The Future of Agriculture

After moving out, I realized how close I am to my siblings. As much as they drive me crazy, I really do miss them. As we now know, Josie is the opposite of me, and her “Yolo” attitude (go read the last blog) sometimes drives me crazy. However my youngest sibling, Jack, is definitely more similar to me. He is more calculated in his decisions, is very success driven, and has a deep appreciation for old country. I think he is the only 14 year old I know that listens to George Jones and Conway Twitty on the daily. On top of his unique music favorites, he is also surprisingly the person I go to for fashion advice. I’m not gonna lie, I often steal Jack’s clothes over Josie’s when I’m home. I often see a lot of myself in Jack, which has given me a new perspective on the future.

Obviously, Jack and I are from the same generation in our family, but being the older sibling, I’ve watched him grow up. I see him as the future. This was first put into perspective when he competed in his first FFA contest. Last year, Jack and I both competed at the Lebanon Invitational. I distinctly remember him wearing my first Whiteland FFA jacket and feeling oddly sentimental. Only a few years ago, I remember feeling the butterflies for my first contest and now my little brother was experiencing the same thing. 

This feeling only continued this past year, when he signed up for the Creed Speaking contest. Again, this was a contest I had competed in and was happy he was carrying on that tradition. After practicing it with him a few times, that beginning line started to have a new meaning. I had always seen myself as the future of agriculture, but now I was watching another develop. During my time in Creed Speaking, I never made it out of the district and challenged Jack to do better than me, and he will now be competing at state this June. Not only did I now see a future beyond me, but saw a brighter one.

I am proud to be the future of agriculture, but even more proud of the future beyond that. I know the future is bright, and continues to become brighter each day. I hope I can help influence this next generation to achieve more, and that is a very inspiring task.

Thank you,

Jenna Kelsay

Southern Region Vice President