Ben Luebbering – VP

It is an exciting time to be a Missouri FFA member! FFA Camp is wrapping up, providing us valuable tools to use throughout the year as we advocate, compete and serve. I hope that we all have had the opportunity to set new goals for the upcoming year so that we can truly set our leadership on target and hit the bullseye. Just as camp and other leadership academies such as HYPE and HYMAX are coming to an end, fair season is coming into full swing. This gives us the prime opportunity to apply the valuable leadership and advocacy techniques that we have obtained throughout this summer. Fairs give us, as agriculturists, the opportunity to share our message to consumers by using our projects and livestock as a platform for conversations. These experiences are critical as we continue to spread the good word of agriculture. There are also a number of opportunities to help our peers and younger students as they learn the ways of the fair. We must remember to take advantage of every opportunity presented to us so we can continue to grow. At the end of the day, remember to keep shooting for the bullseye!

Sydnee Mason – Secretary

We all know that the summer months are jam-packed with fun, memories and miles. Throughout the summer, FFA members across our state find themselves working hard, packing and traveling. They trek to our nation’s capital for the Washington Leadership Conference, are cruising down to Camp Rising Sun for State FFA Leadership Camp, or are working with their animals in preparation for the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia. Throughout my FFA career, I’ve made so many of these memories, but I never appreciated them until I took the time to stop, step back and reflect.

This reflection process leads me to a state of immense appreciation. I feel so thankful for my parents, advisors, teachers and mentors for turning all these summertime opportunities into reality.  I’m willing to bet that every Missouri FFA member can name at least one person who helped them transform one of those “what ifs” into a memory they will hold onto forever. Think about the feeling that role model would have if you took just five minutes out of your busy summer day to say thank you.

FFA Members, as our busy summers come to a close and a new school year begins let’s all take the time to stop, step back and reflect on those memories we’ve made this summer. Appreciate those who helped us make them.

Aaron Mott – VP

Finally, fair season is here! It’s the time of year that many of us look forward to all year long. Fairs are a place where we can showcase the skills we have learned from our projects and make memories with our friends and family. We’ve put so much time and effort into our projects this year and most of us can’t wait to walk into that show ring. As we walk in with big smiles and hopeful hearts, sometimes we can be disappointed when we are called to stand in the lower ranks of the class. However, it’s not the place in the class or color of the ribbon that makes us who we are. It’s the work that we’ve done, the ethics we put into play, and the connections we have made that truly matter. Sure it’s a lot of fun to win, but that’s not what the fair is all about. This year focus on what’s happening around you, and see the positive side of things. Talk to other kids in your barns and make a new friend. Don’t focus on winning, just keep on working. A trophy lasts a year, but a friendship could last a lifetime.

Isabel Legg – VP

As the summer comes to an end, we need to make certain to remember what we’ve learned over the past 3 months. Countless members have attended FFA Camp, Public Speaking Academy, HYPE, HYMAX, and several more camps and activities! Through each event that has been completed, we’ve become more knowledgeable about many aspects of agriculture and FFA. When school starts everything learned needs to be considered whether it be the advocacy, speaking or even CDE tips.

At camp, we learned a little about everything. Hitting your bullseye is a huge one! The littlest ideas we got at camp whether it be POA ideas, speaking tips, practice contests, finding ourselves, and countless others all guide our futures. The future can’t get any brighter without hard work and dedication! I have had many times in my FFA career that I neglected to take full advantage of my learning opportunities and didn’t reach my bulleye. Just remember that no matter what, take advantage of all the knowledge given to you. You never know when that little thing you absorbed through the summer will come in handy, and you won’t even realize until it happens.

Dakota Allen, VP

The end of the school year…these past few months have been a whirlwind of “lasts” and excitement. It has been hard to go to all of these lasts: my last marching band parade, my last chapter banquet, my last day of school. I never thought these activities would have such a huge impact on my life. That’s the thing about ending a chapter of your life, you look back at all you have done in that chapter and determine how it affected your life.

I am thankful for the opportunities I took advantage of as I look back at my high school career. I have thought a lot about what advice I would give my younger siblings when they reach their high school careers. There are so many opportunities in high school. As FFA members, we have even more opportunities before us. I urge you, when an opportunity presents itself, to seize it, because you never know how that opportunity will affect you. You won’t succeed in every opportunity you pursue, but every failure presents an opportunity to learn. Even this summer, you will be given many opportunities, so take advantage of them. You will not regret it. I hope when it comes time for you to turn to the next chapter of your life, you don’t look back and see missed opportunities.

I am so thankful to have yet another opportunity to serve Missouri FFA as one of your Missouri State Officers. I am excited for this summer, meeting FFA members from across Missouri, helping with Public Speaking Academy and attending my first FFA camp.

Abby Bertz, President

Whew, another great school year has come and gone—in a hurry I might add! With the 89th Missouri State FFA Convention, spring contests and our final 2016-2017 classes behind us, we can start getting excited and thinking about all the summer FFA activities awaiting us! While you may not be in the agriculture classroom everyday this summer, FFA can still be at the forefront and bring just as much excitement as it did throughout the school year.

As an incoming freshman, I remember being SO excited for my first real FFA activity—FFA Camp. I will never forget the camaraderie formed on the bus all the way to Camp Rising Sun. My chapter sang our hearts out the whole time and a few of us might have lost our voices by the time the two and half hour drive came to an end. Whether you’re attending your first FFA Camp or your last, I hope you not only meet many of new people and are inspired and motivated for another year in FFA, but also you cherish those fresh donuts in the dining hall too—my personal favorite.

Whatever you do this summer, whether it be working with your SAE, attending HYPE, MAbA, camp, or the various other FFA conferences and academies, I hope you do it with your all. Unlock your potential and you create memories to hold onto throughout your FFA career and the life ahead.