Agriculture Gala @ the Republican National Convention

WOW! What an opportunity to be invited to the Agriculture Gala at the Republican National Convention. Walking in to the Depot in downtown Minneapolis to a red carpet lined with stalks of corn definitely set up the atmosphere to how cool the night was going to be. Styx, southern cowboys, porkchops on a stick and all the free icecream you could eat were other hightlights of the Gala. Having the opportunity to wear the blue courdoroy in front of so many important progressive agriculturalists was a honor that will be with me for the rest of my life. Check out mattaddington.com for pictures of the awesome event!

Minnesota Get-Together

ProntoPups, Australian Potatoes, Caramel Apples.
Livestock, butterheads, and the Miracle of Birth Center.
All of these iconic items go along with the Minnesota State Fair which I had the opportunity to attend as an agricultural advocate. What an amazing week it was showing livestock in Open Class and FFA and working at the FFA Chapter Leadership House! It was great to see FFA members from the summer and meet past FFA members who once proudly wore the blue jacket.
I showed three pure yorkshire boars, (showing boars for the first time in my life, AHH!) in open class and in FFA and had quite the successful week. In FFA, my March boars won Grand Champion and Reserve Champion, which was a pretty successful day!
In open class, my boars placed second and third in their class.
I will say however, that my favorite part of the Minnesota State Fair is the FOOD! Everything on a stick you can even imagine--even pictures on a stick at the Miracle of Birth Center! I can't wait to go back next year--I never did make it down to the chocolate covered bacon on a stick stand!

SLCCL 2008!

SLCCL 2008
July 12-18, 2008
Deep Portage Conservation Reserve
Hackensack, MN

Mission Possible! Wow what a week it has been at SLCCL! Reuniting with old friends, starting relationships with new ones, it was definitely a week to remember. Finally, after attending FFA Camp six times, my small group, The Purplaz!, finally won the volleyball tournament! YES!! After pure cooperation and team domination, the volleyball tournament was ours!


Another highlight of the week was the service project on Thursday! My group signed up for the dirty job of invasive species removal! Basically, we picked thistles and ragweed for three hours! We did have a blast, though, and as a collective effort picked over 1100 pounds of invasive species! WOW!

The State Officers had plenty planned for the 147 FFA members in attendance. From sessions on meeting new people to effectively presenting a Key Message, there was always something to be learned throughout the five days of camp.



National Officer Candidate, Brad Lanoue, helped out throughout the week presenting sessions, speaking at the banquet and giving helpful advice to the State Officers and Campers! He is also a phenomenal dancer and shared with us his talent throughout the week and at the dance. We wish him the best of luck as he prepares for interviews throughout the rest of the summer!

Thank you to all who made SLCCL a huge success! The memories and times I’ve experienced at Deep Portage will never be forgotten!

RLC 2008

July 1st, 2008
Howard Lake High School
Regional Leadership Conference

Kaylee, Rachael, Pete and I traveled to the town of Howard Lake to attend one of the Regional Leadership Conferences. Bunking at Rachael’s house the night before, we had a musical marathon, which included Guys and Dolls! Pete sure enjoyed that. I think he was the first one asleep. HA!

We got up the next morning and traveled to Howard Lake where we were able to see many chapters excited about the upcoming year. Brad, Lezlie, Amber, Josh and Jon did a fabulous job presenting new leadership ideas to the chapters in attendance. One of my favorite sessions was De Bono’s Six Hat theory which demonstrated different characteristics of individuals on a team.

Finally it was time to say our goodbyes and after taking many pictures, Mr. Weininger, HLWW Advisor, gave us many t-shirts as parting gifts! Thanks Winnie!

Day at the Dome!

FFA Day at the Dome
HHH Metrodome
Sunday, June 29, 2008

What better way to top of a week at Greenhand Camp than FFA at the Dome? Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and the Minnesota Twins along with Minnesota FFA members, Alumni and Sponsors celebrated FFA at the Dome on Sunday, June 29. Starting at 11:00 the Minnesota FFA Foundation hosted a tent of Famous Dave’s BBQ for all FFA supporters in attendance! It was great to see familiar faces from CHS, Farm Bureau and all of our supporters and familiar FFA faces!!
Finally it was game time, and the Minnesota State FFA Officers took our seat on the third baseline along with many FFA members from across the state, and cheered on our Twins as they beat the Brewers in a fantastic game of baseball!! The South Dakota State Officer team was also there cheering on our team and it was great to see Brian, Shad, Shane, Josh, Wyatt and Maria again! Thank you to all who attended this day and cheered on the Minnesota Twins to victory!

Go for Gold!

State Greenhand Leadership Conference
Deep Portage, Hackensack, MN
June 23-27, 2008

State Greenhand Leadership Conference has been my favorite activity since being a Greenhand, however, now after reliving it as a State Officer, I can honestly say that it is the number one best thing FFA members can do in FFA to develop their passion as FFA members.
Arriving in Deep Portage on Sunday, it felt right like home. The Deep Portage Staff was so welcoming and helpful with everything we needed! We are so grateful that they let us use their great facility. Sunday was the day of setup. Hanging decorations, installing our “fake” FFA wall, and setting up tables and chairs for 150 campers was a work in progress. However, once it was finished, we were able to look back on all we had accomplished and know that the campers were in for a fantastic week. That night, each of the SOs got together with their presentation partners and finalized preparations for the sessions later that week.
10:00 AM Monday morning, and Greenhand Camp was well on its way with 150 campers from across the state of Minnesota all arriving in Hackensack, Minnesota for a week of leadership, friendship, and fun! Lunch started at noon and the afternoon brought the beginning of the sessions of SGLC!

Being a part of “the dirties” volleyball team was definitely a highlight of camp. Even though we didn’t win the volleyball tournament, smearing mud on our faces and showing off our skills to everyone was priceless! The members in my small group were also phenomenal individuals who each brought a different perspective on camp and life to the group. Meeting these members and getting to know them one on one definitely made my camp. The coolest part about the small group meetings was hearing each of their individual goals. When members came forward and said that because of camp, they now had goals to become a state officer, it made the whole week and all the work proceeding it, worth it.
Between rock climbing, volleyball, canoeing, and playing football, the campers were able to bond and meet new members from different chapters across the state. The best part for me as a State Officer was seeing the friendships that formed throughout the week at Greenhand Camp. Members who had never met before Monday, at the end of the week were promising that they would be friends for life; and I could see that just from being around them. The talent show and dance on Thursday night were highlights for many, and saying goodbyes on Friday had never been harder.
One of the members of the volleyball team, “the dirties” summed the week up when he said, “Before this camp, I loved FFA because my dad did. Now I do because I love FFA!”

Rent!

Rent
Ordway Theature, St. Paul
Saturday, June 21, 2008

I got back home from Nebraska on Friday night at about 5:00 PM. After a night full of laundry and camp preparation, I was on the road again the next day at 9:00 AM! Kaylee and I picked up the sound system for camp at Nate Janssen’s house, and were on our way to the cities. The Department of Education was our destination, and crunching camp booklets was our task. That night, Derek, Katie, Pete, Kaylee and I were also “sharpening our saws” by getting dressed up and heading to the musical, RENT. After three hours of crunching booklets, it was finally time to head back to Farmhouse (thanks guys for letting us stay!!) and get ready for the musical! However, we all decided to take a little snooze, since not much sleeping had been done in days before! So after about an hour nap, we got up and got ready! Traveling to downtown St. Paul was a blast! We got to see a wedding in action, shop at Macy’s and lounge around in the city atmosphere! Finally, it was time for the show to start at the Ordway! Katie, Kaylee and I were already Rent fanatics, and after seeing the show, I bet the boys are too! After the show, we made the executive decision that there is FFA at the Dome, FFA at the T’Wolves, and there should be an FFA Day at the Theatre!! It was time to head back to Farmhouse and catch some zzz’s because we were leaving for SGLC in the morning.

Discover the Rhythm

National Leadership Conference for State Officers
Aurora, Nebraska, \
The Leadership Center
June 16-20, 2008

WOW! I can’t believe the summer is already here and moving so quickly! It seemed yesterday I was rushed on stage during State Convention as a State FFA Officer! Today, I am heading home after a week of new friendships, personal growth opportunities, and team building in Nebraska!
The National Leadership Conference for State Officers was held in Aurora, Nebraska from June 16-20. Brady Revels and Kari Boettcher were the two National Officers who facilitated our week of learning. The State Officer Teams from Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota also joined the Minnesotans for a week of fun!
The theme for the week was “Discover the Rhythm!”, which was a theme perfect for all the rockstars in attendance. There were videos of the National Officers forming a garage band, drumsticks for each of us to lead our own rockband, and guitar pics that could be kept in our jackets to remember all we had learned that week.
Hanging out with our team, as well as meeting other FFA members from across the upper Midwest was definitely the highlight of NLCSO! Brady and Kari were so down to earth and helped each and every one of us with our delivery during presentations. After attending NLCSO, I am much more confident in my own presentation skills for Greenhand Camp next week!
Ending the weeklong conference, all the state officers gathered in the pool the last night to have a water volleyball tournament! It was a great way to end a week of learning and friendships! As we head home and I look back on the week, I can’t wait to see all of these great people again at National Convention and hopefully their state conventions next Spring! But now, it’s time for sleep because the summer has only began!

State Officer Professional Development #1

State Officer Professional Development
June 4-5, 2008
Minnesota FFA Chapter Leadership House
June 4
Finally, reunited with the whole team again! It was so exciting to catch up with everyone and see what they had been up to since Blast Off! A bunch of us had graduated, a few had decided to milk their cows while they had the chance, and a few of us lead boring lives and hadn’t been up to anything. Never the less, we dove right into our assignment that afternoon and worked with the fabulous, Sheryl Meshke, (AMPI), who helped us develop our Key Messages for the Minnesota FFA and start brainstorming Theme Ideas! I am looking forward to working with her again throughout the upcoming year! She is full of energy, passion and enthusiasm for the FFA. Especially since she was never an FFA member herself! So Thank you Sheryl!!
Now, this was a truly exciting and a fun filled afternoon; however, the development of a theme….not so easy! After much deliberation, we came up with three that we all agreed we could deal with and called it quits for the evening. Deciding that quitting for the day, going out, and then sleeping on our theme would do some good; we all changed and got ready for our night out on the town! Our first stop was Buffalo Wild Wings! I had never been to BWWs before but let me tell you, I LOVED It! I can’t wait to go back again! Then, us girls took the boys out to a chick flick. Looking around in the theatre, they were the only boys in attendance. They thought this was a bad thing, but honestly, I thought they had a pretty good ratio! That night, we hit the lights and slept peacefully after a long day!
June 5
8:30 a.m. and we were up and at in with our theme. Meeting the night previously, we all came to the conclusion that the three themes we had formerly chosen, today, nobody liked. Ugh, so we were at it again with theme development. The one word that kept popping into our minds to encompass our Key Messages and our State’s Anniversary of 80 years was: Legacy. So again, we took a little break from our theme and decided to work on SGLC Camp Curriculum.
After five hours of going over camp details, which I am truly excited about (if any of you are attending SGLC you are in for a week of Olympics!!), we got back to our theme development. We finally came up with, “Experience the Legacy!” I personally love this theme and think it ties into every one of our key messages and helps us celebrate our long-lasting history, rich in agriculture and service. I can’t wait to share it with the 9,090 MN FFA members this year!!

Camp Timberland

Camp Timberland! Sibley State Park, New London, MN June 2 & 3, 2008 It was truly an honor to be called by the 2008 Minnesota National Officer Candidate, Mr. Brad Lanoue, from the Tracy FFA Chapter, and be invited to represent the Minnesota FFA Association at the Timberland FFA Camp hosted by the Marshall, Tracy, and Sleepy Eye FFA Chapters, all part of Region VI (the best place on the planet)! I had wanted to attend this camp ever since I had heard about it as a freshman and so I was truly PUMPED when I received the call! Brad told me that he wanted me plus one other State Officer to come to camp and present two-one hour sessions on service. I was truly enthusiastic about this because of the goal that our State Officer team has set for the upcoming year dealing with service! So, Mr. Peter Thome, the State FFA Sentinel and I prepared our sessions on service and were ready to head to the Sibley State Park. We decided to meet in Mankato because it made the most sense for our week filled with activities. I decided to head to Kato a little earlier to do a little shopping with my 15 percent of everything in the store at Herberger’s. Let’s just say I made off pretty well, but my credit card bill…not so much. We’ll save that for a later date however! I picked Pete up at the Minnesota Pork Producer’s Office. It was a really nice place that I had never been to before and I was excited to meet everyone in the office. We then hit the road heading west on Highway 14 with a destination some 200 miles away. The ride seemed to fly by however as Pete and I shared stories from all parts of our lives and got to know each other even better. Once we arrived at Sibley State Park, after calling past State FFA Treasurer, Lynsey Bengston for directions, (we were in her neck of the woods), we were swarmed with enthusiastic FFA members who were excited about the fun-filled week they had ahead of them, if the weather held up! After saying our hellos to Mr. Lanoue (Tracy style), Mr. Lanoue (Marshall style), Mr. Sawatzke and Ms. Hoffman, we unpacked in our cabins and headed to the great hall to start our first sessions. Brad went over rules with all of the campers and the expectations for the week. He challenged all members to Support Honestly, Risk Boldly, and Seize the Day! By doing these three things he guaranteed that members would Seek Improvement! Later that night, everyone gathered around the campfire and Pete and I were instructed to give a little crash course on reflections. Pete talked about how the FFA will build a strong foundation for everyone’s future career. I challenged members to have faith in themselves because they have the ability to achieve everything they never thought possible. After Reflections ended, it was time for Pete and I to perfect our sessions for the next day on Service! Mr. Sawatszke was also a huge help giving us advice and critiques on our presenting from that day! I learned so much from him about crowd control, correct content and how to ask the right questions! We woke up bright and early the next day, with breakfast starting at 6:30, slipped into our favorite clothing, Official Dress and got ready to present our workshops! The campers, along with the advisors climbed a mountain, had a great time, and came back to the great hall later that afternoon ready to learn about how to serve their communities, fulfilling the fourth line of the FFA motto, and “Live to Serve!” A nice surprise was when a few of the 2008-2009 South Dakota State FFA Officer Team, Maria, Wyatt, Shane and Brian, showed up to Timberland Camp! Maria, who is related to Mr. Skogland, another Tracy Advisor, brought along the guys to present a workshop later that day about Habitudes—Making your attitude a habit! I was super bummed that Pete and I couldn’t stay longer to get to know them, but we had to be in the cities bright and early the next morning! Luckily, we will get to know them better at NLCSO in Nebraska! Plus, they taught me how to play this cool knife game, sounds dangerous, but it’s really fun! And, my competitive nature coming out in me, I want to play it again and WIN! HA! Pete and I rolled into the cities later that night and pulled up to my sister’s apartment in Minneapolis. He and I developed a list of things we need to do before the year is over; one of those is to watch the movie 8 Seconds. So we popped in the movie on my sister’s tube, but were both so exhausted that we ended up falling asleep with only ten minutes underway. However, there will be plenty more opportunities for us to watch the movie! The whole summer awaits!

Kansas FFA Convention

Kansas State FFA Convention!
May 26-30
Manhattan, Kansas, K-State University
Day 1, May 26
9:00 in the morning and Derek, Pete, Caitlin and I took off down 35 to Manhattan, Kansas. Standing next to a full trunk and packed backseat, we knew it was going to be a long trip! However, after seven and a half hours of driving, and stopping three times to buy Derek new pants, take a picture in the middle of the interstate, and fill up with the oh so cheap gas, we found ourselves in the wonderful town of Manhattan. However, by jamming out to some country, crafting glow in the dark bracelets, and talking about the upcoming events we were each excited about proved that sometimes it’s the Journey, not the destination. I can honestly say that I have gotten to know these three individuals extremely well and am so glad we took this trip together!
After arriving in Manhattan we abruptly pulled over to the side of the road to grap a picture by the Manhattan sign! (Throughout this trip we were extremely picture crazy!!) That night, we met up with Sharita Lacey, past Kansas State FFA Vice President, as she cultured the Minnesota State FFA Officers by taking us to the Hu Hot Mongolian Grill. Shawn Turner and Morgan Gauby, who were graciously letting us bunk with them, came along for dinner. It was so cool to see the cooks grill and slice your meal right in front of you! After supper, we got a tour of K-State by a true Kansan, visited Manhatten Hill, and went back to the Smith Scholarship House, (Shawn’s Pad), to play ROCK BAND!!
Day 2, May 27
Day two of our Kansas adventure we found ourselves stuffing convention packets, correcting tests, and my favorite, visiting Call Hall for ice cream. After visiting the student center multiple times for sustenance, our day of serving FFA was complete. It was time to again experience the life of a K-State Student! Sharita took us to some hot college spots: Grizzley’s, a popular restaurant, PIlsbury Crossing, a wading/waterfall area, and Top of the World, a lookout over top the town of Kansas.
Grizzley’s restaurant is famous for their chicken fried steak, chicken, and pork. My favorite part about the meal however were the fried pickles with ranch that Sharita made us try. I was a little hesitant at first but now that I’m back in Minnesota I am craving some fried pickles!
Pilsbury Crossing was a great experience and a chance for us to get our feet wet in Kansas soil, literally! Pilsbury Crossing is a huge wading pool with rocks at the bottom that students can wade in. We got some awesome pictures of Derek and Pete trying to brave the waterfall. Luckily, none of them fell in. I can’t wait to come back to Kansas and go visit the crossing again.
Top of the World was another destination we reached. It was a few miles out of town but was worth the drive. Top of the World is in the country outside Manhatten and, once your vehicle makes it up the hill, visitors can step out and have the most spectacular view of the city. I love Manhatten, Kansas!

Day 3, May 28
Sleeping in at a State Convention was a new feeling for us four as we didn’t need to be awake until noon. We found out later that day that Kansas runs their convention way differently than ours. All of their CDEs, except the leadership CDEs, had already been completed and Champions announced. So, the Minnesota State FFA Officers got to help out with timing and recording the Leadership CDEs. I had the amazing opportunity to be in charge of the holding area of the Parliamentary Procedure Finals. My job was to basically entertain the FFA members and calm their nerves as they waited their turn. I got to meet and watch the Parliamentary Procedure Team from the Marysville FFA Chapter. These individuals became my very first Kansan friends and I enjoyed cheering for them all while on the stage later throughout convention.
Being an old-school Creed speaking Champion myself, I jumped at the chance to time Creed speaking preliminaries and finals. It was so amazing to watch these young FFA members overcome their nerves and perform to their best potential. I’ll never forget the eventual Champion, Blaine, who talked about memorizing the FFA Creed under his oat tree drinking his sweat tea in southern Kansas.
Going to Sessions in Kansas was also exciting! After the smoke and laser show were complete, I got to see my friends, the Kansas State FFA Officers serving their state association during convention. The Minnesota Officers learned a lot about how different conventions are run and we will take a lot back to our own convention next year.
Seth Heinert, who I have met on multiple occasions, was the speaker at the night session of Day three. He was phenomenal! When he was the National FFA Secretary, I saw his retiring address which he sang in. His whole address this night was accompanied by music and was a real treat for any music lover! We are definitely looking at him for our convention.
After the night session, it was time for the party of the night: The Kansas FFA Convention Dance! I met some awesome FFA members with some kicking moves at this dance! It was great to see all 500 plus FFA members who were at the dance coming together and celebrating the future of FFA. Truly, the Minnesota Officers had a blast meeting the Kansas State Officer Candidates and hanging out with Becky and Morgan (National Officers). Once the dance was over, we all experienced our first Sonic Slushies and headed to bed, but not before meeting some FFA members walking through the drive through.


Day 4, May 29
Our Final day in Kansas! The Nebraska and South Dakota State Officers had arrived the night before so Sharita put them to work and us Minnesoootans were free to attend sessions, roam Kansas, and meet new people! My favorite part about Day four was going to Aggieville, which is a village in K-State that has tons of restaurants and hot hang outs. We visited the So Long Saloon for lunch and had the best burgers any of us have ever tasted. We also took our last opportunity to buy some fried pickles which were even better the second time. Food seemed to be the theme of the Day as we returned to Call Hall for our last chance to get some ice cream!
Attending the session that night, we got to hear the inspiring words of Shawn Harper, former NFL Pro Football Player who inspired people to choose their path! He had a phenomenal message and could rip two phone books in half which made him the coolest speaker ever! We are seriously looking at him for State Convention.
After the session was over, we headed back to the Smith House to say our final goodbyes. It was sad to say goodbye to the new found friends we had made knowing that it may be the last time we see them. However, much convincing was done to encourage our new Kansan friends to attend our convention next April! Hopefully we will see them again!
Hitting the road, we stopped at our favorite restaurant before we left Manhattan: McDonalds. Pete and I got to sleep first shift from 10:30 to 2:00 a.m. and then drive from 2:00 to 6:00. Let me tell you, when Caitlin and Derek woke up the next morning when we got back to Albert Lea at 6:30, they were a little crabby with Pete and my loopiness, but I promise it was only from lack of sleep.
Day 5, May 30
Crashing at Pete’s house for a few hours before I headed home was the most phenomenal sleep I’ve ever had in my entire life! I left Pete’s at about ten and headed home on I-90, but not before visiting one of my best FFA friends, Logan Hansen in Albert Lea. He took me to his favorite Chinese restaurant called the Wok and Roll. It was a great time catching up with an old friend who has made a huge impact on my FFA life. Finally it was time to head home, sleep and remember all the amazing times I had with my new teammates and friends in Kansas!

Sleepy Eye FFA Banquet

May 20, 2008
Sleepy Eye FFA Banquet
My first speaking engagement as a Minnesota State FFA Officer required me to travel to the beautiful town of Sleepy Eye, home of the Indians. This was my first visit to Sleepy Eye; even though it is part of Region VI, I’ve never made it up there. So, seeing the growing chapter’s past year of success was truly a treat for a passionate FFA member like myself.
Sleepy Eye has many outstanding activities that involve their whole chapter and community. I think the most unique activity their chapter hosts is their annual corn maze, usually held in August. The Sleepy Eye FFA chapter owns land, plants their acres full of corn every year and as a chapter comes up with a design for their maze. After about two weeks of growth, members go through and mow down the paths with lawn mowers. After corn is grown to full height, the maze is ready. Sleepy Eye also leaves the corn up until Halloween and makes the maze into a haunted house! How cool, right?
Awards were handed out and a new officer team was installed. With four National FFA Degree candidates, Sleepy Eye is continuing to stay on top of their game! I can’t wait to visit them again! Hopefully the State Officer team can make an appearance during their annual corn maze!

Final Day of Blast Off!

May 12, 2008
BLAST OFF Day 4!

The end of Blast Off marked the end of a weekend of training, growth and new found friendship! It was fantastic meeting new teammates and reconnecting with old ones. The Constitutional Officers and Region Presidents from across the state are phenomenal individuals who I am so excited for you to meet the upcoming year!

Derek isn’t the greatest at shaving but can be counted on to lead our team and state to a successful year. I’m looking forward to many shopping trips with him this year. Katie is always there to keep the group on task and share her words of wisdom to better and further the ideas of the group. Caitlin is the epitome of organization who conducts business in an orderly, timely fashion. She also has the coolest hair EVER!! Justin is one of the truest gentlemen I have ever encountered in my entire life who truly has a passion for agriculture. Peter; what can I say about this man? Pete is a true leader who has the ability to come up with great ideas and also mellow tension in the group with humor. He can always be counted on for a good laugh!
Jake is such a talented individual who is a kick swing dancer, can sing and play the guitar, and also has one heck of an Elmo impression. Cindy is a hardworking, sweetheart who I have already seen make a positive change in her Region. Shari is the shortest on the team but has the biggest personality and has seen the most growth! Trevor is amazing at giving speeches and presentations and is from the coolest chapter ever!! Rachael seems innocent, but let me tell you, she’s got a “Wicked” side too!! I can’t wait to attend musicals with her in the cities this upcoming year at college. Kaylee is one of my greatest friends. (The red-headed bombshell is actually sitting next to me driving home right now. We haven’t died yet…that’s a good sign.) She is an extremely logical person who comes up with the answers to many problems. Cassie is hilarious and a great leader who will keep the amazing things in Region VII happening this upcoming year!! Finally, Mike is a great superhero lover who has the nicest car I’ve ever seen a senior in high school drive! (Hopefully he’ll let me drive it sometime.)

I had a blast getting to know every single one of my teammates this past weekend. I’m looking forward to getting to know them even better as the summer progresses into camps and more conferences.

I also volunteered today to be the teams “bucket filler.” Basically this means that I am in charge of keeping up the morals and positivity of the group! When times get tough and sleep is running low, it’s my job to make sure everyone stays positive and remembers the reason they desired to serve in the first place. This is going to be a difficult job and I am going to rely on all of them to remind me of the position I volunteered for! As State Officers we also received a book called How Full is Your Bucket? I think that this book will help in this upcoming duty.

I miss my teammates already. I won’t see them again until the 5th of June. It seems like forever away! But at that meeting we’ll be planning the State Greenhand Leadership Conference!! So, GET YOR APPLICATIONS IN!! I can’t wait to see all of you this summer!! Enjoy the last weeks of school!

Southland FFA Chapter Awards Night

May 3, 2008
Southland FFA Chapter Awards Night
East of Austin, Minnesota, is a small town called Adams where the Southland FFA Chapter resides. My dear friend, Pete Thome also calls this chapter home. Putting over 350 miles on my white Chevy truck was a great way start my year as a State FFA Officer! It was great to reunite with Mike Sheely, Southland FFA President, and Josh Lammers, Southland FFA Vice President, whom I had attended Greenhand Camp with. I also was reunited with Lucas Schaefer and Steve Lammers who had attended Greenhand Camp while I served as a Regional President.

Mr. Brown, the FFA Advisor, gave out many awards on the 3rd of May, 2008. Michael Sheely took home the Chapter Leadership Awards and Lucas Schaefer was awarded the Swine Production Award, which Pete Thome had been awarded three years running. A new officer team was installed with Steve Lammers elected as President for the 2008-2009 year.

After the awards program, cake and drinks were served to the members and community in attendance. Pete and I were able to help serve the milk and meet many FFA members and parents.

The best part of the evening was attending the Adams Chicken Fry which I learned was a hott spot in eastern Minnesota every other weekend. Hundreds of people from surroudning communities showed up to the Adams Legion for all you can eat chicken, fries, coleslaw and beans. It was a fun atmosphere where I definitely hope to make it back to again.

State Officer Dinner

May 8th, 2008
State Officer/Parents Dinner
Eagan, MN
So, the first trip as a State Officer began today. Kaylee Williamson and I started out on our trek to BLAST OFF Training! As we took 90 to 35, we realized that we were exceptional city drivers, or at least interstate drivers. We went to visit Kaylee’s aunt in Lakeville and ended up getting a little lost on the way. However, after lying to her father who was giving poor directions, we finally found our destination.
State Officer Parent Dinner started at 6:30 at the Holiday Inn Express in Eagan. While at the dinner, it was great to meet everyone’s parents and I am excited to see those later in the year when we will hopefully do house visits. Ertl, Larsen and Addington went over the upcoming summer calendar and expectations of a State Officer. Seeing the Thome’s again was a fun opportunity! I think Mr. Thome might like me since he was giving me hugs! Maybe I’ll have to make another appearance at the chicken fry!
Kaylee and I decided to go and visit FarmHouse at their softball game. We only got lost a few times. It seems there are no signs to get on 94W from 35EN. But whatever! Kaylee and I are great manooverers. However, after they got 10 run ruled in under 20 minutes, we left to go back to the hotel and swim with the team. Jake Hein followed us from the Bierman Field and again, we got way lost! Pizza was definitely ordered after swimming and the team hung out and relaxed while preparing for the upcoming weekend of activities.

Blast Off Day 2!

May 10, 2008
Blast OFF Day Two
WOW! What an awesome day it has been. I feel like this year I’m developing and gaining so much more from the events than I did last year. Mark and Marlene are incredible individuals who embrace each and everyone’s authenticity.
Today we worked on personal mission statements which really meant a lot to me. Now, after serving one year, I know how important it is to have that core of beliefs to fall back on during hard times.
Your destiny awaits.
Live to fulfill your dreams and desires.
Love with unwavering passion and dedication.
Develop the wisdom to be more than you think you are capable.
Remember who you are and who you were destined to become.

Another great thing I took more from this year was Angela, a National Officer’s Retiring Address. She challenged all FFA members to:
“Figure out what you are. Concentrate on doing that; and doing it well.”
She also brought up three questions that were the core of her retiring address.
1. What are your passions?
2. Am I proud of me?
3. Do my passions guide my actions everyday?
She spoke of an FFA member that she had met who had bought his first calf from his dad in 6th grade, had rented 90 acres from his father by 8th grade and by the time he was a senior had a $90,000 income through his SAE. However, even though he was set with a future career, he was going to attend college to make sure that he could become profitable following his passions and making his dreams of success a reality. Angela said, “that is FFA.”

After the sessions were over for the day, the team sat down and set goals for the upcoming year. The goals were to continue implementing service throughout chapters. The goal that I am most excited about achieving is using podcasts and youtube.com to connect the newsletter and authenticity of State Officers and chapter leaders to FFA members and foundation donors.

Truly I can tell this team is going to be awesome! I feel our team is free to be ourselves and grow as teammates, family and friends while serving the members of Minnesota this year!