Who’s the Biggest Supporter of Iowa FFA?

Wow, what a week we just had. FFA week is always a fun time to see what other chapters across the state are doing, but it’s also a good week to see who some of our biggest supporters are. This past January my team and I got to help out at the Iowa Alumni Conference. This conference was jam packed with activities and supporters. Over 200 alumni members from across the state showed up to improve on how they can help as a supporter and the state association as a whole. Seeing and being involved in this was truly eye-opening. As a Greenhand FFA member I did not realize this organization had such a big pool of talented supporters. Throughout my state officer year I have realized one of the biggest supporters of Iowa FFA is the Iowa FFA Alumni Association.  I decided to call up our State Alumni President, Patrick Diedrich, to shed some more light on the Iowa FFA Alumni.

1. What is the Iowa FFA Alumni Association?

We are a group made up of parents, businesses, local leaders, school board members, and past FFA members that understand the importance of Agricultural Education and the benefits that FFA provides to the young people of Iowa. Our group is over 12,700 members strong, and we truly believe in developing premiere leadership, personal growth, and career success.

2. What are the requirements to be an Alumni member?

You don’t have to be a past FFA member. The only requirement to be an Alumni member is you must be able to inhale oxygen, convert it to CO2, and exhale. Literally, anyone breathing is eligible to become an Alumni member and support the amazing work of FFA and Agricultural Education.  

3. How do you start an Alumni Chapter?

The first step is to gather together the group of people that seem to be at every FFA event helping out and invite your Alumni District Representative to come and talk about the benefits of becoming an alumni group and how to get started. This rep will work with your local leaders to get everything up and going. Our contact information can be found at http://www.iowaffaalumni.com/boardofdirectors.aspx

4. How does one become involved in Alumni after graduation?

The best way to become involved is to attend your local alumni meetings. If you don’t have a local alumni or have moved to a new area and don’t know who the local alumni people are, please reach out to the state board (link is above) and we will get you connected with the right people. Like everything in life being an Alumni member is just like being in FFA, the more you put into it, the more you will get out.

5. What do Alumni members do?

Alumni members do whatever their local advisor needs. If they need funds to pay for hotel rooms at National or State Convention, we do fundraisers. If the advisor needs a chaperone, we do that too. These are just two examples of the hundreds of things alumni members do.  

I hope this has helped open your eyes just like mine did this past January.  We are grateful to have this in the state of Iowa and need to express that as FFA members, so next time you see an Alumni member, don’t forget to say thanks!

Caleb Finnegan
Southwest State Vice-President

Be Committed

There’s nothing quite like lambing season. For those of us who have had to anxiously await the arrival of newborn livestock, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t had that chance yet, just think of waiting for your birthday when you were in elementary school. You know that the day is coming and you can’t wait to watch that cute little lamb run and jump through the barn.

However, in order to get there, you have to be able to put the work in ahead of time. Even though I can’t get back home as often as I’d like, I still have to be sure that I am ready to bundle up and face the elements to take care of whatever needs to be done when I am there. The ewes are limping and  need a good hoof-trimming? The water is frozen? The bedding is dirty? We need to move the ewes that are close to lambing to the lambing barn? Well considering the sheep probably can’t do it themselves, someone has to. I’ve had to trim a few hooves, get out the new heated bucket and continually break off the ice, bring down bales of straw and clean up the pen, and gotten run over plenty of times while trying to move the sheep. However, I understand that this is something I need to do to see those cute lambs running around. This is an example of being committed.

Commitment is a word that is a little difficult for people our age. If we don’t like the show we’re watching, so what? There’s about a million different options on Netflix. If we get into an awkward situation, we instantly take out our phone to distract us. If we don’t like something, we normally just don’t do it. No don’t get me wrong, this can be a good thing at times. For example, it’s easier for us to recognize when something isn’t the best for us and are able to swiftly improve the situation (for example; you can change you major/career plans pretty quickly if you decide it isn’t for you.) However, that’s not to say that we can’t be committed.

Do a quick Google search and you’ll find that committed is an adjective that means “feeling dedication and loyalty to a cause, activity, or job; wholeheartedly dedicated.”

Think about something you are wholeheartedly dedicated to. For some of us, this is our FFA chapter, our sport, band, choir, our job, our livestock, and the list goes on. We show up anytime no matter what to get the job done. We show up because we care. We show up because we are committed. Someone once told me “You can pretend to care, but you can’t pretend to show up.”

When I was in high school I was as involved as I possibly could be, as many of us are. Cross Country, the musical, marching band, choir, speech, FFA, FBLA, 4H, working at Fareway, taking care of the sheep, keeping up with grades, you name it I did it. It got to a point where I would show up to a practice and have absolutely no idea what I was doing. I remember one day I had gone to a speech practice, went through about an hour of practice with my radio broadcasting, and left not remembering anything that my coach had taught me that day. When I got to the conference competition, I followed through with all of the parts that I could remember. As I was signing off, I noticed the timer clenching her teeth. I had no idea why they were even timing the event, so I continued on.

“Thank you for listening, and have a great day!”

The timer stopped her watch, looked at me nervously and told me I could head out. I glanced at the time and saw it was 1:59. What was the big deal? As I began speaking to the judge, I soon realized what I had forgotten.

“Your broadcast was actually very good. Had you followed the rules correctly, I would have given you a high rating and you may have won the contest,” he said.

“Wait, what rule did I break? I just remember that I have to do a commercial and read the urgent news. I thought I did that?”

“Didn’t you know that you have to at least make it to two minutes? You were under by once second so I am forced to disqualify you.”

I had missed the mark by one measly second. It soon struck me that I hadn’t been completely present when my coach had shared with me the few rules. If I couldn’t even remember the rules to a competition, what else have I been missing out on? I soon found that while I cared about all the things I was involved in I wasn’t as committed as I should be to do my best. From there, I re-evaluated what I truly valued and stuck to those things I was wholeheartedly dedicated to. The next time I performed for speech I was lucky enough to make it to All-State and have an amazing learning experience to get there.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we shouldn’t get involved. We just need to be committed to what we do. Even in the craziest blizzard, I will still get as bundled up as possible and make sure my sheep have enough water and are properly taken care of. Think about the things you are committed to and show up for those things, both physically and mentally. That commitment is what sets us apart and helps us to achieve any goal we have set for ourselves.

Zach Hamilton

State President

Appreciating the Past and Present

Growing up, I never knew the feeling of living on a farm. I never knew the feeling of waking up at the crack of dawn to milk dairy cows or staying up until the wee hours of the night to help finish harvest before the rain came. One thing I was blessed with, however, was a Mother as a high school agricultural educator and FFA advisor.

I remember riding the school bus to the high school after school as an elementary student to sit in the Ag room and listen to her students practice their career development events (CDE) for hours on end. Chalk me up as a nerdy child, but, I loved sitting through all of the CDE practices. From the process of parliamentary procedure, to the salesmanship in agriculture sales, to the presentation of public speaking, I was constantly intrigued. There was one CDE which always caught my attention more than others: creed speaking.

Although I didn’t grow up on a farm, from a young age, my Mom taught me the importance of the words the FFA Creed states:

“I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith born not of words but of deeds – achievements won by the present and past generations of agriculturalists; in the promise of better days through better ways, even as the better things we now enjoy have come to us from the struggles of former years”. 

She was constantly reminding me of the importance of all areas of agriculture. From the food that is grown, to the hard work farmers have to put into their crop, to the uncertainty farmers have to face when it comes to Mother Nature, she wanted me to understand every part. If there was one area that my Mom really wanted me to pay attention to, however, it was the people behind the agriculture industry. The people who do wake up at the crack of dawn to milk dairy cows and stay up until the wee hours of the night to finish harvest before the rain comes. Those past agriculturalists who have gone through the struggles and those who have been able to rejoice in the better days.

Fast forward to December 2015 – I was a senior at Iowa State University graduating with a degree in agriculture and life sciences education and communication. An opportunity was presented to me to join the National Corn Growers Association in Washington, D.C. Having done a couple of legislative internships in Washington and being a (very) proud Iowan, working for the corn growers just seemed to make sense. I moved to Washington in January and began my job as a Legislative Assistant.

Day in and day out, I spent my work days in meetings focusing on crop insurance, the Farm Bill, environmental conservation, renewable fuels, and international trade. I communicated daily with farmers from everywhere from the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, to West Texas, to the heartland of Iowa. The one thing I noticed about all of them? Their love and passion for what they do on their farming operations always remained the same.

One of my favorite moments since moving to Washington was doing a visit with some farmers on Capitol Hill. A farmer had mentioned that he would let the corn staffers speak during the meeting because they were, “just a farmer”. To which, the corn staffer responded “Just a farmer? You’re the most important person in this room. We want you to speak as much as possible.”

It’s the people who make up the “past and present generations of agriculturalists” that make me passionate about what I work on in Washington, D.C. I began a career in federal policy because of the hardworking men and woman who spend their livelihood producing food for a growing population. And I want to help advocate and give them a voice on Capitol Hill.

As you advocate in your local communities or, like me, in the future make a move across the country, never forget who you’re advocating for. Learn from those agriculturalists around you and get inspired by their love for this industry. As the past, present, and future of agriculture, this industry needs all of us to help share their story.

Sarah Doese

Legislative Correspondent, Congressman Adrian Smith (NE - 03)

Past FFA Member