“My dad’s encouragement led me to first put on the blue and gold jacket.  We had just moved from a small town on the Oregon coast, where there was no FFA chapter anywhere in the area, to eastern Washington.  I had no idea what “FFA” even stood for. My older brother, Alex, already joined, my dad was an Oregon district officer, and two of my uncles were Oregon state officers. My grandfather (my dad’s dad) was also the FFA advisor for the Roseburg, Oregon chapter for 21 years. My dad’s extended family was/is involved in FFA and I was raised around agriculture my entire life.  I had a deep desire…

“I am a junior and have been in FFA for three years. Some of my friends were in FFA and it looked like they were having fun, always going places, so I joined up. I am a pretty competitive person so I enjoy the contests. I like taking charge of different projects, so I think FFA had helped make me more of a leader. People look to me at different competitions because I have taken that leader roll, leading by example. FFA has helped me learn how to be a better speaker. We also do projects that help people and I really like to help people. When I was 14…

“Growing up on a small farm with my family has been such a blessing. Since I was young, I’ve loved spending time riding horses, roping cattle, and tending to the farm. When I joined FFA, all of those passions were encouraged. Being a part of FFA has been like being part of a huge family! You connect with members from other chapters and form friendships that last for a long time. I’ve enjoyed meeting members that have common interest, and those who are different from me. FFA has also helped me improve my public speaking skills. Before FFA, I was shy and timid when it came to speaking in front…

“My family has a farm and we run about 200 head of cattle and have about 600 acres. We grow alfalfa hay. I like working on the farm and helping my Dad. We are calving right now. Last spring my sister and I purchased 6 ewes from our neighbor, so we are lambing right now too. The lambs that we are raising right now are called club lambs, because they are ready for 4-H kids to take to the fair. I’ve been showing sheep for seven years, I’ve been pretty successful, winning some grand champions and some round robins. It’s a lot of fun. I’ve been showing horses for six…

“I am the Vice President for the Warden FFA chapter. I joined FFA my freshman year of high school. I was never really a country girl and didn’t really know much about agriculture so if someone would have told me I would be a part of FFA I wouldn’t have believed them. But joining FFA was one of the best decisions I have made, not only is it the most accepting group ever but through competing in many CDE’s, I have become more confident in myself and learned how to work with other. FFA has taught me how to work with others, be confident, leadership and how to socialize with others.…

“I am currently the Warden FFA Chapter’s Sentinel. I am now a junior and I’ve been in FFA since 8th grade. My dad is the Ag adviser so when I was little I got to go to the Denver Livestock show with his FFA kids, and I couldn’t wait to wear an FFA jacket! I remember when I didn’t have an FFA jacket, so I had to wear my mom’s. To this day, I still wear her FFA jacket, and people at contests remember her maiden name, “Cox” so that’s pretty neat. I compete in multiple CDE’s: livestock judging, Ag Issues, potato judging, and I show steers at the Adam’s County and Grant…

“I have been blessed in the last two years I have met some of the most amazing people and grown the relationships I already had. Currently I am serving as the Warden FFA’s secretary and also the district FFA’s reporter. I compete in Agricultural Issues. I use to be scared of talking in front of people; after I went to state and competed it’s given me more confidence and made me feel more comfortable with being a leader. All the weekends and time after school to work on issues or go to interview people with my amazing team is what I look forward to. These times have been the highlight…

“I have been involved in FFA for 3 years and I like that farming is my life style. I’m 14 years old and I have been raking and tedding for two years. Next year I’ll get to bale. I go to school at a rural school but I think I am about the only one who farms in my class. My Dad taught me that we work until the job gets done. I love farming….I like the alone time to think and be me, don’t have to deal with anyone telling me what to do. I think about anything and everything and nothing in particular. I also change a lot…

“I wasn’t planning on joining FFA this year, but this is my first year and it’s been really fun so far. I’m in the novice parli group. We’ve been practicing our meeting procedures and we are doing really well. I am excited about the competitions. I have made so many friends through FFA. I’ve been working around cattle at home for about seven years. I really like watching them grow and I love seeing calves born. I like the fact that I see them every day. I know that everything I learn in FFA will help me in some way in the future.” Behind the scenes with agri.CULTURE … @patreon.com/agriculturepeople