MO FFA Today - April Issue

95th Missouri FFA State Convention Kicks off April 20-21 in columbia

The 95th Annual State FFA Convention of the Missouri FFA Association is truly a special event this year. Columbia, Mo., welcomes us to town for this special event where Missouri FFA members will be recognized and rewarded their hard work and achievements throughout the past year.

The Convention theme this year is “Ignite, Embrace, Empower.” For 95 years, our organization has ignited the interest of individuals in classrooms across the state to develop and expand their knowledge/skills in the areas of applied science, technical and employability skills, while learning about our nation’s no. 1 industry: agriculture.

Our organization has inspired members to embrace their passion with their Supervised Agricultural Experience Programs in areas such as animal agriculture, crop production, mechanics, and agriscience. Over the years, FFA has adjusted to reflect our ever-changing society and has empowered members to be leaders and innovators within our industry.

Missouri welcomes National FFA Secretary Jessica Herr of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Herr will address attendees during the second general convention session on Thursday, April 20.

Officer • Chapter

Colton Roy • Trenton President

Hannah Rice • Brunswick 1st Vice President

Jodi Robinson • Richmond Secretary

Vice Presidents

Grace Doss • West Plains

Katie Fredrickson • Carl Junction

Cody Garver • St. James

Cooper Hamlin • Crest Ridge

Jason Holland • Eldon

Aubrey Jung • Perryville

Jacob King • Dadeville

Emily Nelson • Joplin

Kate Rogers • South Harrison

Allison Schneider • Silex

Malerie Schutt • Hermann

Annamarie Stone • Centralia

Morgan Watkins • Fort Osage

State Officer Mentor

Hannah Shanks

Department of Elem. & Sec. Education

P.O. Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102 Phone: (573) 751-3544.

District Supervisors: Teresa Briscoe, Marie Davis, Keith Dietzschold, Lisa Evans, Phil Fox, David Higgins & Jim Spencer.

Missouri FFA Association

Joann Pipkin, Director of Communications Email: joann.pipkin@missouriffa.org

Phone: (417) 827-2756

Brandelyn Martin Twellman, Social Media Manager Email: brandelyn.twellman@missouriffa.org

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, veteran status, mental or physical disability, or any other basis prohibited by statute 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, Director of Civil Rights Compliance and MOA Coordinator (Title VI/Title VII/Title IX/504/ ADA/ADAAA/Age Act/GINA/USDA Title VI), 5th Floor, 205 Jefferson Street, P.O. Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480; telephone number 573-526-4757 or TTY 800-735-2966; email civilrights@dese.mo.gov

President’s Perspective

few months ago, I had the opportunity to attend the Marshall FFA Greenhand and Chapter Degree Ceremonies. That night, I got watched and celebrated members as they reached a milestone in their FFA careers. Luckily, this isn’t a rare occurrence. Throughout the past year, I have been put in this position countless times. While acknowledging the accomplishments of others has become one of my favorites things to do, upon reflection, I’m regretful.

You see, during my four years as a member of the Trenton FFA Chapter I got so caught up on rising to the top that I never took a step back to realize the accomplishments of others. From myself, I expected perfection; I expected to win; I expected to be the best. Though, on numerous occasions, I didn’t live up to my sought after goal. When this was the case, the logical action to take would have been to relish in the other competitor’s accomplishments; however, it wasn’t until my junior year that I realized this to be the best method.

I truly don’t know what changed my perspective, but I can recall the moment I

realized the alteration. As I was awaiting the results of the Missouri Teach Ag State Fall Speaking Contest, I knew I probably didn’t perform at the level I was capable of, and I knew I was standing among some tough competition. After hearing the judges’ final remarks, I didn’t receive the placing I had hoped for, but oddly enough it didn’t seem to bother me. In all actuality, I was ecstatic for the girl, a future friend, who had received first place.

From that point forward, I had a different mindset than before. Over the past two and a half years, I have concluded that when you appreciate experiences for what they are, realize your growth, and take time to celebrate others, the gain is far more valuable than another medal, certificate, or plaque. With convention around the corner, make sure you take time to celebrate others so that, when the time comes, others may celebrate you. You may not know it now, but the connections and relationships you build as a member of this organization will continue to offer support for the remainder of your time in the blue corduroy jacket and beyond.

Colton Roy

S tate FFA President Colton Roy was on hand for Marshall FFA’s G reenhand and Chapter Farmer Degree ceremonies.

Blue JacketBrief

COOPER HAMLIN

CREST RIDGE ffa STATE

my advice:

FFA and its members have taught me that every single event I’ve attended, every choice I’ve made, and every person I’ve met has led me to where I am now. The same is true for you. So, be who you are, and live in the moment!

Whether you are planting or moving equipment, be sure overhead power lines are not in your path. Stay at least 10 feet away. Look up and live. Learn more: bit.ly/MF_FarmSafety

Missouri FFA also welcomes keynote speaker Morris Morrison to the stage during the fifth general convention session on Friday evening, April 21. Morrison’s focus is on building stronger, kinder, focused human beings. Along with his team at Windmill Park Media, Morrison has become a world-class entertainer, show host, writer and entrepreneur whose journey began in New York City before a doctor’s words changed his life forever, after being orphaned a second time.

In addition to the five general convention sessions, the 95th Annual Missouri FFA Convention will feature leadership workshops for members. The FFA Career Show also gives students and guests insight and the chance to learn about agricultural businesses, organizations, colleges and universities and more. Additionally, Missouri FFA will recognize the State Star Farmer, State Star in Agribusiness and State Star in Placement as well as present 962 State FFA Degrees to deserving members statewide. More than 8,000 people are expected to be in Columbia at the University of Missouri Hearnes Center for the state’s largest FFA event.

Agricultural Mechanics is one Career Development Event that FFA members will compete in during the 95th Annual Missouri FFA S tate Convention April 20-21 in Columbia.

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Payton Dahmer

Home FFA Chapter: Nevada FFA

What Payton does:

After completing his PhD in May at Kansas State University, Payton will join the K-State faculty in the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry and coach the livestock judging team and .

What He Learned in FFA: FFA helped teach Payton to never close the door on opportunities.

wide opendoor

ever close a door on opportunities.

A simple phrase that has served former FFA member Payton Dahmer well during and since his time in the blue jacket.

The former Nevada FFA member stems from a family deeply rooted in FFA. Growing up on a small farm in Vernon County, Dahmer says he was blessed to have been raised in a community passionate about agriculture.

“That meant the support system I had as an FFA member was second to none,” Dahmer says. “My time as an FFA member played an integral part of building me into who I am today. The experiences I gained, connections I built and skills I learned helped guide me in my educational pursuits and prepared me for my current career.”

In FFA, Dahmer’s Supervised Agricultural Experience included raising and exhibiting cattle, hogs, and sheep across the country as well as marketing registered blue heeler dogs. He served as both a chapter and area officer and was a member of the Missouri Agribusiness Academy.

Perhaps it was Dahmer’s involvement in career and leadership development events, though, that helped fine-tune his skills and career aspirations. He took part in livestock, meats and dairy cattle judging as well as prepared public speaking and job interview

Find out how FFA helped former member Payton Dahmer refine decisionmaking and public speaking skills .

By Joann Pipkin

(now employment skills). After high school, Dahmer earned a scholarship to participate in livestock judging at Butler Community College (BCC) and later at Kansas State University (K-State) where he was a member of the 2018 Reserve National Champion Livestock Judging Team and the 2018 National Champion Meat Animal Evaluation Team.

After earning his associate degree at BCC, Dahmer furthered his education at K-State where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees and will complete his PhD in May.

“The FFA Organization will afford you with so many connections and experiences if you’re openminded and willing to step outside your comfort zone.”

–Payton Dahmer

Former Nevada FFA Member

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Dahmer’s graduate studies focus on swine nutrition. Then, he will join the faculty in the K-State’s Department of Animal Sciences and Industry where he will coach the livestock judging team and teach courses related to livestock selection, nutrition and management and conduct applied research.

“My time as an FFA member helped prepare me for this career by refining my decision making and public speaking skills and teaching me the importance of lifelong learning,” Dahmer says.

He goes on to note how quickly time as an FFA member can go and

encourages FFA members to take every chance they have to meet someone new, try something different and learning something.

“Enjoy every minute of your time in the blue jacket,” Dahmer says.

At K-State, Dahmer looks forward to opportunities where he’ll work with FFA members through the Kansas FFA State CDE and LDE competitions.

“While not my home state’s association, I enjoy the chance to give back to an organization that did so much for me,” he says. “Don’t forget to thank those who invest time into helping you succeed, whether it is your FFA advisor, coach, parent or friend.”

“The experiences I gained, connections I built and skills I learned helped guide me in my educational pursuits and prepared me for my current career.”

–Payton Dahmer Former Nevada FFA Member

Did you know?

Former FFA member Payton Dahmer was a member of the 2018 Reserve National Champion Livestock Judging team and 2018 National Champion Meat Animal Evaluation Team from Kansas State University. At K-State, he works with young people in sharpening their skills in livestock selection.

How’s Your resiliency?

ave you ever had an animal come in last place in a class? Maybe you didn’t place as high in a leadership development or career development contest as you hoped you would. Have you spent a lot of time learning something new and feel like you might not ever get it right?

Faced with opportunities every day, Dahmer encourages FFA members to never close a door on one that comes your way.

“I am thankful for those who pushed me to try new things and meet new people,” he says. “The FFA organization will afford you with so many connections and experiences if you’re open-minded and willing to step outside your comfort zone.”

How do you feel in those moments? Are you aware of the feelings you’re experiencing when something takes more time, work, or energy than you’d like it to take, or you don’t get the results you hoped you would get? Maybe you feel frustrated when something feels difficult. That’s a common feeling we all have and you’re certainly not alone experiencing that rollercoaster.

I was talking to a professional colleague of mine recently, who also grew up in agriculture. We were discussing how farm kids are usually raised not to quit. Working toward a goal with commitment is a respectable quality, and we can use it for growth and development of our own abilities.

You might call yourself a hard worker, dedicated, or determined. Did you know there is another word to describe that trait, AND that you can work intentionally to grow it into a superpower?

RESILIENCY

Just like a physical muscle in your body, you can flex your resiliency muscle and grow it to greater mental strength. That means the next time you face a struggle or difficulty, your mind, heart and body don’t fight against you by trying to talk you out of trying to reach your level of best effort. Resiliency is defined as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

Is resiliency something you’ve considered as a trait to grow in yourself?

Sometimes we get so focused on the end destination, and resiliency is the mindset that helps us focus on being right where we are on the journey. To be resilient is to fully engage in the process of learning, no matter how difficult it feels.

—By Whitney Kinne

F ormer Nevada FFA member Payton Dahmer will earn his PhD in May from Kansas State University. After that, he’ll join the K-State Animal Science Department as faculty and coach the livestock judging team.

ROOTED

IN HISTORY

Parliamentary Procedure Leadership Development event roots run deep in Missouri, standing on decades of history and tradition

hat is parliamentary procedure?

According to long-time agricultural educator and former Missouri FFA Advisor Dr. Terry Heiman, parliamentary procedure is a way to solve problems and give organizations positive structure.

“It protects the rights of the minority’s opinions while having the majority opinion prevail,” Heiman says. “This process is very important for our communities and country to work together for the good of all.”

The process is so important it was taught to FFA members the moment Future Farmers of America was founded in 1928, and it became an FFA Leadership Development Event (LDE) in the 1930s.

“In the Parliamentary Procedure LDE, students run a section of a meeting using the correct rules and procedures according to Robert’s Rules of Order,” says Dr. Jerry Crownover, past agricultural education teacher. “They are judged on using motions properly and engaging in realistic debate on the presented topic.”

Throughout this LDE, FFA members learn how to become critical thinkers, communicate, listen to others, solve problems, and speak up for what they believe, Heiman says.

“In an era where advocacy in agriculture is so important, these skills are critical,” he adds.

This knowledge also sets students up for a lifetime of success in structured organizations.

“Almost every person is going to be a member of some group during his or her lifetime,” Crownover explains. “Most of those groups are governed by Roberts Rules of Order. It’s important to have a working knowledge of those rules to have a voice. For example, Jerry Litton, a past national FFA officer and wellknown American politician from Missouri, knew a lot about parliamentary procedure and used it to have a voice in Congress even as a rookie.”

Crownover taught and trained three state champion parliamentary procedure teams throughout his five years in the agricultural

continued on PAGE 12

F ormer Carthage FFA Advisor Jerry Crownover was instrumental in creating the National Parliamentary Procedure Contest after training three state-winning teams.

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continued from page 10

education classroom. His last champion team in the Carthage FFA Chapter expressed their wishes for a national contest to participate in beyond the state level. Crownover and his teaching partner set out to make it happen.

“We decided to run an invitational parliamentary procedure contest on our own a week or two before National Convention,” Crownover says. “It was largely supported by the Carthage community. State winners would come to compete, and it grew each year until National FFA developed the national contest students participate in today.”

Their initiative provided a platform that allows many FFA members to continuously learn about parliamentary procedure while meeting members with a similar passion across the U.S.

RAISED ON PARLI PRO

Just as parliamentary procedure has created lasting traditions in Missouri FFA as a whole, it hits home for one father-son duo who are passionate about the contest and the history it represents.

Rob Calvin, a Troy FFA advisor and agricultural education teacher, has trained parliamentary procedure teams for years. His son, Karson, developed an appreciation for the LDE as he tagged along to early morning practices and contests until it was his turn to compete.

“My experience with parli is a long one,” Karson says. “Growing up, I went with my dad as he trained parliamentary procedure teams each year. As

I went to more of his practices, I picked up on some of the procedures and became more and more interested. This continued until my junior year of high school when I had the opportunity to be chairman of my team.”

The team placed third at National FFA Convention in October 2022, an accomplishment of which both Calvins were proud. However, they are even more proud of the skills learned throughout practicing and presenting parliamentary procedure.

“What makes this LDE so different from others is the fast-paced aspect of the demonstration and the requirement of having to think on your feet,” Karson explains. “When you walk into the demonstration room, you only have one minute to

gather your thoughts to debate a main motion you’ve never seen before. Additionally, each participant aside from the chairman is assigned one parliamentary motion to move, and each member must demonstrate an additional motion that is not listed on the card, all in 11 minutes.”

He adds that the contest is different from most other LDEs in that it requires a lot of problem solving in a short amount of time.

Both Rob and Karson encourage FFA members to participate.

“Although parli may be intimidating at first, it is a once in a lifetime contest that will prepare you heavily for a future career,” Karson says. “Parliamentary procedure also gives you the opportunity to learn how to effectively

communicate while thinking on your feet, which leads to more effective and time efficient meetings.”

Rob adds, “FFA members should consider taking advantage of the parliamentary procedure LDE because it will develop some extremely important skills, such as the ability to think critically, the ability to take a position on an idea and communicate effectively, and the ability to work collaboratively to accomplish a goal.

Parliamentary procedure can be very intimidating. However, the skills it teaches are life-long and the satisfaction of mastering a parliamentary procedure demonstration can provide tremendous confidence for future success when faced with challenging circumstances.”

Troy FFA Advisor Rob Calvin has a rich history in training parliamentary procedure teams. His son, Karson, was on the third place team that competed at the 2022 National FFA Convention. Karson says the leadership development event t eaches participants how to e ffectively communicate while t hinking on your feet.

or the last seven years, members of Pleasant Hope FFA have qualified for the national agriscience fair That accomplishment is a source of great pride for the community. David Parrack, the agriculture instructor at Pleasant Hope High School believes agriscience and the technology used and developed are key to helping farmers better meet the needs of a growing population. He realizes the

Thebehindscience it

vitalness for his students to continue exploring agricultural issues using scientific methods. However, two pieces of cutting-edge equipment were greatly needed for his students to deepen their knowledge and broaden their hands on experiences of their research. Parrack applied for and received a Learning by Doing grant from the Missouri FFA Foundation to purchase that equipment, specifically a soil tester and a thermal imaging camera.

One of Parrack’s goals is for students to “use soil test results to improve soil fertility and crop production.” Pleasant Hope has a community garden and greenhouse that offer excellent opportunities for students to conduct research in Plant Systems and Natural Resource Systems. The soil tester provides a way to measure moisture, temperature, conductivity, nitrogen, phosphorus and ph levels in the soil. Once students have baseline data,

they can experiment with different ways of amending

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the soil to see which produces the highest yield and quality of a variety of crops.

The thermal imaging camera is helpful in numerous agriscience areas. Two specific ways Parrack plans to use it are in Food Systems and Power and Structure Systems instruction. A primary learning goal in Food Systems is for students to “explain procedures used to process food safely.” Using the thermal imaging camera students will learn how to cook meats and other foods to the correct temperature. The camera provides a way to do this more quickly and on a larger scale than a thermometer can accomplish. The thermal imaging camera also allows students to analyze the effects of different oil types on engine temperatures and operations in Power and Structure Systems classes.

“As the population of the world continues to grow, farmers will need to produce more food more efficiently than ever,” Parrack says. “Technology will play a major role in this.”

Parrack adds that technology is needed to track data, more efficiently plant crops, better judge weather patterns, and meet the needs of farmers. He continues, “Farmers have always been innovators and inventors. I believe my students are the future of agriculture. Therefore, students need to be able to use technology, if they are to help the field of agriculture in the future. This project will give my students access to the latest technology that will help them keep up with the advancing agriscience field.”

Parrack says these two pieces of equipment will be invaluable in the way they are used by the Pleasant Hope FFA chapter and agriculture education classes for years to come. He hopes that individuals and companies realize how important it is to support the Missouri FFA Foundation because projects like this make a real difference in student learning and ultimately the field of agriculture.

—By Heather Dimitt-Fletcher

If you would like to make a donation to the Missouri FFA Foundation to support programs such as Learning by Doing grants, please visit https://donorbox.org/moffafoundation.