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.

Mariah Fox – 1st VP

We all know how it feels to go to the movie theater — the anticipation of the trailers before the movie, the tasty popcorn, and of course the movie that is going to be seen. I love going to the theater and seeing the new movies that I find trailers for over the television.

Recently, I saw the movie “The Greatest Showman.” The movie shares the differences among a group of individuals in a circus act. Throughout the movie, challenges are faced and later the cast must overcome obstacles each faces while performing. In the end, the entire cast all come out successful as a team and create the greatest show known to man. I absolutely fell in love with the concept of the movie! As I reflected later on what I had seen, I realized the film has so many different meanings. In fact, the movie really relates to the conclusion of our year in the FFA.

State convention is just one month away in the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Missouri. As FFA members, convention is our greatest show. It’s our time to show off what we have been working on for the year. Just like the characters in the movie being different in their own way, we are also each different. We all bring a unique and different skill set to our contest teams, speeches and especially our FFA chapters.

The 90^th Missouri FFA Convention is where we make up the greatest show. Together, we will all make up the greatest show of the year. I challenge you all to bring your best to the convention to make your team, chapter and state proud!

Aaron Mott – VP

It’s that time of year again; the days are getting longer, the sun’s shining a little brighter, and we can finally spend some time outside. It also probably seems like all of your classes are taking forever. And if you’re anything like me, you might be starting to spend more and more time daydreaming and looking out the window at the green grass and warm sunlight.

I know that right now it feels like the end of school is so far away, but I promise it really is just right around the corner. You see, I always found that it was hard to focus on school in the spring because I put my attention on the next FFA Career Development Event contest coming up.

I remember spending hours studying and practicing reasons and how good it felt when all that preparation finally paid off. I know that at times it might feel like the contest team you are on doesn’t apply to you or won’t help you out in the future. However, those skills you learn in a contest will stick with you for the rest of your life. Livestock judging helped me so much with personal development skills, learning how to speak to a judge and how to convey a clear and understandable message. Evaluating the livestock taught me to assess a situation from all angles and to make sure I check all the key points. It taught me how to look at something as an individual and how to compare two things together, and how to pick out the important standouts in a group of individuals.

Livestock judging makes a difference for me in my everyday life, and those skills I learned have helped me out in many situations such as in job interviews and in the college classroom. I use critical thinking and communication skills every single day, whether or not I am working with livestock on that given day.

FFA members, if you will commit to your contest team, give it your best and make the time to invest in your content, you will walk away with much more than just knowledge about that specific subjuect. Instead, you will walk away with practical tools that you can use in your everyday life, and that will help make you into the leader you are meant to be.