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“I believe in the future of agriculture…”

— FFA Creed by E.M Tiffany

Those are the first six words of the FFA Creed. Six words that many years ago (more than I care to admit to anyone) I took pride in, but never once thought I would still live by all these years later.

Those six words are why I do what I do every day. It’s what drew me to a career with the Farm Bureau. It’s why I do my best to help our members fight for the industry and find solutions to the problems facing our community.

As I sit here and type this in my office, my Caldwell FFA jacket hangs proudly on my wall. That jacket helped develop my leadership and communication skills, provided personal and professional growth and fostered my passion for agriculture.

Believing in the future of agriculture is teaching my children the importance of farmers and letting them experience all that the industry has to offer. It is helping our youth develop the same work ethic, skills and knowledge that will make them successful in whatever they choose to do. It’s also why I recently accepted a position as an assistant FFA adviser on top of raising a family and my more-than-full-time job with Farm Bureau.

The last weekend of October, head adviser Tom Mazzaro and I took 10 Pymatuning Valley FFA students to the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. This event typically draws in more than 65,000 attendees.

As we arrived, the city was dotted with blue and gold jackets, and as we walked into the convention center, I couldn’t help but smile at the waves of blue and gold. Thousands of FFA members from all over the United States travel to be a part of something bigger than their school chapters. FFA members are able to visit with colleges, military and ag businesses to learn about all of the amazing opportunities available in the agriculture industry. Additionally, career success tours, delegate business sessions, student and teacher workshops for personal and professional development are offered, as well as service opportunities that benefit local communities.

On top of all of that, the convention celebrates the achievements of FFA members from all over our great nation. On Saturday, 449 Ohio FFA members were recognized for earning the highest degree achievable in the National FFA Organization, the American FFA Degree. More than 58,000 attendees came to celebrate the hard work and dedication.

Allison Graves, Aubrey Hane and Austin Stringfellow from Pymatuning Valley FFA all earned their American FFA Degrees and were recognized for going above and beyond to achieve excellence. We are so proud of them.

I watched high school students and recent graduates speak to a group of 58,000 people unscripted, and they were perhaps the most well-spoken speakers I have ever listened to. As I was getting to know our students, we talked about jobs and finances and my heart was so proud of them. They all have jobs and earn money which is more than many adults can say, and they aren’t out of high school yet.