National FFA Week: Looking Back & Looking Forward

Happy National FFA Week everyone!

 

Whether you were an FFA member or not, this week is special in that people across the country are all celebrating American Agriculture and the continuing of educating our youth about it. For those of us who were always extremely involved in our home chapter’s FFA Week activities, this week can serve as a sad reality that yes, “I really am growing up.” We went from one year leading multiple philanthropy events, fundraisers, and workshops, to studying for the next test and making it through the first year of college. The first year I spent this week as a college student, there was a feeling of disconnect.  I felt like I was losing a part of myself since FFA was gone. I decided my friends at school didn’t understand, and that there was nothing that could fill that hole being an FFA member left behind. I couldn’t have been more wrong. For all of you new college students dwelling in what FFA and 4-H “was” for you, I’m here to tell you what they still ARE for you.

1.      It’s not actually over.

No, you can’t compete in Parliamentary procedure anymore or go to monthly meetings, but there are a lot of things you still can do as a college student. For FFA members, you are still eligible to show livestock, submit Supervised Agricultural Experience Proficiencies (SAEs) and apply for your American Degree. For 4-H members you can still attend State Conference, show at your county fair one more time, and be a Teen Leader at 4-H camp. There are always more activities to participate in just talk to your county agent or advisor and keep going!

2.      Become an active alumni.

Wow, that word made you feel old right? Well as much as I hate to say it, the day you graduated high school you became the alum of numerous organizations. But push away that negative connotation of the word and look at it just like a milestone- a sign of hard work to become the person you are today who will accomplish great things. Being an alumni is your chance to give back and help those after you have the opportunities you had. Even if you’re the definition of a broke college student, find a way to give back whenever you can. Send an encouraging text, stop by a practice when you are in for a weekend, or even volunteer with another chapter or extension office.  Anything you do will mean something to those members, teachers and agents.

3.      Join something new.

College gives us the opportunity to not only expand on what we enjoyed in high school but also to really find out more about ourselves. So maybe your college doesn’t have Collegiate 4-H or FFA. Joining organizations that aren’t identical to the clubs you were a part of in high school gives you the chance to find new interests and find that group of people that can be your support group and feel like family, just like you have had in years past.

4.      Share what you have gained.

You know how you can’t stop talking about all the awesome things FFA did for you or how you wouldn’t be the person you are today without 4-H? Well why not share this with others. Those new organizations you are joining are looking for passionate, hard working and strong willed people just like you to get active in their club and take future leadership positions. Why mope about what you miss when you can start planning for what you are going to implement to make your new organization even better? Be that active new member who isn’t afraid to speak up in front of the group and can work with any team. You’ll be amazed at how much joy can be attained just by finding your place and sharing your ideas. 

5.      Become an AGvocate.

Okay... the play on words may be cheesy, but the longer you are in college the more you will understand the increasing need for more of these. AGvocates are those that simply advocate for the agricultural industry. This seems like a quite a job for just a college 19-20 year old student but our voice is more important than you know. It’s the small things that can make the biggest difference. Using social media to highlight the positive side of our industry, such as posting pictures of feeding hay or tweeting about vaccinating your weaned pigs, every little bit helps. We don’t have to inform the world about agriculture all at once. We can start with our peers, the future consumers, and work our way up from there.  Use social media to also learn how others are being Agvocates and share others' experiences.    

I hope these tips help you to make it through National FFA Week with a more positive and enthusiastic outlook. Remember the more involved and immersed you get within your college and organizations the better your overall experience will be. The National FFA Organization and 4-H have given you these skills and experiences for you to share with others- don’t let them down!

Renee is a sophomore from Princeton, Kentucky and is studying Agricultural Economics.  She was involved in FFA and other activities in high school, and has involved herself as a CAFE Ambassador, a member of Sigma Alpha, Block and Bridle and other activities at UK.  

Been there, showed that

 Every year since I can remember, my family and I have loaded up the truck and trailer and headed out to Louisville, Kentucky for the North American Livestock Exposition. This is one of the greatest weeks for any livestock kid. They get to see all their friends in one place, show their stock that they have worked so hard on, and get a once in a life time experience, as the quality of the animals is the best of the best. It was in 1971 when the idea of having a major livestock show in Kentucky started. This was brought up by the former Kentucky governor Wendell H. Ford and in November 17-23, 1974 the first show started. From this year on the Kentucky Exposition Center has been filled with all different types of livestock in the month of November. In the first show there were beef cattle, sheep, and pigs. Now it has grown to beef cattle, pigs, sheep, llamas, horses, goats, and dairy. There have been some big changes in the last 38 years with the different shows and how the quality of the livestock has changed. 

The UK Livestock Judging Team, from left to right: Shelby Clifford, Kaitlin Klair, Josh Duckworth, Caroline Applegate, & Victoria Hamilton.

 

            Over the past couple of years, making the trip out to Louisville was a normal routine for my family and I. Every November, my mom would send in letters to all of our teachers to get us excused absences since our schools did not have Agriculture programs. We would collect all our homework and head out the next morning. You could barely sleep the night before because you were so excited about the trip. Who wouldn’t be excited about it? You get to miss school, show your animals, and see all your friends! That sounds like a good time to me! Showing livestock is a big thing in my family because my mom and dad use to show when they were young and that is how they met. We look at it as spending time together doing something that we all enjoy. I wish that all families don’t have one activity that they can all do together and enjoy as much as livestock families do. We do get into our fair share of arguments while traveling, but in the end it all seems to work out for the best. 

            This past year was the first time in a while that I was not able to show at North American and I was pretty upset about it. Even so, I had another opportunity that was given to me and that was to be on the University of Kentucky Livestock Judging team. This was something that I thought I would never be a part of and I would have to say it was pretty awesome! During the year we have gone to some pretty amazing place, including Illinois, Kansas City, Pennsylvania, and then final contest at the North American.  Along the way, we stopped at many different producer’s farms and looked at their livestock and talked to them about different things going on in the industries. We also experienced local culture when we traveled through food and shopping! My most memorable moment of this experience would be the van rides. We were in the van for long and short periods of time. Every ride was different from what we talked about or just the things we saw and experienced in the van. We had some of the funniest conversations. This experience was one that I enjoyed and glad that I took. 

I know that I missed one year of showing at the North American, but I gained so much more by getting the experience to judge and travel to all the different places that we did. 

As an Ambassador for the College of Agriculture I encourage everyone to get INVOLVED in school! Judging is an awesome way to travel around to different states and meet new people, but it is also a time commitment and a lot of work. This is only a small comparison to the amount of fun and memories that we have as a team! If you don’t want to get try judging, UK and the College of Agriculture has many different clubs that you are able to get involved in!

 Kailtin is a junior Community & Leadership Development major from Wilmington, Delaware.  She has been involved with the UK Livestock Judging Team, UK Block & Bridle, serves as a UK Ag Ambassador, and was a past Delaware State 4-H Vice-President.