Parkers Prairie FFA

The Parkers Prairie FFA Banquet last night was an impressive event. In a town with a population of 991, there were well over 150 people in attendance at their 50th anniversary banquet. (That's about 15% of their town!) Past chapter presidents, American Degree recipients, State Degree recipients, chapter advisors and state officers from the Parkers Prairie FFA were in attendance. Additionally, the Eastern Region National FFA Vice President, Hannah Crossen, gave the keynote address that focused on a two-step process for recovering from falling down. 1. Get up and 2. Grow from it. Hannah, Katie, Mr. Larsen and I enjoyed learning about the history of their chapter. I was in awe at the number of scrapbooks, plaques and various awards on display at the banquet. Parkers Prairie definitely has a passion for FFA and agriculture. I wish you all the best of luck in the future!

Agri-Science Fair

On Thursday, March 19th, I met over 70 FFA students that are very proficient in their respective areas of science including botany, environment, engineering, biochemistry/food science and zoology. If I ever need help in one of my science classes, I know who to go to. Congratulations to those that qualified to go to the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis next October!

MAC Youth Conference

The Minnesota Association of Cooperatives Youth Conference is one event that I looked forward to attending in high school. On Monday, March 16th, Derek and I traveled a short distance from the U of M to Roseville, MN to join the conference attendees for their banquet and evening activities. It was great to see so many FFA members and youth in agriculture in attendance at the conference. I especially enjoyed the hypnotist after the banquet. While hypnotized students sang Taylor Swift songs and did other strange things that were forgotten as soon as they woke up from the experience. I hadn't laughed as much as I did that night in a long time, thanks to all the brave people that provided the entertainment. Thank you to the MAC Youth Board for inviting the state officers to your conference. Cooperatives are an important piece of agriculture.

AFSA OLC

I had the pleasure of visiting the Academy for Sciences of Agriculture in the evening on Friday, March 13th. Their very first Overnight Leadership Conference was held with leadership activities such as a service project, sessions, a talent show and a dance. What a great idea! I even saw some familiar faces as Pete and I had visited their freshman class in the fall. I would like to point out that my table won the decorating contest at the beginning of the conference...yay! Katie, Derek and I presented a workshop about the importance of YOU in agriculture. AFSA has some really bright students that will definitely help advance agriculture in the future. Thanks for inviting us to your OLC, AFSA!

Alliance Pipeline

Throughout the year the state officers get the unique opportunity to participate in State Officer Professional Development Days. These visits allow us to learn more about some of our major State FFA sponsors and thank them for their generous support. Alliance Pipeline in Eden Prairie, MN was the host to our last SOPD on Friday, March 13th. It was really neat to learn about the pipeline, how it was constructed and why they are so passionate about supporting the FFA Organization. In addition to their partnership with FFA, they are big supporters of the communities surrounding the pipeline. I strongly encourage FFA members that are planning to attend SGLC and SLCCL to ask your advisor if Alliance Pipeline scholarships are available in your community. Thank you Alliance Pipeline!