Indiana Young Farmers Convention Feb.18-20

Our State Officer Team started off National FFA Week at the Indiana Young Farmer Convention, which was held this past weekend at the Hilton in Indianapolis! Young Farmers from across the Hoosier State gathered together to celebrate their 49th year and all of their accomplishments.

National Young Farmer Association President, C.J. Fleenor, past Indiana Young Farmer Assocaiton President, rejoined his fellow Hoosiers to thank them and promote their future involvement on the national level.

Our team participated in workshops throughout Saturday.  Mr. Brandon Seitz presented information about the evolving energy industry as it strives to meet and influence renewable portfolio standards.  We learned about challenges presented by proper or improper landscaping with Mrs. Melody Warner. We also spent time with Mr. Chuck Tietmann as he shared his energizing convictions and touching stories about safety in the electrical industry.

We hosted "The It's Not Too Late Show" with host Micah Matlock to celebrate not the candles on the IYFA's birthday cake, but the challenges they have met "Head On", the achievements under their belt, and all the ambitions they are chasing.

Meanwhile, four members of the Hamilton Southeastern FFA Chapter provided childcare and other activities for the pint size IYFA members, and we all concluded the evening with more than a few hours of dancing.

Thank you, Young Farmers, for all you have done and continue to do.  We look forward to working together to ensure a productive future in Agriculture!

For youth in agriculture,

From FFA: Following the Future of Agriculture

Kids Can Talk to the Animals at Adams Central Annual Petting Zoo

Micah and I traveled to the Adams Central FFA Chapter's Annual Petting Zoo in Monroe, Indiana.  For 13 years the Adams Central FFA Chapter has put in a petting zoo for the elementary students and community members for a full 2 days. 

Micah and friends

On Thursday elementary students visit the petting zoo to learn about the animals and agriculture during the day. 

At night, the community is able to visit the petting zoo.  Stations at the petting zoo include learning about meats, bees and honey,ag safety, animals, fruits and vegetables, grains, spices, and dairy products. 

Students also get to sample the products and even get some free popcorn. 

Mr. Jones, the advisor at Adams Central said, "More than 850 kids come through the petting zoo and walk away with a general knowledge of products from animals, how we care for animals, and how important agriculture is." Macy Mudd, a junior at Adams Central and Chapter President said, "It's a great opportunity for the kids and a great opportunity for our members to interact with the younger kids."

Micah and I had a blast! The Adams Central FFA chapter truly shows their passion for agriculture and education the public.

From FFA: Following the Future of Agriculture

Teaching Students to S.O.A.R.

Clinton Central High School was an exciting place to be on Wednesday evening. Around forty 7^th-9^th grade FFA members, from chapters all over district 5, came together to participate in "Mini-S.O.A.R." (Seeking Opportunities Achieving Results)

which was facilitated by Micah Matlock (State FFA Sentinel), Morgan Gadd (State FFA Northern Region Vice-President), and Nellie Bell (State FFA Southern Region Vice-President). That night, the students learned about character, opportunities in FFA, creating a clear vision, and developing better time management skills. The evening was filled with fun, excitement, and interactive learning.

Morgan Gadd leads one of the sessions on opportunity

Through the interactive session, the students were made aware of the many CDE’s (Career Development Events) that are available to them through FFA.  The State Officers served as a resource and answered any questions the students had about getting involved in the CDE contests. 

Micah Matlock works with the students

Making the connection between the logistics of competing in contests and the professional skills gained, was key in motivating students to become more involved in FFA activities. Along with making students aware of their opportunities in FFA, the State Officers helped to provide some tools for better goal setting and prioritizing in their daily lives.

Since the students from Clinton Central could not make it to the annual S.O.A.R. conference in the fall of last year, Mr. Rodger Carr (Clinton Central FFA Advisor) decided to bring S.O.A.R. to the students.  Mr. Carr invited the State FFA Officers to visit Clinton Central FFA where the “Mini-conference” was hosted in hopes to inspire students to attend the many leadership conferences hosted by the Indiana FFA.  Offering this “Mini-conference” allowed students to engage in conference like activities meant to motivate and promote premier leadership, personal growth, and career success. 

From FFA: Following the Future of Agriculture

Only in FFA, Donkey Basketball!

Everyone looks forward to the weekends! Well in the Indiana FFA this past weekend was a very memorable one full of fun. This past Saturday January 29 hundreds of 4-H and FFA members from throughout the state journeyed once again to Purdue University for the State Meats and Dairy Evaluation CDE’s! After hours of judging cuts of meat and taking written tests about meat and dairy products, results were given out and the hard work had been paid off! Upon completion of the state CDE’s, our state officer team headed toward Fishers, Indiana to Fishers High School to witness an awesome game of donkey basketball put on by the Hamilton Southeastern FFA Chapter.

 We witnessed men and woman of all ages TRYING to stay on their donkey while TRYING to shoot a basketball into the hoop.

There were most definitely no Michael Jordan’s on the court, but there may have been a few John Wayne’s!

Everyone in the crowd had a great time watching the game but the sight on the court wasn’t the most enjoyable part of the evening.

The Hamilton Southeastern FFA Chapter had a goal for the evening and that goal was to raise money for a scholarship fund titled the Carrie C. Colgazier Scholarship. This scholarship is in memory of a former student who had been killed in a drunk driving incident.  The scholarship is worth 12,000 dollars. Seven scholarships have already been awarded to deserving students, three of which were FFA members.  Only in FFA can you find young leaders bringing their community together to have fun and create financial support for students going to school with means of a donkey and a basketball!

From FFA: Following the Future of Agriculture

2011 Indiana Livestock, Forage and Grain Forum

The Indiana FFA State Officers had the opportunity to attend this years Indiana Livestock, Forage and Grain Forum held at the Indianapolis Convention Center.  There we had the opportunity to listen to Keynote Speakers in the morning session.  First, we got to see Governor Mitch Daniels receive the Indiana Pork Meritorious Service Award.  Then we got to listen to John Anderson of the American Farm Bureau as he presented the 2011 Market Outlook for Grain and Livestock Farmers.  Following that report was the opportunity to hear a Keynote Address by Roger Thurow.  Roger Thurow spoke about the contents of his new book, "Enough - Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty."  Thurow recently returned from a trip to Africa where he stayed in Kenya learning how African farmers scratch a living off the land with there primitive farming methods.  Following Thurow's keynote was a keynote by Jeff Simmons, the President of Elanco Animal Health.  Simmons spoke of why agriculture needs technology to meet food demands in the future.  A banquet lunch was held where we had the opportunity to discuss with various agriculturalists from across the state and hear their opinions in different agricultural issues.  It was an honor to be able to attend this Forum.  Each State Officer left motivated to share what we learned this morning and a little more educated about Indiana Agriculture.

From FFA: Following the Future of Agriculture

Ft. Wayne Farm Show

Whether it’s someone who is a fan of red tractors or green tractors, hundreds of people set aside their differences as they all came together this week for a one of a kind farm show. Ft. Wayne Indiana was a busy place the past few days, filled with individuals with an interest in agriculture. Throughout the week there were booths to visit, sessions to attend, equipment to see, and the FFA live auction to participate in. The Indiana FFA defiantly had a presence at the farm show having its booth location right at the entrance. As they entered the farm show, people from all over Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois were greeted by the smiling faces of FFA members from across the state. Thanks to the many sponsors and donors, the Indiana FFA had a very successful live auction again this year which helped to support the Indiana FFA Foundation. Whether it was selling truck tickets, the live auction, or the new “Get Connected” program, Indiana FFA is truly grateful to those who support our dynamic organization.

From FFA: Following the Future of Agriculture

The Beginning

Whether it's starting a business or committing to a New Year's resolution, it's said that the most difficult part of a task is beginning.

Dr. Thorne, Superintendent of Westville Schools, was a member of DECA in high school. He knows firsthand the benefits of participating Career & Technical Student Organizations that have a lasting impact on one's personal and professional development. As a result of his experiences, he has actively pursued implementing agricultural education in Westville Schools.

LaPorte County has strong agricultural roots. With that basis, it is only logical for the schools to have a strong foundation of young agricultural leaders. The challenge here... is beginning.

In the 2010-2011 school year, Westville High School Freshmen have all been enrolled in Fundamentals of Agriculture. All upperclassmen have been enrolled in Landscape Management. Just like any new mission, the pursuit of agricultural education at Westville came with a cost: the elimination of the woodworking, band and art programs. Like any major change in curriculum, this brought up much heated, constructive conflict within the community, and great challenges for the school board, Dr. Thorne and Mr. Walker, the educator who pioneered the strong Animal Science programs at Michigan City and is now pioneering a chapter in Westville.

Enter the dynamic trio, Mr. Micah Matlock, Mr. Steve Hickey, and myself. As spokespeople of the benefits of FFA, we went into Westville to speak to three of Mr. Walker's four agricultural classes, which many of the students had referred to as "Farming 101". From the high energy freshmen, to the gifted and talented, to the seniors with interests in the military and veterinary science, ideas were sparked and questions were asked about what FFA does, offers and promotes.

In addition to the Beef Jerky Fundraiser, sizeable grants from local sand dune preservation organizations and an upcoming Wild Game Banquet tailored specifically to many wildlife, hunting and meat processing interests within the student body, Westville High School will be holding their first FFA Call-Out meeting next week.

As we traveled the halls of this fresh, motivated school we noticed a pristinely folded American flag and a letter from a soldier on active duty in Afghanistan. The high security correctional facility not too far from the high school employs many veterans of the war in Afghanistan, and consequently Westville is educating many students with strong military families. The calm and orderly fashion with which the students moved through the halls, the pleasant ways they regarded us as visitors and the common sense many of them exhibited are, in my mind, no coincidence with the backgrounds they possess.

Major Jeremy Gulley, principle of a progressive agricultural education program here in Indiana, is on active duty in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He's supporting agricultural education in Khost Province, Afghanistan, and is seeking teachers to share their best project ideas to provide Afghan youth with hands-on, practical application agriculture experiences. There is an undeniable potential for Westville High School's agriculture program to put itself on the map with this initiative.

We look forward to fostering the development of this program, and stimulating the Infinite Potential contained within it. Beyond that, as we are halfway through the year to impact together, we are more than ready to implement the Mission of our Organization on as many levels as possible. Luckily for us, we have already begun.

From FFA: Following the Future of Agriculture