And now, for something completely different...

On an un-FFA related but still relevant tangent, I had the opportunity to attend the Agriculture Future of America Leaders' Conference in Kansas City, MO last weekend. I would strongly recommend this experience to any current (or soon to be) college students interested in agriculture. There are many scholarships available, both at community and corporate levels. The University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, University of Wisconsin - River Falls, South Dakota State University, North Dakota State University, and Southwest Minnesota State University were all amoung the institutions sending delegates this year. The conference is a four day professional experience with the purpose of teaching students the skills needed to get internships while in college and find their dream careers after graduation. There are three tracks that build on each other. As a freshman, I was a track one delegate. Our resumes were critiqued by industry representatives, we prepared and attended a career fair hosted by top industry companies, we spent time developing personal leadership and integrity, and had the chance to meet different people from ag schools from across the country. All of this while staying in a very nice hotel and eating a lot of delicious food! Several very outstanding speakers also took the stage. There was even a live concert on Saturday night. With a scholarship, the experience may cost less than $10. Keep your eyes open for more information on next year's conference this spring and next fall!

Minnesota Agri-Growth Council Annual Meeting

Derek, Justin, and I had the chance to spend a day with many of Minnesota and the nation's top leaders in agriculture at the Agri-Growth Council annual meeting in St. Paul. The highlights of the day were hearing from Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee Colin Peterson, Governor Tim Pawlenty, and United States Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schaefer. All three shared comments on their excitement about the future of the ag industry as well as ideas of how to deal with the challenges to come. What I took most from the day was the key issue of a world economy. A panel discussion talked about feeding the growing world and America's role as a global leader in that field. Agriculture is much bigger than our own backyard these days!

The 81st National FFA Convention!!

Step Up and Stand Out was the theme for the largest youth leadership gathering in the country. Having only gone to one National Convention before this year, I was incredibly excited to journey to Indianapolis to represent Minnesota, catch up with a lot of old friends, and complete one of my long time goals by competing in my first, last, and only national CDE. Here is a little rundown of the week:

Monday - We left the U of M campus bright and early at 5AM to fly first to St. Louis and then to Indy. We arrived safely and spent the rest of the day exploring downtown and took in a movie called "Forever Strong" as part of the Heartland Film Festival. It is a great story about leadership and teamwork and we very strongly recommend it!

Tuesday - We began the delegate process bright and early and had the chance to pass on your views and opinions to the other national delegates. Each committee heard testimonies and then wrote recommendations to be passed later on in the week.

Wednesday - After the public hearings, the committee work part of the delegate process was over. Finally, we got to see some MN members! AFSA was the first chapter I found :) While my team mates headed to the general delegate meetings to start priliminary discussions, I participated in the first rounds of the job interview contest. Wednesday was also the official start of convention in Conseco Fieldhouse complete with a laser show and some pretty cool National Officers. Many members, including the delegation from my home chapter of BOLD (shout out to Brad, Carla, Christine, and Brendon!), took in the Taylor Swift concert at the brand new Lucas Oil Stadium.

Thursday - Most members headed off to sessions and tours around Indy while I, along with quite a few other Minnesotans, competed in CDE events all day long.

Friday - I got up very early in the rain to attend my CDE awards breakfast for Job Interview and then got to attend the Dairy CDE lunch where Minnesota was very well represented! Congrats to the Gold Emblem Evaluation team from Sauk Center and to Elizabeth Olson, second place dairy handler! Friday also marked the first session I had the chance to attend where five outstanding members from our state were recognized as National Proficiency Finalists and two were named winners. Congratulations to Paige and Matt as well as all the finalists!

Saturday - It was another early morning to make the trek to Lucas Oil Stadium to watch the American Degree bestowed on seventy-five members from Minnesota. We also saw two Stars Over America finalists from our very own state recognized in front of the huge crowd. Finally, convention came to a close with the final session back at Conseco Fieldhouse. All of the CDE winners were recognized including the first place food science team from Dassel-Cokato! The new National Officers were announced and the old ones took off their jackets for a final time. After session we headed to supper and ice skating for our last night in Indy before heading home Sunday morning. Thanks for a great National Convention!

Region I Fall Leadership Day

Jake, Ethan, Rochelle, Hoang, Nicole, Austin, Mercedes, Marie, and Steph, did an outstanding job of organizing the fall leadership day held at Maplelag, just north of Detroit Lakes. The beautiful facility was the perfect backdrop for the officer team demonstrations (congrats to Ada-Borup!) and over 350 greenhands together for a wide variety of sessions! My workshop watched a little of the office to learn what not to do when it comes to professionalism. I really enjoyed making the trek north with Mrs. Addington to this very fun day! Keep those Legos :)

Minnesota Farm Bureau

On Friday, we had the chance to spend the day at Minnesota Farm Bureau in Eagan, MN. Our morning started out with some introductions and an explanation of Farm Bureau by MN Farm Bureau President Kevin Paap. Next we heard from Chief Administrator Bob Shepard and heard from Kristin Harner, the public relations spealist. Karin Schaefer filled us in on the Young Farmers & Rancers program. Jeremy Geske and Staci Bohlen gave a very interesting look at local, state, and national policy that will be affecting the interests of the agricultural industry. Warren Formo of MN Ag Water Resources Coalition also gave us an update on how that group is expanding. Everything really gotus all thinking how we can be better advocates for agriculture.

After lunch, we met as a team to discuss our position on the national issues coming up at convention in the end of October. Just a reminder, we want to hear your opinions!! A full list of the issues are on both the national and state FFA websites as well as in the newest newsletter.

Thanks Farm Bureau for such a welcoming and informative day!

Minnesota Agri-Growth AgNite

It's always been a dream of mine to go to a red carpet event. Who knew I would get the chance to go to one in my blue jacket? Minnesota Agri-Growth coordinated a massive celebration of the agricultural industry, affectionately dubbed AgNite. The event was held in conjunction with the Republican National Convention and had a total attendance of around five thousand people. In addition to a red carpet, there were representatives from not only Minnesota, but from across the country present to toast where our industry is going. The night was nearly awe-inspiring as beautiful decoration, complimented by potted corn stalks, giant blocks of cheese, and a John Deere tractor, set up a great atmosphere for conversation about agriculture. It was great to catch up with many familiar faces and to make scores of new contacts. The night wrapped up with a Styx concert on the main stage. The overall message of the event was loud and clear, agriculture is just that exciting right now!

The GREAT Minnesota Get-together

12 days of wonderful food (that's horrible for you), livestock shows everyday, one hundred and eighty-four new births and a building full of barnies taking care of them, and of course 100,000 of our closest friends visiting every day, it can only mean State Fair time! I spent most of my time at the fair (ten days for me this year!) between the livestock barns and the CHS Miracle of Birth Center and FFA Leadership Center and Chapter House. Out in the barnyard, we combined the strength, might, and work ethic (and wow do those barnies have work ethic!) of the Minnesota FFA Association with the knowledge and expertise of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association to partner in a way to make the CHS Miracle of Birth Center the biggest attraction at the fair. In our third year in the new CHS MOBC, we shook things up in the Leadership Center by allowing the public to "Experience the Legacy" of MN FFA but getting a glimpse of what it's like to be a member. Mrs. Addington and Mrs. Aarsvold did an outstanding job coordinating many different stations of activities that ranged from classroom instruction and supervised agricultural experiences to career development events and community service. One of the favorite parts of the building was the life-size cow as part of the county and state fairs section (see photo below), members and public alike were welcomed to have pictures taken around the center and have them printed while they filled out forms for a chance to win a Cenex gas card or FFA merchandise. I really enjoyed hearing stories from many past wearers of the blue jacket and getting to explain what the jacket meant to many people who hadn't seen it before.

The other way I spent my time was helping out at shows during FFA livestock weekend. I got to work at the VERY FIRST market goat show which will surely be a cool moment in the history of MN FFA. I also spent a day at the breeding sheep show, and let me tell you, I learned a lot about sheep! The weekend concluded with a livestock encampment dance in the show arena on Sunday night and an award ceremony on the stage Monday morning. Before long, it was time to pack up and wave goodbye to a lot of friends and the last hours of summer as we all went our separate ways to start school the next week. It was a short commute for me as I am living in Bailey Hall at the U of M in St. Paul and I now get to drive by the fairgrounds several times a day on my way to class, unfortunately it isn't quite as cool as being there during the fair!