Last Minute Preparations for CDE and LDE Contests!

1. Sleep
You may think that the night before a contest is crucial but one thing you never think about is the night before the night before. I know that sounds complicated, so let’s think about it a little bit. If you have to compete bright and early Saturday morning, Thursday night is the night you need the best sleep. If you stay up all night Thursday, all you’ll be doing Friday night is catching up on Thursday’s sleep. Make sure you’re well rested for your contest!

2. Eat a good breakfast
And by good breakfast, Red Bull does not count. Whether your go-to breakfast is a granola bar, a bowl of cereal, or a big plate of scrambled eggs and bacon, make sure you’re eating before your big day. Everyone says breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

3. Practice
I know, if you hear your advisor say “Just one more time” One more time, you might lose it. But there is a method to the madness, if you rehearse enough times you’ll step into the room and your presentation will be second nature. How can you get nervous when you know it like the back of your hand?

4. Prepare your things the night before
Unless you’re somehow a morning person (and if you are, respect to you), you are not going to be a fan of packing at 6:00am before the bus leaves. Chances are, you’ll throw a few things in a bag and head out the door. The chances of you forgetting something at home is much higher if you’re half asleep while packing!

Best of luck as we head to sub-district and district contests!

Wherever Corn is Grown,

Laken Mullinix

2018-2019 Iowa FFA State Secretary

Officers Go South, to South Africa

Recently Iowa had a 4 officers attend the International Leadership Seminar for State Officers or ILSSO in South Africa. The four officers that went on this trip all took some time to write about their favorite part and this is what they had to say.

Lexi- Attending ILSSO in South Africa was an eye-opening experience for me. I enjoyed every aspect of it, from learning about the types of agriculture to the immense amount of history. Some of my favorite parts of attending ILSSO were visiting the Roos Farm, the Cape of Good Hope, and connecting with state officers from across the United States. On the Roos Farm, we learned about sheep, cattle, and crop production. I thought it was very interesting to learn how similar the practices used are to agriculture in the United States. At the Cape of Good Hope, the views were amazing. I couldn’t believe I was standing in a place full of so much beauty and history. Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a more educational and amazing experience.

Gwen- My favorite part of IlSSO was the true beauty of the country. Around every turn, we saw the most amazing sights. The nature, the people, the culture, the food, all were so beautiful. Looking over the mountains and smelling the ocean over the Cape of Good Hope was of the most surreal moments I have ever experienced. The amazing sights and sounds here were breathtaking. Truly the most beautiful part of the trip was the new friends I made. The experience of this trip was made even better by the friendships I made. Getting to see all these beautiful sights with friends from around the country made it even better.

Jake- ILSSO 2019. 11 days spent in the beautiful country of South Africa studying agriculture and culture. This experience is something that I will not soon forget! My favorite part of this trip happened on the last day of our journey. We went to a place called Table Mountain that overlooks the city of Cape Town. This nearly 4000 feet tall mountain is known around the world as one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. The sights were breathtaking and symbolic of the trip as we could see not only the rest of the African Continent where we had been but also the ocean, in which we would fly over on our way home the next day. Though this part was my favorite, I am beyond blessed for all of the sights we saw and most importantly, the people met!

Laken- My favorite part of South Africa was the Hoërslool Erasmus High School. We had the opportunity to tour the school's agriculture department which included their own farm complete with goats, chickens, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and peppers. It was so neat to see a school that had its own farm, as many schools near me have similar operations. We were also able to interact with the students there. I love this opportunity because we were able to talk to people our age and see what they liked to do for fun, and how teenage culture was in South Africa. It was an amazing experience with amazing people, and I am so fortunate to have been able to participate!

In Blue and Gold, 

Lexi Berte, NC State Vice-President,

Gwen Black, SW State Vice-President,

Jake Hlas, NE State Vice-President,

Laken Mullinix, State Secretary

Beef it's What's for Dinner.

So-called “clean meat and clean milk” has taken over the food and agricultural news. Every time you go through the milk section at the supermarket there it is almond “milk”, the non-dairy way to drink something that is like milk. Over at the meat counter, beef and other products are now under attack by companies who plan to make a product that tastes and looks the same with similar benefits in consumption. These products have even made it to the mainstream like the veggie burger or the “Impossible burger” that is growing in popularity. With an increasing number of people looking into meat alternatives, it is highly important that we as agriculturists know facts that can help us combat the altering opinions about our products.

The biggest thing that anyone in the beef business or other meat industries can do is know the facts of your products. Take beef for example - it provides the Big 10 Nutrients - zinc, iron, protein, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorus, selenium, choline, and two B vitamins - nutrients that are critical to a nutritious diet. Other meats provide important ingredients to muscle growth and development, metabolism, healthy blood circulation.

Although many claims are out that beef production is bad for the environment, protein food sources have a unique advantage to using land that is rocky, steep, and land that is not favorable for producing row crops or vegetables. Using cattle or other livestock on land that is highly erodible helps protect the soil, keep the overgrowth of vegetation under control and naturally fertilize the land, much like bison when they roamed the land. It’s not only natural but also safe.

With high criticism of GMOs from activist groups, it’s hard to understand how they can see this cultured fake meat as anything better. In REAL meat the only time for contamination to happen is when the meat is exposed to air, the so-called “clean” meat is always exposed to air and contamination at all times makes it a high-risk product that could lead to easily making consumers sick.

Secondly, fake meat is not a practical product. Products that are made in a petri dish take 3 months to grow. The demand from extremest humane groups claiming that their products don’t hurt animals is also a false claim. In order to get the cells to produce the lab-grown meat scientists must first collect fetal calf serum, this is the fluid around the calf in the womb. In order to collect these cells, they must first abort the calf. That seems like a lot of waste for a few cheeseburgers. Add in the equipment and energy required to grow it - lights and incubators - all using carbon that is put right back into our environment. The expense of these products hurts the average consumer. Almond “milk” costs more than traditional dairy products and a petri dish hamburger costing up to $280,000 to produce, it is entirely too much to push on to the American consumer.

Lastly, we need to end misleading advertising. We, as farmers and ranchers, are always led to doing as the consumer wants. However, when groups lead the consumers in a way that, in the long run, will hurt our markets, we have to change the tides. We need to educate consumers on the misconceptions that these groups have led them to believe. Legislation needs to be made to regulate against names of meat that are misleading through cattlemen’s organization. Almond “milk” should be called juice, veggie “burgers” should be called veggies you can grill, and so-called “clean meat” should be called what it is, lab-grown cells. These names will not turn off the die-hard veggie people who will eat these products - no matter what, but they will help shed light on the unequal labeling that has happened in recent years. We must show our disgust with meatpackers like Tyson and Cargill, who have helped fund and invested in these movements. They should be removed from agriculture organizational boards and do our best, as commodity groups, to reprimand those companies who are driving down the cost of our products for their own business dealings.

At the end of the day, we as producers can't stand outside of labs and grocery stores and hope that things will improve. We have a job to do: raise a healthy, safe, and nutritious product for consumers, while maintaining the health of our livestock and natural resources. As President John F. Kennedy once said, “The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways.” It’s time to change our food and labeling system to bring fairness to American agriculture and win the battle with fake meat.

Long Live Cowboys, 

Chase "CD" Brinegar

Iowa FFA Association

2018-2019 State President

New Year. New You

Ah yes, New Years Resolutions, the things we swear to change about ourselves but seemingly fail to do. You ever wonder why gyms have cheap memberships this time of year? Because people tell themselves that this is the year they’re going to get in shape and kick the junk food. They buy the membership and hit the gym twice. One thing leads to another and all of the sudden they are sitting on the couch in February, eating Doritos, drinking a Pepsi and watching an ad for Anytime Fitness.

“Oh yeah… I should really cancel that membership.”

We have the best of intentions to usher in change and then ultimately usher change out. According to Body and Soul, most resolutions have failed by January 12. Why is this the case? Because the changes we often want to make don’t accurately reflect who we are as people.

We have certain things that make us tick, our own set of unwritten rules we follow. If your strong suit is working with your hands, then you may struggle with a resolution that involves reading fifty books. Likewise, if you’re the type of person who is an avid reader, then handcrafting a shed for your family may be an uphill battle. Why? Because you’re overestimating yourself and your abilities.

Have you ever watched a toddler try and walk? The toddler isn’t focused on running, the first work on that initial small step. The same goes for how we should act as people. If your resolution is something you have never done before, then don’t set your goal to something outrageous.

Going back to our gym example, your first goal shouldn’t be to get in shape. You first need to become a frequent resident at the gym. Not much of reader? Get in the habitat of reading before you set your eyes on reading fifty books. When we try and force some brand new skill into our lives too quickly, we end up wasting our time.

If you feel like you are wasting your time, then realize you may be biting off more than you can chew. So often in society, we’re pumped full of this idea we have to be great at everything we do immediately. Which is an incredible lie. We are not capable of being good at everything our first time. Everyone was a beginner at some point and that’s ok. In fact, it’s great! If we were all good at everything on “go” then life would be as bland as vanilla pudding. There would be no challenge, no adventure, and no reward.

I pray 2019 is your year. Strive towards your resolution, if it doesn’t work, then adjust your sights. Don’t ever be afraid to take small steps at first. Because those small steps can lead to an incredible reward.

Go Get Em,

Chandler Jahner

2018-2019 SC State Vice-President

Christmas Traditions

CD - Family Christmas time in the Brinegar household is a time to take a break from the busy winter months and the cold outside. On Christmas eve we always chore and put hay in for all the cows so that we can enjoy Christmas without work on the holiday. We always sleep in on Christmas exchange gifts, it is one of the few days that we do anything before we feed the calves in the lot. All of the neighbors always give meat or treats to one and another. At noon on Christmas, we have a big meal to enjoy and give thanks for all we have before we go to the other family Christmases over the next couple of days.

Lane- Over the years, my family has always had a solid family tradition for Christmas. We travel down the road to my grandmothers on Christmas Eve to enjoy homemade sweets and goodies. The next morning we wake up very early to enjoy giant cinnamon rolls, my dad's world famous omelets, and open presents that Santa brought for us. My favorite part about Christmas is being able to see the excitement on my families faces when we all open gifts. It shows how blessed we are to receive such amazing items from year to year and be in the company of loved ones. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Chandler- Every year, my family gathers at my Grandmothers Christmas Eve. We spend time telling stories, eating and exchanging gifts. I love when we all sit around the tree and celebrate what we got this year. Often times the house smells of freshly cooked ham, sweets and a variety of candles that my grandmother has decided to light. When we finish with presents and say our goodbyes, my family heads to church to end the night. The next morning, we as an immediate family take time to read the story of Christ’s birth before we go open presents. After presents, we go feed as a family and prepare to go to my Grandfathers to spend the afternoon exchanging gifts and enjoying some fantastic food. I hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday! Merry Christmas!

Lexi- Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. On Christmas Eve, my family and I get together with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. We eat supper and spend time together. Once we get home, my immediate family and I open up our presents. On Christmas day, my family and I attend mass in the morning. We then pack up the car and go to my grandparents’ house. We spend the day eating, opening gifts, and visiting with family. Once we finish up in the afternoon, we had back to town and have supper with my other grandparents. After a long day, we head home and relax. I hope everyone has a great holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Cole - Christmas is a wild time in the Reiman house because we like to mix things up. I distinctly remember some years we have gone into my grandma’s for an extended family Christmas and other years we would stay home and divide out house into two teams for a giant nerf gun fight. It was amazing and unique to our family. Our family has a passion for competition and this was a way for us to take out that passion in a way that allowed us to bond and have fun. (Minus the clean up). What I would recommend to you all on your next family gathering is have fun and don't be afraid to bond and find something completely unique to you and your family.

Jake- The Christmas season is always a hectic time in the Hlas household! Starting on Christmas Eve we make our way to my dad’s side of the family for the first Christmas get together. Christmas day was always a day my brother and I looked forward to all year long. We open our presents, went to church, and then prepare to head to my mom’s side of Christmas that night. To say that we needed to be prodded by my mom to make it on time, might be the understatement of the century. There were things to do, enjoy our presents, feed cattle, or any other various task my dad could find, but sure as the sun rising, we made our way to Pleasantville. As we arrive we stuff our faces like any family on Christmas and open presents. The Christmas season is always a busy time, but when we can focus on the things and people that we love, it truly is the best time of the year. Merry Christmas!

Jodie- Christmas time is my absolute favorite time. Normally after Thanksgiving, my mom, sister, brother, and I all take the time to decorate the house and the Christmas tree. The next thing you know, Buddy the elf is back to keep an eye on everyone and report back to Santa! Around the Christmas season, while my grandpa, uncles, and cousins go deer hunting, my grandma, aunts, mom, sister, and I all do some Christmas baking! When everyone gets back from hunting, we all go and eat dinner together and try some of today’s goodies! On Christmas morning you can find my siblings and me eager and excited for dad to get home from the farm to open up our gifts. Either on Christmas Eve we will go to church with grandma, or we will all go on Christmas morning. After church, we all head to grandma and grandpas to celebrate Christmas! My favorite part about the Christmas season is the joy you can see in everyone’s eyes. While the snow may be cold, we can enjoy coming inside and enjoying hot chocolate with our family. Every year, my family asks what I would like for Christmas, but as I have gotten older, the only thing I want for Christmas is to be surrounded by my family and friends. Happy Holidays from our little family to you!

Laken- My favorite Christmas Tradition actually takes place on Christmas Eve. When I was little, there would always be some presents lined up around the tree, and after dinner, we would sit in the living room to open up one present the night before. We would always open the present from my Grandma, and every year it was a pair of pajamas. We’d put them on to go to bed and all head into my room, where we put on the 24-hour marathon of A Christmas Story as we fell asleep. We would anxiously try to fall asleep, always remembering mom telling us “Santa won’t come until all the kids are asleep.” After a couple of arguments, and a few of us switching beds because even on Christmas Eve, we were putting ourselves on the line of hitting the naughty list, we finally drifted to bed, only to wake up way too early on Christmas Morning to open presents.

Gwen- In my household we have many Christmas traditions, but my favorites are on Christmas Eve. It all starts at church that evening with the candle lighting ceremony. The church is aglow with hundreds of candles as we sing Christmas hymns. After church, we head back home, and we have more traditions to follow. The first tradition comes from my family’s old German roots! My parents hide a pickle ornament in the Christmas tree and the first of us to find gets to open the first present of Christmas! Next, my siblings and I all open a new Nutcracker to add to the collection, then it is off to bed. The next morning is spent opening gifts as my parents and grandparents prepare fry bread. Once evening has arrived we gather together at my grandparents for a venison roast and enjoy the company of family.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,

2018-2019
Iowa FFA State Officer Team

College at a Glance

What is the main goal of going to college? Is it to find a heavily valued education? Finding a career interest? Or even to go make new lifelong friends?

My senior year of high school is when I started to have the thoughts of where I wanted to go to college and what my aspirations would be after high school. The thoughts of playing football, pursuing an FFA State Office position, or even going to work were all going through my mind. Once I decided on a place to go, I had it all planned out of what I was going to do while at college and what my priorities were going to be. Instead of sticking to my decision, I decided to change my mind and go to Iowa State University instead of my original plan of a community college. Now that I’m at Iowa State, I have realized how happy it makes me be here. Never would I have expected to be at a large school studying agriculture with some of my lifelong friends. The decisions I had to make were very difficult, but very rewarding when all said and done.

My advice to anyone struggling to make a choice about something would definitely be to keep an open mind. Having an open mind will allow you to see the possibilities that you might have missed in your initial thoughts. Another piece of advice I have would be to ask questions. Asking questions to those friends or family members that have a load of experience will help you get a wide range of perspective on the options that are in front of you. My final piece of advice is probably the most important of all. Don’t let others make YOUR decision for you. It is your life and your future so it is up to you to make decisions that will lead you on the right track.

Now that you have that advice in mind, I would like you to revisit the questions at the beginning of the blog. Push yourself to think outside the box and come up with ideas about what you think your college experience should be like. Think about what you value about your education and how you can use those values to make a good decision. Pursue things you never thought you would pursue because, in the end, it is about the experiences that you will cherish. Lastly, I want everyone to know that you are not alone in these situations. Everyone has tough decisions to make in their own lives so having confidence that everything will be ok is very important.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Lane Morrison

Southeast State Vice President

Potatoes, Eggs, and Coffee Grounds

The other day on Thanksgiving, I remember stressing out over the work I had to do between homework, FFA, and chores. I started working tirelessly to get as much work done as I could when my mom called me to the table. I was a bit upset as I had so much work to do but I knew that this was important to my family so I went and sat down. Next thing I knew, my family was sharing stories and laughing about our childhood experiences. As I looked around the table I was truly thankful for the people I shared that meal with. I found myself thinking about how crazy it is that one meal can change our perspective on the world so much. It made me think of a story about food that I had recently read. It went something along the lines of this:

Once upon a time, there was a boy who had just come home from school when his father asked him how his day was. The boy went on to tell his dad just how frustrated he was with all of the work he had to do at school and how he felt he would never accomplish it all. He was so upset at the situation that he asked his dad for advice.

Without saying a word, the dad stood up and went to the kitchen to start three small pots of boiling water. He then went to get a potato, an egg, and some coffee grounds and put each in a different pot. After a short while, the father put the potato and the egg onto a plate and poured the coffee into a glass. The boy was a bit confused.

The father told him to examine the three foods. The boy promptly picked up the potato and found that the once hearty potato had become soft. Then, the boy cracked open the egg and found that the weak egg had toughened up on the inside. He couldn’t help but wonder what all this meant as he picked up the coffee glass and took a sip. As he pulled away a smile grew across his face. His father went on to explain what this meant.

You see, this story isn't about the food but rather about choices. No one is perfect and we all go through many similar situations but many of us react in vastly different ways. When we come across a problem that stresses us out we automatically tend to go into fight or flight. This is like the potato and the egg. When we fight a situation, we toughen up like the egg to get through the problem. When we exhibit flight, we are like the potato which gets soft when put into boiling water. Both foods have different reactions to the problem that was the boiled water. The thing is, these two foods let the water change them. When we let a situation change who we are, we let the problem in. The coffee grounds, on the other hand, did something unique. They took the boiling water that changed the potato and the egg and made it into something delicious, something better. When we are stressed out over a situation, we have a choice to make: Are we going to let the problem change us, or are we going to change the problem?

At the end of the day, it all comes down to outlook. One of my favorite examples of this is from the diary of Anne Frank. You see Anne was in one of the worst situations imaginable during the writing of this diary yet she always managed to keep a positive outlook. How do I know this? When Anne wrote this diary she never knew anyone would ever read it. This diary was personal and truly was meant for her eyes only. One of the last pages she wrote before she was taken was regarding the goodness of people. My favorite quote from her personal writings is “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart”. Take a moment to think about that. The worst situation imaginable yet she still believed there was good in every person. Anne never knew these words would be read yet she still managed to have hope.

No matter what your situation is, have hope. Don’t let the situation change you. You have a choice in every action you make whether you will change the problem or let the problem change you. Always strive for success and truly find happiness in everything you do. When you are faced with adversity, will you let the situation eat away at you or will you make the best out of the situation? When you are set into boiling water, will you be like the potato, the egg, or the coffee grounds?

Live to Serve,

2018-2019

 Northwest State Vice-President

Cole Reiman