Article

By: Kenzie Johnston, AgriPOWER Class XI participant

Session 1 for AgriPOWER kicked off in Columbus, Ohio, on the hottest weekend to date in 2019. Thankfully, we spent the majority of the session inside the Ohio Farm Bureau meeting room. It was a great time for us to get acquainted and discuss our personal and professional goals and objectives. 

We began the morning by touring Nationwide Insurance and getting a behind-the-scenes perspective of the Farm Bureau heritage. It was very interesting to hear about the partnership and history between the Ohio Farm Bureau and Nationwide. We were able to view archived files, photos videos and even the first insurance claim dating back to 1919. We learned that the partnership between Nationwide and Farm Bureau is particularly important to agriculturists and something both organizations value and work together to sustain and strengthen. 

Before the session, the participants were asked to complete two different strengths assessments: StrengthsFinder and Emotional Intelligence. After completing the assessments and reading the books, we were able to dive further into thinking about the strengths we possess and how we can utilize the strengths we have in our daily lives. Personally, I feel as if I am being the best team player I can be when I use my strengths to benefit the entire team. 

With agriculture being the No. 1 industry in the state of Ohio, it is extremely important to collaborate with other agriculture advocates and work to become the most influential leaders we can be for the industry. As part of the first session, we were challenged to think about a personal goal. After defining our goal, we were to think about how we would accomplish our goal and draft a plan of action for achieving the goal. We realized a critical first step for making progress is to develop necessary relationships. Relationships are important, especially in the agriculture industry. By working together with others that share the same passion, we will able to form a louder and more influential voice for agriculture. 

Reflecting on the first session of AgriPOWER Session 1, I feel energized to begin the class and look forward to making the most of this opportunity. The first session revealed information that helped me better understand myself. It challenged me to think about my strengths and develop deeper thoughts about my goals. It encouraged me to be more confident in my public speaking skills and motivated me to be a better leader for my community as well as local Farm Bureau. I hope my classmates are as inspired and excited to begin this journey together as I am. Now is the time for us to focus on strengthening our skills and building our confidence so that we may be more influential leaders for the agriculture industry and state of Ohio. 

Additional Class XI blog

Discovering my strengths, by Devin Trout, Franklin County