lot out of it,” states Roden. “It was a great team building event for the Hugoton FFA Chapter. The students learned so much about one another, as well as learning more about themselves, including the type of leader that they are and the type of leader they aspire to be.“
A key focus for this event is ensuring that students who may otherwise not be able to attend state wide events get to build their leadership capacity. “Building leaders for our future is very important. Other leaders in the community attend this event and put on workshops, so it is an eyeopening experience for the students,” Roden said.
There are many regional activities that are hosted by chapters and district throughout the calendar year. How can your chapter help other leaders in your part of the stage develop the qualities of leadership we should all possess?
Chapters who participate in Chapter Leadership Training (CLT) in the summertime earn a free state officer visit anytime throughout the school year? Attend CLT this summer to get a jump start on your planning for events and to earn your free state officer visit!
FOR A NATIONAL CHAMPION The Reasons
by Lucas Shivers
Eureka FFA chapter Livestock Evaluation team wins championship in the Career Development Event at the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo.
Eureka FFA took home the top honors as the team winner of the National FFA Livestock Evaluation Career Development Event (CDE) at the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis in October.
“It was truly an amazing experience and a dream come true seeing all of the kids’ hard work pay off for them to be so successful,” says coach Trint Peine, Eureka agriculture education instructor and FFA advisor.
The first place team included Corinne Nelson who placed 4th individually, TJ Mills who placed 9th, Lyle Perrier, and Hannah Perrier.
“These four smart and driven individuals set goals that they wanted to reach,” Peine says. “They pushed each other to achieve those goals. There were times we would have to stop and get refocused. Over time, it was simple to keep them motivated.”
Held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, the National FFA Livestock Evaluation CDE tests student’s ability to select and evaluate livestock in eight evaluation classes of beef, sheep, swine, and goats; oral reasons on four classes; a team activity utilizing reproductive and marketing information; and a written exam on livestock production.
“The FFA program, and specifically the livestock evaluation contest have allowed me to not only
experience once in a lifetime opportunities, but has also had an immense impact on my growth and development over the years,” says Lyle Perrier.
“The National FFA does an extremely high caliber job of organizing, running, and rewarding its competitors at the national contest,” Perrier says. “The chance to compete at the national contest alongside so many talented livestock evaluators and future industry leaders is my favorite FFA memory.”
Early Preparations
The team invested many rounds of practice to get ready for the opportunity to represent Kansas.
“We started really gearing up for the national contest about a month and a half out,” says Peine. “The team would give reasons every week to me. Some weeks we would just judge classes
online.”
Most of the team went to the Eagle Classic Livestock Contest to use it as practice and spent the Saturday before the national contest working out in the Manhattan area. They left on Monday morning and practiced at various stops in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana.
“I’ve been judging with this team since my sophomore year of high school and seeing all of our hard work come full circle now that I’m in my senior year has been the most rewarding experience,” says Corinne Nelson. “We have traveled, quite literally, thousands of miles together and none of our experiences would have been possible without our Lord, family, friends, supporters, and coach, Mr. Peine.”
Repeated Repetitions
The team prioritized time to practice together around busy schedules.
“Finding a time to practice every week where all team members could be there is key,” Peine says. “When the whole team was present, they pushed each other to get better. They learned from each other. We tried to practice every week for 1-2 hours either after school or after sports practices.”
Students learned to make accurate and logical observations of livestock, decide on the desirable traits in marketing and breeding livestock to satisfy consumer demands and provide increased economic returns to producers.
“Representing Kansas and winning the national championship in Indianapolis was a dream come true,” says Nelson. “Our team is nothing short of
“When the whole team was present, they pushed each other to get better. They learned from each other.”
- Mr. Trint Peine
a family and there is no one else I would rather have worked with for the past three years to get to this point other than these three teammates and our coach.”
Expanded Support
Peine used his personal past experiences from livestock judging in high school and junior college.
“I adapted it to work for my program in Eureka,” Peine says. “I enjoy sharing my knowledge about livestock with kids.”
The team sought assistance and help from many other leaders in the industry over the years.
“We are very grateful to McKenna Richardson, a former student of mine, who has been a huge help in developing the team’s reason giving ability,” Peine says. “This allowed us to become more competitive. We are extremely thankful that she was willing to help us out.”
“What made this national championship moment so bittersweet was that it was the final time our team would compete all together in a contest,” says Nelson. “The experiences and opportunities FFA has blessed us with have not only provided immediate benefit, but will also aid us in our future endeavors in agriculture.”
DISCOVER OUR CHAMPIONS
6
National Champion Teams and Individuals from Kansas
A Family’s Legacy
by Amy Hadachek
OF BLUE AND GOLD
The Cliff and Patricia Mayo family of Garden City establishes scholarship to assist Southwest District FFA members attend post-secondary school.
As 2025 launched, the spirit of giving is propelling the future for Kansas FFA members. Spreading the value of FFA, the Patricia Mayo family of Garden City, Kansas recently established a scholarship endowment in loving memory of Patricia’s late husband Clifford Mayo. This gift helps Southwest District FFA members with financial support in college.
When Cliff passed in 2022 at age 88, his family contacted Kansas FFA about the possibility about honoring him through an endowed scholarship.
“It is important to my mom (Patricia) that dad be remembered for his interest in agriculture but more importantly, his wanting to encourage young people to strive and succeed in life,” said Steve Mayo, son of Cliff Mayo.
Cliff Mayo was the first to earn FFA’s American farmer degree from the Garden City chapter. While in FFA, he farmed irrigated milo, wheat, and sugar beets with his dad, Berl Mayo. He attended Kansas State University, but in spring 1953, his father suffered a heart attack, and Cliff went home to help him plant spring crops.
Cliff left a vast legacy of FFA pride and farming; four generations deep in the Mayo family in Finney County through Steve, and Cliff’s daughter Elaine, also through three of his eight grandchildren who received their State FFA Degrees; one of them; Stacy MartinezMayo.
“I appreciate Grandma establishing this scholarship in my grandpa’s name to give back to a program that’s given so much to our family. Also, four of our FFA family alumni continue volunteering as coaches, judges and other FFA support in our adult life,” said Stacy, who owns a marketing and media firm with her husband; serving agriculture clients across the world.
Fascinated by FFA, Cliff’s son Steve focused on beef production/cattle feeding. He earned his State Farmer degree in 1973 and was a Kansas FFA State Officer.
Cliff’s daughter Elaine was one of the first female members of Garden City FFA; involved in showing cattle and livestock judging. She noted her dad was a huge supporter of youth and his community.
“Sharing FFA with my dad and brother just seemed natural! We were a farm family, and FFA was grassroots, as was our farm people culture. I loved being on the farm, knowing about animal reproduction, feeding and learning to be responsible for our animals’ well-being,” said Elaine (Mayo) Sexton.
“It is important to my mom (Patricia) that dad be remembered for his interest in agriculture but more importantly, his wanting to encourage young people to strive and succeed in life”
- Steve Mayo
As the next FFA generation in the family; Grandpa Cliff’s granddaughter; Wendy (Mayo) Hushon focused on cattle production and livestock judging. She earned Kansas FFA State Creed Speaking Champion in 1998 and her State FFA Degree in 2001.
Cliff’s granddaughter Stacy’s SAE highlighted cattle production, with speech and leadership and she earned her State FFA Degree in 2003. Stacy says her FFA connections are still strong in both her personal and professional life.
“It helped me learn teamwork skills with my fellow officers, honed my goal setting and reporting skills, helped me learn it’s okay to lose and learn from your experiences, and continued to help me refine my public speaking skills that started in 4-H,” Stacy said.
Cliff’s grandson; Tyler Cloud showed meat goats and received his State FFA Degree in 2017. “I will always remember my grandpa as a farmer first - someone who worked hard; day in and day out providing for his family, doing what he loved,” Cloud said. “When Grandma decided to create a scholarship in his memory, FFA was the first thing that came to my mind.”
Wendy (Mayo) Hushon and Stacy Mayo-Martinez during their time as Kansas FFA active members.
To set-up the FFA scholarship, the family contacted Kansas FFA Foundation’s Johanna Anderes. As Steve Mayo shared, “This scholarship is a delightful way to carry on dad’s heart and soul for his lifelong business of farming and ranching.”
INTERESTED IN STARTING A Scholarship?
Contact Johanna Anderes, Kansas FFA Foundation Development Coordinator, to explore your options of starting a scholarship benefitting Kansas FFA members.
Johanna Anderes
(785) 410-7313
johanna@ kansasffafoundation.org
Kansas FFA Association
Save the date to support the Kansas FFA Foundation and have your gifts doubled in support of the over 13,500 FFA members across the state of Kansas!
Follow the Kansas FFA Foundation on Facebook and Instagram for more information!
See our website (www.ksffa.org) for more information on the following:
Calendar of Events
List of Chapters and Districts
List of Foundation Sponsors Awards Programs
Give to the Kansas FFA Foundation by scanning the QR code above!
