McKenzie Loftis – VP

At FFA Camp there weren’t any fireworks exploding on the 4^th of July. Still, I saw plenty of members explode into leadership. It looked different for each individual. One young lady decided she is going to audition for National FFA Chorus. She sure can make you feel America the Beautiful deep in your soul! At the same time she was working towards that goal, other kids were learning what it takes to be a servant leader in their chapter. Others were learning about careers in agriculture, too. Each and every one of these members are headed for a long road to meeting their goals. The unique goals they have set for themselves fit their personality and skill set. We each have a place we belong in this organization and the world. If we can key in on our personal path to success we will begin to see others that are walking alongside us. The partnerships we discover on these paths will last so much longer than forced friendships or “small talk” conversations. As you lead in your respective areas, keep pressing forward along side each other. Pursue your dreams whole-heartedly. Explode forward into your role of leadership.

Regan Ragsdale – Secretary

“The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Sometimes it is hard to be our best – especially in the summer time.

It is easy to fall in love with the lull of summer. Easy to sleep in, stay up late, have days on the couch or by the pool, indulge in an insane amount of popsicles and watch the days go by. There is nothing wrong with days like this. In fact, I’m not sure I could survive without these kinds of days. However, these are few and far between if I want the be the best that I can possibly be.

Missouri FFA members – you can be your absolute best this summer. Many of you have traveled to FFA Camp at Camp Rising Sun with your goal to become a better leader. Washington Leadership Conference, in our nation’s capital, has stolen hundreds of FFA member’s servant hearts. In preparation for the Missouri State Fair, members are growing cucumbers, cattle and cacti from all parts of the state.

The success from these opportunities will come by giving your all and being YOUR best. If you choose not to waste a single second of the 86,400 seconds in each day, then you will be your absolute best.

I challenge you to give your all every day this summer and be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.

Adriene Aubuchon – VP

This time of the year seems it seems like everything is coming to an end. Convention, banquets and contest season have all been winding down, and it’s easy to be swept up into the lull of doing nothing. If you’re a freshman, you’re just completing your first year in FFA, and if you’re a senior, you’re wrapping up four amazing years in an organization that’s likely brought many memorable moments.

Have you ever heard the saying “When one door closes, another one opens”? This perfectly sums up these four years you’ve spent in FFA. This chapter might be closing, but something new is on the horizon. Change is good. We will carry the friendships, memories and life lessons with us throughout our whole lives. You might be hanging up the blue jacket, but you will never be done with FFA because it changes your life. And when something impacts you this much, it sticks with you forever.

Just because school is out and summer vacation is here doesn’t mean that we have to stop being involved in FFA for a few months. Camp, Helping Youth Prepare for Excellence (HYPE) Academy, Helping Youth Maximize their Agricultural eXperience (HYMAX) and county and state fairs are adventures full of memories just waiting for us.

Ends are just the beginning of new opportunities. Enjoy the ride.

Madison Bader – VP

One of my favorite times of the year is spring. While it is probably the busiest time, with planting, conventions, contests and end-of-the-school-year events, it is full of so much energy and happiness.

At the same time, it can be stressful. You want to be done with school and be outside, but you are stuck doing tasks that seem boring and tedious. I assure you, I am the same way. By the time it gets warm outside with the flowers growing and the sun shining, I would rather be outside and soaking up the rays than doing paperwork.

Looking back, I wish I spent more time focusing on everything I did in FFA instead of wishing I was doing something else. Don’t get me wrong; I loved planning and putting together banquets and studying for career development events, I just wished I spent more time living in the moment rather than taking for granted my time in this organization.

I would do anything to have another year in my home chapter with my friends I have been with since grade school, but God has bigger plans for me. In order to accomplish those plans, we all have to move out of our comfort zones and into the world for which FFA has prepared us.

So to all of you wishing this year was over and it was summer vacation, take a deep breath and know these times go more quickly than you think. Someday you will miss filling out those applications and doing those tedious tasks. We all have big things in store for us, but we always need to appreciate and acknowledge what got us there in the first place.

Madelyn Derks – VP

“Shhhhh!” a FFA member whispered as our advisor rounded the corner of his garage and… SPLAT! His face met the cool whip covered plate my officer team prepared. Not waiting for the retaliation that was sure to occur, we took off running. Every year, my advisor hosts our annual FFA end-of-the-summer gathering. It is a time for leaving seniors to share memories with incoming freshman. More importantly, it is a time to encourage new members for the upcoming year and reflect on the past with retiring members.

Summer is here and with that warm Missouri climate, comes exciting adventures of livestock shows, camps and working with our Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs). As we begin our journey to Camp Rising Sun or any FFA event, we should remember our roots.

Our roots are the lessons and skills that we have fine-tuned from previous experiences and events. New contests and challenges bring the willingness to open our minds to new ideas, skills and lessons. As we improve ourselves with shining new skills, it is when we combine them with what we have already learned that we become amazing. When we take our experiences from previous events and build upon them with new lessons, we can completely rejuvenate ourselves for tomorrow.

Our roots are the base to what grows into a flowering and prospering plant. FFA members, I encourage you to remember your roots as you take on new experiences and learn new lessons this year!

Audrey Martin – VP

Fair season is upon us and with that, comes the hectic nature of the fair. Many of you will be exhibiting the animals or projects that you have spent countless hours taking care of.

When you get to the fair with your animals or project, you may find yourself a little more stressed than normal. Maybe you are behind schedule, or your animal got out of its pen last night, or you are tired of all the people in the barn that seem to be in each other’s way.

In those stressful moments, remember that you are an FFA member. You will be around many younger kids who have far less experience than you, and I challenge you to put them first. 4-H kids are looking up to the FFA members and are learning from you.

FFA members, you will have far less trouble unloading your pigs or washing your calf than the younger kids, so let them go first. Hold the gate open for them when they are struggling and help show them what it means to be a FFA member.

You set an example for the younger kids of how one should act in and out of the show ring. Remember that we represent the FFA Organization whether or not we are wearing our jackets. Therefore we need to all do our best to help everyone have a positive experience at the fair.

Quentin Carlyle, VP

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to watch movies.  Upon viewing the opening scene, I become completely immersed in the characters and the plot.

Much like a movie, our lives are a series of events.  The cool thing about your movie is that not only are you the main character, you are also the director.  While the director does not always get the opportunity to write the story, they are given the responsibility of deciding how the script will play out on screen.

In life, you will not always have the luxury of planning out every situation into which you will be placed.  Sometimes things are just out of our control.  However, even when you might not have control over the “plot” of your life, you still possess the power to direct how you will “act” in every “scene.”

May marks the time when FFA members across the state reap the rewards of the hard work sown throughout the year at their chapter’s annual banquet.  Think of your chapter banquet as marking the end of a movie, one hopefully filled with scenes of great memories and successes.  But remember, just because the final credits for one movie have been written, it doesn’t mean the story is complete.  It just means you now have the opportunity to direct your sequel — whether that be accepting new roles and responsibilities within your chapter, forging deeper into your supervised agricultural experience, or, like me, heading off to college for brand new adventures.

As FFA members we understand the importance of working to better ourselves, and in the coming year it is your responsibility to make sure this happens in your life. So, take the opportunities you are given to cultivate your tomorrow, today!

Madison Bader, VP

One of my favorite times of the year is spring. While it is probably the busiest time, with planting, conventions, contests, and end of the school year events, it is full of so much energy and happiness. Still, it can be stressful. You want to be done with school and be outside, but you are stuck doing tasks that seem boring and tedious. I assure you, I am the same way. By the time it gets warm outside with the flowers growing and the sun shining, I would rather be outside and soaking up the rays than doing paperwork.

Looking back, I wish I spent more time focusing on everything I did in FFA instead of wishing I was doing something else. Don’t get me wrong, I loved planning and putting together banquets and studying for career development events, I just wished I spent more time living in the moment rather than taking for granted my time in this organization. I would do anything to have another year in my home chapter with my friends I have been with since grade school, but God has bigger plans for me, and in order to accomplish those plans, we all have to move out of our comfort zones and into the world that FFA has prepared us all for.

So to all of you out there wishing this year was over and it was summer vacation, take a deep breath and know these times go quicker than you think. Someday you will miss filling out those applications and doing those tedious tasks. We all have big things in store for us, but we always need to appreciate and acknowledge what got us there in the first place.

Paxton Dammer, President

Throughout our high school careers, we often hear our advisors tell us, “You get out what you put in!” This is the case for me, at least. Our advisors are often our main source of inspiration and motivation, and although we tend to dismiss their advice and move along, they are pushing us in the right direction.

Missouri FFA offers us endless opportunities to develop leadership and personal skills. As I entered my freshman year, I hadn’t quite reached my full potential. With a push from my advisors, I broke through my shell and discovered the “soft skills” that FFA promotes such as public speaking, teamwork, networking and creative thinking. Breaking our personal barriers isn’t always easy, but it is an essential step in our journey.

For me, this happened at HYMAX (Helping Youth Maximize Agricultural Experiences) Academy. Spending a weekend with other members that were my age from each area of the state reassured me that FFA was the organization for me. I still remember learning about methods of “AGvocating” for our industry over the course of the academy. HYMAX taught me countless life skills that I have applied to the rest of my FFA career, and I have no doubt that it introduced me to some of the most passionate people I know.

As we finish the school year, I look forward to spending the summer traveling the state and meeting members as we break through our personal barriers and discover success! If we take the advice of our advisors, we have the skills it takes to be successful!

Rhiannon Schneider – Vice President

Merriam Webster defines a paradoxical situation as one that has seemingly contradictory qualities or phases. When reading this definition, I decided that paradoxical was the perfect way to describe Sat., April 14. As a few of my teammates and I gathered around the picnic table outside of the Missouri Cattlemen’s building, awaiting the announcement of the 2018-2019 Missouri FFA State Officer Team, we were sad. We were sad because just over 365 short days ago, we were in their seats. We were in this building, in these chairs, and even feeling these same emotions.

Yet, even as I sat there with a little bit of bitterness, I couldn’t help myself from paradoxicallysmiling. Although I know that my journey in this FFA jacket is quickly coming to an end, I also know of the greatness that this new team possesses. I know that all 16 of its members have an undeniable passion for not only the blue and gold, but also for the entirety of the agriculture industry that we so proudly represent. I know that this team will serve our association with pride. I know that Adriene, Allie, Andi, Audrey, Chloe, Dillon, Hannah, Hattie, Madelyn, Madison, McKenzie, Paxton, Quentin, Regan, Ryan and Shelby are world changers. And, I can’t wait for FFA members to meet them.

Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Greatness then, is not an act, but a habit.” To the future leaders of the Missouri FFA Association, let yourself be great, just like we know you will.

To the entire Missouri FFA Association, you have risenfar above expectations this past year. Keep working, keep learning and keep rising, because you posses greatness, and seeing that unfold is a special thing to be part of.

It is truly a paradox to wrap up my year as a state FFA officer. While I am oh, so sad that my journey must end, I am thrilled to see what the future holds. It has been real, it has been fun, and it has been real fun, Missouri FFA.