FFA Has-Been? No, Your Role Just Changes
There’s no such thing as a FFA has-been.
I’m surrounded by blue jackets this week in Indianapolis, and I can’t help but think how even after all these years since I was wearing my own blue jacket, that being here at National FFA Convention just feels right.
Being an FFA member isn’t something you hang up when you age out. As my livestock judging coach Dan Hoge always says, “Your role just changes.”
I caught up with Wendy at National FFA Convention, a fellow former FFA member turned FFA mom, helper and judge, too. She's also a rockstar with Farm Credit Mid-America.
Today, my role looks a little different as an FFA mom, helper and judge. It’s ironing the white shirt and making sure they get their tie on straight. It’s listening to oral reasons and offering a few pointers. It’s walking into Finals Hall and evaluating FFA members’ hard work and dedication.
But most importantly, it’s about showing young people I care.
It’s reminding them I see their talent and I know they will succeed. It’s sitting down with them when they get beat and sharing stories of the times I got beat. It’s celebrating their wins but making sure they know it doesn’t define them. It’s being brave and trying new things and inviting others to join you.
I could go on and on about how important it is to give back to FFA, but truthfully, it’s a little about me, too. We all can use a little reminder of the good in this world.
Spending time with FFA kids reminds me that there is so much good out there.
Beth Horton of OBP Agency and I had so much fun judging the Ag Communications CDE. She just kept saying, "Aren't they amazing?" I couldn't agree more.
I had the pleasure of judging the Ag Communications career development event (CDE) finals and I left nothing short of inspired. If you don’t think this generation of young people is amazing, then you aren’t spending much time with them.
I see it in the confidence they carry with them when they walk out onto the stage. I see it in the kindness they show toward people they don’t even know. I see it in the perspective they bring to the table experiencing a world so very different than the world I grew up in.
In short, FFA develops achievers, leaders, groundbreakers, innovators, challengers and drivers. And quite honestly, that never leaves you. It just looks a little different when you’re 40ish.
(l to r) Kristi Smith of Team Purebred and Dinah Peebles of the National Pork Board tirelessly give of their time and energy to help young FFA members find their place in the pork industry. Smith is a former FFA member and Peebles has found a way to connect with FFA even though she didn't participate in it as a student.
More from Farm Journal's PORK:
Why One Pig Farmer Says It’s Time to Change Your Mindset
