Regan Ragsdale – Secretary

“We rise by lifting others.” – Robert Ingersoll

There is nothing more fulfilling in life than when we lift others up through service.

The Missouri State Fair is here – finally! Many describe these booming 10 days in Sedalia, Missouri, as the best times of the year.

So many of you have been working all year with your livestock, watering your plants and crops (despite the drought), and gearing up to make incredible memories with your family and friends. I can’t imagine the amount of pride that must be beaming from your soul – whether you receive a ribbon or not.

Many members have traveled to the fair to exhibit. In addition to many of you who are exhibiting at the state fair, 650 other FFA members signed up for Food Insecurity Day on Tuesday, Aug. 14. Missouri FFA members from across the Show-Me state will pack 100,000 meals to be distributed between the six Food Banks in the Feeding Missouri Network.

The Missouri State Fair, Missouri Department of Agriculture, Missouri Farmers Care, Missouri FFA and many others will work diligently to ensure that countless members could come together to make a huge difference in the lives of those who are food insecure.

Consider this fact: 1 in 5 kids in the state of Missouri is food insecure. Missouri FFA members – you have LIFTED others by having a servant’s heart. I know that if you continue to embrace the last line of our FFA motto, “living to serve,” you will RISE.

Dillon Reinitz – VP

There is nothing like the thrill of attending the Missouri State Fair! I remember when I was younger, my parents would say, “Dillon, load up. We’re going to the fair.” I immediately ran to the truck and prepared for the long drive to Sedalia. I wasn’t sure if it was the rides or the livestock barns that made me more excited. I remember seeing how excited the exhibitors in the show ring were when they led their animals into the ring. I couldn’t wait until I had the opportunity to be an exhibitor at the Missouri State Fair.

When my FFA advisor asked me my freshman year of high school if I wanted to exhibit at the state fair, I couldn’t help but say yes. I took bacon, peppers, zucchini and many other vegetables to show in the FFA building. Although it was so much fun, I also remember how much work it took to complete the registration as well as prepare my items for competition while preparing for the upcoming school year.

FFA members, what an exciting time for all of us! As we prepare for this year’s Missouri State Fair, we can’t forget to focus on the other upcoming events that await us with the start of a new school year. Good luck to all exhibitors at the fair, and have a great year in FFA!

Andi Montgomery – VP

Flip, flip, flip go the records as I sort through hundreds of them to find the perfect oldie I had been dreaming about. Pause. I pull the record out slowly, just to find it is warped. Plunk. Back into the file it goes. Flip, flip, flip. Time seems to continue forever, until finally I find it.

You might be wondering what a tedious day of record hunting could do with FFA.

To get the best quality of sound from a record, you must do a few certain steps, kind of like FFA.

First, you must take the beauty out of the cover, check for scratches and place it on the turn table.

In FFA, this looks like learning your skills and checking for obstacles.

Preparations might look like early contest team practices, or planning activities for chapter members.

Then, you must take the needle off the rest and gently place it on the outside of the disc.

Take action, and carefully keep track of your recordsso that you can get the most out of what you are producing. I know SAE’s can be hard to keep track of in the summer, but I promise if you diligently stick to it, it will pay off.

Finally, it’s time to select the right speed.

Find your tempo. This could look different for every FFA member — slow and steady or jumping in to get your feet wet in brand new ideas and activities. It is important to find the right pace for you, so that you will not get burned out or bored.

FFA members, as events keep flipping by, my challenge to you is to work on these steps, so you might hear the sweet sounds of success in your future!

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.